Title says it all. Biggest compulsion I can’t seem to stop doing even if I notice I’m doing it is ruminating. How do I stop? It’s almost like my brain automatically does it and I keep getting so lost in thought.
Hi! I relate to this a lot - when I start ruminating, I tend to meditate and really just focus on my breath will closing my eyes and taking deep inhales and exhales… if meditation isn’t really your thing, you could also focus on a project/work or just something that you really have to get done! Sometimes I even journal about the thoughts that I have and then when everything is out, I close the tab and watch YouTube videos that I know I really really enjoy! Hope this helps
@glovessing1 That sounds simple enough and makes sense. I do meditate just not so much in the moment cause I work a manual labor job that usually doesn’t just give me a second. But focusing on my breath and staying busy makes sense. I just thought distractions were a bad thing so I’m still confused on the do’s and do nots of OCD. I’ll keep this in mind thank you!
*while closing my eyes
Me too… gloveguessing1 has some good ideas. What often works for me is to focus on a task at hand and immerse myself in getting it done. Try different things as you come accords them and you’ll find what helps for you. For example, meditation doesn’t work for me as it leaves blank space for me to let the rumination to run wild. There are also some breathing exercises that have you visualize something for the inhale and something else for the exhale. Keep trying things until you find something that helps! You got this!
So maybe the title wasn't the best to to put it but when you guys start having obsessive thoughts how do you stop them before it turns into compulsions and anxiety?
Two things are happening: I get thoughts that just keep looping. They almost feel like song stuck in my head. Also, I’ll imagine something and I feel my stomach drop. Then as the seconds go by I keep getting fragments of the this thought but with different details. For example, it’s kinda like how a “vision” is portrayed. I’ll get a glimpse of the thought and then it’ll rapidly expand into something worse every few seconds. I don’t know if I’m causing this or if it’s just an automatic thing like any other intrusive thought. It feels unavoidable, idk if this is a compulsion or if it’s just another manifestation of an intrusive thought. Apart from that remembering an intrusive thought triggers the full thought again and then it just keeps looping or expanding. I don’t know how to stop any of this. Help?
So hard to not engage the thoughts because even though it's from the "past" (i don't even know if im remembering things correctly and it kills me) and i can't change it, I just NEED to prove it to myself that it didn't happen this way. If you'd asked me questions maybe a few months ago, I would have been able to lucidly explain things. Now I just feel like I'm in a constant swarm of thoughts, not knowing if anything is real. If my brain is to be trusted. Wish I could just get hypnosis to forget
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