Story of my life too. I am notorious for overthinking social interactions, things I say, things people say to me, no matter who I'm talking to - stranger or someone I know. I feel like I live too much in my brain and it's exhausting. The problem really gets bad when I'm meeting a new person. That's when I agonize over what they must be thinking of me or what I said. A therapist I used to see called it "mind-reading." Trying to discern what others are thinking and making assumptions about it. From time to time, I think about the quote that says something like "What people are thinking is none of your business." I can't take that to heart though.

H3rmit, I like your strategy. I think I focus too much on myself and not enough on the other person, really listening to them and understanding them. Polyphony, try this the next time you're in a situation where you find yourself overthinking. I think I will too.