Ahhhh..yes I live in my head most of the time. I am trying to break the habit. What is hard is when people are talking to you and you can't give them your full attention because you are so in your head. Keeping busy helps me the most but I can never just sit and relax because there I go again. I try to catch my thoughts when I do this and think of something positive. You can also keep your thoughts in a journal and next to them write down a more positive thought. It helps!

Ringing in the ear..I have had before and thought it was the same thing. I would bet you do not have a brain tumor. Both stress and sleep can cause this.

I swear I've had everything in the 25 years I've had anxiety, but yes I have totally had ringing in my ears, that only bothers me when it's quiet or I happen to remember I'm worried about it, and think about it! If you think back, I'll bet that there are times when it doesn't bother you at all, which means it can't be a tumor :) They don't come and go! So try not to stress about it

Yah, I'm going to try journaling. I keep hearing good things about it,and my therapist suggested it too. The worst part about living in my head is like what you said--you're trying to give someone your attention and it's hard b/c you keep thinking stuff in your head. I do that around my kids now, and I hate being that way. I used to be much better about focusing and concentrating on them and what was going on, but recently I just can't stop thinking.

I hope you're right on the ringing of the ear, it really scares me hearing it. I have a hard time with not being in control of bodily issues. Sigh.

I've had all the symptoms of anxiety. Being afraid of dying and having every single illness possible. Feeling like I can't breathe to thinking I am suffering a heart attack. I have been to the emergency room too many times! Ignore the ringing. It will go away. I've even seen spots when I am having a tough week or two. You are healthy and strong. If you ignore the 'bully' it will go away.

Thank-you, Lovnmthr! That's how I feel--like I'm sure it's been there before but I was healthier in my mind at the time, so I didn't focus on it or even notice it. But of course now, I'm focusing on it majorly so it's very noticeable. I just wish I didn't hear it so I wouldn't think about it lol. I hope I can distract myself from it and let it go.

Thanks-you , Healing! I think I will try to look at it like that--the bully. I'm going to think of it as an anxiety symptom and try to ignore it. I just hope though that it is just a symptom b/c when I cover/close my ear I can still hear it. Does that make it real or can it still be a symptom of anxiety/stress/lack of sleep?

I have an ear problem too. Whenever I yell or hear loud noises, my ear thumps. If I am having a bad day and I am yelling at my kids for being rotten...its just "thump thump thump" every time I speak. It is so frustrating! I went to a message board for people with inner ear disorders and there was a lot of people there with anxiety disorders. Much more so than in the general population. So yeah, I am a firm believer that anxiety and stress can show up in our ears.

Oh forgot about the living in your head thing. You are a SAHM right? Well I am too, and I know that as busy as we are, there is still a TON of time for living in our head. Because the work we do is so routine. It is so automatic. It is like we are on auto-pilot. I could wake my kids up, brush their teeth, get them dressed, get them breakfast, and clean up the mess all while pondering the meaning of life and what happens when we die. I am busy. But I am not out of my head.

In order to get out of your head, you have to find something that stimulates you. Something that excites you. Something that makes you want to leave that cozy little nest you have made for yourself inside your brain. One thing that helps me break free from my useless pondering, is researching and learning. I love to learn. I am on the computer all day long looking things up and finding out the how and why of things. This is a way to turn my tendency to over think into something positive. Instead of using it to dwell on things that I will never have the answer to, I use it to research things that I CAN have the answer to. I am still using my brain, but I am out of the nest, if that makes sense.

Just getting out of the house and socializing is a GREAT way to get out of your head. And so is exercising. It REALLY helps me.


Remember, its not just about being busy. It is about being so engaged in something that you "forget" to drift inside yourself.

And if you can't find an activity that helps you do that, then just give yourself gentle reminders when you find yourself start to drift inward. Give yourself a shake up/wake up and focus on what is real and going on around you. Put yourself back in the present. It gets easier to do the more you do it.

Good luck!

i absolutely know what you are talking about --- if i could get out of my head i would probably be a superhero. my negative thoughts and worries are the background of all my thoughts, in that way i am my own worst enemy.

people have made a lot of good suggestions about how to counteract this. i would just like to add one thing that you can learn to do that really has helped me (when i can make myself do it!) and that is mindfulness meditation. i honestly didn't think it would help me but i was surprised.

also forgot to add ... the ringing in your ear could be tinnitus?

You guys, thank-you so much for helping me.

Lily girl, yes, you are totally right. I'm a SAHM, and even though I feel like I have the busiest day ever, it's like I have all the time in the world to think think think...and not in a good way! And i know what you are saying is right, and works for me...keeping my mind active by doing something exciting and that I enjoy. And I do try to do that, but it's like my thoughts are fighting against me. But I did make myself go on a playdate today for my kiddos, and at first I was really anxious and kind of quiet, but after being outside a while, I started feeling better and opening up. I just wish the confidence would stay. I just have that fear--what do I do when/if the scariness comes back. But the more I do something and keep engaged, the easier it is to forget my scary thoughts.

I'm working on ignoring the ear ringing. It's like you know when things just get quiet or something is so very quiet, it's almost deafening? That's kind of how I feel. So I'm not sure if it's just a feeling and not having control over it is what scares me, but I just don't want it to drive my feelings. It's that loss of control that gets me every time.

Spiky--I'm right there with you...I"m my own worst enemy too. If I could just get over this hump and be normal again, I'd be happy and enjoying life. And I haven't heard of mindfulness meditation before, I'll definitely look into it and give it a try. Thank you so much for the suggestion.

And yes, I could have tinnitus, I keep reasearching about it, but it sounds like something that doens't go away, and the thought of that REALLY scares me, so I hope that's not what it is. So trying to ignore it. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks so much for everyone's support. Hugs to all.

ringing in ears is tinnitus...everyone has it ...the problem is when you train yourself to tune into it. if it were a brain tumor, in most cases, would be other symptoms... its also a symptom of anxiety....

The following is from anxietycentre/symptoms. Hope this helps

Ringing in the ears - anxiety symptoms

Ringing in the ears: Common descriptions of this symptom include hearing a high-pitched ringing, low rumbling, swooshing, sloshing, buzzing, roaring, whooshing, chirping, beating, humming, pulsing, throbbing, and a pumping sound. In quiet environments, these sounds may seem louder or more annoying.

This symptom can affect one ear or both ears, and may come and go occasionally or persist indefinitely. It also may affect one ear over and over again, alternate between both ears, or affect both ears over and over again. All are common.

This symptom is often associated with Tinnitus.

For more information about ringing in the ear symptoms as they relate to stress, fear, and anxiety, the members area of our web site fully describes this symptom, how it affects the body, why it affects the body, and more importantly, what you can do to eliminate ringing in the ear.

Thank-you, Lbav and Glee! Both your answers brought me some relief. I'm trying to ignore the ear ringing, and kind of like Lbay said, I feel like I've always had it, but just ignored it. I only notice it in a really quiet environment, like right before bed and right when I wake up, and it's never bothered me. But now that my anxiety is in high gear, it's very scary to not be able to control the ringing, and the thought that it might not go away is extremely scary. But I'm trying to just go along with the day and think of other things, as to not notice the ringing. I'm going to check out the site Glee posted to see if there are ways to stop mine. But thank you everyone for making me feel better. Knowing that's it's very common and that most people have it but tune it out, gives me strength. Thanks for taking the time to help me. Hugs.