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Thought loops and anxiety

Autismman

I wonder if it’s a common thing among autistic people to almost obsess over the past and not be able to move on from negative experiences however long ago they were. It’s like it stays with you, becomes a part of you and moulds your thoughts and actions at the same time. I’ve always suffered from rumination or the plague of “what ifs?”. Sometimes it’s hard not to really be down on myself as a human being. I’m far from perfect but guilt is overwhelming at times, I start to think the great people I have around me deserve better. I’ve never had confidence in anything, there’s never been a time in my life where I’ve felt actually confident. Whenever something good comes my way I find a way of tainting it with self doubt that I’m not worthy or that I’m not good enough for this. 

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  • in reply to Bunny

    I really identify with the first part of that. Being involved in a minor situation (usually somebody else's, against my will, because I always avoid such things myself) will leave me going over and over the repercussions,or particular phrases someone said or I wish I had said, again and again. I think I have grown better with this over time, simply through recognising that I often overthink and overplay the significance of such things. One thing I have only just started doing, is talking to my wife about it. Saying the thing you wanted to say, out loud to someone else, can remove the feeling of an unresolved matter and you can get the perspective of a neuro typical person on the importance of the situation. Usually, I get the message back, in so many words, that it's not as big a deal as I think and that tends to help me relax about it.