Recommended Reading: Bipolar Disorder and Grappling with Obsessive Thinking

        Many of us struggle with feeling stuck in our own heads, but for those struggling with Bipolar disorder, obsessive thinking can become all-consuming, impacting both your quality of life and ability to stay productive.  Thankfully there are tools at your disposal – typically a combination of medication and cognitive behavioral strategies - that can help you redirect consuming, obsessive thoughts, helping you stay grounded and focused.

        This article from BP Hope, “Bipolar Disorder and Grappling with Obsessive Thinking, highlights ways to help you cope when you find yourself stuck on the “hamster wheel” of obsessive thinking.

Highlights include:

• Distinguishing between rumination, which is a common depressive symptom and refers to dredging up a personal problem or past distress in a way that “drags you down,” and obsessive thinking, which involves “fixating on fears and anxieties in a way that stirs you up”
• Learning to “step back,” and acknowledge that while obsessive thoughts are a “part of you,” they are not “all of you,” and how to use the tactic of “distraction and diffusion” to gain some distance and perspective on these thoughts
• Ideas for staying grounded and present in the moment when you feel overwhelmed by obsessive thought patterns
• The benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy and challenging irrational, obsessive thoughts as they arise, and specific strategies to help you disrupt “repetitive thought loops”

Read the article on the BP Hope website: Grappling with Obsessive Thinking