How Can I Exhaust My Brain So I Stop Obsessing?
"We’re all just out here striving for a sense of control in a world full of chaos. One common way we do this—rumination, aka overthinking.
Overthinking makes it feel like we are preparing ourselves for any possible situation, but actually we’re overstimulating the emotion- and fear-processing region in our brains.
Basically, rumination is a mechanism to cope with uncertainty—but unfortunately, the “comfort” we get is temporary. On top of that, overthinking can affect our health in negative ways, increasing our risk of anxiety and depression and messing with our sleep quality. Then those unhealthy side effects lead to more overthinking (because ofc they do), making it a vicious cycle.
We’ve found the below activities helpful when our thoughts are spiraling, because they direct our attention and energy elsewhere.
1. Pick a color, then go for a walk and name everything you see that is that color.
2. Try a box breathing.
3. Go for a run (or another cardio-based activity).
4. Reorganize your coffee table.
5. Problem solve and list out a few potential fixes for the issue.
6. Engage your other senses with a simple activity, like taking a really hot or really cold shower.
7. Play a brain game like Sudoku, or say the alphabet backwards.
8. Tense and relax your muscles"
*Ah, overthinking. My best friend and my worst enemy. It feels like my whole life I've been overthinking. It can be hard to distract yourself, but it's important to do your best. It's also good to not fight these thoughts and remember that thoughts are just thoughts. They don't define you. ❤️ This list is a great start for some ideas to do when you are overthinking and need something else to keep you busy. I also really like to surround myself with my friends and family to make me feel better! What are some things you like to use to distract yourself when you are ruminating?*
#Obsessing #Ruminating #IntrusiveThoughts
Please find the full article at Poosh.
If you liked this article, you may like this one on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder!
@fruityPond7887 Hey fellow ruminater :) Oh man overthinking. I'm getting really good at it but it starts to get all jumbled up *smh*
A few things that help sometimes here are - music - video games and coloring and origami
@mytwistedsoul Hi Soul! Thank you for sharing! I totally understand the jumbled-up part 😣 It's very frustrating and it can become tiresome fast. You have some great coping skills :) What kind of music do you listen to and what's your favorite video game to play? 😮
@fruityPond7887 It is frustrating - I'm sorry you deal with it too. Its kind of like you're slowly driving yourself crazy just by thinking and thinking. Some times as soon as the distractions stop its like Brain says oh where were we? And it starts all over again
I listen to all kinds of music tbh. The past few days it's been a new one by Falling In Reverse - Watch the World Burn. The match 3 video games are relaxing but Plants vs Zombies is a favorite lol. Do you have favorites too? No pressure to answer of course
Thank you for your reply :)
@mytwistedsoul I totally understand that. It sometimes feels crazy if our brain is "too quiet." I really enjoy Harry Styles and playing Animal Crossing and the Sims!! ❤️
@fruityPond7887 I love Sims! Havent played it in ages tho.
@mytwistedsoul I don't play it too much because there's so many glitches right now. It gets so annoying! 😂
@fruityPond7887 Oh gosh I hear you there! It definitely gets annoying. You'd think as long as it's been around they would have all that stuff worked out by now lol! Take care ok? I hope you have a nice weekend
@fruityPond7887
Hi Pond! 😊❤️ Many thanks for your amazing forum post! I really enjoyed reading it! I have a tendency to "plan my work and work my plan". I set goals, have a direction, etc.
I love what you said about making lists! This is truly my "go to method". I keep my calendar nearby as well as a note pad to do what I call "brain dumping".😊 If I get the idea of something I should do (to do list) or an idea that comes from a moment of creativity, I write it down in it's proper place to revisit or make a quick sketch of the visual to bring it to fruition at a later date.
I feel great knowing that I "brain dumped" and all of the information is there for me the next day when I can get to it. After that, I'm better able to practice mindfulness for the rest of the day.
*high fives* 😊 and *hugs* ❤️
@SparkyGizmo Hi Gizmo! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I also have a calendar nearby to help dump my thoughts onto so that I don't forget them at a later point. I really love lists 😂 It can be such a relief to get something out of your head and onto paper because it "frees" up that space in your mind. Thank you!! Hugs!❤️
@fruityPond7887
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@mytwistedsoul Thanks Soul! I hope you have a nice weekend as well! Make sure you do something fun :) ❤️
