[Tappman]

Does anyone else randomly have embarrassing thoughts pop into their head? These absolutely kill me. I'll think of something I did like a year ago that was really humiliating, and I'll get extremely embarrassed and become unable to focus on whatever I'm doing. Sometimes the thoughts aren't even true. I'll imagine telling a girl I barely know to dump her BF and go out with me in front of a bunch of people, and she shoots me down, even though I would never do such a thing in real life. It also happens when I talk to people. I'll be speaking to someone I like, and imagine cussing them out or farting really loudly just to gross them out, even though I don't want to do these things. These thoughts are extremely painful, and sometimes I find it impossible to stop thinking about them, and I spend several minutes unable to do anything because I'm too busy with them.

This might just be my OCD, but does anyone else with SA do this?

 

[stewbert]

This might just be my OCD, but does anyone else with SA do this?

Yeah. I mean I don't imagine myself doing or having done something embarrassing. But some embarrassing moment from like six years ago will suddenly drift to the front of my mind, and I'll turn red and become painfully embarrassed as if it just happened. And sometimes I'll get stuck on it and I have to mentally relive the entire moment just to get it out of my head.

I have OCD too btw.

 

[millenniumman75]

Yes, but I have to think around it. Most people, unless they are @$$3$, would not remember something like that anyway.

 

[AlexUK]

Things that have happened in the past tend to haunt me. I'll be trying to sleep one night and something random that was mildly embarrassing 5 years ago will start going over and over in my head, getting worse by the second. I just have to keep reminding myself to let it go.

 

[bmac88]

I do the same.

 

[Alicia2009]

Yes yes yes...One day I was in Walmart and my friend wasn't paying attention. He was talking to me and starring at me but wasn't looking forward and he slammed face first into a wall. It was funny to me, but I would have these thoughts as if it was me...I would feel so embarrassed. Its weird...someone told me it could be OCD.

 

[imt]

I get these all the time. Drown these thoughts with music.

 

[ippa]

yes, they started to come to me lately, last year or so, before i havent had them, so my worsest enemy/thought now is a feel of guilt in front of people, i can walk into the shop and suddenly think that i look pity and offended as if i did something so bad and people will beat me and i become completely ashamed and embarassed at this moment and try to concentrate on something else bc i fear people will notice it and think what a ^%%$ and crybaby im.

 

[lyssado707]

I get these all the time.

 

[fonso]

I constantly think about embarrassing things i've said or done. Sometimes I blurt out things in embarrassment, sometimes in public.

For example...
Last week, during class, I was remembering a drunk moment I had at a bar. I was in class and I blurted out "Fking idiot". My teacher thought I was referring to her.

 

[strawberryjulius]

I've done this all my life and every time I start blushing when I think about it. Sigh. x_x

 

[when will we be new skin]

I have these too. One of the major thoughts I have is like falling down the stairs in front of a large amount of people. Even though I've never actually done this, I feel the embarrassment as if I have... it's horrible.

 

[Paper Moon]

Rumination is the worst. Sometimes it keeps me up at night.
It's never stuff I imagine doing... but definitely with things the happend years ago.

 

[JustWakeUp]

Yep, but they don't effect me as much as they did. Thinking about something I have to do and how scary it is, now that gets me every time.

 

[AHolivier]

I am constantly being haunted by past embarrassing moments/mistakes. Drowning out those thoughts with TV and music helps sometimes.

 

[ellektra]

Happens to me all the time. Mostly remembering embarassing events that happened in my past when laying in bed at night -- I usually end up crying myself to sleep when this happens. I've gotten better, I always have to remind myself to not dwell on the past, but some (seemingly meaningless) things always stick with me and eat away at me.

I've done the whole daydreaming when talking to people too. I think it's normal, and all people have these "what if" thoughts once in awhile. I still get them and it's hard to focus on what people are saying when those thoughts are engulfing your mind.

 

[steelmyhead]

Yes, I do. Mine are sometimes violent, sometimes sexual, sometimes completely random.

I found this wikipedia entry on "intrusive thoughts" that says it's completely normal.

For most people, intrusive thoughts are a "fleeting annoyance."[3] London psychologist Stanley Rachman presented a questionnaire to healthy college students and found that virtually all said they had these thoughts from time to time, including thoughts of sexual violence, sexual punishment, "unnatural" sex acts, painful sexual practices, blasphemous or obscene images, thoughts of harming elderly people or someone close to them, violence against animals or towards children, and impulsive or abusive outbursts or utterances.[4] Such bad thoughts are universal among humans, and have "almost certainly always been a part of the human condition".[5]

I think learning how to meditate has helped to alleviate some of the "after-effects" like excessive negative ruminations about the thoughts, etc. They still crop up from time to time when I believe I am trying to sabotage myself subconsciously, but I think as long as I don't ruminate on them, the accompanying emotions eventually pass.

 

[FSRJ]

I get these a lot too, only ever of my memories though, not imagined events. I do find I'm pretty good at neutralizing them now, cutting them off before they can play out and removing all emotion from them. The ability probably comes from my interest in Buddhism, specifically areas such as mindfulness.

BSWA ftw.

 

[dirty rich]

OMG yes i hate that

 

[gaz]

I get them all the time. A common one for me is my trousers falling down in public o'r forgetting to tuck my weener in after taking a leak!