Recently i’ve been worried about something that I know doesn’t matter but i keep thinking about it.
Basically I won’t go into detail, but something happened between me and someone else I know but i spoke to childline about it a while ago. Anyways, i asked him if he promised something and he said yeah. I know this probably sounds silly but i think i have OCD and i wanted him to actually say ‘i promise (what it was)’ even though it’s the same thing just said differenty. This was a while ago but we don’t talk anymore and i keep thinking about this. I don’t really know what to do because i geel like i can’t move on but i don’t want to talk to him at all anyways. Do you have any advice, maybe how to get rid of this intrusive thought?
Thank you!
Sam
Hi there,
When we’re really worried about something, it can sometimes lead to obsessively thinking about it, but this usually does not help. You’re worried that he isn’t going to do what he promised you he would do, which is why you keep thinking about how he just said ‘yeah’ instead of saying ‘I promise.’ It’s natural to worry or feel disappointed when people close to us to us don’t react or respond in the way you hope.
Sometimes we can be really worried about something, and it doesn’t end up happening or even if it does it isn’t as bad as we were scared it would be. It can sometimes help to remind yourself of times when this has happened in the past. Overthinking sometimes makes things seem worse than they are. Childline has some advice on coping with anxiety that could help you to understand and cope with how you're feeling. There's also the Calm Zone, which has things like breathing exercises that can help you feel calm when you feel your anxiety is getting hard to manage.
It can sometimes be hard to be objective about the situations we’re in. What could help is thinking about the advice you'd give a friend if they were going through the same situation. You can also always talk things through with one of the Childline counsellors. That can also help you feel much better as it gives you a private space to explore thoughts and feelings.
Take care,
Sam
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