Thinking too much

[Drakon]

Well, I very rarely make threads for my own benefit anymore, and even less rarely make "personal" threads.

Have you ever been trapped inside your own head? I don't mean physically, cause, well, that's crazy. But I mean that you can't stop thinking about things that you really shouldn't be because it's affecting you in negative ways? No matter what you do to distract yourself, it doesn't work for long. How did you fix this problem?

 

[Wiseman]

Yes, and I'm still working on it. When I figure out how to "fix the problem" I'll let you know

 

[Paradoxium]

Yes, when I am in the process of cooking up ideas for a project, or design something, my mind won't shut down. I keep having new ideas flood into my mind and I can't get any sleep.

 

[enterthemadness]

Happens to me on a reg basis, sadly. Also happens when I whack the stick below

 

[bullets]

I just tell myself to shut up.

 

[Booznian]

LOL that sometimes happens to me. I started thinking about space, and the universe and how big it is and got a headache lol.

 

[bullets]

Happens to me on a reg basis, sadly. Also happens when I whack the stick below

Do you mean you get distracted floggin the dolphin or you just get weird fantasies.

 

[enterthemadness]

Do you mean you get distracted floggin the dolphin or you just get weird fantasies.

Weird fantasies.

I can't help but think I am gonna get caught.

I'm giving myself a hand, but people are watching in public.

Music or movies or video games pop in my head.

Loneliness.

 

[huskerwebhead]

That's tough, sorry you're going through it. I don't know that there is a cure all for such a thing. Depends, I imagine, on what the problem is. Not too long ago I had a similar situation. I woke up one night with my heart skipping and losing my breath. It scared the living hell out of me. I was convinced I was having heart problems. Went to the doctor, had an EKG, had to wear a heart holster (portable heart monitor) for 24 hours and then wait for results. I had to wait 3 days. It was probably the most nerve racking, stressful, terrifying 3 days in my life. All the while all I could think about was what if I have a bad heart? What if I have an artery blockage? Will I need surgery? What if it's really serious and I don't have much longer to live? I couldn't sleep, had trouble concentrating on work, and family told me I was "not the same." So it was obviously effecting me. Not knowing was driving me crazy. I felt like I didn't have control and I didn't know which direction to go, or what to do. Turns out I was just having anxiety attacks....which me thinking I was having heart problems was just making it worse. Once I knew what was going on things fell back into place and I pulled out of my funk. I really think that if I hadn't had family, friends, and especially my wife to lean on during that I would have been in way worse shape. Talking to them helped me relax...at least for awhile.

So if you have someone to talk to, try that. It's cliched, but talking does help. If you're trying to figure out a problem, sometimes people can provide solutions...or at least allow you to bounce ideas off of. At the very least, you'll get some support with whatever you are going through. I don't know that I've been much help, but there it is.

 

[MadVillainy]

The same thing happens to me...

 

[Drakon]

A bit, Husker. You echoed advice I was already aware of, which is good.

 

[Danalys]

i used to. now i don't and i'm not sure how i got from one to the other. this not thinking so much has it's problems aswell.

 

[huskerwebhead]

A bit, Husker. You echoed advice I was already aware of, which is good.

Glad I could help at least a little.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

Happens to me a lot. I think I suffer from anxiety.

My problems are always thinking about death, and all the different ways that I can die. It got so bad that I had to cancel a trip back home this past Christmas because I was too afraid to get on the airplane because, no matter how illogical it was, I couldn't stop thinking about how the plane was going to crash.

I'm always thinking about time, and how fast it goes by, and how little of it I have left. Or at least how fast I perceive the time to fly by now.

Basically, my own mortality scares the **** out of me, and I can't distract myself from it.

 

[Drakon]

i used to. now i don't and i'm not sure how i got from one to the other. this not thinking so much has it's problems aswell.

I'd almost welcome that change of pace, though. I have a tendancy to think into tangents and various timelines [If X happened, then Y wouldn't have happened which affect person 1 and person 2, and they wouldn't have Z, and so forth]. And I'm good at rolling with the punches. But this "What if?" stuff is driving me effing nuts.

