I think way too much about things

[Mechanix]

I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I've noticed how I think about things. I obsess over certain things that happen to me. I don't want to think repeatedly about these things, but they just keep entering my mind, and they refuse to leave.

For one example, today I was at work (I clean movie theaters) and I was standing around for a few minutes talking to co-workers. It was my third day at the job. My manager walks by and tells us to get busy. It wasn't really a big deal since we got back to work, but I've been thinking about it for hours since. I'm so worried about what he thinks of me now, and how stupid I was for standing in such an obvious place, even though I know he'll probably forgot the whole thing in a few minutes.

Thoughts like these keep me up at night. Literally. I don't fall asleep until AT LEAST 1 hour has passed since I got into bed. That whole time I'm just thinking about things, and I can't stop myself.

This kind of thing happens with big issues too. I have some issues with a friend, and it seems like half of my thoughts are occupied with him, and how mean he can be sometimes.

I also have a lot of rumination, which basically means I think of past embarrassing situations at random times. I'm starting to think it has to do with some kind of social anxiety disorder. I'm generally calm around people but nervous on the inside.

Anyways, I've rambled about my situation because I don't know how to properly talk about it. Is this some kind of psychological disorder or am I being over dramatic?

 

[Simalacrum]

I think you shouldn't be too overtly worried about this. I find myself thinking a lot about different situations and what not for time on end, and I think a lot of other people do so too.

Generally speaking, my advice would be to think constructively about it, rather than trying to avoid thinking about stuff - if you can't stop thinking about something, might as well make use of it. For example, perhaps you could analyse a situation that is stuck in your head, and see how you could improve on dealing with such things if they arise again?

 

[Chris Barber]

I really hope this doesn't come off as a jerk thing to say but you might have some legit anxiety issues and may benefit from medication for it. If this is seriously getting in the way of you being able to sleep at night and is lessening the quality of your life I'd suggest talking to someone about it.

 

[Raognerrrm]

I think you're over-thinking how much you over-think things.
I do it all the time. The trick is to find something to distract yourself with that you can think about for hours without getting distracted. (If you're suck for some material, try finding the meaning in Adam Young's music. IMO it's good, and has some sweet, confusing metaphors that can steal away entire days...)

For the feeling nervous when talking to people, the best I can say is practice. Talk to people you know well until you aren't nervous around them anymore, then talk with them more until you aren't nervous with anyone. (I used to have this problem too.)

I doubt it's a psychological disorder, but if you're really worried, go see a psychologist. They're very helpful people.

 

[Scar05]

EDIT - talk it out with ur friends, but if u've got no-one to talk to, create an imaginary figure / stuffed toy / etc to talk to. Talking ur issues out can help a lot

 

[LiraelG]

I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I've noticed how I think about things. I obsess over certain things that happen to me. I don't want to think repeatedly about these things, but they just keep entering my mind, and they refuse to leave.

For one example, today I was at work (I clean movie theaters) and I was standing around for a few minutes talking to co-workers. It was my third day at the job. My manager walks by and tells us to get busy. It wasn't really a big deal since we got back to work, but I've been thinking about it for hours since. I'm so worried about what he thinks of me now, and how stupid I was for standing in such an obvious place, even though I know he'll probably forgot the whole thing in a few minutes.

Thoughts like these keep me up at night. Literally. I don't fall asleep until AT LEAST 1 hour has passed since I got into bed. That whole time I'm just thinking about things, and I can't stop myself.

This kind of thing happens with big issues too. I have some issues with a friend, and it seems like half of my thoughts are occupied with him, and how mean he can be sometimes.

I also have a lot of rumination, which basically means I think of past embarrassing situations at random times. I'm starting to think it has to do with some kind of social anxiety disorder. I'm generally calm around people but nervous on the inside.

Anyways, I've rambled about my situation because I don't know how to properly talk about it. Is this some kind of psychological disorder or am I being over dramatic?

Since you've posted on here about it, I am guessing these issues all affect you quite deeply... I may be wrong, but I'll respond based on the assumption.

