Have you ever had a thought which kept sticking in your mind and bothering you, and you found it difficult to let go? How did you deal with it, and did the annoying thought finally go away?

There is a memory or two that I try to push back. I used to dwell on it everyday. Months would pass & the thought would drift in & out of consciousness. It’s been 4 years now & the thought almost never passes through my mind. Until now, thanks for asking a question that digs up painful memories. :) I’m teasing. Really, it’s just a matter of time.

Yep. Try to breathe calmly, take nice deep, well-paced breaths. Try to let your thoughts go through your head as easily as they come… think of it as a river that must keep flowing. If you come across unpleasant thoughts, try hard to think of pleasant ones.

When all else fails, you really just have to get up, get out and do something – like an outlet (great time to pick up a new hobby). That varies from person to person. Running is my “outlet” – if I’m all tensed up I’ll go out for a run… even if it’s really late at night (luckily my gym is open 24 hours). Do something that will occupy your mind with more immediate thoughts.

@Disc2021
@rpmpseudonym

Thanks guys for your helpful answers. I’ve had this before, it’s like your mind gets into this little “rut”, and I know it’s harmless, but it’s annoying and a bit depressing, and tires me out mentally. I think I live too much in my mind. lol. It’s nice to know I am not the only one who experiences or who has experienced this. It’s not even a specific “thought”. Just like my mind has to remind me of a silly, unimportant incident in my everyday life. Hopefully it will pass. Sigh. I read somewhere that sometimes it has something to do with a person’s “tired brain”, and that the brain, if it doesn’t get sufficient rest, becomes vulnerable to such obsessions.

@MRSHINYSHOES Sure =D. If it’s annoying and depressing than it’s definitely not harmless – you can’t let it bake for too long. Another suggestion is to try talking about it with a friend, even if their only part in the conversation is just listening. It helps. If it’s an embarrassing situation then try using a hypothetical.

@Disc2021 It’s more annoying than anything. It’s like I have to be reminded of being “reminded”. I hope I make sense. Lol.

Yes.What I do is exercise until I drop….works like a charm :)

I’ve been having dreams related to work where I do the same thing over and over again. It involves excel spreadsheets, and I wake up exhausted.

@MRSHINYSHOES Yeah, I’ve been there before and I agree with you (especially if the thought is unpleasant). Not only does the thought remind you of the emotions you’ve felt during the time, but the fact that the thought can’t seem to escape you is enough to drive you nuts sometimes.

Sometimes it does take awhile for this to “run it’s course” but from my experience, you want to try to do something constructive to “get rid” of the nasty thoughts – or at least a support system in there that takes the negative energy out of the thought and allows you to maintain your composure.

Watch your favorite movie or tv show for a couple hours. That way you will have that in you head instead of some annoying thing. Music works to. But you have to listen to at least 25 minutes of it.