Maya Shankar explains why your brain tries to outthink impossible problems

Most of us recognize the heavy, unrelenting weight of a negative mental spiral. It often begins with a sudden change—a breakup, a career shift, or an unexpected loss. These shifts act as catalysts for mind worms that nestle into your psyche, hijacking your attention and stoking your deepest fears. You find yourself asking why you didn't see it coming or what will happen next. This internal noise often becomes a more significant challenge to manage than the external event that triggered it.

Seeking cognitive closure in a gray world

Maya Shankar notes that our brains are fundamentally wired to dislike uncertainty. We crave what psychologists call cognitive closure: the desire for definitive, black-and-white answers. When life descends into chaos, we want to know exactly who we are and what the future holds. However, reality rarely offers such clarity. In the aftermath of major change, we find ourselves in a sea of gray, which triggers intense anxiety because we feel a total loss of control.

The fool's gold of overthinking

To regain a sense of agency, our minds resort to a deceptive tactic: we try to outthink the problem. We believe that if we can just uncover the specific reason a relationship ended or analyze every past regret, we will gain the wisdom to prevent future pain. Maya Shankar warns that this is a false sense of progress. You aren't actually solving anything; you are merely looping over the same negative thoughts. This cognitive trap creates an illusion of work while keeping you stuck in the same emotional place.

Embracing the wisdom of the unknown

True growth happens when you accept that many of life's most painful questions simply do not have answers. Your brain hasn't naturally caught up to this wisdom yet; it still wants to solve the unsolvable. Rebuilding yourself requires leaning into the discomfort of the gray area. You don't need to have every detail figured out to take the next step. By letting go of the need for definitive closure, you stop the spiral and begin to move forward with genuine clarity and confidence.