What you describe sounds a lot like a friend I used to have (who stopped talking to me because of worries which escalated). I think it would be a good idea to talk to a doctor and/or psychologist about it, to see if they can detemine the root of the problem.

I know that my friend had some serious problems, and watching her led me (and two friends) to believe quite strongly that she had further problems which neither she nor her doctor knew about. Consequently, it might be a good idea to also ask your friends if they have observed anything unusual in your behaviour. Tell them why you want to know, and do your best to be objective about what they say (don't take things personally). Your friends may be able to suggest more than any doctor will be able to find through a few short examinations. If your friends come up with anything, you could put the idea forth to your doctor and go through the official procedure to see if your friend's suspicions (assuming they have any, of course) are correct.

 

[aba1]

Most people do this dont worry about it, its only bad if you let it get the better of you.

 

[Mechanix]

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate all of it. It's not really that serious, I've had some sleeping issues for a while, but it's recently that I've thought that maybe this is the problem. I do tend to talk about it a lot with friends though, so that definitely does help. It seems I just need to occupy my mind with other things, so I should probably get into a book or something similar.

 

[StrawHat]

Do a torrent search on PARALIMINALS.
It's sad they make them so expensive.

I try not to over think things but the tracks anxiety free have helped me immensely.

There's literally a track for practically any situation.

 

[azraelthor]

I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I've noticed how I think about things. I obsess over certain things that happen to me. I don't want to think repeatedly about these things, but they just keep entering my mind, and they refuse to leave.

For one example, today I was at work (I clean movie theaters) and I was standing around for a few minutes talking to co-workers. It was my third day at the job. My manager walks by and tells us to get busy. It wasn't really a big deal since we got back to work, but I've been thinking about it for hours since. I'm so worried about what he thinks of me now, and how stupid I was for standing in such an obvious place, even though I know he'll probably forgot the whole thing in a few minutes.

Thoughts like these keep me up at night. Literally. I don't fall asleep until AT LEAST 1 hour has passed since I got into bed. That whole time I'm just thinking about things, and I can't stop myself.

This kind of thing happens with big issues too. I have some issues with a friend, and it seems like half of my thoughts are occupied with him, and how mean he can be sometimes.

I also have a lot of rumination, which basically means I think of past embarrassing situations at random times. I'm starting to think it has to do with some kind of social anxiety disorder. I'm generally calm around people but nervous on the inside.

Anyways, I've rambled about my situation because I don't know how to properly talk about it. Is this some kind of psychological disorder or am I being over dramatic?

I'm the same way when ever I'm infatuated with someone. I always lay awake over analyzing every little thing she does.

 

[Totec]

I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I've noticed how I think about things. I obsess over certain things that happen to me. I don't want to think repeatedly about these things, but they just keep entering my mind, and they refuse to leave.

For one example, today I was at work (I clean movie theaters) and I was standing around for a few minutes talking to co-workers. It was my third day at the job. My manager walks by and tells us to get busy. It wasn't really a big deal since we got back to work, but I've been thinking about it for hours since. I'm so worried about what he thinks of me now, and how stupid I was for standing in such an obvious place, even though I know he'll probably forgot the whole thing in a few minutes.

Thoughts like these keep me up at night. Literally. I don't fall asleep until AT LEAST 1 hour has passed since I got into bed. That whole time I'm just thinking about things, and I can't stop myself.

This kind of thing happens with big issues too. I have some issues with a friend, and it seems like half of my thoughts are occupied with him, and how mean he can be sometimes.

I also have a lot of rumination, which basically means I think of past embarrassing situations at random times. I'm starting to think it has to do with some kind of social anxiety disorder. I'm generally calm around people but nervous on the inside.

Anyways, I've rambled about my situation because I don't know how to properly talk about it. Is this some kind of psychological disorder or am I being over dramatic?

I empathize with you.
I have anxiety so I have similar thoughts all the time. They are almost maddening to a point.

3 things that have helped me in the past, and continue to help me today.

