how to cope with thoughts

[nobody girl]

does anyone have any advice on how to deal with unwanted thoughts? my mind starts racing and i hear the same thoughts repeated over amd over again, even though i wish they would stop. this is what normaly happens that makes me want to si. these thoughts are not about anything dramatic or awful, they are mostly just about me being stupid, ugly, disgusting, or me saying the wrong thing because i have no social skills. i have tried ways of coping but nothing seems to make these thoughts go away and they are so overwhelming that i can concentrate on little else when they are bothering me.

[Green Beauty]

Having unwanted thoughts is horrible. When you get them just try and do something to take your mind off of them. If it is possible i would recommend putting on some music, simply having music on doesnt stop the thoughts but try singing along. It makes it harder for you to think if your mind is on the lyrics. Take care.

[morganna]

have you tried writing down the thoughts you are having and then looking for alternative perspectives, skills and talents you have etc? i keep a little book where i write down my negative thoughts and what might be different views.

[dbms]

I either write and/or use music (loud) it tends to block out the images /thoughts. Doesn't work all the time but it can help. When it is really overwhelming I roll up in a quilt put on my favorite album and lie quietly. Either I fall asleep or they pass.

Sorry your thoughts are troubling you. It can seem that they leave us feeling pretty defenseless at times.

Take care ...

[marshmallowfluff]

like the others said, use music, it may help to drown out the thoughts. When you feel they have gone, take time to reflect on whats bothering you, the thing thats made you have these thoughts and one by one untangle them and become familiar with these feelings, so next time they come it's easier to dismiss them.

another thing i do sometimes is tell myself the opposite of what my thoughts are telling me. for example:

you're stupid, dumb and everyone hates you.
you're not stupid, dumb, and not everyone hates you. There are lots of people that care about you, and love you, would die for you.
you want to SI
You dont want to SI. SIing leaves reminders of bad things. you will feel bad if you SI, you will let yourself down.

Challenging my thoughts gives me a boost of confidence sometimes.
I hope this makes sense!

x

[nobody girl]

thanks for all the helpful advice, i appreciate it so much. i have not tried writing down my thoughts and alternative perspectives, that might be a good idea. i have shared some of these thoughts with other people and they tell me that they are not true, but i can never believe them. also they seem to think that i should not feel this way, like if i just put my mind to it i can stop it.

[Konsrn]

I`m not sure this will help but I do this technique when I`m trying either yoga or just want to fall asleep.

First I find a quiet place. A cool, slightly darkened room if its daytime.

Then I sit or lie down and try to relax my body.

Then I try to quiet the mind. If a thought pops into my head, I put this thought into an imaginary balloon and watch it float away. If another thought appears, I repeat the process and keep doing it till the thoughts eventually stop.

(I`ve noticed as the thoughts float away I seem to feel lighter and less troubled more and more)

I know it works for me. Give it a try. I hope it helps

Konsrn