Ruminations

[Guest_937]

How do you stop ruminations?

I have a sense of impending doom so am scouring my life for all the mistakes I’ve made or might have made, to figure out which of them will send me to jail and ruin my life. It’s crazy I know. But I can’t stop. And because I can’t remember everything clearly (I’m going back 2-3years) I’m sure I have made some kind of mistake that I’ve blocked out and I’m some kind of horrible person committing crimes that I can’t even remember. It’s like I think if I figure out what it is I can somehow fix it before it ruins my life, so my brain is on overdrive thinking of all the possibilities.

[monkey_magic]

Hi JamesN,

Your ruminations are sounding like they are putting you in a terrifying place.

You need to do things that will help u think clearly like some exercise?

I'd stop reminiscing and find a calmer space to be in.

Your past should catch up to you and then you can think of constructive actions. I think it's really good that you want to fix any mistakes you think u have made in the past too. Jail is definitely a place you should steer clear of going to.

If u need to write more in this annonymous space we will be listening.

Take care & good luck.

[Guest_937]

Thanks for responding. I probably wasn’t clear in my post. My mind was racing, sorry.

It’s not that I’ve actually done something that is a crime that I’m worried about - it’s that I have a sense of doom for what seems like no reason. So my brain tries to find a reason, so its going back scouring my past for something I’ve done or missed that would result in my life now being turned upside down. I can’t actually find anything concrete, so I start thinking of all these crazy out there things that have like a .0001% chance of happening or being true - like what if when I lost my wallet 3 years ago someone stole my ID and they are committing crimes in my name; what if I forgot to pay the bill at a restaurant I went to last year, did I pay that parking fine I got 5 years ago? There’s no factual basis for any of this stuff, I can see that now, but when I’m in it it feels real.

[smallwolf]

JamesN,

I tend to ruminate a bit. But not about the things you mentioned in your last post. The things I tend to fixate on are things that have just happened that either make me feel judged, extreme frustration or ???? My psychologist has provided me with a number of steps to counter the thoughts, which ultimately wind up with me having to challenge the negative thoughts with alternate view point. It also helps to be able to distract yourself if/when you start to get those thoughts. You are right about their being no factual basis, but somehow we can make these thoughts seem to real. And that is what the process (from my psych) attempts to show (me)... these are just thoughts, and there is another way of looking at the situation.

If you want to talk more about this or .....

We are listening to you.

Tim