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I suffer from obsessive thoughts
Hi, I am a 16 year old male, and I started having odd experiences in my late fifteens (which I self diagnosed about 2 month latter as obsessive thoughts) (at least I think they are obsessive thoughts) these "thoughts" are very strange. Let me give you an example, (1)This has got to be one of the strangest, I obsessed over the world being round (yes the world being round) I thought if the whole world is round then so am I. I obsessed that every thing is round and curved, (go figure). Here is the obsessive thought I am currently struggling with now, (it's pretty embarrassing) Okay, here it goes: you do not get a girl pregnant by having vaginal sex. But I know
for a fact that you do get a girl pregnant by having vaginal sex. It is extremely frustrating trying to tell myself over and over, that what I am thinking is absurd and completely wrong. Where do these thoughts come from?
Here are a couple more things you might want to know about me:
1)I sometimes hear a loud "BANG" as I am drifting off to sleep. (I think explosive head syndrome?)
2)I sometimes hear ringing in my ear, most of the time when I am alone and there is no background sounds.
3)I am prone to getting habits, eg mumbling, and just generally doing odd things (once I had an awful habit where I blew my finger nails). And when I was about 6-9 years
old I say, I obsessed about washing my hands, making sure I turned off the water, flushed the toilet, etc.
And since I am only 16, and can't drive yet, getting consoling is impossible, since it is so embarrassing I WILL NOT TELL my parents, so is there any thing I can do my self?
for a fact that you do get a girl pregnant by having vaginal sex. It is extremely frustrating trying to tell myself over and over, that what I am thinking is absurd and completely wrong. Where do these thoughts come from?
Here are a couple more things you might want to know about me:
1)I sometimes hear a loud "BANG" as I am drifting off to sleep. (I think explosive head syndrome?)
2)I sometimes hear ringing in my ear, most of the time when I am alone and there is no background sounds.
3)I am prone to getting habits, eg mumbling, and just generally doing odd things (once I had an awful habit where I blew my finger nails). And when I was about 6-9 years
old I say, I obsessed about washing my hands, making sure I turned off the water, flushed the toilet, etc.
And since I am only 16, and can't drive yet, getting consoling is impossible, since it is so embarrassing I WILL NOT TELL my parents, so is there any thing I can do my self?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Looks like you received some good advice, and found a good remedy. It is true that the more you think re the obsessive thoughts, the stronger they become..it's a kind of brain reenforcement that can be interrupted. If you need more help in the future, think of talking to your family doctor, and possibly getting some relief through low doses of medication taken for a short time to interrupt the over thinking pattern.
Seeing that you do have access to the internet why don't you do some research. Where to start right. It can be scary. I am not a doctor so please take what I say as advice and that I'm not trying to scare you. Try starting with research on schizophrenia, bipolar etc. Keep track of your moods and emotions in a diary so that when you are able to get help you will have a record.
Another thought, is there a school therapist you can speak with while you are in school? Check into this because there usually is.
I hope you can find the answers you need.
Another thought, is there a school therapist you can speak with while you are in school? Check into this because there usually is.
I hope you can find the answers you need.
Thanks for the answer! :)
Hey Guy
I completely missed the point of your post as I overlooked the self-help component you were looking for.
If you interrupt the thoughts or the pattern early enough you can usually stop that cycle where everything keeps repeating itself.
Tony Robbins, life coach and motivator, says that if you interrupt the pattern, a bit like scratching a disc, that the pattern won't be able to be replayed.
Some people say to do a mindless task (one not requiring too much concentration) mindfully. Mindfully meaning to do the activity with a great deal of awareness. For example, being aware of sounds, smells, colors, textures, etc.
I found something in one of Dr Gould's books extremely useful. I guess in some respects it is a bit like mindfulness. It was about focusing on the here and now and not associating other emotions to the current situation.
Thought stopping can be a good technique. Changing thoughts can be good too.
Understanding why you are obsessing can be a useful tool too. This one at least gets to the root of the problem.
If you want more info you could try researching cbt (cognitive behavioral therapy). The compulsive behaviors expert forum expert may also be able to offer some additional advice too.
I don't know about the loud 'bang' you hear. Maybe the doctor will have more ideas.
I think we all have biases towards our own issues and diagnoses. Take what you feel is relevant to yourself and what you feel could help you and leave the rest.
I would still encourage you to discuss things with your parents or a trusted adult (teacher, doctor, etc).
If these things are still happening when you can drive and have access to a car I would recommend you try therapy.
I completely missed the point of your post as I overlooked the self-help component you were looking for.
If you interrupt the thoughts or the pattern early enough you can usually stop that cycle where everything keeps repeating itself.
Tony Robbins, life coach and motivator, says that if you interrupt the pattern, a bit like scratching a disc, that the pattern won't be able to be replayed.
Some people say to do a mindless task (one not requiring too much concentration) mindfully. Mindfully meaning to do the activity with a great deal of awareness. For example, being aware of sounds, smells, colors, textures, etc.
I found something in one of Dr Gould's books extremely useful. I guess in some respects it is a bit like mindfulness. It was about focusing on the here and now and not associating other emotions to the current situation.
