The conversation ended an hour ago, and you are still replaying it in your head: what you said wrong, how you should have answered. Or you recall a mistake from five years ago. In psychology this is called rumination — and it is not a personality trait but a pattern that can be worked with.
Rumination is repetitive, circular thinking about a problem, its causes and consequences, without moving to action. The key difference from useful analysis: analysis ends in a conclusion or decision, rumination does not. It goes round in circles.
Subjectively, rumination feels like working on a problem: "I'm trying to figure it out." That is exactly why it is hard to stop — it seems like you are doing something useful. But research shows that prolonged rumination is associated with an increase in depressive and anxious symptoms, not a decrease.
A simple test: if after 10 minutes of thinking you are no closer to any decision — it is no longer analysis.
Is this the same as anxiety? No. Anxiety is usually future-oriented ("what if it happens"), while rumination looks to the past ("why did it happen"). They can coexist.
Can I just stop thinking about it? Directly suppressing a thought usually strengthens it. It is more effective not to fight, but to shift attention to a concrete action or write the thought down.
See also: Anxiety Disorders: How CBT Helps · I can't fall asleep, my thoughts won't switch off — what to do · Acceptance Instead of Fighting: Why «Just Don't Think About It» Fails · How to know it's time to see a psychologist — 7 signs
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