Many times when I am upset or distressed I get these same thoughts that pop into my head over and over. Like right now. “Will you behave?” “I can’t behave.” “I can behave.” On repeat. There are other things to but that’s what’s happening right now. Does anyone else get phrases or words that continuously come to their mind for no reason?
Also another thing that happens when I’m very distressed is my speech and thoughts get very repetitive? So I’ll get stuck on one thing like a broken record and repeat it over and over again. When I’m like that it’s almost painful to stop myself. So for example instead of saying or thinking “I don’t know” it may turn out like “I don’t I don’t I don’t I don’t I don’t know know know know know know” etc. Anyone else experience this?
Yes. I get this anxiety of not being fully connected to reality. So, I have a habit of counting up to a certain increment/number and then count 4 or 5 same thoughts/words as a repeating routine to try to focus better. I seem to do this habit often. Sometimes, multiple times per hour. I just can’t help it. It’s the urge to try to focus. Because my mind/brain relies so much on the subconscious/unconscious. I struggle to hold on to thoughts, consciously.
I get repetitive thought, just plays over and over again, My mind makes up things that will never happen and repeats it over and over, add that to self destructive thoughts and it can drive one crazy. I think a lot of it is from being alone 99% of the time for years.
I can relate to what your experiencing although my thoughts are more harmful/hurtful and targeted towards other people sometimes. I had them really bad when I first got out of hospital then it went away for a bit. I had a psychotic break recently which triggered them again.
My doctor is trying to put me on an anti-depressant to help with the repetitive/obsessive thinking. I hope the medication works.
I daydream a lot so a lot of times I’ll daydream then I’ll get to a certain point in the story that I have made up then I go backwards and daydream again to that certain point and go backwards again often repeating this quite a lot. I’ll repeat actions. Just small actions like if my pants have buttons on the pockets I’ll undo the buttons and then redo them and I have to undo them in the same order each time and the same way.
I’ve been using ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) skills to break up unwanted thoughts. ACT is based on Buddhist mindfulness. One of the skills is breaking up unwanted thoughts in this case thinking “Thank you brain for coming up with incredibly creative stories.” It’s a bit of head game especially when starting to gain experience using it when overwhelmed with constantly attacking thoughts but does work.
There are two self help books on ACT around both by Dr Russ Harris The Reality Slap and The Happiness Trap both worth a read.
Tons of info on ACT on the net and in the archives on this site.
I repetitive thought loop multiple times a day sometimes for up to 10 minutes and it’s like my mind is melting when it happens Ex/// Brown rover down over brown rover down over brown rover down over brown rover down over brown rover down over brown rover down over brown rover down over.