How to deal with negative thoughts?
At night my mind keeps replaying negative thoughts and it makes it hard to sleep peacefully. It feels exhausting and makes the next day harder at work.
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Hello @angelmariya
Is there something or a problem that is playing in your mind during the day? I find that for me, negative evening thoughts are sometimes because Iβm avoiding an issue or something that needs addressing.
Iβm sorry youβre experiencing these and theyβre leaving you exhausted.
Do you have any support locally or anyone you can talk to?
I recently found this page which has some great resources and might be helpful in helping you reframe some of your thoughts:
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Know what that is like, @angelmariya. For about 30 years, I've had a mind island. If I can't rest as my mind is throwing a wobbly, I try & take myself off to my island. Where I'm not disabled, it is mine & I can do what I like. No money needed, obviously! So, I can go out in a canoe, waterski, go out in a lovely motorboat, go sailing, fishing. Wander around totally free, any animals I want to see. No government, DWP, morons, warmongers, people, just pure freedom. My suggestion, start building your island.
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My first suggestion would be to think positive things angelmariya.
That may read like an oversimplification but that's often quite literally the most effective route. I listen to audiobooks as I go to sleep. Many are also available on YouTube etc.
My second suggestion would be to talk to an experienced counsellor about whatever you keep replaying. Your GP could probably organise that, or help direct you to someone who can.
Learning to reframe our memories is often easier than people expect. If we adapt the way we respond to and think about things it can make a world of difference. Counselling can be dramatically powerful stuff.
Good luck
πΊ
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When thoughts like these are trying to take over when I'm in bed I try to have my mind preoccupied with other things and mostly end up playing mind games. Such as things starting with a p within a theme, like women's names (Patricia Highsmith, Patricia Cornwall, Patricia Kaas) or musicians and bands. That sort of thing.
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That sounds lovely, I feel like inviting myself :)
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No problem, @SmellyBin, pull up a boat, there is room for others, vetted of course. π Start building, no planning permission needed. π
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Ha @JessieJ Thanks for allowing me on your lovely island! I'll be bringing my bikini and a book, some classy cocktails, and homemade pizza. I'd love to go for a swim, or just hang around chatting to you while feeling the sand between my toes :)
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No probs, @SmellyBin, of course, it is sunny there nearly all the time, except when there's a few days snow, to break it up & I love looking out on snow, plus, gotta make use of the snowmobile! π
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I've found some grounding techniques helpful. The best for me is popping the TV on and just forcing my mind to focus on that helps.
Also, the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 can be helpful (my therapist gave me this one) which is when you look around and name:
- 5 things you can see
- 4 things you can touch
- 3 things you can hear
- 2 things you can smell
- 1 thing you can taste
It just helps to reset my brain. I hope these can be helpful for you too π
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@JessieJ oh please can I go too? And I won't sneak my kitty Angel into an invisible suitcase. π«’
@angelmariya I'm wondering if you're talking about 'rumination?' It's something I struggle with, since forever, but I have learned to manage it a lot better since I started therapy some 30 years ago. I'm always finding new tools. The info from AI is really good...
Here is a really neat perspective of rumination. Maybe some of this is helpful?
Sometimes I need meds to stop the ruminating and it's the only solution. It's been almost two years now that I took up a hobby of jewellery making, and typically I do it when I can't sleep, which is often due to ruminating causing insomnia. The jewellery is a fabulous antidote. π
Maybe some of that is helpful?
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believe it or not itβs very hard to think positive things when all you keep thinking about is --negative ones x
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Most things worth having aren't easy Rachel10876.
Miracles happen rarely, and usually take time
But change is possible. It's most a question of perspective.
If that feels like too much I again encourage you to talk to a counsellor. That can help a lot.
Good luck
π
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If we're talking about rumination, the problem isn't so much the content of thoughts (negative or positive or neutral), but the way the thoughts are being processed. It's like a skipping record - the endless loop you're caught in. No solution. No way out. Just stuck in the loop. Thinking the same about the same thing over, and over again. Another analogy is like a hamster spinning in a wheel, no matter how fast or slow it goes, going nowhere. But I'm not sure if anyone in this thread is talking about rumination.
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I think I have too many loops, as there are several different things, none I will/could ever talk about, I'm not a talker. Then there is life that joins the party. Maybe I'm just loopy, many would agree!
Yep, no probs, @StarryEyed ! π
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Omg it never even occurred to me that being loopy may actually refer to rumination (loops). π
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Must admit, as I typed it, I wondered if that's where it came from. π
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