 

[Danalys]

oh you're at your butterfly in chaos theory stage. i didn't like that.

all i can say is that things pass like stages of grief.

 

[Drakon]

I've been here for years, too. I like to think myself a logical and at least somewhat intelligent man, which makes it even worse because it's like I obsess over every minute detail, figuring out what I did right and where I failed, where I could have used help, and what the outcome might have been. It's maddening, to say the least.

 

[Danalys]

yeah you're an intellegent guy but how you feel about things works on a completely different level. and you feel that things need fixing or could have gone better. in someways it's part of being a perfectionist.

right now i'm probably just letting you know that other people have had similar experiences. and i hope i'm right about it being similar. but really in the end you'll find your own way out, cos not finding your own way would be a problem in itself.

oh i remembered that meditation helps in some ways.

 

[Marx]

I'd almost welcome that change of pace, though. I have a tendancy to think into tangents and various timelines [If X happened, then Y wouldn't have happened which affect person 1 and person 2, and they wouldn't have Z, and so forth]. And I'm good at rolling with the punches. But this "What if?" stuff is driving me effing nuts.

You're not the only one man...

 

[huskerwebhead]

Ah. I've had those thoughts before, though I don't think quite to the extent you are having. And I still go through it from time to time. I think everyone does. Put simply with me, regret. Without going into too much detail, I made a decision a few years ago that occasionally, I look back on and regret. Taking that other road would have certainly taken my life in a different direction. Not that my life now is bad, far from it....it's just that it would have been...different. Good or bad...I don't know. I'll never know.

The only thing that pulls me out of that is the eventual realization that I shouldn't worry about what I can't control. The past is the past, and no amount of despair or regret is going to change it. Yes, easier said than done. I actually think I pulled some of that "realization" from Cowboy Bebop: "Whatever happens, happens." -Spike Spiegel

 

[KevanG]

LOL that sometimes happens to me. I started thinking about space, and the universe and how big it is and got a headache lol.

I know what you mean, I once stayed up all night as I just couldn't sleep and was reading up about string theory and the size of the universe among other things. My head waas buzzing for about 2 days

 

[Drakon]

I appreciate the input here.

 

[huskerwebhead]

Oh, and by the way.....I LOOOOOVE Two Stupid Dogs. Especially that episode. Thanks for putting it in your sig!!

 

[Drakon]

Glad you appreciate it.

"Look! Balls!"
"/squeak Yeah I know!"

 

[E-Man]

Drak, I think one of two things is happening here.

First, you might have a really big problem on your mind that is very serious. While you must dedicate the proper time needed to solve that problem or issue, you don't want to dwell too long on something. I have the same problem with women. I remember way too much, and I wonder way too much. When I've broken up with a girlfriend in the past, it was really hard to keep my mind off why we were through, and if she'll remember me. It really ate at my mind for weeks on end, and it took me away from being myself. What I should have done was keep my mind busy. That is a tough task in itself, but it can be accomplished with focus. You have to do your best to experience any medium of entertainment as much as possible. Read a book, but not too long. Play a game, but don't keep at it. Watch a movie, and then go back to reading again. Now it might not be something bad, it could just be an annoying thought. I used to hate thinking about the universe, but that could keep you going for hours without makng much significant progress. When you think alot, it's hard to just accept the simple explanation for things. If this is your problem, then keep your mind busy on something else.

The second problem you might have isn't really a problem. It's just a character trait. Maybe you're a guy that loves to think alot. If that's the case relish in that trait of your personality. See how many things you could "figure out." Challenge yourself to gain as much knowledge as possible while still maintaining a social life. While it does suck to never be able to accept the simple explanation of things, it's great that the universe is so vast that we could keep ourselves busy learning for all of eternity. While it's disheartening to know that you'll never gain ultimate knowledge of all things in existence, it's enjoyable that we'll never get bored with having all the answers.