obsessive thinking...anyone else?

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-27-2003
obsessive thinking...anyone else?
8
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 1:44pm

hi everyone,


i am just wondering if anyone else experiences/or has experiened this symptom.


i can't seem to "shake" this thought about my anxiety...i CONSTANTLY am thinking, "i am anxious, what if this anxiety gets worse, what if i have a panic attack" etc...no matter what i am doing or where i am this is ALWAYS in my head.


i try and counter it w/telling myself things like, "its okay to be anxious, i can get throught this, this won't hurt me, i am a strong person" etc...but the obsessive thoughts are still there!


i almost feel like my obsessive thoughts are what is keeping me anxious....


anyone else obsess like this? unwillingly?


any suggestions on how to beat this? or make it better?


thanks!

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-13-2006
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 3:13pm

I go through the obsessive thoughts too. Lately, since trying to go off ativan, I've been experiencing it again. I constantly think about being anxious and then when I feel better, I have a continuing thought that I'm not aloud to be happy like I don't deserve it. Unfortunately I don't have advice on how to deal or calm the mind other than meditation. It doesn't really work well for me though.

Candace

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-22-2005
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 3:14pm
I have the same problem. What works best for me is staying occupied. When I'm bored (almost all day long) my mind wanders and I have too much time to think and dwell on things which causes me to be anxious.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-28-2004
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 4:56pm

I agree with Dharma about keeping busy to distract from negative thoughts...but not so busy that fatigue & stress add to the anxiety...that's becoming another problem for me.

Activities where I can really concentrate and not be interrupted by the thoughts help me a lot. I try to stay involved in my art, because when I get absorbed in drawing or painting or something that really takes creativity and focus, I can really get into a mental space where all those anxieties go away temporarily. Sometimes music or a really absorbing movie or show can do that for me. Exercise and being outdoors help me with that too. (something I haven't been doing enough recently)

My DH does a personal type of meditation using mood music like Celtic or Native American with nature sounds, even CD's with chanting and so forth. He tries to relax and totally clear his mind or focus on a particular image or "place" in his mind---I guess you'd call it visualization. It really works for him.

Hugs,
Dee

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 6:27pm
 

 


 



iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2003
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 8:28pm

Heather, obsessive thinking & anxiety seem to go hand in hand.

Sheri Ann

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-21-2006
Sat, 10-28-2006 - 6:28am
I can feel your pain. This is probably what was prolonging my heart palpitations when I had them for 3 days straight. I couldn't stop thinking about it, and for a week before that, I was obsessing over my stress/anxiety level, whether or not I should call the doctor, constantly reading articles on webmd.com and other such sites... I also have negative thoughts that plague me periodically, for no reason at all. I try to ignore them. The heart palps only went away when I went to the doc and he told me it was normal and gave me medicine. Dunno if it was just the meds or him telling me it was normal, but oh well, it worked out! It sucks, but what can you do. It's hard to stop thinking about this stuff when it weighs so heavily. I try to go outside, do a project or something to distract me.
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-25-2005
Sat, 10-28-2006 - 10:53am
Heather what a wonderful new picture!!
LIVE IN THE NOW!! Try and find some time to read about
Buddism and living in the NOW! If you need I can direct
you to some good reading material!! Let me know HUGS!! Judy
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-29-2003
Sat, 10-28-2006 - 11:29am
Heather, you are not alone AT ALL. Obessive thinking has been happening to me a lot lately. Not so much worrying about worrying as you sort of described, but worrying about my son even though there is not really any valid reason to do so. It's so frustrating. I know how it is. God himself could probably be there telling you everything is ok and you'd still have trouble believing it.
(((HUGS)))
Karen