I think to much! Do you?

Question

I have a problem i think to much! (which makes me worry to much) I know we all need to and its normal to think but i do it to much. I have trouble sleeping because of this.

Does anyone else have this problem? And how do u deal with it?

My husband takes 5mins to go to sleep when we go to bed but it takes me well over an hour and anywhere between 2-3hrs. I cant help but lay there and think about the past present and future. Sometimes when i ask people what there thinking, they say nothing! I cant remember the last time i thought about nothing (im not even sure if this is possible)

People say to relax and switch off our brains but i dont know how!

Any ideas or suggestions?

Im only 21 and im affraid its going to make me crazy!

My thoughts just dont seem to stop!

Answer 1

yup, me too

it doesn't have to be a problem though

even when you lose sleep doing that

we are awake because our minds are trying to solve something

just enjoy having a good working mind, enjoy the churning, put good things in there, also try to only deal with real things, not imagined ones

what i try to do when imagined thoughts (like my landlord trying to steal my girlfriend, or to mess it up in some way) I try to verify and test reality. Its a good skill to use and develop for sanity and for scientific pursuits and for solving life challenges too.

Beer , Ambien, Zyprexa all work to switch off my brain and nervous system. Beer and Ambien are mild, like beer is the dimmer, Ambien is the switch, Zyprexa is the fuse.

I only need Zyprexa maybe 6 or 12 times a year now I think, thanks to massages and other things.

Just learn to enjoy the inner dialog, thats the key to staying sane and happy I think, I'm 43.

Answer 2

Been there done that! What has helped me is relaxation music. Not the sort of thing most 20 somethings listen to willingly. My favorites are nature sounds like waves breaking on the beach or running stream. Can be found in the greeting card section of wal mart, target etc. Usually about $10. Play these softly when you go to bed, to start with you will have to focus on the music and your breathing. After a while you just start floating off. There are also several prescription sleep aids that help in shutting down the brain. You will also need to pinpoint the cause of your constant brain activity and face it head on during normal waking hours. Mine was losing my favorite sister-in-law to cancer, then losing my home to fire, then getting a divorce after 22 years of what I thought was a happy marriage. All within a month. Facing the problems head on then unwinding with the relaxation music got me through with limited need for prescriptions. Good luck

Answer 3

You're not crazy - you have anxiety. Ah, the wonders of anxiety. I have the exact same problem. There is a way to switch off the brain; I, however, have yet to find it myself.

I would suggest the help of a psychiatrist, as they are trained in pharmacology specific to behavioral health. Let me put this out there first that there is absolutely nothing wrong with seeing a psychiatrist either. You can also see a general physician about this, but they do not have nearly enough training as a psychiatrist does (and the training they do have is REALLY short compared to a psychiatrist: four months during medical school versus four years post-medical school).

I have been told by others with anxiety who are on medication that turning off the brain is like a light switch - the best damn light switch ever too.

Hope this helps and best wishes!

P.S. If it makes for a good laugh, I have that Nelly Furtado song running through my head now "turn off the light, turn off the light..."

Answer 4

Hi Honey,
I know exactly how you feel. I think way toooo much as well. And its funny cuz i find it hard to belive people can just think about nothing!! Normal peepls scare me lol. At your young age it is mandatory that you stop worrying so much now because it will lead to depression and anxiety later as you age. Do you want that? trust me you dont. There are two things i suggest besides seeing a Doctor and telling him/her how you feel
1. When your feeling stressed take a deep breath (or ten)and ask your self what is the worst that can happen?
2. about sleep, im telling you it will drive you crazy if you lay there in bed and wait for sleep to happen if you cant go to sleep. It almost drove me crazy so im speaking with authority. I had to drink nyquil for two years just to get some sleep because sleeping pills didnt even work for me. Listen to this, there is something you can buy over the counter and it is 100% completely safe and in fact is beneficial for brain health and its soooo cheap!! It is called melatonin. My miracle!! It helped my sanity for sure because it puts me to sleep like a charm!! You can buy it at any GNC health food store. Buy the GNC brand because it is a trusted source. Buy the sublingual kind, the kind that you put underneath your tongue to disolve. It tastes pretty good as well. The only side effects are weird dreams but they only last for two nights if at all. The pills are 1mg. I need two to get to sleep. 10 minutes before bedtime. try them. trust me they work like a miracle for getting to sleep and its good for you!!
Melatonin!!!!
God Bless.
P.s. after you try them spread the news about it!! You could help out someone else's sanity!!

Answer 5

I have the exact same problem. I am 24, and my brain just won't SHUT UP!... my mom told me she had the same problem(she thinks it might be genetic) so she went to her doc and he gave her meds for anxiety. The thought of taking something to sleep scares me, but it is one thirty in the morning and I could go on for ever. She now sleeps like a baby when she takes the meds. They are not sleeping pills, but anxiety meds.

Answer 6

I am very interested in your question. I had a psychiatrist tell me in the early 70's, "Most people don't think at all; you think too much!" I was already mentally ill but it bothered me. Not so much thinking I thought too much but thinking about people not thinking at all and how they achieve this. I'm a thinker not a doer. I am presently in the process of denying everything I have been taught after about the age of 11-12 and finding through memory and relatives what I believed then as I was a thinker even then.

I have determined that my childhood dreams then were mostly inspired by reading and movies (there was no TV then) and those dreams, rather than my mother and father's influence, molded most of my future ambitions and desires. This bothers me as I realize how much influence the media has had on my life.

I recently posted the question, :"What in your opinion is the American Dream? And do you think it has been dictated by the media?" I got 7 answers in two hours 6 of them with negativity about the reality or viability of this dream. Many people on here post repeatedly the question, "What is the meaning of life?" These answers and this repeated question indicate to me many people are indeed thinking and thinking deeply instead of being TV and other media Puppets as I was.

Do we as a species have any inborn desires for the future or are we all influenced by someone or something from birth (culture, schools media?) as to our desires for and activities in the future? I don't think it is wrong to think about this as it is so important in how we conduct our lives. All babies seem to just trustingly accept their existence and wait eagerly for something interesting to appear and seem very happy in this. They think. They explore. They love life!

So my recommendation is to not try to turn off your thoughts but to be thankful you are not a "puppet" of your environment. God (or evolution or both) gave us our brains and he/she/it means for us to use them. Just organize your thoughts. Peace and love!!
P.S.
I don't think thinking led to my illness. I have had a very happy life.

Answer 7

It used to take me HOurs to go to sleep because I couldn't stop thinking. You have to help yourself find a way. It seems to me that your just a busy bee type of person that just thinks a lot. Just try to relax when you go to sleep. What I do is I start to make up my dream right away and create a world and a scenario and just dream it till I'm asleep. It helps a lot!

Answer 8

Have you considered some physical activity during the day?

I had a problem with this for a long time, still do...
When I get tired of it, I work until I am so tired I literally can't think.

I personally prefer productive physical labor, but other folks like the gym.

Works great

Answer 9

Do something that relaxes you. Roller Coastering may be an option. Don't let the little things get in your way. What's done is done. You'll always get another chance.

Answer 10

im only sixteen and my house burnt in december and i was the only one there and if i would have been asleep cause usually i sleep late cause like you i dont go to sleep very well i probably would have died and that scares me so much but everything scares me now im scared that im going to die but your not alone im sorry i gave you my life story lol i hope you get better mam