Thinking psychological or rumination?

[Solange]

I'm having some problems with anxiety at the moment but am treating it as any other TMS symptom.
When I catch myself feeling anxious and I'm not in a position to journal,and that 's fairly often, I try to do a bit of psychological delving to see what could be setting it off.
Here's the question:I'm finding I can get so caught up in the' thinking psychological' that it starts to tip over into rumination of the issue which is not helpful and feeds the anxiety. So, should I continue to delve and accept that it will pass or should I just say to myself, oh there goes the TMS again trying to distract me and then switch my attention to something else.
How long is long enough to think psychological?!!!Is it different if the TMS symptom is anxiety rather than pain?

 

[Forest]

Anxiety is without question another form of TMS. Alan Gordon once called it the different side of the same coin. Anxiety serves the same purpose of TMS pain by preventing you from feeling and allowing your emotions to be present. Turning your thoughts to the psychological can be helpful, but, as you have found out, it can also lead to rumination which only increases your anxiety. More than finding the exact thing you are repressing, the key to overcoming anxiety is to calm your internal state.

The driving force to anxiety is worrying about something that has happened or may happen in the future. I have found it helpful to turn my attention to the present and focus on something that I am doing. Any sort of mindfulness technique can help reduce the rumination and help you return your focus back to the present. There is a great section of Alan Gordon's TMS Recovery Program that addresses how to tend to your internal state when your anxiety is getting out of hand.

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Hi. Solange. Forest is right. Don't spend too much time remembering an anxiety-causing repressed emotion, and spend more time on mindfulness, focusing on the present and doing something.

Someone else posted recently that he was awake all night thinking about his repressed emotions. Dr. Sarno suggests we not spend more than 15 or 20 minutes on repressed emotions as part of his 12 daily reminders. We can dwell on repressed emotions too much and that creates more anxiety.

He also says our unconscious mind knows the details of an emotion we repressed. We just have to give the example, not tell a whole story about it.

 

[quert]

These are great points, and a good question, too. Thanks for posting.

The only thing I'll add is that the goal of life is to relax, have fun, and do things that are meaningful to you (whatever those things are). Worrying is just a missed opportunity to enjoy everything that is wonderful in life. If you get caught up in that rumination, that's fine - there will be many more opportunities later on, but if you can get back to the moment and enjoy yourself, so much the better.

The goal of TMS, on the other hand, is to keep yourself TMSing: focused on the body, the disability and suffering caused by TMS, or even the minutia of your psychology. So I agree 100% that rumination is not your friend, and that thinking psychologically has gone too far once it leads to rumination. In fact, it can replace pain as the core driver of the TMS. So give yourself permission to let go of the rumination. When it comes back, you can acknowledge it's existence, but find something else to think about. Eventually, the habit will be broken.

Thinking psychologically can be great, but you've done enough. It provides you a terrific foundation for accepting the diagnosis and realizing that there is nothing physically wrong, but it is not what will heal you. Allowing yourself to let go and enjoy life is far better, especially for anxiety.

Dr. Sarno suggests we not spend more than 15 or 20 minutes on repressed emotions as part of his 12 daily reminders.

It's great to hear it directly from the good doctor, himself...

 

[plum]

Solange, I very much like your name. It sounds like a delicious pudding or an exotic resort, either way, it is very good and pleasing. I'm not given to anxiety so I probably shouldn't answer your question but then again maybe my immunity is qualification in itself. My dear, there are times and places to wallow (delicious puddings, exotic resorts...) but on things that scare you? No. May I advocate the **** it principle. Fairly self-explanatory and a lot of fun, especially if you have a penchant for mischief. Next time you get caught up in too much thinking, say **** it and go and do something decadent. If this involves chocolate, marmalade and mess then so much the better.

 

[North Star]

"If this involves chocolate, marmalade and mess then so much the better."
Love that, Plum!

Solange, I too have struggled mightily with anxiety. Practicing mindfulness has been hands down the most effective too in combating it. I'm learning to take a mindfulness moment several times through out the day to assess tension in my body. It's as simple as pausing for 30 seconds and asking myself, "How is it?" I take a deep breath and do a quick walk through of my body from head to toe. More often than not, I become aware of tension that I was packing.

Hardest part for me of all that was..don't laugh...okay, you can laugh if you want...I would start hyperventilating by just thinking about trying to calm down.

 

[Solange]

Thanks all of you for your thoughts on this issue so far.
I know what you mean MontanaMom. I start to think I MUST calm down, relax,stay in the moment etc and then get myself even more worked up by my inability to succeed. I think that perhaps I should take Plum's advice and go and do something decadent or at least indulgent but it had better not involve chocolate or I shall need to buy a lot of new clothes very quickly. And as for puddings, you will laugh Plum, my favourite is plum and blackberry crumble(made it last week) with blackberries from the local hedgerows, tho' treacle tart runs it close.Do you know, I could write a whole , very long post on puddings and actually I think I should because just thinking about them has cheered me up considerably. What a pity this is not really the right time or place!
Thanks again to all of you.

 

[plum]

Thanks all of you for your thoughts on this issue so far.
I know what you mean MontanaMom. I start to think I MUST calm down, relax,stay in the moment etc and then get myself even more worked up by my inability to succeed. I think that perhaps I should take Plum's advice and go and do something decadent or at least indulgent but it had better not involve chocolate or I shall need to buy a lot of new clothes very quickly. And as for puddings, you will laugh Plum, my favourite is plum and blackberry crumble(made it last week) with blackberries from the local hedgerows, tho' treacle tart runs it close.Do you know, I could write a whole , very long post on puddings and actually I think I should because just thinking about them has cheered me up considerably. What a pity this is not really the right time or place!
Thanks again to all of you.

For you my cheeky crumble cake loving muse, the pudding club thread -

http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/puddings.2924/

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Puddings are delicious, and I love plums.

I made the mistake of buying Trick or Treat chocolate candies the other day and have already eaten almost all of it myself.
I had given up chocolate a year ago to stick with a fruit and veggie diet with chicken and fish, but craved some chocolate.

I can't have chocolate in the house and not eat it. My will power isn't that strong.

So I guess I'll have to buy some non-chocolate treats for Halloween and no more chocolate.

I want to buy some walnuts and other nuts and dried fruit for snacks. I can easily become a peanutaholic.

 

[Solange]

Can't resist chocolate covered brazil nuts. Yummmmm!Totally addictive.

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

I'll have to get some. I used to get some chocolate covered macadamian nuts from Hawaii. Yummy.