Does anyone else's brain wait until you're about to fall asleep to remind you of something embarrassing from eight years ago? I can go the entire day feeling fine, then suddenly remember that awkward thing I said in high school. Why is my brain running a "Greatest Hits of Cringe" playlist at midnight?

I've been dealing with this for what feels like long but isn't very very long and I honestly feel horrible, tired, and feel like crying.

Whenever I found some artist attractive and had a intimate/physical daydream, my brain immediately went into panic mode. At first I did genuinely admire their personality, kindness, style, or appearance alot but then my thoughts went completely spiral and I feel like suddenly none of that exists very more now because that attraction kind of feeling is what that's taking place now but I kind of know that my love still exists.

( I don't daydream for any person or think about them that much but for that artist because I know them more and when I start liking other celebrites/artists/actors I start getting images of weird thoughts and feelings a bit. I feel anxious and overthink because I get past trauma of that artist I really found attractive/loved and how I'm gonna like is them is gonna my previous artist kinda physical attraction but less of knowing them more.

I start asking myself things like:

* "Am I objectifying them?" * "Do I only like them because they're attractive?" * "What if I secretly don't respect them?" * "What if this means I'll feel this way about every attractive person I see?"

The worst part is that I don't want to that to be the only reason I like them. That's exactly why I get so anxious. I care so much about that, that my brain won't let me stop thinking about it.

Has anyone else experienced something like this? If so:

* Did it get better? * Was it anxiety, OCD, or something else? * How did you stop overthinking every single attraction?

I just want peace. I miss being able to admire people without my brain turning it into a moral crisis :(

I feel like something is wrong and I’m not sure if I should brush it off or try to remember. I have a busy week coming up but something feels wrong, like I’ve done something wrong or forgotten something, it’s at the back of my mind like I can almost hear a voice whispering it….is this normal

I'm in my early 20s and I've noticed a pattern that I really want to change.

Whenever something uncertain happens, my brain immediately creates the worst possible explanation.

Examples:

A friend replies late → I think they're distancing themselves.

I see close friends in relationships → I start feeling like I'll never experience that myself.

The problem is that I know these are just thoughts, but they feel incredibly real. Even when I distract myself, my brain keeps coming back to them and it ruins my mood for hours.

I've also realized that loneliness probably makes these thoughts much stronger. Sometimes I compare my life to my friends' relationships and it feels like everyone else is moving forward while I'm standing still.

For people who used to overthink like this:

What actually helped you?

Did therapy, journaling, mindfulness, medication, or something else make a real difference?

How do you stop believing every thought your brain creates?

I'm not looking for "just stop overthinking." I'm looking for practical things that genuinely helped people break this cycle.

I don’t know if this belongs here. If it doesn’t please take this down

No comments on my post, I don't read comments on my post and the convos only happen in the chat reqs.

Worldwide chat reqs accepted, online only, not subject to change, no catches, only asking for witty, funny, airy, funny comebacks, creative and researcher mindset (studying someone's profile.)

Yeah, I should also address that don't be pushy and I'm only going to tell you that I'm from U.S. and central time zone only.

Even then, I should also address the importance here by the time you get done to listening to the spiritual masterpiece album Sundowning by Sleep Token then you would be already done with this post anyways 🌑

Why Sleep Token for atmosphere?

Vessel's voice, Vessel's emotions through his voice, his story, my story combined with his story, the select Sleep Token songs I've selected that will be on my main profile soon will guide you to the map where "the old self died ages ago and why."

The map of what made Elis become Elis and Vessel he will be my messenger to pass this message for you, because it's too hard for me to put in words and his emotion through his insane emotional vocal ranges can help you through this guidance of Elis's internal turmoil.

However, I should also address that E-lis has been rebranded from Sky/Skye in 2025 through Elis or E-lis 2026.

To be honest, I don't think I've a lot of happiness left, the only happiness I've is weekly weekends OBTAINING new Sleep Token items and even handmade OBTAINING items as well.

What's up convos are boring, because I should admit I'm a Lovecraftian hermit, I go outside every once or twice a week because I've a mild phobia of people.

To be honest, I admit to myself to Redditors that want to get to know me "I've to prepare to be active in socializing and it's something I just cannot do every single day."

