Thinking too much

[Bill]

I saw an article on TV which I found interesting because it kind of answered something I'd always wondered about.

Often when we're in conversation, we get into the middle of a sentence and then can't think of a word or a name. The more we try to think what it is, the more it seems to run away from us.

In time we give up trying to think of it and then find when say we're in the middle of a shower, it suddenly comes to us which annoys me because I can't write it down before I forget it again!

Anyway, this article said that when we're faced with an important decision but faced with a number of options, we end up dwelling and thinking about it too much so confuse ourselves and are often more likey to make the wrong choice.

However, if we walk away from it and take our minds away from the options for a while, when we come back we're more likely to have come to the right choice.

Evidently, they say it's because our subconscious mind is allowed to do the thinking rather than the conscious mind we use when we dwell on something.........confusing I know!:wacko:

Anyway, my point is, that I could see a similarity with anxiety. If we think too much about our anxious symptoms or about our worries, we confuse ourselves into making them worse and feeling there's no way out.

If we don't dwell, we're more likely to realise what's really making us feel ill.

Also of course, by taking our minds away onto something else, it helps as a distraction because then the symptoms disappear because we're not thinking about them.

I always wondered why it is that the more we chase a word, the more it seems to run away from us. Now at least I have an understanding why...even if the answer does seem a little confusing but it makes sense....I think.:unsure:

[tonkaboy]

Nice one Bill, it makes perfect sense.

I've had similar issues when trying to remember a phone number or my ATM PIN. The harder you try to remember, the more confused you get. If you stop thinking about it, you can just do it, like the pattern on the key pad is automatic.

How's your dog, by the way? Saw the thread running for a while.

The Gooners seem to be having a good season, even hosting the French president, who can't speak English! Incredible in this day and age.

The Lilywhites look safe now, no-one has been relegated with 53 points. Our recent run has been tremendous - 5 wins and a draw from our last 6 matches.

Keep posting Bill, it's always good to hear your thoughts.

All the best.

A

[hopeful]

Hi Bill

Great post as usual.

Something I learned when I'm trying to remember a name or similar is to instruct my subconcious to tell me the name and then carry on with something else.After a few minutes the name comes to me without effort.Try it, it works.Apparently all the information is stored in our brain and if we ask our subconcious to sort out the information we need,then it will.It has to be something that you know though,something that is just beyond your memory.
Hope this makes sense.
julie x:hugs:

[Bill]

Hello A and Julie,

I also find the more we focus on thoughts or actions such as checking, the more we feel stressed. I think feeling stressed has alot to do with not being able to remember words or in making the right decisions. Stress I think plays a major part in anxiety generally. I think when we allow our subconscious to do our thinking, we're in a more relaxed state so things come to us easier.

Thank you for asking about the dog. I didn't think it right to continue the thread. He's virtually back to normal. He just won't eat his usual dry food anymore so I'm having to moisten it and find ways to flavour it such as using some cat food! I've no idea why he's become so fussy though but I'm taking him back to the vets on Friday.

The Gooners appear to be firing blanks lately but I think the game at Birmingham changed their season for different reasons. Glad your side appears to be safe!

I wish I could say the same about my thoughts!:blush:

Just a little incident today to make you smile hopefully....

I had to deliver some equipment for the Red Cross. I picked up one wheelchair and the armrest fell off so we had to swap it for another one!

Then when I went through town, the high street was blocked off due to roadworks which meant a long detour and a race to get back! One of those days I thought!

On my way back I stopped off at home briefly and my wife says "oh yeah, I saw something about the road being closed off"....CHEERS, thanks for warning me I thought!!!

Then I had to take my mother shopping and we drove to another town. After she'd got all she needed, we were driving out the car park when I saw a woman I recognised with her husband who I'd never seen before. I stopped to wave to say hello and the husband then gestured saying they weren't leaving and pointing to a free space next to them but I don't think the woman realised who we were.

As I drove on past the free space, I looked in the mirror and they were standing there looking puzzled watching us. My mother then turned to me and said "I don't think that woman was "so and so"!"

