always in your head?

I was wondering if anyone else thought this was sort of a staple of people with mental illness..I guess because of the mental part.
I find that I am very much stuck in my head. Everything in there is more important than what's around me. There is a constant dialogue in my head, I never stop talking in there. There's thoughts, ideas, images, always going. It's very difficult to concentrate or sleep because my thoughts are always going. I also "zone out" a lot and don't realize I'm thinking so hard till something snaps me back into reality. Usually my boyfriend saying "what's wrong?". I've always been this way and other people I've met with mental illness seem to be the same way. I don't think what's going on my head is more FUN than the world around me..since a lot of it can be painful, irrational and anxiety provoking..but it's certainly more interesting.

Does anyone else find this with their mental illness?

That sounds exactly like me but as I havent got a diagnosed mental illness I can't say it's a common thing.

I am constantly in my own head, I mean I can't concentrate on anything for too long before my head races with different thoughts or just generally mulling things over and stewing on stuff that's usually negative. My husband catches my sometimes and tells me to get out of my own head! I am rarely at peace in my head. I ALWAYS look tired and I think it's because of all the mental energy I use while in my own head.

I find very loud music though ear phones helps me clear my mind....but I have to be careful what I listen to as some music can be very triggering for me!

Sorry you're the same way but know you're not alone

I think they call them "racing thoughts". You might want to tell your doctor.

Welcome to my life. This is pretty much a constant. The only time I can think of in which I was completely in the present task was during childbirth when all the focus was on the pain and the desire to die.

The severity of it ebbs and flows. It can be like having the t.v. on in the next room or in my face.

Sometimes at work I find these thoughts so distracting i have to listen to music while i work or I cannot focus on the task at hand. I bring an MP3 player and earbuds and backup MP3 player and earbuds just in case as I don't know that I could do my job without them.

That's what it's all about. If we could process all that information properly, we would not be ill

I'm the same.

I think that no matter what illness a person has, the symptoms can often become overwhelming. It's very difficult to stay present in the moment, and not focus upon _____ (our experiences/concerns, etc).

i'm the same way...

i think it might be related to my low self-esteem. always in the head where thoughts go on continuously. when i was doing better with how i felt about myself i found myself in the moment more.

I can get lost in thought, and withdrawn, at times. Not in having 'racing thoughts'.

I am a thinker. Never thought it was due to my anxiety nor depression. Who knows...

I have this too, I have like positive and negative me chatting away to eachother all the time over the stupidest of things ( say If Im tired and want to lay down one me is calling me a lazy ***** and the other me is saying I shouldnt feel bad about it ) my Husband will sometimes catch me doing it and ask what am I thinking about. I also have a permanant'Jukebox' playing which really drives me mad as it's usually songs set off by words or phrases and the song will stick until something triggers another one. Makes it very hard to fall asleep

Yes, I'm this way too. There's a constant dialogue and when my boyfriend will ask me what I'm thinking about I always lie. I don't know how I'd explain my crazy thoughts to him?

well In my opinion we all need as much support as we can get so it's important to be honest with those closest to us, that way they can be understanding to whats going on which in turn helps us over our worst patches. Likewise if they don't understand what we are going through then maybe they aren't the type of people we need in our lives.

You need to be ready to explain it to him, start small and I bet it will just come pouring out and he might surprise you .

My friends know it's ok to joke about my jukebox, they ask what song is playing, and sometimes deliberately sing something annoying to change it, but I like that they are comfortable enough with my crazy to do that .

i have loud thoughts like hearing voices but implanted into ur head and not ur own. they distract me.

but my regular thoughts get overwhelming sometimes. i can be having a conversation with someone and zone out on a thought and have to say that im not listening anymore. i dont know which is more rude, pretending to listen or being honest and saying u lost focus

I'm too nice to say that haha so I nod my head and desperately try to figure out what they just said.

its uncomfortable for me to say im not listening anymore but it usually only happens iwth 2 people, my T and my friend who talks forever. my T and i will just redirect onto what i was thinking about if it was important or i ask him to repeat himself. with my friend i just say "im not listening to you" and he shuts up :P

I try so very hard to listen to my T. I don't have many friends and with my boyfriend..well we both tune each other out sometimes.
I have a friend who's really amazing and listens to my gab for hours..I talk really fast. Then we see talks sometimes I get wrapped up in my own head and feel awful about it. I really want to listen to her but my brain is very distracting.