I can't stop thinking about sad things?

[mmmmmmm]

But not sad things in my life, my life is actually great. I think about completely random things. The level of sadness completely varies. E.g. sometimes it would just be a father and son having an argument, but sometimes it would be a man being dying violently in front of his wife. Yep, that escalated quickly. There are others, those are just two examples.

You're probably thinking it represents something that's happened in my life, but it really didn't. I have a great relationship with my parents, and I've never witnessed real death or violence.

I don't think it's depression, because I'm not exactly sad for no reason. I start off completely happy, but then I get these thoughts, and I feel really sad for the next few hours. What could it be?

 

[white knight]

Hi and welcome

Ive had similar all my 62 years.

Music could be the trigger or when I'm alone.

Eventually a psychiatrist diagnosed me with dysthymia (along with bipolar ). I'm not able to diagnose you but its worth taking it further.

TonyWK

[quirkywords]

Mmmmmmm

Hello,

I can really relate to your post because I can become sad from the most random thing .

I am thinking that anyone would be sad thinking a about or seeing a man being violent the attacked in front of his wife. I realise that was just an example but sometimes it is reasonable to be sad if we see or think about something very sad.

I wonder if you are a very sensitive person in that you react to things or feel emotions more than others?

When you write that you can’t stop thinking about sad things , do you mean every day or a few times a week ?

Do you also think about happy things or only sad things?

I think like Tony, many people find music a trigger for sad thoughts. I listened to a song I had not heard for ages and started crying even though it had happy memories for me.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feel free to,post here alas much as you like.

Quirky.

[mmmmmmm]

That's weird, I replied a day ago, but it still hasn't showed up.

Thank you both very much for the replies.

This actually only started happening fairly recently. Before that, I wasn't sensitive at all, I reacted to things normally.

Yes, I think about sad things every day. I try not to, but they just automatically show up.

I do sometimes think about happy things, and sometimes I am completely happy. And then I try to convince myself I was just being a drama queen, and it's all over. But of course then I start thinking about something sad again, and am sad for a while.

[quirkywords]

mmmmmmmm

Thanks for your reply.

i wonder if something happened recently maybe a small thins, or some change in your life , maybe a loss of some sort. I was just wondering if there is a reason but there may not be.

it must be reassuring that you can be completely happy at times.

Have you tried instead of changing the sad thoughts to let yourself think about them for a short time and then try to focus on things that make you happy.

Sometimes when we try hard to focus on things we think about them even more.

Have you thought about writing down when you have happy thoughts how long they last and

how often you have sad thoughts ? then you may see a pattern. just a thought .

Quirky

[mmmmmmm]

Something crazy is happening. I don't wanna jinx it, but I think I'm getting much better. The problem is still there, but it's much less severe now. Maybe talking about a problem really does help. But I still wish I knew why it happened in the first place.

I actually kinda did the opposite of that. At first I tried to completely block out the sad thoughts, but that didn't work. So then I decided to actually try to think about them as much as I can, so eventually I'd get used to them, and they wouldn't be that sad anymore. And maybe that's what helped.

But there are still random things that can give me new sad thoughts. But they're not as sad, and don't last as long.

No, my life is actually great, I have no idea what could've caused this. Nothing particularly bad has happened recently.

Before today, I'd say I was sad for about three hours, then happy for about one hour, and so on. But today I've actually been happy for the majority of the day.

[Doolhof]

Hi mmmmmmmm,

Wondering how you are getting on and if Christmas has caused you any triggers or if it has helped you to be busy and not have time to think too much.

I know when my mind is idle, it can drift off to places that are unhelpful and unproductive.

Hope you continue to be able to acknowledge your thoughts and deal with them in a healthy manner.

Cheers from Dools

[mmmmmmm]

Hi, thanks for the concern. Since my last post, things haven't really changed. The issue is still here, but I think it's mild now, hopefully it will go away sometime soon.

And I'm Jewish, so I don't really do Christmas. And I haven't really been doing anything lately, so maybe that's a factor.

And it's complicated, but in case you're wondering, I am sort of getting professional help.

[Doolhof]

Hi mmmmmm,

Thanks for responding. I hope the professional help you are receiving is helping you. Over time I have used web sites like Mood Gym and another whose name has just slipped out of my mind!

You mentioned you are Jewish, are there special holidays and occasions that you like to celebrate through the year? I find it very interesting to learn about other people's faiths and beliefs.

I am a Christian and have family members who believe in witches and another in Aliens as being the source of our being here.

In the past we have travelled to a few Asian countries, I am always interested in learning more about the people's beliefs.

You mentioned you haven't been doing a great deal lately, for myself, I know if I can keep myself busy, even if it is reading a book, or working in the garden, then I do feel better and have more control over where my mind travels with its thoughts.

In the early hours of this morning I awoke and immediately my mind was wandering down some negative pathways, so I became aware of that and made plans for the day. It helped me to go back to sleep.

It is going to be a sweltering day here! Do you like the heat? I am already looking forward to winter and am thinking of moving to Tasmania!

Cheers from Dools

[mmmmmmm]

Well I'm not religious at all. There are a few holidays I sort of celebrate every year, e.g. Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year), but that usually just consists of a family dinner.

I understand keeping busy may help distract me from this specific issue, but the thing is, I actually don't really like being busy. So if I am, it will just create another issue. But if being busy can include things like watching TV or playing video games, then I guess I am fairly busy. But I don't really enjoy doing much outside the house, except maybe catching up with friends. And I actually have been doing that a bit lately, and I think it's been helpful.

I don't really mind the heat, I prefer it to the cold. But it doesn't really matter if I don't go outside much.