Rehearsing Conversations/OverThinking/Chatter has anyone ever beat it?

[WorryBNot]

Hi, i'm having a very hard time with rehearsing conversations (not wanting to rehearse just my brain going on and on), over thinking/chatter just not being able to switch off. i'm on 20mg of citalopram which has helped a little. Do any of the SSRI's beat this?

Has anyone ever beaten the Chatter? any tip on stopping the rehearsing? i know everyone says just let it happen and it will fade, does it ever fade and ****off? :)

Thanks for any help

[lior]

Hey! Glad to hear citalopram is helping.

I find that learning to notice the chatter is there is the first step in making it quiet down. Have you done CBT yet? It doesn't solve every problem but it does help people understand how thinking patterns work.

This is a basic introduction - google 'CBT thinking patterns' for more:
https://psychcentral.com/lib/15-common-cognitive-distortions/

Once you understand how these work, you figure out what patterns you're prone to, then you figure out techniques to break the patterns. Doing a course of CBT really helped me to do this.

It does work - but it takes ongoing work to keep noticing when you're getting into a hole, and making the effort to come out of it by putting your techniques into practice. I found learning how to hear my thoughts the hardest bit.

I'm not great at it, but mindfulness also helps. There's several different ideas about what mindfulness actually is. One idea is just 'observing the moment'. If you notice what's happening in the moment - like sort of being outside your body and watching yourself - then your observation of yourself replaces the chatter. Then it's more easy to let go of the chatter. Maybe I haven't explained this perfectly, go and do some research for a better answer :)

There's a lot of research and ideas about how to get out of this over thinking - drugs are not the only answer.

When I'm in stressful times, the chatter comes back for me. I don't think it's ever going to be out of my life forever. But now, I have the resources to deal with it, so it's much less severe than it used to be. I actually take pride in being able to deal with it when it comes up.

[snowghost57]

Great advice Lior. I used to over think as well and my brain was a chatter box. I use these tools my therapist gave me and it works. It does take a lot of work. I actually gave up on doing what my therapist told me to do. I even lost the sheet of paper she had these instructions on. This really works but you have to do it all the time. After months of doing this my anxiety is practically gone and my brain has shut up.

My therapist told me to write the situation down. This is an excerpt from a book "The feeling good handbook" by David Burns, M.D.

What is the situation? Only the facts.

Thoughts or beliefs? Self talk.

Feelings, how do you feel as a result of your thoughts?

Dispute thoughts or beliefs. What is unrealistic in your thinking? What are your dogmatic shoulds and musts?


I don't "fight" anxiety. I challenge my thoughts, I ask myself what value do they have? I started out by writing them down, now I do it in my head.

I did these steps 20 times a day if I had too. I've been thinking about anxiety and we keep saying it came back, it's bothering me again. There is no IT, we are in control of our thoughts. Someone posted on here that a thought is a wisp of wind or smoke. We have to get out of our own heads!

We can overcome anxiety! It takes work and practice.

[WorryBNot]

Thanks for the replies.

lior (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/member.php?u=25082): i'm in CBT therapy at the moment and it's helping somewhat. I've also been trying mindfull meditation which helps and like you i don't know if im doing it right my head wanders constantly and i'm not "in the moment" whilst doing it

snowghost57 (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/member.php?u=79708) I'm getting better at letting the thoughts pass during the day, it's much more of a problem when i'm trying to watch films or tv. i just can't switch off and enjoy. Did you suffer from similar problems?

[WorryBNot]

I've been mostly feeling good, calm, relaxed, less chatter, less stress.

The only problem at the moment is i just can't relax, switch off and enjoy what i'm watching. i'm starting to worry this isn't something that will pass.

As my days getting calmer i feel like it should pass eventually but just getting frustrated as hell.

Anyone had similar problems?

[Juggar]

I've been mostly feeling good, calm, relaxed, less chatter, less stress.

The only problem at the moment is i just can't relax, switch off and enjoy what i'm watching. i'm starting to worry this isn't something that will pass.

As my days getting calmer i feel like it should pass eventually but just getting frustrated as hell.

Anyone had similar problems?


This has happened to me, trying to watch shows and movies became stressful as a result of this. Once I stopped avoiding them it did get better though. The more exposure I have the better it seems.

[I Don't Get it!]

The only problem at the moment is i just can't relax, switch off and enjoy what i'm watching. i'm starting to worry this isn't something that will pass.

As my days getting calmer i feel like it should pass eventually but just getting frustrated as hell.

Anyone had similar problems?

JMHO, but the sentence I bolded above really grabbed me. Worrying about it will just make it worse - I know it's easy for me to say, but really try not to worry about it!

The other thing that springs to mind is, as you are feeling calmer and better you'll be doing things that are challenging to your Anxiety. Things that you didn't feel able to do at all before. Now you're sometimes getting out of your comfort zone, you'll possibly trigger memories or thoughts from your bad old days and those can cause a little spike of the old bad feelings. Again, try not to get "frustrated as hell", just realise and accept that it's a temporary blip of Anxiety that's come because you're on the road to recovery. Accept it and let it pass in it's own time - it will go!

As I said, that's JMHO - it's what has been happening to me lately. I have a good day or two so I do stuff I've been avoiding for nearly 2 years and the next day I'm feeling low and Anxious again and the chatter ramps up.

Welcome it as an important part of the recovery process and lose your fear of it (and your frustration at it). It will go eventually if you don't worry and obsess over it.