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josh97
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24 Sep 2017, 4:21 pm

hi there what shall i do to stop them because i really want to enjoy life because i felt better in 2009 and i didn't
have any obssessed thoughts in 2009 because im now 20 and i was wondering how i could get back to enjoying life again and to feel more positive and happy. :cry:



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24 Sep 2017, 10:50 pm

I can share a few things that have helped me with obsessive thoughts and worries, although they still arise at certain times, if I think about certain subjects. One thing that helps is getting outside in the fresh air and sun. I have a garden and a large yard and I find that when I'm pulling weeds or mowing the grass or sawing up branches it tends to focus me on the here-and-now and relieves the thoughts. Another activity that helps is I take care of rescued cats, and when I'm trimming their nails, giving them their medicine, brushing them, feeding them, etc., that I break out of the repeating thoughts. Exercise also helped, especially things like the elliptical trainer and weight machines. Something about the rhythmic and repetitive motions of the exercise and breathing together would clear my head. Also I see a counselor once a week and discussing concerns, anxieties, frustrations, hopes, awareness of my autism and the like over time helps me process them and move through and beyond them. Oh, and science, like physics, chemistry, and optics are my special interest and I love studying and reading about the sciences and doing simple experiments, like diamagnetic levitation, etc. When I'm enjoying my special interest my mind is totally focused on it and my obsessive thoughts are forgotten. I still tend to form new worries and endlessly-cycling thoughts when the old ones are resolved, but I feel I progress over time. That seems to be part of being autistic. My mental life is definitely different and more interesting than it used to be. Do you have any outside activities you like? Do you enjoy working to help animals or other people? Do you have any special interests? I hope you find the enjoyment in life that you're looking for.



C2V
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25 Sep 2017, 3:38 am

^ The suggestion about getting into your special interests to stop the reel of obsessive thoughts is a good one.
To the OP - can you be more specific? What is it you are obsessing about, and why?
That often affects strategies about how to stop it.
I'm struggling a lot with this at the moment too, and all the things I usually do to stop them aren't working.
The only thing I've been doing today is whenever I catch myself starting with the thoughts, I immediately and deliberately switched my mental focus to a passage of the story I was writing, and tried tweaking the wording, adding and subtracting bits of the passage, thinking about where this passage would go in the narrative because this or that would have to happen first, etc.
Distraction, basically. But it's only a temporary fix, not a good solution. :(


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StampySquiddyFan
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25 Sep 2017, 3:59 pm

Like the other posters said, distraction and engaging in special interests are great ways to stop obsessive thoughts, at least temporarily. The only way I have been able to stop the obsessive thoughts I have permanently is to stop caring. Instead of paying so much attention to the thought and questioning it (Why am I thinking this- I'm such a bad person), just sit with it. You don't have to accept the thought or believe it, but you can't resist it, no matter how hard you want to. If that is too difficult with your type of obsession, try making fun of the thought. Say weird things like, "Take that, you stupid obsessive thought." And laugh to yourself in your head while you do that. It seems really odd to do, but trust me, it works!

You can get rid of the thoughts, but the first step is to rid them of the power they have over you. They are just thoughts, and just because they are yours does not mean you want them or you would act on them. I'm going through the same thing myself, so good luck :D ! I know how hard it can be.


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