Mental thoughts

Ok i have this weird thing.. and i dont know if its normal or if its common... sometimes when im sitting face to face talking to someone for extended periods of time ( actually sometimes not that long)I have weird thoughts flood through my head.. like for example... if they are holding a drink i might picture myself knocking it all over them and its certaintly not something i would actually do consiously but for a split second i feel fear that i may actually.. or may have actually already done it. sometimes its more extreme than that.. like picturing myself actually doing something violent towards them.( and the whole time im thinking about how they would react )even people i love who i would never wish harm to.. now im sure a portion of this could be attributed to the fact that i dont sleep.. i nap 4 times a day.. as many of you already know i am an extreme insomniac and havent had a good nights sleep in many years ( with the exeption of about 5 days worth of extended naps thanks to advice from a dv member) So my brain probably is often sleep deprived and irrational thought of course is inevitable..so ive kind of ignored it and always hoped that one day i wouldnt actually go further than thinking it. But today i got to wonder.. is my thought process really that uncommon?

This happens to me a lot. Random Negative Thoughts pop into my head.

Ive been doing much better recently controlling my thoughts. It hasn't been happening as much now. I just gotta do my best to keep my mind clear of any negative thoughts, and then it doesn't happen.

I've noticed that too, a while ago.
Also random pop-ups of the most absurd thoughts
my mind seem to be able to come up with.
To me, they always seemed to be in the 'what if' context.
'What if I'd actually do that, what keeps me from it?'
(That's the scary part, I think)

If you try to supress them or fight them, they
will keep coming back increasingly. I just let them
'float' in, notice them, but don't give them deeper
attention or thought and let them pass by. Eventually
they will decrease and loose their effect. My guess is,
that you have more of the 'negative' ones, because
you attract them (with the not-wanting.) First rule: Relax!!
Besides that, probably just a healthy imagination.

Don't get sucked in, just notice these thoughts and
let them go again. And continue with life. :)
I don't think there is much to worry about.

Only thing is, when you combine this problem, with my other problem of that i feel my thoughts are being transmitted to other people somehow. Then i have to force it.

Ah, yeah I read your thread. Haven't heard about that before.
Very interesting, also what I read about 'subvocalizing'.

So - if you start to supress the thoughts, they come back.
If you don't others can tell. Seems like a vicious circle, to me.

Maybe practicing 'emptying the mind' could help? Meditation?
But good thing, you seem to be doing better. :woohoo:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dajo

Ah, yeah I read your thread. Haven't heard about that before.
Very interesting, also what I read about 'subvocalizing'.

So - if you start to supress the thoughts, they come back.
If you don't others can tell. Seems like a vicious circle, to me.

Maybe practicing 'emptying the mind' could help? Meditation?
But good thing, you seem to be doing better. :woohoo:

---

Well yeah thats what i do, i keep my mind empty of all thoughts.

I can only assume this is just a thought control problem. Which im getting much better at controlling. Mainly through relaxing and keeping my mind clear of any thoughts, until i need to think something :)

That is a very common symptom of Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder and the symptoms get worse when you're stressed or tired.
I used to have such thoughts all the time but since being on meds, they rarely surface.
I used to imagine biting off my ex-husband's nipple (when we were still together and happy) whenever we were laying down to sleep. I had many other dark thoughts, but that one was the most vivid and dominant.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zhaylin

That is a very common symptom of Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder and the symptoms get worse when you're stressed or tired.
I used to have such thoughts all the time but since being on meds, they rarely surface.
I used to imagine biting off my ex-husband's nipple (when we were still together and happy) whenever we were laying down to sleep. I had many other dark thoughts, but that one was the most vivid and dominant.

---

Maybe so, but the last thing i will take is meds. Id rather overcome my problems on my own, then rely on medication.

As i have been doing, i've been getting much better at controlling the negative thoughts, without the use of meds. So i think ill just stick with learning how to better control my mind :)

I applaud your resolve!
I used to feel the same way you did (I hated to even take a tylenol lol), but anxiety-induced cataplexia is no fun when driving a 40 foot RV with a 20 foot car trailer and falling asleep behind the wheel while driving through Atlanta city during rush hour. It gave me a new perspective on things lol.

Even with meds the negative thoughts aren't completely gone. Like you, I've been trying to get a hold of them. One thing that helped me even before the meds is to not entertain them for even a moment.
I used to say: "Shut up brain, I'm not listening to this anymore" :lol: And I was amazed in a scared sort of way when I had to switch the direction of my thoughts several times a minute. It took a long time to make the switch but it did happen. Meds have made it easier and have eliminated the cataplexia. During times of severe stress or fatigue, they still try even harder to resurface.

Lucid dreaming... Might help you. If you can control your dreams, surely you can control waking thoughts!

He is right, its a symptom of Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder. I had the same thing, and I actually looked into it before and I think I probably suffer from a very mild case of obsessive compulsive disorder, though it was never medically diagnosed(like I said a very mild case).

The thoughts really don't mean anything at all. I would say you don't have to worry about acting on them, because you will never act on them, but worrying about it is also part of the disorder.

If its not effecting your life, you do not need to take any kind of medication or really even worry about it. Its only when it becomes a serious problem and starts interfering in your normal life that you need to worry.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alric

He is right, its a symptom of Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder. I had the same thing, and I actually looked into it before and I think I probably suffer from a very mild case of obsessive compulsive disorder, though it was never medically diagnosed(like I said a very mild case).

The thoughts really don't mean anything at all. I would say you don't have to worry about acting on them, because you will never act on them, but worrying about it is also part of the disorder.

If its not effecting your life, you do not need to take any kind of medication or really even worry about it. Its only when it becomes a serious problem and starts interfering in your normal life that you need to worry.

---

Well just because i think something doesn't mean i have to do it :)

No its not effecting my life in anyway. It is a bit annoying, but that's not a big deal. My moms much more annoying then the thoughts :D

Ill be fine on my own. Every day i put more effort into keeping my mind clear, they go away more and more. I'm really surprised in fact how much easier it has become to keep them out of my mind. I'm getting much better at it in recent times. Once i recognized i had the problem i've been trying to find ways to fix it.

But anyways :)

I don't know what it's like to know memories because i have NON STOP random things happening in my head.

I do this alot too.
Sometimes they are even more unsettling, like I do something, like turn down a road, and have a very realistic vision of that decision leading to my death. Or I'll be talking to someone and see that when we part, something I said will affect them in a serious way.

This probably doesn't apply to you, but instances like these dramatically increased in the months following an lsd trip. At that time, the thoughts seemed so real and urgent, that I felt like they must be clairvoyant or something. I became extremely anxious and upset about these kind of thoughts, and this led to a few anxiety attacks. It was awful. Don't let this happen to you.So, try to just chalk it up to your vivid imagination or keen observance of your environment, don't let it upset you.

I don't think its anything to worry about, in fact I've learned to enjoy these spontaneous thoughts that flood my head--when they're not overwhelmingly negative. Try to look for the good in the thoughts you're having.

But if it bothers you enough, what seems to help me is to read things that are very mentally challenging. Sounds weird, but it helps me to "train" my mind to be a lot more precise and sequential when it comes to periods of extended focus. I tend to stay engaged in things better, and although there are still spontaneous ideas/thoughts, they seem to be more related to what's actually going on at the time. You said it happens when you are talking for an extended period of time, so maybe it will help you too.

Also, I used to take some herbal supplements that helped concentration and focus, (they seemed to help my anxiety as well) but I'd have to look them up again if you're interested in that route.

I hope something someone says on this thread helps.