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There’s this thing that happens with me that I find really annoying. A thought will get into my head and then it will just repeat over and over. Sometimes I can get rid of it quickly, but sometimes it’s in there, annoying the hell out of me for as much as half an hour. Between that and other annoying thoughts, my days can be a serious pain in the ass.
I tried looking it up, unfortunately everything I found was about OCD, and was suggesting medication. I don’t need a damn pill, and I don’t have OCD. I just need to figure out what causes thoughts to do that, and then figure out how to make it stop. It annoys the hell out of me that I can’t look up any useful information because everything out there is just crap intended to get people hooked on more pills. I want to figure out how to help myself, is that really so bad?
What happens is that I’ll see something or hear something, then my brain will just loop it. Like, say I see the name Ingen Hoffernickel. That’s a weird name, and my brain will repeat it over and over and over. I can’t think clearly about other things because that name is repeating in my head. It happens with odd words too. No matter how much I try to shut it up, my brain just keeps repeating it again and again.
The other problem is that I’ll think of something, then I start getting a string of negative thoughts about it or I’ll start playing out negative situations in my head. It’s a real time-waster, and annoying as hell. I don’t know why I haven’t been able to make it totally stop. I thought I had it under control a few years ago, but then it started up again a few months ago. I really don’t like it.
I’m fully aware that I don’t want the negative thoughts in my head and that thinking about things like that is totally non-productive. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make them stop as quickly as I’d like. I used to yell at myself in my head for doing it, and that made it stop, but now that doesn’t work. I’m trying to be more gentle now and just have an internal conversation telling myself that I don’t need or want those thoughts and I’d like them to go away. It kind of works, but it takes a lot longer than I’d like.
I’m hoping that somehow I can figure out a way to make both of these things stop. I’d prefer if my mind was calm and even empty at times. I don’t need or want all that crap rattling around in there taking away from clear and creative thinking. Sometimes I swear there is just some big mind control unit out there pumping out signals to screw with our minds, and that’s why people keep having mental issues. It sounds like conspiracy craziness, but sometimes I wonder if there’s some truth to it.
At any rate, I want to find a way to fix it. I can remember a time when this didn’t happen to me, so I know I can be clear-headed again. I even pray for my mind to clear, but that doesn’t always work. Hopefully I can figure out the trick and put it to work soon.
Richard
You do have OCD. You don’t need medication. All that is needed is mental focus on blankness. I have much the same problem, and I know that a true emptying of the mind is easier said than done, but there are times it is required to be restful and to maintain your sanity. As with anything, the more you practice, the better you get.
Briana Blair
I do not have OCD, but I can agree with the rest. I’ve already been practicing some things to get my mind on track.
It really annoys the hell out of me how quick people and so-called professionals are to slap labels on people. Everybody’s got a damn disease or disorder these days, and more often than not they have five or ten of them. Every oddity, quirk or temporary problem gets labeled as a disorder you can be medicated for. It’s stupid.
connierydzik
Hi, i can so relate to everything in this blog. I get repetitive nursery rhymes with numbers in them, or just counting usually up to 10 then repeating incessantly. I have yelled at myself to stop as well. Like u said, worked for a while and then nada.
i noticed this was posted a year ago…did u ever find out anything that works?
I can find any info like this either to help put an end to the cycling endless crap.
Briana Blair
The best I can do is to get my mind busy on something else, or try to meditate. It’s not as bad for me as it used to be, but it still gets annoying at times.
Simone
I enjoyed reading this. I suffer from the same sort of problem, and I don’t have any answers for you. Prayer: Hasn’t worked one bit for me. Gently reminding myself that the thoughts are unproductive and, as you so aptly mentioned, time wasters: Doesn’t work. Trying to distract myself with other thoughts: Might work for a minute but then stops working.
I think getting hung up on odd names and words is part of everyone’s experience. Rehashing old arguments and grudges, which is what I do, is not. My strongest repetitive thought by far is about a very public confrontation that happened over 18 YEARS ago and left me humiliated in front of many, many people. I understand why it’s happening: My brain is trying to figure out a way to get some control over what happened…to get me back in the driver’s seat, so to speak. Also. I know from my research into the topic that a person’s brain will register painful experiences in a certain way so that we don’t repeat them. But in my case, it’s like my brain is always sending me warning signals about it. The “alarm” is always going off now. Treating myself the way a best friend would treat me does not work eirher. My “best friend” still finds ways to be critical.
I feel for you. Like you, I don’t think I actually have OCD. I think I do have GAD, which could be a contributing factor to this nightmare.
If you ever figure it out, please let me know.
Briana Blair
I used to have major issues with rehashing bad events, and replaying conversations in my head that might never happen, usually ones associated with conflict. I kept reminding myself that every time I did that, I was giving other people power over me and wasting my own precious time. I don’t focus on those things much anymore. I do still have some issues with it, but that part I have gotten better control over.
I do think you’re very right in the idea that it’s our brain trying to get control, trying to help us not feel helpless and hurt. Unfortunately, once something has already happened, there’s nothing we can do about it except learn and move on.