I realised then it couldn't have been her. I bet they thought "I wonder who that nutter was?!" I felt a right "****":blush:

[sheba2]

Hi Bill

that was really funny. Its the sort of thing that happens to me alot. When I had my daughter 6 years ago after a gap of 19 years since my son was born. I was in Mothercare one day and she needed feeding and changing so off I went to what I thought was the mother and baby room. Inside was a man and his two children. He was changing the baby's nappy. Thinking how things had changed I struck up a conversation with this man who kept giving me funny looks whilst I got on with sorting out my baby. He seemed to be very anxious to leave. After he had gone I happened to look across at what I thought was a low down wash hand basin and I was just thinking how they think of everything now for little children when the penny dropped -it was of course a urinal. I jumped up and opened the door and sure enough I was in the gents loo. No wonder that poor man thought I was mad. I still cringe when I think of how embarrassing it was.

Glad Yogi is so much better. When our dog was poorly I took to cooking her fish and chicken and rice. Little monster never went back to normal dog food.

[Richie]

Good posts Bill,
they make alot of sense, always good to read your posts Bill as you put so much thought and feelings into them
Luv Richie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:hugs:

[bottleblond]

Bill,

I adore your posts. I think you should write a book......no kidding!

The more post of yours i read, a better understanding i get of you as a person, your very sane (lol) descriptive and understanding.

Wish some of your wisdom would rub off one me!!

well done on yet another fabulous post!!

Lots of love


Lisa
xxx

[chalky]

Hi Bill,

Yet another very incisive post from you.

:yesyes: :yesyes: :yesyes: :yesyes:
Glad to hear your dog is still alive and kicking!!!
Long may that continue.
If we look at our minds as a 500g jar,we tend-as anxiety sufferers-to fill any spare capacity with anxious thinking.
When we distract ourselves or get involved in other activity be it positive or mundane,there simply isn't as much room for anxious thinking.
Getting ourselves to believe this and repeat it is the challenge.
best wishes,
Chalky

[sagey]

Glad to hear your doggie is not so poorly after all. Sagey.

[Bill]

When my father got old, his memory got very bad. Often he would meet someone in town who knew him and afterwards he'd say what a lovely conversation he had. When I asked what it was about, he couldn't remember:wacko: and then when I asked who the conversation was with, he'd say he didn't have a clue who they were!:wacko: Poor fella. We used to have a good laugh together.:D

Sometimes when I'm in town someone I recognise will say hello and smile at me but I haven't a clue who they are! Often it's a dog walker but they're without their dog so I don't recognise the owner! Oh well, I guess I should take more interest in the owners than their dogs!:D

Sheba, that's a great story!:D Glad I'm not the only one who does silly things! Good thing no other blokes came in needing to go while you were in there!:blush:

Hmm, this is what I'm afraid of - that our dog won't go back to his old food because he's enjoying being spoilt! I've found that adding chicken stock with hot water together with dry cat food to his usual food seems to work! I'm sure this is all because we had to give the cat soft food when he had 3 teeth removed recently so the dog wants to be treated the same! Crafty animals a!:lac:

Lisa, me sane? Never!:D I reckon the most sane person is Chalky. His posts always contain pearls of wisdom together with short anecdotes unlike my long winded waffle!:) My excuse is not having anyone to have a "sane" conversation with! Get it???:D Oh well.:whistles:

I agree with you though Chalky, giving ourselves too much time to think equals anxious symptoms! I've been thinking too much lately!

Lisa, I can remember asking my parents 3 questions when I was younger.....

My mother said she needed a flour bin so I asked her "Why do you need a FLOWER bin when you can put them in the normal bin?":blush:

You know the number "2" (two). I saw the written number "two" on TV so I asked "What does "tWo" mean?" as in "tWough!:blush:

And the final question was I saw a poster on a flyover stating "Bill Stickers Will Be Prosecuted"...yep, you've guessed it...I asked my parents who he was!:blush:

And lastly there is a chinese custom of putting food on your plate in restaurants. I was with my brother, his chinese wife, and her parents who couldn't speak english who kept loading my plate so I asked my brother how do I explain I'm full?! My brother said "bow" as in "bough" so I bent over and bowed! Of course there was hysterics because he then told me "bow" is chinese for "full"....or at least that's what he told me!:blush:

So you see Lisa........me, sane???????? Definitely Not!:madness:

[chalky]

Hi Bill,

Tee hee hee

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

Sometimes,the simplest things can confound us.
Our version of the poster was:"Bill Posters will be prosecuted".
I spent my childhood looking for a Desperate Dan type figure wandering Belfast and answering to the name of Bill :doh: :doh: :doh:
Lmao!!!
Best wishes,
Chalky