Hello,
Oh my gosh, yes...I do have the same problem..(inward thinking) .I hate it! It is worse than the anxiety itself. I have posted about it before. It is so hard to explain to anyone that has not had it.

I have had this problem on and off for years and years. When it goes away, it is hard for me to recall feeling so inside my head with thoughts. With it, my days feel long, fighting the inner thinking...it is very stressful and sheds gloom on what should be happy days, as well as hard to go to work, knowing I am going to battle with inner thinking. I do lots of busy work to distract it, but that sure tires me out at times.

At times I almost feel like I am going to go blank. I wake up aware of my thoughts. I try to do things to distract me. If I am in a period of time having this disorder, and off a normal schedule it is worse. Or if I have to go somewhere like a shower, wedding...at times it is worse. But, when I don't have it I am FINE!

I don't know what causes it, why it comes and goes...it almost feels like a chemical imbalance to me.

The way I describe it to some folks is, the feeling you might get after you have been engaged in reading a LONG good book, then get back to reality again. (chuckle)

Well, to be honest I have questioned many doctors, specialists, they all come up with different opinions on this type of inner thinking.

It has taken a toll on me the past week though, out of the blue again. In the next hour I actually have an apt with my family doctor to ask him again just what he thinks. I might be wasting my time though. I am 56 years old and had this on and off since my teens. He has been my doctor for 20 years, so he is going to laugh at me and say, it has not killed you yet, and it will go away. But, I don't think he understands the turmoil it causes me. I do also have symptoms of "normal" anxiety too. I have a some what stressful life, but probably not much more than the normal person. I am happy lots of the times, like doing things when I am not anxious. I don't consider myself depressed.

Also, I tend to function good even when I suffer from this, it is sort of like a pebble in your shoe type thing.

Sorry to rattle, I also try have tried Xanax, helps me little with anxiety, but not the inner thinking.

Have you asked any doctors their opinions what causes this?

However, I am sorry you suffer from this disorder too, and would like to let you know I give you support, in your not alone. Hope some others here might be able to give input.

Pattylyn

Patty

for me personally, mindfulness helped me out alot, being in the present moment, observing whats going on with you and around you, but not judging it. also distractions, like maybe playing a game, doing a healthy routine that will benefit you. maybe music, that helps me out so much, and sometimes you need to vent too. sometimes my anxiety worsens when i have pent up emotions.

I am guilty of being a head dweller---I've found yoga, exercise, meditation, and nature to really help getting out of my head--also if you can concentrate on a real good book-that'll do it too.

I also give myself projects to do...like cleaning and organizing things...

I have had this problem. Try practicing changing your reactions to what you are thinking, as well as, what you are thinking about. By giving your thoughts a neutral reaction they will become less important to you and you will find yourself more involved with the things going on around you. It does take practice though because we spend to much time thinking and reacting internally and then pay these thoughts way to much attention as though they mean something. I try and view my thoughts as neutrally as possible and find that it actually keeps me mentally calm and the anxiety at bay. I view my thoughts as the result of a calculation made by my brain. I accept the ones that are beneficial and discard the rest by giving them that neutral reaction. We cant control everything in our heads but we can control how we react internally. Hope this helps.

I am sometimes guilty of this, it's not an everyday thing, but some days all i seem to do is dwell inside my head and let myself be miserable and sometimes it gets so distracting I can't do anything else to try to escape it. But I have found that finding extremely distracting activities does help. If you find something extremely thought involving, your mind will focus on that. For example, you can find an intense exercise routine to clear your mind, a really good movie, constantly listening to music, reading a good book, or going out with friends. I know you can't always find things, some days it still might be too hard, but if you do try to make yourself take your mind off it you might be surprised.

getting a cat helped pull me outta my head. also spending time 'round other people.

Thank you so much everyone for the great advice and support I really appreciate it.

I got out of my head...and omg was i there bad (!!!) by doing things...even if i didnt feel like doing them....I was agoraphobic and anxiety and palps with pa's that I thought I was going to die from...

Ignore the thoughts...and replace them with new ones....you have a "choice" to choose what you think on...yes I know how difficult this is...but as you do it over time it becomes easier....

When your anxiety/pa's take over to the point of uncontrollable thoughts....just concentrate on getting through them knowing you got through the last one...then...start replacing the thoughts again.

I have gone from bedridden for 8 months to walking and being active and doing things again...and I dont have to take any meds any longer at all!

It does work.

Thanks for the ideas, hyperpgal. I need to turn my brain off for a couple of hours a day and not always be thinking ahead about menial tasks or what I'm going to do three weeks from now. I'm trying to just live in the moment and concentrate on what I'm doing without getting distracted by an explosion of thoughts all at one time. The yoga or meditation with a group sounds like it might do the trick.

Read "A New Earth," by Eckhart Tolle

I dont know about anyone else, but I am actually "addicted" to my complusive thinking... Meaning, I have learned that it's something Ido to avoid "reality". Either a problem or a situation has come up that I don't want to deal with. It's a way for me to mentally check out and avoid what's going on around me.
When I notice myself starting to over think, I first get myself grounded, do something physical.... drink a lot of cold water then sit down and do some good stretches... Then I mindfully scan my body for any aches pains, tension..... Then I check in with my emotions. Am I nervous, anxious, sad? Is there something that I'm not wanting to deal with right now? I ponder these things AS I am stretching so that I can release the energy of the emotions as they come up, otherwise they sometimes seem so overwhelming
Then I process through the issue at hand and by the time things are said and done I usually come out feeling calm and clear, balanced and grounded :).

A lot of times I have noticed that I, surprisingly, engage in complusive thinking when I am BORED.... I have a very difficult time managing the feeling of boredom, especially when I don't have the desire to DO something to occupy myself, so I withdrawl into this internal world as a weird form of entertainment, but it turns into more of problem lol. I now make sure that I have many different ways to engage myself so that I don't have to fall into that trap... Reading, writing, chatting, posting, phone games, ipad games.... These things are "easier" to do when I don't feel like doing something more productive :)