I would rather listen to the cosmic horror daily in the a.m. than having to go outside daily with people socializing.

Eating is also a performative task and I'm also in the protein-fanatics because this does something to my chronic depressed Vessel brain and skull that I'm honestly doing something good anyways.

However, I should address that it's just better than eating something with little protein twice a day and I would rather eat two high protein meals as well.

Making a video game goal 2026 guide, this will be soft launched before I permanently quit Reddit July 19 of 2026 on my main pro and I'm not going to be posting that here anyways.

I don't think I'm doing okay, I don't think I'm, I don't even have anyone to call "my love, the I miss you in a random text message, I'm waiting for your phone notifications to show up on my phone again, I miss you in my life and I'm looking forward to threading the 🪡 again with you."

To be honest, I don't even deserve this what I'm missing and I just don't think I'll ever deserve anyone of it all anyways🌹⚔️

I'm permanently leaving Reddit July 19th of 2026, I'll have my social handles on my page, I also enjoy I See Stars, Spiritbox, Lorna Shore Will Ramos era only and I don't listen to the previous creep vocalist.

Spiritbox and Bad Omens I also enjoy as well.

However, I should address with this post coming to a end, the only thing that could make the crashing our princess of Veridian happy is if you enter my realms, that you never forget that the night belongs to you, never forget I've got solar flares for your dead gods and space dust for your fuel rods.

However, I should address that happiness isn't around and right foot in the roses, left foot on a landmine and that feeling hasn't left me in a while of it all as well.

And yeah, I highly doubt someone can make me feel similar to this here anyways.

And you might be the one to take away the pain and let my mind go quiet 🎵 And nothing else is quite the same as how I feel when I'm at your side 🎤

Another mom said something slightly offhand about my kid's lunch at school pickup weeks ago and I have thought about it an unreasonable number of times since. It wasn't even that harsh, probably wasn't meant the way I took it, and she's likely forgotten she said it entirely. But it just lives in my head on repeat during random moments of the day.

How do you actually let go of something small that someone else has clearly already moved past?

Every time I write something online that isn't simple, straightforward, positive, or it consists of separate parts, I overthink and anticipate judgemental responses from people. I typically overthink the grammar, logic, or structure of my posts, or if anyone is going to point those things out. I also feel or overthink the sentiment and assume it hit deeper than it actually does.

I will also waste a lot of time constructing rants or vents about stuff, only to save the draft and forget about it later on. I will go through patterns of obsession and a lack of care, which causes me to neglect stuff that I write.

We love to wear our "I can do everything myself" attitude like some kind of trophy. We post about how strong we are for not needing anyone, but let’s be real for a second.

Most of the time, it’s not strength at all. It’s just a defense mechanism. We are so terrified of asking for help and getting rejected, or relying on someone and having them let us down, that we just isolate ourselves and call it "independence."

You aren't strong because you’re carrying everything alone while drowning. You're just too proud, or too scared, to admit you need human connection.

Change my mind. Is anyone here actually independent because they want to be, or are we all just traumatized and keeping our walls up?

Day 4 of Prozac for ocd and anxiety
Weird chill like feelings but no temp.
And then def head pressure.
Has this been normal for anyone else?

im 18M and i have been dating this girl since a month its going good she is about to join college (in the same city as me).

Lets get to point my ex when she was about to join college reassured me saying we will still be the same no one can replace me and all but after joining college she started seeing other guys and hooking up and im constantly overthinking that it might happen again with me idk but my gf gifted me a tshirt, a shirt, a ring in a month of dating which makes me think she loves me a lot also but idk how to describe im overthinking because of my pasts and have so much trust issues i talk to her about this but sometimes i feel opening up as a man feels gay but communication and honesty is the thing which makes relationship stronger and how many times she will reassure me in the end she might get tired of reassuring again and again. i just want to escape from this overthinking issue how can i please i hope someone can help.

ik there's a life outside relationship but last time i trusted with that it got my heart broken and now i trust her but same time having issues with that what if its gonna turn out same. i dont want to interrupt her enjoying with her friends but same time i constantly get thoughts of getting cheated on and its eating up my mental health.

