Does anyone else have the problem
 

of getting stuck on one topic in your brain. Even if it something really not involved in your life? I rarely watch TV, but I have heard stuff on there, and out of nowhere it is stuck there, and I am thinking about it. Nothing relevant to me... my daughter had entertainment channel on the other day...talking about celebrity gossip, and the one story has been on my mind every day. It just keeps jumping to the front of my thoughts. Even when I had a bad day the other day, there it was...like a problem.

This happens quite a bit. I can't remember the stuff I need to but something stupid will just jump right to the front of my thoughts.

I guess to explain it better, It is like my brain is on a constant play of it. I can't think of the word....it is when you play something and when it is done it replays itself?

Skips, like a broken record?

I call this "looping." The thought loops continuously. A high dose SSRI can help but the side-effects are not worth it.

I have songs I use to replace the looping thought. When I get stuck looping, I start singing a song in my head. The song needs to be something that is not a problem if it starts looping. Songs with repetitive lyrics should be avoided. A poem could also work.

btw, The psychological term for this is sometimes 'perseverance.'

Mark, I really think you and are a lot alike. Thank you.

If it weren't for this site, I would just have gone with the consensus of my family and believe I am just going crazy.

I can't begin to thank everyone here who makes this place possible.

Yes, I also have this going on. Recently, I play guided meditations from u tube...it helps calm the anxiety, and at least is all positive thoughts, no matter where they interfere.

I get stuck in these loops as well and it brings on anxiety. So far the only thing that works for me is to try and get distracted with something like work/interacting with friends/tv.

I find myself either "looping" about something that is no relevance to me, or a problem that I had a long time ago. It just comes out of nowhere. It is almost obsessive. I get anxiety with it too and very irritated.

I used to get stuck looping on the spelling of a word, the pronunciation of a complex word, a license plate, and other meaningless things. When I use song to redirect this looping, I call if JukeBoxing, as if I just select a different song.

For me, it did not cause anxiety. It caused mental fatigue. It could go one for hours or even a day or more. I could take on a task or activity and the looping would stop but start up again as soon as the task was finished.

I spent 14 years on 60 mgs of Paxil daily to reduce this. Without the Paxil, i could not redirect the looping by jukeboxing. With the Paxil, I could. Now, I have been off the Paxil for over a year. I take L-Tryptophan instead. If I start looping, I can take an L-Trypt tablet and the looping will be over within 30 minutes or so.

My current go to song is Amazing Grace. With my memory, it is one of the few songs I can recall easily.