I do this a lot too. And it's like when I finally get pretty much past an obsession, OCD goes, okay, we'll take this one step further so you're afraid again. But I get that day of free thinking and the next day when I'm suffering again, I wonder what I thought of the day before.

Truth is, I think they simply worry about other things. Or maybe they just live in the moment more than we do. I am one to practice mindfulness when I can remind myself to, and I'll practice it until I get distracted away from the thoughts. So if it helps, just notice the colors of objects around you, or the sounds, or the smells. I like to try and describe them poetically. That's thinking about something else and hopefully getting your mind to do the same. :)

dont worry about things your thinking it about. a trick for you is just to reconise them as thoughts. they dont have to mean anything or go with the kind of person you are. dont even disagree or agree with them just ackolegde they are there. normal thinkers have exactly the same thoughts as we do but they just dont spend the time and energy analzing them like we do.

I wonder the same thing.

thank you all so much!

When I have more "normal" days without constant obsessions or beating myself up it feels so quiet in my mind! I'm like "this must be what normal people feel like!". My guess is they don't have all of that chatter or static going on all the time.

I know what you mean about fearing being too happy or loving someone too much. Many times when I think about how much I love someone at the same time think about something horrible happening to them. Maybe its a coping mechanism - our brain is trying to prepare us for whatever might happen. Still, it's no fun to think those scary things!

I know, sometimes it is a matter of picking the least upsetting thing to worry about- like work issues vs. loved ones- I joke with my sister that I have a "circle of worry" which contains loved ones, and if you are in it that means you are very special to me but I will worry that something terrble will happen to you!

It's funny you bring this up. I too, have been having this same dialogue in my head with myself. My kids are 17 and 15. They are getting out more and are no longer just solely under my thumb. Naturally, I worry. I oft times wonder if my worry is excessive or if it is the normal stuff any mom does. I mean I've worried about so much dumb stuff my whole life...that when I have a true legitimate concern..it kinda throws me off my game.

I wonder about your medciations. What do you take?

I have the same problem when I am having a good day it is like my brain thinks oh I have not had a thought that I huet someone which is just a fearful thought so my DVD player turns on and I do not know which past fearful thought it is going to stop on. When this happens I try to return the DVD to blockbuster.that is what my therapist suggested. anyone have a similar OCD I can get through the situTION LIKE GOING TO A STORE OR TALKING TO SOMEONE AND THEN AFTER i LEAVE THE THOUGHT THAT i HURT THEM POPS IN MY HEAD. pLEASE LEAVE ME A MESSAGE. tHANKS
bECKY

I agree with Millar as to the thoughts...scientists have recently discovered that there is a physical place in the brain where we have a certain amount of time to accept or reject a thought. That doesn't mean to fight them, but gently saying 'no you are not mine' and letting it go. Once you have accepted the thought it actually manifests as a physical cell in your brain and stays there. This can be extreemly challenging if you were tramatized at some point in your life and your thoughts trigger brain cells that have momories and emotions that have not been dealt with yet. What so many people think is that the thoughts that come into their head are theirs, but they are only your thoughts if you entertain them. The beginning of practicing this process seems impossible, but just like Exposure therapy, after a while it gets easier when you realize that the thoughts are not yours and they have no power over you or anyone else unless you adopt them as your own and start entertaining them.

I have many of the same thoughts especially if I am lying awake thinking about scenarios before bed. It seems many of us take what is normal and amplify it if we think about something too much. Personally I concentrate on relating or thinking about positive thoughts or activities.

that is the key, I guess- separating the thoughts from who we are. and deciding not to focus on them. I take prozac- but while it keeps my anxiety in check it doesn't seem to really stop the thoughts- I wonder if something else would work better?