The flood gates are open. Help!

[user 188522]

My head is filled with a string of thoughts about my past, that just keep repeating… and repeating… and repeating themselves? These are all mistakes or negative thoughts. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to turn them off?

 

[lotsarocks]

Hello, I suffer from this too. In therapy, and by no means am I implying this works for everyone, but dwelling on past events might mean that you need to think about them, as depressing as that sounds, because sometimes we do need closure for whatever the case might be.

Understandably though, it’s not always ideal to have these intrusive thoughts. Maybe there’s no one way to make peace with something that’s happened. To that, I say when the thoughts come about you suddenly, try to ground yourself in the present. Breathe and think about the immediate sounds around your environment, anchor yourself to the things you can see, hear, or feel right in that moment. Distractions may also help, something that requires active focus, not something that will serve as background noise. I hope you are able to find some peace, I understand how painful and distressing it can be at times.

 

[TheRealCallie]

Is there any way you could look at the in a new perspective to maybe learn from them or find something positive that happened because of them? If not, I would focus on better things. Make a gratitude list, keep busy.

 

[Abstamyous]

If you're going to dwell on them, could be beneficial to write it all out, go over each circumstance one by one, and see if you can find acceptance for the things you can't change. Can you make amends with some things, even to yourself? Maybe you could even burn the list after, as some kind of symbolic "**** off"

My own negative thoughts have never turned off, however they don't cripple me anymore. It's a matter of realizing everyone ***** up or is ****** up from time to time. Learn and make changes where you can, leave the rest.

 

[Sir Joseph]

Lady Grey, I think we all hang onto past mistakes, injustices, and negative feelings more than we should, but I expect you have more than your fair share haunting you. I have no wise formula for letting go of all of them since I have my own historical events hanging on too. But, if any of your distressing thoughts are related to your childhood abuse, then I do have an excellent sermon to suggest. Forgiveness of others for past wrongs is no easy matter, but it does lead to healing, and healing allows one to let go of negative feelings. If this is relevent to you case, then this video might be worth your time.

 

[Finished]

My head is filled with a string of thoughts about my past, that just keep repeating… and repeating… and repeating themselves? These are all mistakes or negative thoughts. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to turn them off?

What do you think about diving deep into a project or a new skill? When your mind is full of learning new stuff it'll focus less on past stuff.

 

[Adamridge79]

Eventually you have to lay down to sleep...then it pounces

 

[Searcher]

My head is filled with a string of thoughts about my past, that just keep repeating… and repeating… and repeating themselves? These are all mistakes or negative thoughts. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to turn them off?

That is your mind playing tricks on you. Read "the power of now" by Eckhart Tolle. You do not need to be a victim of your own thoughts. It is definitely possible to stop this if you want to.

 

[TropicalStarfish]

Could be obsessive thinking, ruminating. Fortunately there is literature on the subject. Unfortunately, obsessive type stuff is difficult to deal with.

You'll get through it.

I try to set aside at least a half-hour a day for meditation, myself, lately. It has been helpful at times, I think. Other times, it hasn't seemed so helpful.

Isolating, living alone, shutting the outside world out: these sorts of things often make for fertile ground for neurotic type stuff to fester, unfortunately. It can also be good, though, too, for self-reflection, and healing.

Researching, hitting the books, having a routine, having understanding and supportive people... These things can help, mileage may vary, though. Counseling can be hit or miss, if you can afford it, even...

I have found nervous illness type stuff, to be like the Chinese finger trap. When nervous tension arises, you become ensnared in the trap. You try to pull away from it, and it tightens even more. But, if you go towards it, lean into it, it loosens, and with the proper knowledge, you use your other fingers to remove the trap from your index fingers, and you are free!

Tough stuff though Life is unrelenting some times...

If it's just over-thinking and a mind that won't stop, still, again, meditation can be helpful, or mindfullness. The therapy circuit is big on mindfullness and adult coloring and stuff. I used to keep a puzzle on hand, to 'untangle,' my mind, so to speak. The nice thing about completing a pretty puzzle, is you can glue it on the back, and hang it on the wall, frame it, display it. You get a little fruit for your labor. Or you could pick or do most any kind of craft, maybe even try to sell the stuff you complete, I've had a hand at that too, with very minimal success mind you.

Masterly inactivity, they call it. Some times, it's the busy-ness of life, that destroys us, and some times, a structured routine, of 'staying busy,' is what saves us in the end...

Idle hands, and such...

As for me, bleh... I'm tired of trying so hard; but, gotta keep flowin'... **** all that busy nonsense. It's destroying the world. But I think one can still manage to, 'stay busy,' with out getting involved in, 'busy-work.'

Good luck Miss LadyGray

(That's the one nice thing about meditation though (or quiet contemplation, prayer, etc.., all very similar stuff). I think if you can figure out how to do it properly, you cleverly come up with a way of doing something, by doing nothing.)