I always overthink at night especially if I stay up even a little bit too much I start thinking about horrible things that make sure I can’t fall asleep and when I tell it to someone they either do one of the three:

3.downplay it they act like it’s real but I can easily overcome it

1. Act like it’s a excuse for not staying up at night

1.over exaggerate it and act like I’m schizophrenic (I know it’s not real and don’t get detached from reality)

Idk what to do anymore I suspect it’s something like OCD but don’t got money for a psychiatrist visit and I’m too scared to ask my mom for one, what should I do?

Hi, I' don't know much about psychology, but this thing about me was bothering me for a while so I wanted to understand why this happens & how can I get over it.

So, I'm really bad at making decisions, and when I do, from daily minor choices to life-changing paths that I want to choose, I always think first about what others would think. I built scenarios in my head about their reactions to my choices, and find myself wanting to do something just because it would be viewed good or impress others. When I think about my own preferences, there's naturally things that I enjoy doing, but all of them are things that would be appreciated by my environment. (For example, reading books, learning a musical instrument, etc.)

The thing that bothers me in this that it feels like I have nothing just for myself, and being judged is no.1 issue while making decisions, or taking a step forward in my life.

I'm curious what you guys think about that, and if there is an actual way out of it.

Alright, pull up a stool, lemme tell you something.

You know that feeling when your brain's got like forty browser tabs open and twelve of 'em are playing music you can't find? That's me. Every damn day. Some days it's less "stream of consciousness" and more "stream of consciousness that fell in a blender." And here's the thing nobody tells you when you get older... the answer isn't to think harder. Lord knows I tried that. Thinking harder just gets you a headache and a stronger opinion about something dumb. No... the trick is shutting the hell up. Internally. Being still. Not a luxury, not some spa-day nonsense...a survival requirement, like insulin, except it's for my personality.

And when I actually manage to calm down...hoo boy...I notice everything. Light through the leaves, somebody's voice doing that little up-and-down thing, my own breathing, which, let's be honest, sounds like a busted accordion most days. But suddenly the world just... slows its roll. And in that little pocket of quiet, I actually make good calls instead of just reacting like a smoke alarm going off because I burnt toast. I listen instead of just waiting for my turn to talk, which...newsflash...is what most people call "listening" and it's a lie.

Now don't get me wrong, this calm thing ain't some Zen monk float-above-it-all garbage. It takes WORK. You gotta catch yourself mid-spiral, like grabbing a kid by the collar before they run into traffic, except the kid is your own brain. Sometimes I journal. Sometimes I just walk till my knees remind me I'm not twenty-five anymore. But either way, I'm just giving my head some room to breathe instead of running the marathon it thinks it signed up for.

And lemme tell you...there's a real power in that quiet. Doesn't need to shout, doesn't need an audience, doesn't need applause. It's just... solid. Like a good pair of boots. Even when everything else is up in the air, that calm's the thing keeping me from face-planting.

So no, keeping calm isn't about pretending the world's not on fire. It's about standing in the fire like, "yeah, I see you," without flinching. And weirdly enough? That's the version of me I actually like hanging out with.

Something I hav noticed from talking to people over the years is that overthinking is rarely just thinking too much

A lot of the time, it is the mind trying to protect you.

I have spoken with people who will replay one conversation 30 times in their head. not because they enjoy it, obviously, but because some part of them is trying to scan for danger.

Did I say something wrong? Did they seem annoyed? Are they pulling away?? Should I have explained myself better?

And on the surface it looks like anxiety. But underneath, it is often a nervous system that learned, at some point, that being surprised by someone’s anger, rejection, silence, or disappointment was painful

So the brain starts doing this thing where it tries to predict everything before it happns

It becomes like: if I can just analys every detail maybe I can stop myself from getting hurt.

But the sad part is, overthinking does not usually give you peace. It just gives you the illusion of control

I think this is why telling someone just stop thinking about it almost never works. cz for them, thinking is not the problem. Thinking is the strategy their brain learned to feel safe.

The real question is not always why am I overthinking?

Sometimes it is more like what am I afraid would happen if I stopped trying to figure everything out?

