For a while now, I've been having trouble concentrating... especially when studying... so I'd play the sound of rain or a forest or something similar to distract myself, and when I'd finish and turn it off... a pile of thoughts would come back to me as if they'd piled up on me!!! Anxiety, rituals... what should I do?
If you do really need it for studying, I say keep using it. Are the thoughts "piling up" like they hit harder than usual or is it just that the return to being with your thoughts feels like that. I'm not you so I obviously don't know but if the return of thoughts really messes with you significantly and you can still kinda get halfway by studying without the sound, maybe go for that? If you really need it to studying though, I say keep using it
thx alot
If you are using music/sound to get rid of unwanted thoughts, itโs not going to be that effective. Avoiding thoughts is only a temporary fix. The way to get rid of intrusive thoughts is to not fight them or ignore them but to let them be. Maybe, maybe not. I think acknowledging the thoughts before studying. โThank you for sharing, OCDโฆmaybe I am XYZ, maybe Iโm not, but now itโs time to study.โ Then turn on the forest sounds. Maybe that would keep the thoughts from piling up. Thatโs my hope.
THANK SM IMMA TRY THIS โจ
For me, I need additional stimulation to stay focused. That means multitasking or listening to a podcast while working. There's an interesting tidbit about the explosion in popularity of mechanical keyboards since 2022. Part of it was popularized by streamings. However, many people find typing on a mechanical keyboard to be therapeutic and relaxing. The clicky clack of the keys are tactile and soothing. Anyways, how many hours do you study? Have you tried writing out or listing your anxieties? The reason I suggest that is because doing that is very similar to a study task. So that could create a better transition instead of this wave of thoughts rushing back.
hi. so one big factor of my OCD is rumination. i met a guy who i have a crush on the idea of (idea bc there are red flags). my biggest fear is not finding true love, my ex told me no one else would deal with what i have (my ocd, specifically reassurance seeking and getting overstimulated after intimacy). a few weeks ago, my friends and family all gathered and tried to give me advice that sounded like โyouโre shy and youโll never find someone.โ after that, iโve felt off. iโve been using an unhealthy coping skill, daydreaming, and iโve just felt unbalanced. my ocd makes everything feel different sometimes, i canโt explain it. life, myself, almost like being in a dissociated state. has anyone else experienced that? i donโt know how to remain balanced during my off times and i know pms exasperates it all. i take ashwaghanda and omega 3s in a multi vitamin daily. i take them all together in the evening but iโve missed three days recently and also messed with my rocky sleep schedule because of fun times with friends. i hope these supplements work, because i donโt know if iโd be brave enough for medication. i had a bad reaction on prozac and often am forgetful. i just have been battling my OCD consciously for almost ten years now and unconsciously for longer. i am so tired, as my mental health extends beyond my OCD. iโm in talk therapy with some cbt aspects but i only see her twice a month. iโve broken down so many times and promised myself id get on track or that certain things would work, but itโs like i am stuck in a circle that gets smaller when iโm able to help myself. i just want to be normal. i want to be able to mess up my sleep schedule to enjoy good times and not suffer horrible consequences or fear that i will be entirely thrown off balance. i donโt want to worry or doubt or feel so dissociative that i squint my eyes for a moment and wonder why i feel so unreal. i will never understand why god has allowed me to go through this. i cannot let it be for nothing but i donโt know how much more to bend and contort my body and brain to get somewhere stable but how lovely it would be if i could. i donโt have much of a schedule right now, i get apathetic and give in with things from time to time. one thing can trigger me and i am back to square one wether in a week or month. any advice, any and all is so helpful. your stories, your thoughts. maybe feeling less alone and knowing what has helped you is exactly what i need right now. thank you ๐
Guys I need help. I feel so alone . Basically I have this compulsion where I feel the need to write everything but this stems from me being anxious about EVERYTHING. Like my mom came in my room and I was irritated and snapped, immediately regretted now I keep writing โdonโt be mean to mom next timeโ but I keep thinking about it. Then I think about how I finally left my house today and all the surfaces I touched that couldโve been contaminated and now Iโm writing โnext time donโt touch this and thisโ. Then I think about all the things I need to be doing for this week and Iโm writing โdonโt forget to do this and thisโ even though Iโve written it 5 times already. This is what happens everyday btw. My brain always thinks about something I need to be doing and making me anxious that Iโll forget it which is why I write it down on my notes app. Iโm sooo mentally exhausted I need help pls!! Anyone have any advice ? I used to think I need to stop the writing but really I need to stop the anxious thoughts coming into my head . People say I need to accept the thoughts and let it go but thatโs too hard for me
Two things are happening: I get thoughts that just keep looping. They almost feel like song stuck in my head. Also, Iโll 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, itโs kinda like how a โvisionโ is portrayed. Iโll get a glimpse of the thought and then itโll rapidly expand into something worse every few seconds. I donโt know if Iโm causing this or if itโs just an automatic thing like any other intrusive thought. It feels unavoidable, idk if this is a compulsion or if itโs 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 donโt know how to stop any of this. Help?
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