How to stop constant overthinking

[Summerlovinghappenedsofast]

Anyone else suffer from constant overthinking?
Any tips to get rid, other than take a diazepam which although is effective, I’d rather not do every day.
Thought this week going round and round on loop is about an old colleague that I lied to.
Not even anything major, basically I said I had seen an advert outside a shop advertising something when actually I hadn’t.
She caught me out and said “I thought you had seen it advertised, I asked the shop assistant who said they’d never advertised that”
I don’t even know really why I lied, I think I was trying to be helpful.
Anyway it’s just going round and round in my head about what an idiot I made of myself.
I feel guilty and like an idiot and ashamed.
She’s probably forgotten all about it, as it was a couple of years ago, but I just keep replaying it every single day at the moment.
Then my thoughts in another couple of weeks will move to something else just as insignificant. Last month it was on repeat about how I’d lost my way in a small petting farm type place and I’d ended up walking into the kitchen in the cafe as I’d lost my bearings. This then played on my mind for weeks and weeks about what an idiot I must have looked.
How do other people stop these ridiculous thoughts taking over their life?

I don't know, but I wholeheartedly sympathise because this is me too.

I do this too. CBT is really helping. Currently keeping a 'worry diary' and for some reason writing it down is helping me to stop going over and over things.

It’s literally the most frustrating thing isn’t it.
I’ve never tried cbt. I’ve been referred but in between kids, their social lives, my work and moving house etc I couldn’t make the appointments.
These thoughts have been going on since I was 11, so 24 odd years of it.
It’s so bloody draining!

OP this is me, I feel for you it is awful. I'm the same once something is stuck in my head it's there for weeks until it's pushed out by another unwanted thought. It's making me feel so alone and just so shit really. A few years ago I was taking citroplam (I can't remember how to spell it) that did work but I'd rather not go back on tablets if I can help it. Did start at a new gym tonight though so I'm hoping the exercise may help? Have you tried any exercises or yoga?

Summer me too.... CBT really does help. You could try downloading worksheets from the internet?

It's really helpful in getting you to observe, challenge and either accept or reject your thoughts.

I still ruminate, but not nearly as much....mindfulness course helped a LOT too, as did Power of Now by Ekhart Tolle (v v clever man, I found it difficult to keep up when I was at my worst)

You can do it OP. Believe in yourself...

I know it's hard fitting everything in around kids and work though, my 2 have a manic social life but I kind of like being so busy as it distracts me

Yeah it's exhausting! I'm doing quite a lot of my appointments by phone.. sticking toddler in front of TV while I have the sessions. It's early on for me but I'm hoping will really help. There's also quite a good book called "Change your thinking with CBT'.

It sounds silly but when in those situations now I think to myself, 'are these helpful thoughts? No - stop!'. It's a cycle you need to break somehow!

Do something NEW to take your mind off it, albeit for only 10 mins. It has to be new or slightly difficult to engage your poor exhausted brain enough to distract it.

Fr' instance, if you have to produce a meal, try a pasta sauce you haven't made yet. Nothing wildly ambitious, you don't want to get any more tired than you are. Works. Oh, and you get a nice dinner out of it.

Sympathies.

I’m definitely going to look up some of these books and experts that have been suggested.
Enough is enough and I need to sort it out!
I used to have awful OCD and found some really good techniques a couple of years ago, so when I feel myself slipping back then I can apply these techniques. Basically one of them was to think “has anything bad happened before when you have not done certain rituals (eg tapping items)” and “do your children want a mum who is constantly carrying out OCD rituals or a min who is healthy, happy and a good role model” These 2 thoughts help massively, so trying to find some thoughts to apply to the overthinking now!

I really like the thought of doing something new, but the thoughts mostly happen just before bed when I’m winding down, and I need to really be getting to sleep by then unfortunately. Going to do some googling for techniques I think!

Following as im horrendous with this... It's like at some point my brain will just exploded the constant thinking over and over drives me mad

As awful as it is, it’s reassuring to know I’m not alone.
I’m literally sick of it now!
Hopefully writing about it might help!!!

I get this. Today was because I enquired after a neighbour who had a visit from the police. I was concerned about her so asked the neighbour who spoke to them if everything was ok in the end. He said yes it was. No tragedy and a misunderstanding but didn't elaborate and now I feel like I shouldn't have asked.

I find radio 4 dramas very helpful in giving me something to concentrate on when intrusive thoughts are a problem in the wee small hours. Back to sleep in ten minutes.

Having CBT, but not finding it useful, as I am aware of my thinking but unable to change it no matter what.

This is me all over.

I tend to:

• make lists
• engross myself in a new box set (when I can)
• make a conscious effort to phone a good friend
• try to distract myself (bake a cake, write a letter, something that means actually doing something constructive that requires occupying your brain!)
• CBT (definitely worth looking in to)
• confide in friends (you may find that one has a similar issue and you just never knew)
• I've just started a scrap book as my house needs decorating. When I start to feel anxious I get Pinterest out and print lots of pictures to go in said book until I'm happy!

Do NOT sit and stare at a blank wall and ponder on your thoughts. It's awful, yet so easy to do. I have OCD also and when I don't distract myself I end up counting the edges of things to the point that I count up to high thousands.

In terms of pondering on things that happened a long time ago, this is common with anxiety. Very common! I do this all the time, and drive myself absolutely potty! Sometimes you have to force yourself to let it go. It's so hard but it really does take practice.

Seek help. Please ask for some CBT or counselling to help find some coping mechanisms.

Hope you're ok OP

Yep, that's OCD all right - it kicks in when you try and sleep.

As solutions go, this is easy to say , annoying to read and sounds impossible to do - let the thinking come. Say OK, Now There's That Thought, and let it float off. It will do. Keep your nerve and they eventually go away.

Exercising in the day helps for some reason, makes you drop off faster.

If it's mostly at bedtime, can you either make up a story, or retell one you know, in your head to yourself? And be ready with that story if you wake up in the night.

I’ve got a couple of techniques if I’m trying to sleep which have been helpful, like thinking of car models starting with every letter of the alphabet, or boys names, or animals etc.
But it’s mainly when I’m trying to wind down in the couple of hours before bed. May try a box set.

Shamelessly place marking here as I suffer with this and I'm going to try some of the suggested strategies!

Box set very good plan - make it an excellent one. The Crown or Westworld, for instance. Nothing violent.

The crucial thing to remember is that a lot of techniques (not the try something new one) don't work at first, but if you persevere they do. Takes a couple of weeks for most strategies to kick in, so do them no matter how pointless it seems.

Agree wholeheartedly with @LanaorAna2 - you need to give yourself time and persevere with techniques. See it as a positive and look forward to the fact that you are making changes and trying to enhance your wellbeing.

Be kind to yourself and don't beat yourself up if you have setbacks. A setback is simply a setup for a comeback!

Don't forget us here on mn either. Come and have a moan to us when you need to

Found a box series tonight. I have to say it really helped. Hopefully tired enough to fall asleep after a little browse on here!

I recommend|

• Luther
• Line of Duty
• Happy Valley
• Breaking Bad (may cause palpitations however!)
• Grey's Anatomy (love love love)
• Private Practice (after you've binge watched Grey's Anatomy)
• House (possibly one of the best series I've ever watched)
• project runway (utter trash but highly addictive)
• Black Mirror (brilliant!)
• Fargo

Going to stop now... I watch far too much tv clearly!

I do this - current obsessive thought is over a couple of fillings I had done about a month ago ( never had them before). Now every time I eat I'm terrified they'll fall out and I just keep thinking it over and over.

ARG!

No advice OP but much sympathy...