1) Focus on the "now" Eckhard Tolle has a book called, "The Power of Now" that explains this concept better than anything I could say here.

2) Never Assume... Anything. There's an old saying, "When you assume all it does is make an ass of u." Always take people on their word. The mentality is that if they haven't said it, then I don't know it. I basically tune out all the social cues, body language, and tone in a persons voice and only focus on their words. If they ask, why I didn't do X all I have to say is... because you didn't ask (state it in words). This changes the focus of your mind from possible meanings to exact meanings. It also helps relieve a lot of the ambiguity that is inherent in human speech.

3)Say No. All too often whenever I get really anxious about something it's because I should have just asserted my feelings on the subject. Many time I can get caught up in social niceties and forget that I am the most important person to me. Over time I've found that people actually like when I tell them what I'm feeling, it makes me more human.


I hope this can at least give you something to think about. I wish you luck in your endeavors.

 

[Griffolion]

Please don't let me scare you, but i'd see your doctor if possible about Generalised Anxiety Disorder.

Self diagnosing is a bit silly, but here is a page with the DSM-IV criteria for it, and it sounds like you fit the bill to an extent. It's treated with a mixture of anti-anxiety medication and therapy (CBT or counselling).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generalized_anxiety_disorder#DSM-IV-TR_criteria

 

[Kris015]

Sounds like me really. It very seldomly keeps me up at night though, I tend to get REALLY irritated and edgy instead and it often ruins my day. Like you, I have no idea what to do about it, sorry.

 

[Evidencebased]

Please don't let me scare you, but i'd see your doctor if possible about Generalised Anxiety Disorder.

Self diagnosing is a bit silly, but here is a page with the DSM-IV criteria for it, and it sounds like you fit the bill to an extent. It's treated with a mixture of anti-anxiety medication and therapy (CBT or counselling).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generalized_anxiety_disorder#DSM-IV-TR_criteria

Yeah this, or maybe a bit of OCD -- having unwanted or "intrusive" thoughts pop into your head and not being able to stop worrying about them can be a part of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. (This is a thing I do; it's not as well-known as the shut-a-door-12-times flavor of OCD but it can still be a pain in the ass.)

But mostly my advice is: does this impact your life negatively? (It sounds like it does.) Then go see a psychiatrist or someone who can professionally assess and counsel you. If this overthinking is really bothering you then it doesn't matter if it's an official disorder, it's still worth trying to fix just to make your life a little easier.

 

[SmartyShorts]

I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I've noticed how I think about things. I obsess over certain things that happen to me. I don't want to think repeatedly about these things, but they just keep entering my mind, and they refuse to leave.

For one example, today I was at work (I clean movie theaters) and I was standing around for a few minutes talking to co-workers. It was my third day at the job. My manager walks by and tells us to get busy. It wasn't really a big deal since we got back to work, but I've been thinking about it for hours since. I'm so worried about what he thinks of me now, and how stupid I was for standing in such an obvious place, even though I know he'll probably forgot the whole thing in a few minutes.

Thoughts like these keep me up at night. Literally. I don't fall asleep until AT LEAST 1 hour has passed since I got into bed. That whole time I'm just thinking about things, and I can't stop myself.

This kind of thing happens with big issues too. I have some issues with a friend, and it seems like half of my thoughts are occupied with him, and how mean he can be sometimes.

I also have a lot of rumination, which basically means I think of past embarrassing situations at random times. I'm starting to think it has to do with some kind of social anxiety disorder. I'm generally calm around people but nervous on the inside.

Anyways, I've rambled about my situation because I don't know how to properly talk about it. Is this some kind of psychological disorder or am I being over dramatic?

Everybody has some kind of OCD tendency. If someone doesn't text me back for most of the day I just have to call them. Even if I know they're busy. In fact, if you're not obsessive over at least one thing then you probably aren't normal. And it does seem like you're facing a negative set of thoughts, so it's only natural to obsess over them. Naturally, people think that by analyzing the heck out of things, they can solve problems. Sometimes you just have to sit back and realize that some things are just not meant to be understood.