A Brain that won't shut up

[San Andreas]

This isn't a thing that really scares me, more a curiosity

Wondering if it is normal to have a head that is always going.  It just refuses to be quiet.  I run conversations with myself (in my head) all the time.  If I am going to be meeting someone, what I will be saying to the doctor.....  When I am not having this, I am running other things thru my head.  Math problems (if I save 50 cents a day how much will I have in a year, then what about 55 cents....)  Some daydreaming too - what would I do if I won the lottery.....  And of course HA issues.  It doesn't get quiet at night either.  In fact I have invented games to keep my mind entertained so I can (hopefully) fall asleep.  Much more of a chance of doing so if I am trying to think of people who's names begin with an F than if my mind is wandering off on it's own fretting about something or having and in depth pretend conversation with someone.

So, is this normal, does every human do this?  Or is it OCD?  Or ? ? ?

[San Andreas]

No one?  This is something that has always really bothered me (not scary bother - I guess more of a am I normal or is this just part of my anxiety thing bother) Really would love some input

[Blenheim1704]

I have this too. It does not feel like a second person or as if I am hearing voices because I have control over the dialog. Rather, it is more like a play or TV show going on in my brain as I work out future scenarios. For example, before I have a meeting I always play the scene out in my head. With my OCD I tend to almost always jump strait to the worst possible scenario though. Things never happen the way I imagine them. However, I feel I must think these things out (as if I could even stop if I wanted to) or else I will not be prepared for something "bad" that could happen.It is mentally draining to do this all the time. I am a very shy person and don't speak up, quite the opposite from the person I am in my mind who never ceases to talk. When I am watching something interesting on TV or a movie is probably the only time my mind slows down to low murmur of activity. Otherwise, my mind is so active I can not be productive at work or school. Even when I sleep, my dreams seem to carry over from my daily ruminations and dialogs leaving me with a restless night of poor sleep.

I too have always wondered if other people have "busy" heads that are never silent. I am almost certain that anyone on an OCD forum has a busy brain full of thoughts, worries, conversations, scenarios, and ruminations. But I do believe some people do have quieter minds and I am most envious of the peacefulness they must experience. I think they are the people who are more carefree and able to enjoy the most out of their lives while the rest of us are stuck in the shadows of depression which are created by the clouds of doubt hanging over the heads of OCD sufferers.

[bashful]

I have this too I guess it would be labeled as mind chAtter right?
Which is just another symptom of anxiety/:

[Zaelaura]

Racing thoughts are pretty common in OCD/GAD - where your brain is just constantly stimulated - when healthier people get racing thoughts, they just fly from one thought to the next. People with OCD/GAD tend to linger on each thought longer and try to solve or plan or dissect each thought - sometimes hopping to other thoughts mid-process. Off meds, I have it really bad - so badly that I can't so much as try to read a book without fleeting off onto other subjects in my head while still subconsciously turning pages.

I've heard every suggestion about eliminating sugar and caffeine, meditating, listening to music, etc. TV is about the closest I come to drowning out the thoughts w/o meds.

Living on the GAD side of the spectrum, my thoughts tend to be more about safety, work, finances, disasters, confrontation, etc... but I can also get stuck on things like Excel formulas, things I'd need to buy if I had another kid, ways I could try to make more money, trying to remember the words to a long poem, etc.

[San Andreas]

Wow Feb.  you described me to a tee.  Often HA, financial, future related things, but also can get bogged down on stuff like - if I won the lottery what would I do with the money - down to figuring out how much tax I would have to pay, how much I would give each of my family and friends...

 Do you ever get songs stuck in your head.  That is the thing that bothers me the very most.  And certain songs are really triggering for me.  I remember when Michael Jackson died my head was running his greatest hits for at least 2 months.  I like Michael but ENOUGH ALREADY, MAKE IT GO AWAY.  I can be in a store and a specific song come over their sound system and I know I am doomed. 

[Zaelaura]

Yep - but that's one I actually have a remedy for! lol
If I get a song stuck in my head, I youtube it, and I listen to it a few times and then go do something else. Works almost every time. I used to get songs stuck in my head and I would cycle on the same verse over and over like a skipping record - listening to the song a few times through gave my mind a sense of 'closure', I guess? Like "Ok, that task is finished. Now onto the next..."

[San Andreas]

Wish that worked for me Feb - the couple times I have done that it made it even worse.  Like embedding the song into my brain for weeks

[plzhelp]

The thoughts for me go on and on too, but if Im watching TV or singing to my kids it dissipates.  I like the idea for getting a song out of your head, that drives me nuts!   In weird ways its good to know there are others in the same boat, though I don't wish this on anyone!  We can all get through this though, I'm sure of it

[Peter75]

I wanted to reply to you when nobody replied, but then I got to the chat. I now see that you have more than one replies.
It is proven that most people who suffer from OCD are smart people, therefore their brain is working excessively and it is difficult for them to relax. The are many solutions. One of them could be to find something to do that you like. A hobby, an interest.

[stevo1111]

I can 100% relate with this. It has actually gotten worse since I started on an SSRI, which makes me frustrated. My brain is always chattering along, and jumps from topic to topic like crazy. I have been somewhat successful in my field so far, I'm just finishing up a Phd, so I can't say its a hindrance, but lately I've had a really hard time concentrating on a single task at hand. It seems like the medication makes it worse because it raises my energy level. Especially after cardiovascular exercise, I'm literally off the wall. People have asked me if I was on cocaine/speed.

I constantly day dream, plan, plot, figure out problems, work through things in my head. The only time it shuts off is when I'm working out hardcore and I can just get into the zone, if I'm intoxicated, or if I've just woken up in the morning. Unlike you, it's really starting to frustrate me, as it seems like my brain does keep cycling back to the same things and I can't get it to keep away from cycling to the negative feelings, that cause me depression and anxiety.

As for the song stuck in your head, I wake up every morning with some odd song in my head... it actually is really annoying, replaying a bad song all day long. If it's something decent I can live with it. Generally, once I get into my day, 90000 other things occupy the space between my ears.

Has anyone been successful with medication to at least slow this down? It is honestly its slowest after I have a huge dose of caffeine. I can get some work done for a couple hours. Probably been self medicating since I was 15... fresh pots.

Best guys,

Steve