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Over-analysing And Over-thinking. A Product Of Ptsd?

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I relate to what albatross said about avoiding. Seeking balance. When I am over-analizing or over thinking-I am not feeling. When I have been a workaholic-I was avoiding. I was aware of doing this, so I did stop over working. I would do physical work until my body hurt and I would have alot of physical pain, which helped me avoid emotional/psychological pain. Now Im analyzing what I do. For me, its all about balance, which I haven't mastered yet. I reflect on a situation (brain like the energizer bunny) but its exhausting. I have caused myself to physically collapse between spending energy on mental and physical activity. I have not learned to rejuvenate. I need to feel my feelings-all of them regardless of how painful they may be so that I can begin to feel the pleasure and love in my life. I shut those feelings off and getting them back is a hard road. Our bodies need a refill that I think can only be achieved by fully feeling the moment. When I block feeling, I block them all. My body does not distinguish between pleasant and painful, so it avoids them all. Therefore, I am missing so much good. Its much easier to tell you what I think about something than to tell you how "I feel about it." I have temporarily avoided much grief, anger, vulnerability, distrust, hurt, guilt etc because somewhere deep down Ive been afraid that feeling these things will cause me to cease to exist. Repressing these feelings have caused me adrenal fatigue so I can no longer bury myself in physical labor like yard work, painting, and cleaning. It is very hard to change. When I have refused to get caught up in the thinking and stay with my feelings-I survived. The positive emotions are getting a bit stronger.
 
I relate to what albatross said about avoiding. Seeking balance. When I am over-analizing or over thinking-I am not feeling. When I have been a workaholic-I was avoiding. I was aware of doing this, so I did stop over working. I would do physical work until my body hurt and I would have alot of physical pain, which helped me avoid emotional/psychological pain. Now Im analyzing what I do. For me, its all about balance, which I haven't mastered yet. I reflect on a situation (brain like the energizer bunny) but its exhausting. I have caused myself to physically collapse between spending energy on mental and physical activity. I have not learned to rejuvenate. I need to feel my feelings-all of them regardless of how painful they may be so that I can begin to feel the pleasure and love in my life. I shut those feelings off and getting them back is a hard road. Our bodies need a refill that I think can only be achieved by fully feeling the moment. When I block feeling, I block them all. My body does not distinguish between pleasant and painful, so it avoids them all. Therefore, I am missing so much good. Its much easier to tell you what I think about something than to tell you how "I feel about it." I have temporarily avoided much grief, anger, vulnerability, distrust, hurt, guilt etc because somewhere deep down Ive been afraid that feeling these things will cause me to cease to exist. Repressing these feelings have caused me adrenal fatigue so I can no longer bury myself in physical labor like yard work, painting, and cleaning. It is very hard to change. When I have refused to get caught up in the thinking and stay with my feelings-I survived. The positive emotions are getting a bit stronger.
This is interesting.

I know that I was the same as this for a long time, and I worked consciously on validating my own emotions and wanting to feel everything, including the distressing or disturbing emotions.

I know that I can sometimes fall back into bottling emotions, and retreat into over-analysing or over-thinking, for this reason, but I also think that much of the time I am allowing myself to feel.

So, now I'm wondering if what the men on the other forum were saying about me wasn't more to do with their own projections? I started a thread specifically expressing some intense pain I was in and had made myself vulnerable at the time...so I don't think I was actually over-analyzing, but two men kept offering me advice telling me to practise mindfullness as a way of combating over thinking.

It's not that i don't appreciate the reminder to be mindful, as that is always helpful, but it is just that I don't think it was accurate of them to say that I was over-analyzing, when I was clearly not! But that's something I guess I need to raise in that particular forum, not this one.
 
