Repeating thoughts

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Sometimes my thoughts repeat themselves in a short period of time. I'm not talking about obsessive worrying.

Sometimes if I think about something, usually a self-therapeutic piece of advice that I analyze and distill in my mind, the sentence might unwillingly repeat itself in my brain and make me feel absent and this may continue for a few minutes and there isn't much else during that time. It reminds me of when a game freezes and the sound repeats itself. I can do what I was supposed to do while that happens, but my thoughts run in a loop and it isn't usually an anxious thought.

Usually I'm in a high stimulation environment when that happens (mainly sounds), I wonder whether it's related to that.

I do this kind of thing too. Sometimes, I'm repeating sentences pretty much the same way several times. Sometimes I change each sentence as if I'm not comfortable with the arrangement of words and word usage because it doesn't convey my thought in the best way. I don't do this with a lot of conscious thought though; I just run the words and sentences through my mind several times. It seems to happen more when I'm depressed or anxious.

It annoys me. I'd like my mind to be quiet more often.
Unfortunately, my mind is most quiet when I'm around people and should be socializing but can't come up with anything to say.

If feels like worthless repetition but must serve some function.
It could have something to do with perfectionism and how I am so used to re-reading everything I type on here as I type it. I'm naturally pretty bad with words. I can write wonderfully if I take the time and have spell-check and can look up words.

But when I repeat exactly the same thing several times in my mind...
Maybe some part of me doesn't grasp the words all the way the first time. This could be anxiety. I occasionally ask people the same question more than once when I am nervous because I feel like I need to hear them say the words again.
Maybe it's a comfort thing; I also tend to repeat thoughts that I like and I enjoy listening to the same music over and over again. Maybe it's to help force my brain to stay on a certain topic. Maybe my focus on ideas and thoughts doesn't shift very quickly so I'm just forced to repeat myself.
I've always been curious about this.

I have certain loops of thoughts, distinct from anxiety, that replay themselves pretty quickly in my mind. Some of these are thoughts that I like and enjoy repeating, and so it's almost like a form of stimming. Others seem like things that I'm still trying to get right in some way and can't let go of. The two times when this happens most often are 1) when I'm in a loud, crowded situation and I'm "zoning out" in my little bubble, or 2) on the other extreme, when things are quiet and boring and I have to entertain myself.

I have the same problem, it really comes up when I dont double check things like if a door is locked or I put my gas cap on or not. If I dont do the double check thoughts about it just keep repeating.

i find it interesting that you post this because i find i do that too and it's neat to see that it happens to other people on the spectrum too. it often happens when i hear a sentance that strikes my interest, or think about the wording of something important i want to say or wish i said. it will often say it in my head several times for about five minutes.