Martha, the Overthinking Mind, and the Call Back to Presence
There was a season when I thought my biggest problem was that I couldn't stop thinking.
I would replay conversations long after they ended, mentally prepare for situations that hadn't even happened yet, and carry tomorrow's worries before today was over. From the outside, I looked productive. But internally, I was exhausted.
Maybe you've been there too.
Over the years, both through my own healing journey and through my work with women, I've realized that what we often call "overthinking" is rarely just about thinking too much. More often, it's a heart searching for safety, a nervous system that has learned to stay on high alert, and a soul longing for rest.
As I sat with this topic, I couldn't stop thinking about Martha. So often we've heard her story as a lesson about being too busy, but I believe there's something much deeper happening beneath the surface. When I read her story now, I don't just see a woman with a long to-do list. I see a woman whose mind is carrying more than her heart was ever meant to hold.
Maybe that's why Jesus' response feels so tender. He doesn't shame her for thinking too much or doing too much. He lovingly invites her back to the only place where an anxious heart can truly find rest: His presence.
Martha, the Overthinking Mind, and the Call Back to Presence
Martha’s story in Luke 10:38-42 is often remembered as a story about “doing too much,” but at a deeper level, it is a story about a mind that is scattered, overextended, and pulled in too many directions at once.
The text says that Martha was “worried and distracted by many things.” That word distracted carries the idea of being pulled apart internally, fragmented attention, mental overload, and emotional overstimulation. Martha wasn’t just busy with tasks; she was caught in a state of internal noise. Her mind was moving faster than her ability to be present.
And if we’re honest, many of us live there too.
We spend so much time in our heads , analyzing, anticipating, rehearsing conversations, predicting outcomes, scanning for what could go wrong that we slowly disconnect from the present moment. Overthinking becomes a survival strategy. It gives the illusion of control. If I can think through every possible scenario, maybe I can prevent pain. Maybe I can stay safe.
But over time, the mind that was trying to protect us starts to exhaust us.
I resonate deeply with Martha, not just spiritually but clinically and personally. For many years, I lived in my head as a way to survive. I didn’t even recognize it at the time, it was automatic. My nervous system learned that staying mentally ahead of everything was safer than being present in the moment.
What I later came to understand through a clinical lens is that this is often a form of hypervigilance, a state where the brain is constantly scanning for threat. It is commonly seen in individuals who have experienced prolonged stress, instability, or emotional overwhelm. The mind becomes overactive not because something is wrong with you, but because it has been trained to stay alert.
Over time, this can look like:
Persistent overthinking or rumination
Difficulty resting without guilt
Feeling mentally “on” even when nothing is happening
Trouble staying in the present moment
Emotional exhaustion from constant internal processing
Your brain is not trying to sabotage you, it is trying to protect you.
Learning to re-train the mind
Healing, for me, has looked like learning to gently retrain my nervous system. Not shutting my thoughts down, but learning to relate to them differently.
Now, when I notice my mind becoming alert or scanning for danger, I pause internally and acknowledge it:
“Thank you for trying to protect me.”
“I see that you’re trying to keep me safe.”
“But I am safe in this moment.”
This practice is part of what we would call cognitive reappraisal, helping the brain distinguish between past fear and present reality. Instead of fighting the mind, I am learning to lead it.
Creating space for presence
When the internal or external noise becomes too much, one of the most regulating things we can do is intentionally reduce stimulation. This can look like:
Removing unnecessary distractions (social media, background noise, constant input)
Sitting in silence, even for a few minutes
Even when our external environment is not ideal, even when life feels loud or unstable, we can still create micro-moments of stillness and regulation. Healing does not always require perfect conditions, it begins with awareness.
The call of Martha’s story
Jesus does not shame Martha. He gently redirects her attention. Not away from responsibility, but away from internal fragmentation.
There is a call here for all of us who live like Martha:
to come back into presence,
to quiet the internal noise,
and to choose what is necessary in the moment rather than what is urgent in the mind.
Because often, what overwhelms us is not what is happening in front of us, but what is happening inside us.
And slowly, we learn:
We are not required to solve every thought.
We are called to be present with our lives.