Do you have negative thoughts stuck on repeat, playing over and over in the mind?

[ScarlettR]

I have had this problem since I was about 12 or 13 (am 30 now). Basically, negative thoughts of past traumatic events like bullying is something I always think about. I don't blame myself for the bullying, but I'm angry and sad that the bullying happened in the first place, and also how extreme a lot of it was.

I've read a UK research article on this - a thought pattern called rumination. The article explained that it's the leading contributor to depression and anxiety, globally.

I don't know if anyone else has this problem? And what to recommend to reduce or cease the symptoms?

[Ggrand]

Hello Scarlett,

Welcome to the Beyond Blue Forums,

Im sorry your struggling with your negative thoughts stuck on replay.

There is a lot of people who can relate to what you are struggling with..

Depression can make us think on nothing but our problems , When thoughts start replaying constantly in my mind, I start to distract them by doing something that I like to do..ie: internet mind challenging games, reading, knitting, listen to music with ear phones in..Our minds can only have one thought at a time, so if we distract our thoughts from replaying our traumatic ones onto positive ones it gives our mind a rest..

Can I ask you if you have considered professional help at all. I tried to mange my negative thoughts on my own but found it to hard, so I made a appointment with my gp and told her about my thoughts repeating all the time, she then referred me to a councillor, nowcafter a few months of councilling, I'm feeling a lot better..Maybe this is something that you could try...

I think imo that yes it is one of the main causes of depression, and if not treatedcearly can escalate into a deeper depression and cause all sorts of health problems..

Please take care of yourself and let us know how your getting on.. only if you want to..

Warm and caring thoughts,

Grandy..

[ScarlettR]

Hi Grandy,

Thank you for your reply. I hope I didn't sound like I was complaining or being inappropriate or annoying. I am certainly working on activating positive thoughts to distract myself from the negative thoughts: downloading and playing music, playing games, breathing exercises, going for walks, history research (I'm particularly interested in history of photography).

Yes, I sought professional help before. In 2009, I had therapy with a psychologist and told her then I had a repeated negative thoughts problem. Her help was to visualise three circles next to each other: the circle on the left is the Past, and the circle in the middle is the Present, and the circle on the right is the Future. She said we have no business dwelling on the Past because it's a separate circle, and we must stay grounded in the Present, the middle circle. The Future circle is something we can not control necessarily, but is more important and relevant to us than the Past.

I'm learning every day to be happy, even in small ways. Recently, I've been listening to music that's intended for cats who are ill/stressed/anxious or need to sleep - although intended for animals, I like listening to this music, it seems to make me less ill. Not to mention my love of all cats...

[quirkywords]

Scarlett ,

I too welcome you the forum. This is a caring and supportive place. Your post was very clear and you expressed yourself very well.

Music can really help people. I

I think what I do is to catch myself before the negative thoughts start repeating themselves

It takes practice. cats are great distractions as are dogs.

8 am pleased you have sought help.

There is a thread on here about intrusive thoughts that you can find through the search engine.

Take care and feel free to post whenever you like.