Overthinking

I'm always overthinking about things and it drives me insane. For example, a girl asked my boyfriend if another girl worked today and he told her no, and my thoughts are like: Why did she ask him? Does he talk to the other girl that's why the girl asked him if she worked today? Why did she even talk to him? Ect. I tell myself to shut up. It's really annoying. I know my boyfriend wouldn't do anything to hurt me, but I feel like I can't control my thoughts. I'm trying hard to control them. I'm doing better, but it still bothers me. Does anyone have tips to manage these thoughts?

Sorry you are experiencing thoughts of envy or jealousy. Good to talk to a therapist about these.

If you want to try lifestyle changes, I can talk about what I am going through as possible changes. For first aid, dealing with an emotional or mental fit, one thing I try is a breathing exercise to focus on breath instead of fighting with the thoughts.

Breathing exercise with natural breathing do not force.
If you are feeling very anxious or angry or just want to calm down, you can try a breathing exercise that takes the attention away from the trigger of anxiety to a simple tool of counting breaths.

Find a comfortable position seated or laying down. Begin to relax your breathing. Silently count 1 on the inhale, and two on the exhale. Then silently count 3 on the inhale and 4 on the exhale. Continue up to 10 or until you lose the count then return to one. No judgement. I sometimes end up at 18 then smile and return to 1. The idea is to focus on the breath and the counting and not get sucked into the anxiety or anger trigger. Also works to quiet the mind.

I have to watch what I eat because foods I eat can stabilize my moods or exaggerate them. For me protein is essential to mood stability. A high protein some naturally raise chicken or fish (mostly soy, yogurt, scrambled eggs (no flipping - i cut out some or all of yolk) low carb diet with snacks (roasted cashews, sauteed tofu) or meals every 3-4 hours will over time reduce my swings.

Other lifestyle changes that help me are doing yoga, exercises, mindfulness, calm music, and being active on Psych Central. These could raise your energy level but that may not be the problem. Some people find the forums give them the compassion and empathy they seek. http://forums.psychcentral.com

Please feel free to private message me or any of the Community Liaisons by left clicking on the name in blue to the left of their post) for questions or just to share.