The harder you press, the higher it pops, when you can no longer hold onto it! Telling yourself to stop thinking obsessively is like pushing a beach ball under the water. But psychologists have discovered that the attempt to block some thoughts from awareness leads to an equal and opposite reaction in which the very thoughts you’re trying to suppress come swinging back with a vengeance. Saying “stop” is the most intuitive response to obsessive thinking. There’s no easy “off” switch for obsessive thinking. Of course if you could simply will yourself to stop thinking certain thoughts, shout “STOP”, snap a rubber band, trigger a shock, then you wouldn’t be here. And compulsive harmful routines can slowly tear away at lifestyle and wellbeing, or altogether take you out of the game. Obsessions associated with OCD range from distracting to debilitating. Rumination reinforces feelings of sadness, hopelessness and anger, and if left unchecked, can sink into depression and withdrawal, or escalate to damaging displays of anger and rage. The process can extend into anxious periods lasting hours, days, weeks, even years, at times spiraling into panic attacks and emotional "spikes" of anger, guilt and shame. Worry reinforces anxious feelings – you literally scare yourself – which, in turn, only leads to more worry. Obsessive thinking can intensify and prolong distressing emotional states, encourage damaging behavioral routines, communication. Rumination is often accompanied by harsh judgments, criticism, grudges, toward both self and others, and the overwhelming belief that if things had only been different then existing and future misery could have been avoided. The feelings associated with obsessive rumination are guilt, regret, anger and envy. It is a preoccupation with perceived mistakes, losses, slights, actions taken or not taken, opportunities forever lost. Instead of accepting and managing these difficult realities, they are viewed as evidence of the futility of even trying to work things out. Worriers are particularly challenged by problems that have no clear solution. Our minds become trapped in an endless process of “figuring it out.” We become plagued by thoughts and images of disastrous outcomes that may never occur. If it’s concluded that there is no clear solution, that direct change over the unwanted situation is not possible, acceptance is achieved.īut often the adaptive process breaks down. Once problem solving is underway, the worry will subside. Healthy worry alerts us to potential problems and motivates problem solving. Worry is the anxious preoccupation with anticipated events. We’re here to talk about the dark side of obsessive thinking: worry, rumination, obsession: But for many people, this process breaks down. Obsessive thinking can be adaptive, when it is directed toward healthy goals and real problems with achievable solutions. Obsessive thinking can be like a hamster wheel, as one hamster gets off, another takes its place, and the wheel keeps spinning. While some people find themselves obsessing for the first time, others may have had multiple episodes, the specific content changing over time. Brain imaging studies indicate that obsessive thinking is associated with a neurological dysfunction of unknown cause that forces thoughts into repetitive loops. Obsessive thoughts and images are embedded in a complex network of feelings, sensations, and often, behavioral routines. The process may be mildly distracting, or utterly absorbing. Obsessive thinking is an inability to gain control over recurrent, distressing thoughts and images.
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