Songs stuck in the head

[davidthegnome]

Morning folks, well, it's morning here in northern Maine in the USA. Hope you're all doing well.

I wanted to talk about a strange thing I've been experiencing. I'm wondering if it might be a symptom of the anxiety and such. Since about two months ago when this stuff really began for me, I've woken up in the morning very often with songs stuck in my head. Generally it's something I've listened to recently, either a song from a movie or from a CD I've listened to. At times it's a song I haven't heard for a while. Does anyone else experience this? Have you found anything that helps with it?

It's not like a huge bother, in fact some songs can calm me, but having them stuck in my head when I'm not listening to them can be a bother. I know people without anxiety get this too, but I don't think it's as frequent.

I've also noticed some issues with my short term memory. Like I seem to forget often where I put my water, or my notebook, or my medication. Was near frantic last night thinking I'd lost my lorazepam until I found it in a drawer.

Yeah, morning anxiety stinks too. I've been doing EFT and tapping on my fear of panic attacks though and it seems to help.

Anyone have similar symptoms or any advice about how to deal with them?


Good fortune and God Bless you all,

David

[clickaway]

Hi David,

The sun is out today here in southern England!

I'm not sure if the song thing is really specific to anxiety, but I'm wondering if that song is special and the meaning is closely related to your inner mind that is causing the anxiety.

I too suffer from a bad short term memory and its very common in anxiety. When your anxiety eases, so will your memory, so don't worry. If like me, you don't put things back in their rightful place as your disturbed mind does not allow you, it's no wonder important things get left in different places! However, my medication sits firmly in the same place all the time.


Ray


http://www.anxietyrelease.org.uk/

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.
~Mark Sanders and Tia Sillers

[Elle]

Morning David
So, you're in Maine! I've got Maine Coon cats, well half Maine Coon really. Their mother was a pedigree who escaped out onto the tiles and met up with an alley cat. Sadly, she's no more but I've got her offspring. Three monstrous boys who never stop eating. They even eat cold runner beans and tea bags!

Songs in the head, yep that's quite normal. I mean something has to be in your head. If I've heard a song the day before then it's normal for me to wake up in the night with it playing in my head. Just like we often dream about things that happened the day before. The brain stores information.

I've tried the tapping too. I read Tapping the Healer within by Roger Callahan and Richard Trubo. I can't say it worked wonderfully well for me but I don't see why it shouldn't for others. As I see it it's based on acupuncture points and meridians. When I did a shiatsu course we used these points. There's a lot in it.

Anyway, have a good day. The sun's shining here but there's frost on the ground.

Elle

[davidthegnome]

Southern England and the shining sun, that gives me a beautiful mental image. Thank you for your advice Ray, yeah I suppose having songs in my head is normal when I really think about it. It's just like, a wide range of them though, typically in the morning. Like, one morning it's a song from a disney movie, the next it's a song from Savage Garden or even some heavy rock. Some times I feel like I've got an internal CD player, it's weird.

As for the songs having special meaning, I'm not sure. It's just that they differ so often, various songs for various days. Ahh, it's probably a normal thing. Anxiety just causes me to think a lot about things I normally wouldn't, I figure.

Keeping my meds in one place is probably a good idea. I usually keep them in my room on the little shelves behind my bed. Some times I carry the lorazepam around with me though, particularly if I'm feeling anxious. Then I'll take it out to look at it or take one or something, then I set it down and forget where I Set it down. Was weird of me to put it in a drawer, not something I'd normally do.

Elle, Maine coon cats huh? I've seen quite a few of them and being a cat lover myself I think they're great. Of course, I still love my little orange cat, well... not so little anymore, she's putting on some pounds now, but she's fiercely intelligent and loyal. Well, she's loyal to the family anyway, not fond of strangers or visitors.

Yeah, perhaps my thoughts about the songs in my head are just that - re-occuring thoughts. There's nothing really strange about it as it's a normal thing to have songs replaying in the mind.

EFT has been helpful for me. I also do sessions with a woman who's very good at the technique, over the phone. She's great and seems to pick up on things I didn't even realize were bothering me.

Ah... the sun shining. It seems to be trying to rise up here, but it's kind of cloudy outside, grey sky and all that. Snowed all night so we've got a few more inches on the ground and it covers all the pine trees, it's blowing around all over the place. Still, it's not too bad compared to how the weather has been in the past couple weeks. It's warmer.

It's great living by a lake, surrounded by forest, but it tends to be pretty isolating too. The beauty of Madawaska lake can take the breath away in the winter or summer, but city folks I think would get bored real fast.

Thanks for the support and advice. Some times it's difficult to determine what's a symptom of anxiety and what's not - as there are just so many and they seem so random.

Good luck and God Bless you all,

David

[Jewelieta]

Hi David! First off, I must tell you that I absolutely LOVED David the Gnome when I was little. hehe

As far as the songs being stuck in your head, you're right in saying that a lot of people experience this. I experience it as well. Sometimes on a psychic level even.

What I've learned from reading, "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle, is that those songs running through your head is your ego trying to justify itself...like saying, "Ha ha! I'm still here, you can't rid of me!" Now, by ego, I mean your mind's worry, frustration, fear, etc...all the emotions that distract from being peaceful, contented, and in fact, in the NOW. If you step back and participate as a spectator of your thoughts, you'll understand what I mean by this. The hardest part, in my opinion, is not judging these thoughts. Judging your thoughts is your ego coming in the back door, so to speak. Acknowledge them and let them go.

My boyfriend shared an exercise that works well. He visually conceals the thought into a balloon and releases into the cosmos, forcing it out of the top of the head. The redirected concentration is what is needed. This exercise does just that.

I hope this makes sense. I highly recommend picking up the book referenced above. Though I haven't gotten all of the way through it yet, it's opened my mind and sparked several "light bulbs" in just the first few chapters. What's great about this book is that it's not preachy and it doesn't have a religious agenda behind it.

*Stops ranting* Peace 'n Love!

[davidthegnome]

Thanks Jewelieta. I did read that book a few years ago actually. My Dad brought it home for me as he has a radio show and often gets these books before he interviews the writer's. It's basically a health show.

While I find that it did significantly calm me at the time and was a good help, I disagree with some of the information contained within the book. I won't get into specifics, but I find that EFT has helped me more then the mind clearing techniques that book suggested. Living in the moment is great though, I won't dispute that at all.

I'm glad it's working for you as well, different techniques seem to work better for different people. Thank you for thinking of me and taking the time to reply to the post.

Good luck and God Bless you,

David