Does anyone else loop thoughts?

I'm wondering if anyone else feels this. I talked to my therapist about this yesterday and she thinks its a mood disorder. She just doesnt know which one. Is this anxiety?

I constantly loop thoughts. Like a broken record. It will be the same thought over and over. It's usually a negative thought or a thought that is not true and its almost like my brain is trying to trick me.  The same thought has been looping for about 10 days nowand I am getting panicky and paranoid. Like there is a big ball of fire in my chest that I cant get rid of. Anyone else experience this ever? I cant sleep...It wakes me up about 4 to 5 times a night. I dont want to be alone but I have no idea what I'm running from.....any ideas?

Hi Sparnix and welcome! I am really kind of suprised that your therapist wasn't more concise in answering your question. I am hesitant to give you a reply, as I don't want to step on his or her toes. What, if I may ask brought you to seeking help in the form of therapy  initially?

I would have to say that we have had posts similar to yours, where the member was experiencing anxiety and some OCD traits. CBT is effective in treating these kind of symptoms. If you think that you could benefit from this, and are currently not in this form of treatment, why not ask your therapist about it?

In the meantime, we have an awesome resource center (main page 3rd post) that has links to many sites that teach relaxation and stress busting exercises. Practicing these daily will bring your overall anxiety levels down quickly.

I hope that you find the answers that you need. Please post anytime with us with questions and sharing. Our goal is to be supportive and have a community here of people who understand what eachother is going through:)

Hoping you feel better soon!
Scaredy Cat

It is disturbing when one day things are fine, and then all of a sudden things change. It is not unusual though, stress piles up and tips the anxiety scale, and suddenly you are dealing with a disorder that you never knew you would have:(

For me, it all started with a panic attack. I had no idea what was going on (I thought that I was coming down with the flu) at first. I learned later that the tendency was probably always there for anxiety, but a stressful series of events just finally triggered it.

With treatment though (CBT, self-help books, coming here) I have learned how to manage my anxiety, and no longer have attacks...and you can learn how to manage your obsessive thoughts as well!

I have posted a site for you to check out. See if any of the information applies to you. If so, you may want to highlight the things that seem to be pertinant to your situation and bring it to your therapist.

I hope that together, you can come to a form of treatment that works for you

Keep posting:)
S.C.


www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/anxiety/understanding-a... - Similarto Anxiety Disorders, Panic Disorder, OCD, PSTD - EverydayHealth.com

Stress can do some pretty amazing things to the body and mind.  I had a similar experience once years ago.  This was even before I had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.  I was working quite alot, and prettty stressed compared to normal.  I had dropped my daughter off at my mom's on a particularly rushed morning, before dashing off the work.  I hurriedly walked her up to the house, got her inside, said goodbye to her and my mom, and took off.  Well, all the way to work, I was plagued with the thought that she had not made it into the house, and was still in the driveway!  Ridiculous I know since I had walked her in myself, but the thought remained.  I realized that I was over-stressed and this was causing my thoughts to be warped, but it was still disturbing!

 Your example is not that extreme...it may seem that way to you, since you have never before experienced anything like it, but rest assured, it is certainly just stress overload.  The mind and/or body will focus on something when it is pushed beyond the normal limits of anxiety.  The 'normal limits' and resulting symptoms are different for each individual.  Just as treatment and recovery will differ for everyone.

Talk to your therapist (or if he/she is unfamiliar with this type of symptom as your 1st posts might suggest...ask for a referral) about treatment.  If you looked up the site that I put in my last post and it seems to apply to you, then inquire about treatment for OCD, GAD, or a combination thereof.  There is help in the form of medication, therapy, or both.

Good luck, and I hope that you get the answers that you need soon.

S.C.   

Hello Sparnix,

Welcome to HealingWell. After reading through your thread I must say, to be honest, I am worried about you.

 

May I kindly suggest that your see your PCP for a medical screening exam to make sure you do not have any medical issues that may be causing your problems.  From there I would hope that your Dr. recommends you see a psychiatrist for an indepth evaluation and a mental health dx.

 

I think anxiety is the driver of irrational thoughts. I hope you can work with your Drs. and get on the right track to working through your problems.

 

We are here to support you. 

 

Kindly,

Kitt

 

 

Hi Sparnix

You have had some great responses to your post. Anxiety and stress can be a tough thing to live with and as SC said can do a lot of things to the mind and body. My mind is always on the go and very rarely do I feel fully relaxed as I get all sorts of repetitive thoughts which I put down to OCD and my Aspergers Syndrome.

After speaking with your doctor things will become more clear for you and you will have a diagnosis to work on. Before I got a diagnosis I used to really get worried about all the negative thoughts that used to just go over and over in my head and was scared I was going mad.

Keep posting here and let us know how you are doing you are in good company and we can support you when needed. take care of you.

Hibee

Sparnix, my autoimune disease, Celiac Disease, caused my head to trip similar to yours. I couldnt stop obsessing over illogical thoughts at times. Words or phrases repeated in my head. Sometime conversations ide had with people would just keep running through. Sometime I had horrible thoughts I wouldnt dare repeat to anyone, but the dang thoughts still repeated in my head. It was THE WORST.

I would just tell my self, "ok you know what is logical, you know this is not a rational or logical thought, this is not what you really believe tracy and your brain is just trippin, set it aside and force yourself to focus on something else."

The more I ignored it the quicker it usually went away. Ide actually get pissed at the thoughts and sort of put up my fists mentally and tell my brain to listen to ME instead of my illness. I was boss!

Of course treating my autoimmune disease made these trips go away, but everyone is different and has different things that may be causing the problem....

Hope you get better ;-)

Of course! That's what this place is all about...post anytime that you want or need to:)
S.C.

My wife is a looper. It too causes her anxiety. The way she/we deal with it is that we talk it through regardless of the subject. It sometimes takes a lot of time because she is detailed but it really helps. Loopers MUST have resolution. We create resolution and most of the time it goes away. She has a mild to medium case of OCD.