I have just realised something I didn't want to realise. I would now like to unrealise it quickly, please, so that I can remain in denial a bit longer.
Does anybody have any good ways of stopping oneself thinking?
Triggering your physical senses reasonably intensely is often a useful technique. At one level, when trying to go to sleep at night, cuddling a favourite toy very firmly can help in some cases;
I always fall asleep cuddling my pillow. I can't sleep any other way. :-/
at another level, I've heard of people who deliberately go and eat hot chillies and/or hold ice-cubes when the overwhelming urge to self-injure is a thought they desperately want to stop themselves thinking.
Never tried that. And I do still get that overwhelming urge sometimes, but ... I dunno, it's something I Just Don't Do Any More. I don't know how I stopped, I just stopped, and it's not something I want to analyse too much, particularly not at the moment, because the urge to start again is far too strong. The scars are more or less healed but I still don't want to pick them too much.
I've heard a third possibility which involves sex and/or masturbation, though troubling thoughts can make it difficult to sustain a sufficiently good fantasy to make the effort worthwhile.
<shrug> Nobody to have sex with; and masturbation is boring. I mean, I do do it, sometimes, and it gets rid of an urge, like drinking water stops me being thirsty; but drinking water isn't something I actively enjoy, it's just functional. I don't really have fantasies. ... Is that weird? I just don't. I'm not embarrassed about the idea of sexual fantasies, I'm not "in denial" about them, I just don't really have them. And I can't be bothered to try to make myself have fantasies. I try, sometimes, and I find that it helps me get to sleep. Mostly once I get to that stage though I'm more captivated by trying to consciously catch myself snoring...
(Okay, I'm boring. I don't care.)
Whatever works for you is good, on the whole, but you may have to discover what works for you on your own.
Well, I've found that being too busy and too tired to care about anything except "When can I next get some sleep?" helps, but I wouldn't want to rely on that for too long. Reading helps, but only while I'm actually reading. (There was one memorable day a few years ago when I read my way through half a dozen books in a day, because if I stopped reading, even for 10 minutes, I would start crying again.)
It sounds like you do know what works for you; there are many far worse things that it could be than reading books. Good to know that you have at least one technique of some efficiency to get to sleep, too, when sleep has often been difficult to come by; it frequently works here, too, sometimes rather more rapidly than I'd like, though sometimes not at all.
Perhaps you could try other forms of strong physical sensation as a distraction tool - off the top of my head, perhaps you could get a bottle (etc.) containing some strong scent with associations you like.
Mostly once I get to that stage though I'm more captivated by trying to consciously catch myself snoring...
Have you ever explored the practice of lucid dreaming?
If you would like something different to think about, the five questions game (http://www.livejournal.com/users/j4/35893.html) seems to be doing the rounds again. There's neither pressure nor rush on this (saying "no" or "not now" are both absolutely fine) but if you ever think of five questions you'd like to see me answer, I would very much appreciate it if you could fire them my way.
Have you ever explored the practice of lucid dreaming?
Lots of people have asked me this. The answer is still "no, not actively". I know what it is, as a concept it sounds interesting, but I've never really looked into trying to have lucid dreams. Partly I think because I'm a bit sceptical about whether one can do it deliberately, it sounds a bit too take-control-of-your-karma-by-knitting-your-own-yoghurt for my liking.
Oh, and five questions -- yes, sorry, I completely forgot about that. If I think of some questions I'll ask them, but I couldn't think of anything terribly exciting at the time & I doubt if I'll be able to now!
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Re:
Date: 2004-01-29 04:24 pm (UTC)I always fall asleep cuddling my pillow. I can't sleep any other way. :-/
at another level, I've heard of people who deliberately go and eat hot chillies and/or hold ice-cubes when the overwhelming urge to self-injure is a thought they desperately want to stop themselves thinking.
Never tried that. And I do still get that overwhelming urge sometimes, but ... I dunno, it's something I Just Don't Do Any More. I don't know how I stopped, I just stopped, and it's not something I want to analyse too much, particularly not at the moment, because the urge to start again is far too strong. The scars are more or less healed but I still don't want to pick them too much.
I've heard a third possibility which involves sex and/or masturbation, though troubling thoughts can make it difficult to sustain a sufficiently good fantasy to make the effort worthwhile.
<shrug> Nobody to have sex with; and masturbation is boring. I mean, I do do it, sometimes, and it gets rid of an urge, like drinking water stops me being thirsty; but drinking water isn't something I actively enjoy, it's just functional. I don't really have fantasies. ... Is that weird? I just don't. I'm not embarrassed about the idea of sexual fantasies, I'm not "in denial" about them, I just don't really have them. And I can't be bothered to try to make myself have fantasies. I try, sometimes, and I find that it helps me get to sleep. Mostly once I get to that stage though I'm more captivated by trying to consciously catch myself snoring...
(Okay, I'm boring. I don't care.)
Whatever works for you is good, on the whole, but you may have to discover what works for you on your own.
Well, I've found that being too busy and too tired to care about anything except "When can I next get some sleep?" helps, but I wouldn't want to rely on that for too long. Reading helps, but only while I'm actually reading. (There was one memorable day a few years ago when I read my way through half a dozen books in a day, because if I stopped reading, even for 10 minutes, I would start crying again.)
Oh well. Maybe sleep will help. Time for bed.
Re:
Date: 2004-01-29 04:54 pm (UTC)Perhaps you could try other forms of strong physical sensation as a distraction tool - off the top of my head, perhaps you could get a bottle (etc.) containing some strong scent with associations you like.
Mostly once I get to that stage though I'm more captivated by trying to consciously catch myself snoring...
Have you ever explored the practice of lucid dreaming?
If you would like something different to think about, the five questions game (http://www.livejournal.com/users/j4/35893.html) seems to be doing the rounds again. There's neither pressure nor rush on this (saying "no" or "not now" are both absolutely fine) but if you ever think of five questions you'd like to see me answer, I would very much appreciate it if you could fire them my way.
Re:
Date: 2004-01-30 06:10 am (UTC)Lots of people have asked me this. The answer is still "no, not actively". I know what it is, as a concept it sounds interesting, but I've never really looked into trying to have lucid dreams. Partly I think because I'm a bit sceptical about whether one can do it deliberately, it sounds a bit too take-control-of-your-karma-by-knitting-your-own-yoghurt for my liking.
Re: gimme five
Date: 2004-01-30 06:11 am (UTC)Re: gimme five
Date: 2004-01-30 05:32 pm (UTC)