Thought stopping can be a good technique. Changing thoughts can be good too.
Understanding why you are obsessing can be a useful tool too. This one at least gets to the root of the problem.
If you want more info you could try researching cbt (cognitive behavioral therapy). The compulsive behaviors expert forum expert may also be able to offer some additional advice too.
I don't know about the loud 'bang' you hear. Maybe the doctor will have more ideas.
I think we all have biases towards our own issues and diagnoses. Take what you feel is relevant to yourself and what you feel could help you and leave the rest.
I would still encourage you to discuss things with your parents or a trusted adult (teacher, doctor, etc).
If these things are still happening when you can drive and have access to a car I would recommend you try therapy.
Hiya guys, okay since I typed that up 2 days ago, I have returned to normal, no obsessive thoughts, (for now anyways). But I found this ehow article this guy wrote up about how to stop obsessive thoughts (http://www.ehow.com/how_2177646_stop-obsessive-thoughts.html) and I took the advice at step 3 about the stop sign. I then noticed the less I focused on the thoughts the less they played on my mind, since I had been struggling with for about 4 days, it took me about 12 hours of changing my thoughts, until it finally stopped. So the next time I start thinking obsessively, I will immediately try to kill them with the stop sign idea.
And about the ringing, rarely ever happens, not at all annoying.
But what about when I am falling asleep and then I hear a loud "BANG", of course no one else hears it, because it is all mental.
And about the ringing, rarely ever happens, not at all annoying.
But what about when I am falling asleep and then I hear a loud "BANG", of course no one else hears it, because it is all mental.
This is some misconception of the mental illnesses I spoke of, especially schizophrenia. Schizophrenia usually does not show up until teenage to mid 20's . A friend I have was just diagnosed at 31. No symptoms before that. The hearing of noises and obsessive thoughts are what is telling me to have you do the research. Do you have a pediatrician you can speak with about it? It would even be good to speak with the Doctor about diet change.
But you still have obsessive thoughts?
Perhaps there are less distractions when you are alone so therefore you are more aware of it??
You sound a bit like me. You want help changing stuff but you're not ready or prepared to do what is necessary to make those changes.
Perhaps the doctor will be better able to offer you the advice and answers you want.
Good luck with the diet and muscle building.
Perhaps there are less distractions when you are alone so therefore you are more aware of it??
You sound a bit like me. You want help changing stuff but you're not ready or prepared to do what is necessary to make those changes.
Perhaps the doctor will be better able to offer you the advice and answers you want.
Good luck with the diet and muscle building.
Hi Jaquta, thanks for the reply. Besides all of this I am definitely going to eat healthier because I am going to try to build some muscles on my skinny self. ;)
About the bad habits, I have successfully killed those about 8 years ago.
I am not at all worried about the ringing, just thought it might be a symptom or something. BTW, how come I hear it when I am alone?
Once again I AM NOT going to talk to my parents about it. :)
About the bad habits, I have successfully killed those about 8 years ago.
I am not at all worried about the ringing, just thought it might be a symptom or something. BTW, how come I hear it when I am alone?
Once again I AM NOT going to talk to my parents about it. :)
While healthy eating is commendable and strongly encouraged I wouldn't be in a huge hurry to attribute thoughts to your diet (although diet can play a part).
Some rituals can be functional, like washing your hands, etc for example. The problem is when these start to affect your daily life or cause you distress.
Ringing in your ears is often referred to as tinnitus. Many people experience this.
My thought is that you're going through some important changes (life transitions) and these are what are creating/ reinforcing some of the obsessive thoughts. These thoughts help defend against our fears and anxieties.
My advice would be to talk to your parents and/ or ask to see your doctor. You may feel uncomfortable approaching your parents about this but given the opportunity they may surprise you and be extremely understanding and actually help you through this.
What is embarrassing and hurtful is having thoughts and rituals intensify and feeling powerless to do anything about them. These things rob you of powerful life experiences and opportunities.
I would strongly encourage you to get help and get counseling. (Your parents and/ or doctor can help you with this).
Take care.
J
Some rituals can be functional, like washing your hands, etc for example. The problem is when these start to affect your daily life or cause you distress.
Ringing in your ears is often referred to as tinnitus. Many people experience this.
My thought is that you're going through some important changes (life transitions) and these are what are creating/ reinforcing some of the obsessive thoughts. These thoughts help defend against our fears and anxieties.
My advice would be to talk to your parents and/ or ask to see your doctor. You may feel uncomfortable approaching your parents about this but given the opportunity they may surprise you and be extremely understanding and actually help you through this.
What is embarrassing and hurtful is having thoughts and rituals intensify and feeling powerless to do anything about them. These things rob you of powerful life experiences and opportunities.
I would strongly encourage you to get help and get counseling. (Your parents and/ or doctor can help you with this).
Take care.
J
I also had something else I wanted to ask, if I eat very healthy will the thoughts start to fade? I eat fair I would say, not extremely healthy but not bad.
Hi zack32, thanks for the reply, I am not exactly scared just annoyed. I don't think I have schizophrenia. And I know I am not bipolar. I don't have enough time for a diary but good thought anyway. And unfortunately there is no therapist at school. :(
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