Simone
So true. I am happy you have found a way to move on. I am still looking for my answer.
Briana Blair
I hope you can find something that works for you. For me, more than anything, it was a matter of determination. I wanted my thoughts to be my own, and not be useless things that just did harm to my life. I think that it really does come down to making it so important that you have to take control of it, and believing that you can.
Simone
Yep. Sometimes I wonder what kinds of thoughts I would think if I weren’t having obsessive negative thoughts. I realize I am not getting revenge on anyone by having them and that I am only hurting myself. I saw a therapist for the first time last week. Maybe she will have sone answers but I am not that optimistic.
Simone
Briana, Discus sent me a message saying you left me a last reply, but I can’t find it, and it appears my final comment was deleted. I hope nothing I said offended you because, at least from the tiny bit I know about you, you seem like a cool chick. I don’t even remember what I wrote last, to be honest. Hope we’re ok.
Briana Blair
Your comment didn’t get deleted, I just hadn’t gotten over to my admin panel to approve it yet. Sorry about that. I manually approve every comment to keep the spammers off the blog. Nothing you’ve said has bothered me at all.
I really do hope that you can find resolution. It’s messed up what our minds can do to us, but also completely amazing what we can get it to do if we try hard enough. I believe that you can conquer this with time and determination, and I’m always here for support.
Simone
Thanks, Briana. In the meantime, I will be checking out the rest of your site.
Briana Blair
You’re welcome. By the way, in case you didn’t catch the announcement, I’m not going to be adding to the blog for a while. If you want to keep up with what I’m doing, you can follow me on Tumblr: http://brianadragon.tumblr.com/
I’m going to be focusing on art more than writing for a while.
Alex
I can so relate to this to the fact I thought I had written it, I have the same problem but mine is just a little bit more scarey I had gone through a major life change my hubby started work and I was able to finish and be a mum, it was great for the first few months and I loves it as all could imagin but then I had to go for my opp and have my gall bladder removed and then went down hill from there, I had to be on anti biotics and couldn’t really do much for a few months after and started getting into board mood so about 2 months ago now I went to se my gp and said I was feeling low and out of sorts and not to sure y, he put me on oil well it was the worst thing I ever did, I went so low and down hill rapidly in just 5 days I was suicidal It was that bad I came off them very quickly realising that these were the problem well it took me a little while to get them out my system but because I had spent a period of time were my body wanted out I now keep having the words not actions or pictures but just words of suicid ect, the worst thing is I don’t want to I love my life I love my boys and my house an friends and I want to get back to were I was but my stupid dumb brain keeps going on this thought loop and it drives me insane I think I’m going insane I mediate do yoga drink herbal teas no caffeine I take mulitvitimins evening primrose oil, vitimin b complex and magnesium and self hypnosis for a better mind n well being at first it put me in a consent state of panicking and anxiety which I will add I can control a lot better now and I do argue with my self and say stop I don’t want u u are no good for me but these repetitive loops come and go when ever they want regardless as I said I’m not depressed or suicidal I hate the fact they are there if I could turn a switch and make them go it would be brilliant, I do also think that the brain needs to be occupied and it’s when it goes quiet that’s when it worse, I don’t dare go back to docs and tell them cause I no they will think I’m losing my mind which I’m not it’s just strange
kevin
I too have these kind of annoying thoughts. It has been bothering me for almost a year now. I try to get rid of it in every way possible but after several hours it came back. Every morning when I woke up, these repetitive thoughts are the first thing that comes up instead of the positive one. It keep on repeating the word “awkward moment” all time and even now. I try to suppress it by thinking and focusing on other tasks. It work for quite sometime and then it came back again.
I don’t know if it is OCD or not but I do have one fear. I fear of when I talk to people and I can’t generate any idea to talk anymore, it creates awkward moment and that may result the repetitive thoughts running on my head. Its like being scare of awkward silence after the conversation is finish.
It so annoying. Usually before this occurred, I am very natural in terms of speaking with people. I can make people relax even with strangers, but now its reverse. I felt stress because I have to constantly thinking new topics to talk in order to avoid that “awkward moment or silent”. This is killng me from the inside.
Having to deal with this limit my ability to do other stuffs. I wanted to get rid of these thoughts forever. I don’t want it to come back again. Its a total nightmare. Any suggestion on how to avoid these thoughts?
Christina
I have had this problem, too, and especially noticed it when I had insomnia. I would lay awake for hours at night and some random sentence or lyric would loop endlessly in my brain. Finally figured out that insomnia and repetitive thoughts are both symptoms of magnesium deficiency. There are a number of different forms of magnesium–some much more bioavailable than others. I’ve had good results with Innovix Labs Advanced Magnesium. You can get it on Amazon and it’s not expensive. It’s worth a try. FYI: I take a pretty high dose (1,000 mg), which takes care of my symptoms. You may have to experiment to see how much works for you. If you take higher doses, make sure you divide them up throughout the day (better absorption and won’t upset bowels). So, for 1,000 mg. a day, I take 400 mg with breakfast, 300 mg. with lunch, and 300 mg. with dinner. Good luck!