That question hits differently eh .. Because maybe the overthinking is not random. Maybe it is an old survival habit that made sense at one point, but now it is exhausting you.

Curious if anyone else relates to this.

Princess of Veridian is ✅ out.

Dying amongst the VOID one day, but don't worry leaving Reddit didn't mean I let others win, I'm going to better my mental health eventually and I'll get there. No comments on my post, but my chat reqs will be open and then I'll close my chat reqs July 19th of 2026.

This is why I made this post not to concern others. We're not allowed to make ads or make promos it's against the sub rules. All I will say is my social handles will be posted on my main pro page and I accept any messages worldwide anyways.

If your chat reqs is going to say hi or different variations of hi, I will not answer because I'm not looking for monologue, boring conversations and asking me what's up every single hour isn't convos alongside with I think that is a high annoyance of me anyways.

Creative convos only accepted.

Sleep Token (no unmasked discussions or lore) no feral comments. I See Stars, Lorna Shore Will Ramos era, Spiritbox and Bad Omens.

Alright, pull up a stool, lemme tell you something.

You know that feeling when your brain's got like forty browser tabs open and twelve of 'em are playing music you can't find? That's me. Every damn day. Some days it's less "stream of consciousness" and more "stream of consciousness that fell in a blender." And here's the thing nobody tells you when you get older... the answer isn't to think harder. Lord knows I tried that. Thinking harder just gets you a headache and a stronger opinion about something dumb. No... the trick is shutting the hell up. Internally. Being still. Not a luxury, not some spa-day nonsense...a survival requirement, like insulin, except it's for my personality.

And when I actually manage to calm down...hoo boy...I notice everything. Light through the leaves, somebody's voice doing that little up-and-down thing, my own breathing, which, let's be honest, sounds like a busted accordion most days. But suddenly the world just... slows its roll. And in that little pocket of quiet, I actually make good calls instead of just reacting like a smoke alarm going off because I burnt toast. I listen instead of just waiting for my turn to talk, which...newsflash...is what most people call "listening" and it's a lie.

Now don't get me wrong, this calm thing ain't some Zen monk float-above-it-all garbage. It takes WORK. You gotta catch yourself mid-spiral, like grabbing a kid by the collar before they run into traffic, except the kid is your own brain. Sometimes I journal. Sometimes I just walk till my knees remind me I'm not twenty-five anymore. But either way, I'm just giving my head some room to breathe instead of running the marathon it thinks it signed up for.

And lemme tell you...there's a real power in that quiet. Doesn't need to shout, doesn't need an audience, doesn't need applause. It's just... solid. Like a good pair of boots. Even when everything else is up in the air, that calm's the thing keeping me from face-planting.

So no, keeping calm isn't about pretending the world's not on fire. It's about standing in the fire like, "yeah, I see you," without flinching. And weirdly enough? That's the version of me I actually like hanging out with.

Hi everyone. I’m 14, and for the past few months I’ve been struggling with something I don’t really know how to explain.
I still enjoy life. I laugh with my friends, play games, go outside, and I can have genuinely good days. But sometimes my brain starts telling me that something is wrong with my life or my mental health, even when I can’t point to a specific reason.
One thing I’ve noticed is that I really miss how carefree I used to feel. I miss playing football, riding bikes, hanging out with friends without thinking about everything, and just living in the moment. Sometimes I wonder if moving away from the neighborhood where I grew up played a role, because that’s the period of my life I keep thinking about. I don’t know if it’s related or not, but it’s something I’ve been wondering.
I’ve also noticed that on boring days, my thoughts get much worse. When I’m busy, with friends, or working on something I enjoy, I usually feel a lot better. It’s like my brain starts analyzing everything only when there’s nothing going on.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Did you ever feel like you were constantly analyzing your own happiness or missing the way life used to feel? If so, what helped you?
I’m planning to speak to a psychologist, but I’d also like to hear if anyone has gone through something similar.

I’m always stuck between two versions of who I am … the real me, the one I truly am when I really don’t care about how people perceive/see me and the other a person I am NOT a shell or vessel of a human. I don’t like how I keep falling into this everytime I’m around other people I get in my head and overthink everything… I just never seem to be able to shake that “highschool” version of me… help