When you were a kid, you probably heard the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Back then it could be a comforting line – especially if you were dealing with bullying and cruel schoolyard taunts. But, as we all eventually find out, words can hurt – quite a lot, in fact. That’s true no matter where the harsh words come from. They could be uttered by school bullies or by the equally cruel voice we use to criticize ourselves. The pain is the same.  In short, words count – which is why you need to interrogate how your old soundtrack is talking to you. Here’s the key message: Ask if your current soundtrack is true, helpful, and kind. If you want to rid yourself of overthinking, then you’ve got to start by interrogating your soundtrack. Every time you have a thought that brings you down, lowers your self-esteem, or makes you fearful and hesitant, there are three key questions to ask yourself. Question number one is whether the thought in question is true or not. If you’re nervous about asking for a pay raise because you think your boss will fly into a rage and fire you, stop for a second and interrogate that thought. Is that really a likely scenario? Has your boss done anything like that in the past? Or are you just imagining unlikely catastrophes, and convincing yourself they’re probable?