- Date posted
- 1y
Mental review
I’m finding it very difficult to resist mental review – because your mind just wanders to it. Does anybody have any tips on how they do it?
I’m finding it very difficult to resist mental review – because your mind just wanders to it. Does anybody have any tips on how they do it?
Repeat to yourself it’s just a thought or try doing maybe later
I also deal with this often . I have Pure O among other sub-types of OCD . One of my main things is excessive mental review . One helpful thought I think of is the main point of the Brain Lock book by Dr Schwartz . 1- recognize it is OCD 2 - a chemical imbalance 3 -do something else 4- doesn’t really matter . Two sub-steps 1- anticipate it will return 2- accept it . At times I will write the particular mental review items on a paper to help me mentally process of but overall this isn’t always helpful because I can write too much a novel , LOL and read over too much to make “ just right “ or update or correct .
Ugh this is such a a mood. I spent 7 hours on an email reply that ended up as 4 sentences because of that. I'll have to check out that book lol
My field heavily relied on refined analytical skills so my OCD is tangled up with my curiosity and skills. So my compulsions have practically free reign in my mind because I can't resist all of them. I don't have answers for you, cause I'm still trying to figure out balance myself. You're not alone in this though. Far from
Relies*
one thing i notice is if it’s just thoughts that pop in, letting those pass and observing them is fine and encouraged with ocd. it’s when we start to attach meaning to those thoughts while we have them- that’s the trap. so if it’s reviewing a conversation, if you casually have memories about it and it passes through even in the form of intrusive thoughts, it’s best not to avoid those. once you start reviewing to answer a question (for example did i say the wrong thing here or did that person make a face while i said that) then it’s becoming a compulsion to answer and get rid of the discomfort from the thoughts. just noticing when you’re doing that and making a conscious effort to observe rather than judge the thought is an amazing step in the right direction!
My NOCD therapist (who has been awesome) and I are both struggling to identify ways in which I can practice exposure therapy while in-session, because the vast majority of my OCD symptoms are mental compulsions. For example: indecision and inability to commit to a choice; seeking reassurance on decisions from friends and family; mental review of things that have just happened / social situations; over-thinking and catastrophizing. I also have some other hallmark symptoms (contamination fears, moral scrupulosity, etc) but those tend to be inconsistent too. It’s hard to really practice these during my sessions because so many are in the moment and fleeting. By the time I join my session they are no longer active. How can we establish exposure responses during my sessions, if most of my OCD involves mental rumination and overthinking patterns/thought loops that only occur “in the moments - rather than specific or consistent compulsions (such as hand washing)?
What's a piece of advice you give when someone has constantly intrusive thoughts and ruminations that won't stop? Interested to see what you tell others.....more on this when I see some replies!!!
I work a job at my grandparents house cleaning around their house. For example, pledging areas that need it, using glass cleaner to clean dirty glass.etc My biggest problem is my mind as it’s constantly taking over. When I finish cleaning or doing a task, I literally have to ponder on if I completed the whole task (I stand there for a long time going through “ok, did I get this whole spot clean?” and I ponder on things like did I complete the task and have to stand there until I remember yes I did clean this whole spot. I struggle with moving from task to task. Do you guys have any suggestions for how you can tell your brain this is done without pondering if the task really got done or not? Thanks so much!🩵
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