Unresolved issue and autistic inertia

Most definitions of rumination talk about it as something based in the past but it's not exclusively about events that have already happened - it can also be about real or imagined future scenarios.

For me, getting locked into negative, repetitive thoughts about something thats happened (past/real) often leads to negative, repetitive thoughts about what might happen next (future/imagined).

Again - I'm not challenging anyone's personal definitions or the terms they use to describe their own situation - each to their own. This was just an observation out of my own curiosity. 

Reading all the replies and realising I'm not alone in thinking like this has been immensely helpful. 

It is hard to describe but it is a feeling of not being able to move on while something is unfinished.

Situations like this trigger meltdowns for me too. If something doesn't happen as I expect it to I can explode. Then having to contact customer services can often make things even worse. The live chat experience can be extremely frustrating, being given the same stock phrases by a chat operator who does not have a clue and just types what they think you want to hear (it doesn't seem to matter if it is true or not). Still it's better than the alternative of having to phone 

The distinction between the two is not clear cut. My understanding is that rumination involves repeatedly going over past events and dwelling on the negative aspects. 

I attributed this situation to autistic inertia because my thoughts are more forward thinking. It is the need for an answer about what is going to happen and not so much dwelling on what has happened already. If I do not know what is going to happen it makes me more anxious and every part of me wants to keeps pursuing it until I have that resolution. I need some certainty for my monotropic mind to close down that task and transition to something else.

Yes that's exactly it. The spanner in the works was that the delivery guys didn't do what they were supposed to and what I was expecting. If the delivery had gone to plan I'm sure I would have been able to focus on all my planned tasks this weekend. 

It is like a sort of mental tailspin. I guess my mind has to try and process the gap between what I expected to happen and what actually happened. I get like this when anything doesn't go to plan.

The task which I'd allocated half a day of my time to in my mind has suddenly become an uncertain length of time and I struggle to deal with that. I feel like I need to know what is going to happen in order to have some certainty back again. If they could tell me a definite date for the installation it would give me some certainty and allow me to close and file away the matter in my mind.

Yes I think there is definitely a difficulty with transition from one state to another. Whether it be physical or to do with thoughts 

This is just a personal observation but the original post made a distinction between 'negative rumination' and 'autistic inertia' and it seems like different people might interpret these two things differently.

For me - what the original post is describing is negative rumination - those thoughts that just won't go away and what you've just described is autistic inertia - that inability to stop/start/transition/pivot from one situation to another.

Like I said - that's just a curious observation.

For me, a spanner in the works changes the trajectory of what I had in my mind. In my mind XYZ was planned and this made things certain. If something changes that and throws it into disarray. ...it's hard to describe other than it creates a sort of mental tailspin. So then things are "not ok". I wonder if loop thoughts in this sense are a way to try and correct things in my head.

I can relate to that. If that sort of thing happens to me I not only can't stop thinking about it but annoy others talking about it. The thing that would have the greatest chance of helping me forget for a while would be watching a drama on TV.

You're most welcome.

I joined this forum for this kind of learning and I'm happy to pass on what I can when I can. 

I can definitely relate to the idea that there needs to be an answer or resolution or some sort of understanding of the trigger in order for me to move on from ruminating.

It feels to me much more like extreme problem solving than worry.

The challenge is that so many things - like why did the delivery guy in the OP not also do the install - might never be answered properly.

I am comforted when people pop up with similar experiences on this topic.  I seem to have this reality more severely than most - but finding anyone who says "yea, sounds familiar" makes me feel way-less odd.  I fear that the chronic nature of my affliction in this regard is closer to PDA....but I find that the mention of these three letters is normally met with a deathly silence, both in the NT, ND, ASD and any other world.  Thank you Coffee Guy for chiming in and making me feel more connected.

Oakling said:

struggle with moving on from something, especially if I believe it to be unfinished

I wonder if this is where "black and white" thinking comes in and that need for certainty.  This is something I was trying to explain in my CBT sessions....I can ruminate and ruminate but it doesn't feel like worry. But it can take over my brain in the same capacity. It was decided that it's probably a need for things to be certain. For things to have an answer one way or another.

This is yet another example of how great this community is for understanding oneself. This is something I have been searching for the words to describe it for quite some time. I too struggle with moving on from something, especially if I believe it to be unfinished. This has been the source of many a meltdown in my past. I’m afraid I don’t have any tips beyond what has already been posted, but it is something that I can most definitely relate to.

Thank you very much for raising "cognitive diffusion" as it is not a term I have come across.  I've just made a cursory pass at some information on it and it sounds very interesting - and potentially helpful to me.  Knowledge is power.  Thank you.

Theres a lot of mindfulness techniques I find really valuable - but like you, I never really clicked with the floating clouds or running stream analogies.

Cognitive diffusion has been a more practical and immediate technique.

Good luck! 

Yes yes I completely relate to this. I think its helpful that we notice when its happening and accept it's part of our autism (but its taken me a long time to realise this) and that's the first step. But what can we do sbout it then? I find distraction of my own doing does not work, I tend to find it needs to come from an external source. This helps to shift my attention more away from what it is im stuck on.. Is there an activity you could do with someone else? 

I'll look up that technique, thank you. It sounds similar to some of the concepts I was taught on a mindfulness course, such as observing thoughts floating by on clouds. I didn't really get it at the time.

My logical mind sees a current issue as unresolved and therefore 'needing' my attention. That is the most important task at the current time and therefore highest priority in my mind. Once it has been resolved and if I'm still thinking about it weeks later then such techniques might be more helpful. 

I can completely relate to this - it's one of the toughest parts of my autism and my struggle with my own mental health.

The effects can last far longer than the trigger event itself - sometimes I'm grinding things round for days and weeks and long after 'the thing' is finished or over or forgotten everywhere but inside my head.

Unfortunately - having to interface with the NT world doesn't make it any easier!

The technique that has helped me the most is the idea of 'cognitive diffusion' - I'll let you look that up yourself if you're interested but my understanding is basically about not getting so caught up in your thoughts that they become more real and more dominant - i.e. demanding on your time and your senses - than your actual reality.

Yes "blocked" is a good way to describe it. I feel like I need to resolve that issue before I can file it away in my mind.

I believe mine is getting worse with age too. I have always found multitasking difficult but it is getting to the stage where any type of multitasking is almost impossible for me cope with.

Thank you for the suggestion. I did think of going out for a walk but my anxiety got the better of me. I will try walking around the house instead. 

I have a chronic version of the problem you describe.  It strikes me on an ad-hoc basis over the oddest variety of things.  I fear it is getting worse with age.  I have always called it being "blocked." Physically moving forwards (walking driving train ride) has anecdotally worked well for me.  Maybe give that a try?