If you met me, you probably would not know I have ptsd or that I over-analyze. When i am with other people, I tend to get into socializing but can only take it for so long. I know I spend too much time alone. After my accident and head injury, I had to keep going (i didnt give myself permission to be angry and scared) but it seeped out anyway. Then my attorney would encourage me to have cocktails, which made avoidance much easier. It took 3 years to get shut down, its only been a year recovering (and clear of attorney). I am still grieving, I just let myself feel what comes now. Im greatful for being where I am. These topics are helping me so much as well. So many good comments that provoke my thinking. Im trying to share from my heart rather than make sense of my events. There are many bright, caring, and insightful people here-thank you all-this is helping me rebuild trust. Thanks
 
Philippa, this is actually the reason I searched for a respectable forum for my PTSD issues.I have had waves of exaggerated symptoms for about eight months now, and in those eight months I know my fiance has been seeing a different person. His most constant complaint about me is that I "read too deeply into things." I don't know how to stop, so I've been rationalizing that it's because I'm female (I interact with mostly male friends--weird, huh?), but I know that it's deeper than that. It's gotten much worse with increased nightmares. I wake up the wrong direction and just start crying sometimes, then I blame this on my action to his action to our actions and blow it out of proportion instead of admitting that I'm experiencing some sort of imagined threat and blaming up on tiny things that are based in reality. It sounds really crazy even to me, but I am truly beginning to believe that my tendency to over-analyze is a symptom that I need to recognize and navigate.

I am wondering if anyone here reverts to dissociation when attempting to not overthink? This is the worst obstacle I experience in trying not to over-analyze. Distractions like work are okay, but I wind up analyzing that I'm working to avoid thinking about something that I then think about. AHH! >.<
 
I am the same way, AntiSunshine. I didn't realize it was the PTSD. I guess I just assumed I was extra sensitive. I think I pick up on people's moods as well as their shifting of emotions pretty quickly too. If someone says something to me that I am not sure how to take.....I OBSESS over it. I think about what they REALLY meant by that. It's exhausting doing it all the time so I understand. Maybe we all need to try and take what people say to us as face value just once and see what happens.......
 
I'm just wondering if anyone else here suffers from over-analysing and over-thinking in their life? If so, do you think it has to do with ptsd, or is it a seperate issue all together?

Does anyone here practise mindfulness as a way of combating these two things?

I
definitely overanalyze things. I generates a lot of anxiety for me and keeps me from doing things. This anxiety comes in the form of intrusive thoughts that are related to the traumas that endured through my life. I use progressive muscle relaxation and distraction to deal with this but, it is difficult. Sometimes this aspect is more troublesome than nightmares or flashbacks for me. Good luck controlling yours.
Take care.
Moondust
 
Maybe we all need to try and take what people say to us as face value just once and see what happens...
I agree wholeheartedly. I've recently been making a sincere attempt to just take whatever my fiance does or says at face value, considered the extreme amount of variables and understood that I can't know, so why think about it? Something else that has been helpful to me is wondering, "Are they obsessing over this right now? Do I really believe that he is thinking about this little thing as much as I am?" My answer is invariably, "Probably not," especially when I am out with friends trying to enjoy myself yet obsessing over some little word choice hours ago, and I know that he is probably at home enjoying dinner with our other friends or watching a movie or doing homework. This is a really grounding experience for me.
 
I try too. I tell myself "You are not going to think about this now." Then I give myself like 15 mins every night when I am running or doing chores.....to obsess over it a little. By the time I am done...I always come to the same conclusion. I am insane and it's me. :)

The only good part of it is picking up on people's moods. If you are in a group situation... (if you scan and pay close attention to everyone's reactions)...You can always tell when someone else becomes uncomfortable with the conversation. Or if a joke offended someone and they are trying to hide it. etc. This helps me empathize with people better. So...it's not all a curse.

I pushed my boyfriend away for so long because of all of it. I think a lot of it comes down to low self esteem. We just assume the worst. Or we always think someone is being mean to us. Realizing that you are doing it is a step in the right direction.
 
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