Connect with people who understand what you are going through, seek advice and surround yourself with support. We're free, anonymous, and professionally moderated 24/7.

47,612Members
1,358,869Posts
1,400,000Visitors

Troubling thoughts when trying to sleep.

CalmblueoceanSenior Contributor27 Jan 2020, 10:59 pm AEDT

Troubling thoughts when trying to sleep.

Hi all. Haven't posted anything for ages. Just wanted to share something with you. I used to have trouble with thoughts entering my head when i was trying to get to sleep. It was usually the same thoughts relating back to when i was a kid. I would try to block the thoughts from entering my head by reciting my limited French vocabulary. Always the same every night always speaking French to myself to block it. I had a conversation to a doctor about it. He said (and i can't recommend it to everyone ) to let the bad thought enter your head and let it fully mature like the whole story. Everything you remember about the event and let it play as many times as necessary in your head until it just gets played out so many times you don't think about it any more. Was a painful thing to do after spending years blocking it but it worked. I can go to bed and not have it looming over me. Hope it helps someone

2 replies

1 - 2 of 2

In response to: Troubling thoughts when trying to sleep.

Unknown userMember28 Jan 2020, 3:58 pm AEDT

Re: Troubling thoughts when trying to sleep.

Hey @Calmblueocean I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you so much for sharing this strategy. You sound like a super resilient individual, we really appreciate the time you've taken out because it could really help a few people. How are you travelling lately?

In response to: Re: Troubling thoughts when trying to sleep.

CalmblueoceanSenior Contributor28 Jan 2020, 5:31 pm AEDT

Re: Troubling thoughts when trying to sleep.

Hi @Former-Member. Thankyou for your kind words. I am not so sure about being super resilient

I just take advice from some people and am grateful for it if it helps. I am going well. I had a big change of circumstances which required me to make a move from the countryside to living in town. I am still adjusting and had a couple of crying episodes but is all good now. I had horses to train and a big garden to tend and i feel a little like my wings have been clipped. There are other advantages to living in town though. Two minutes to the town pool and good places to walk the dog. Can't believe how nice the people are here. Everyone says hello to you and are very friendly. I think i was a little socially isolated where i was

I have been a very lucky person and i have had a lot of help with my mental health issues over the years but i have found the best person to listen to is yourself. Sometimes when you are sick you need to listen to others and believe that they are trying to help. The thing is that if you are able to you can finally recognize some signs that you maybe becoming ill for yourself. Things that you would normally ignore may creep in and become more of an issue. One of my symptoms for example is that i have to check that where i am is safe. If i pull into a servo i check that no one is a threat to me. I become paranoid. So i have worked out that that is a symptom of maybe becoming unwell. I would talk to my GP or just recognize it for what it is and be kind to myself. Things like becoming unwell for me usually follow a stressful event. My best friend had passed away and i really missed her. Anyway i am rambling on a fair bit. A good thing is a sense of humour. I laugh because i talk to myself but then mention it to a friend and they do too. Without the mental illness.

1 - 2 of 2