Do You Think Too Much?

[scardella]

I think too much.

My wife complains that I use up all the hot water when I shower, because I often wind up musing about things too much.

The other day I was at a birthday party where you had "clues" about what is being served for each course. This included forks, knives and spoons. I DID NOT want to wind up without a fork or spoon, so I wound up spending 3x as long as everyone else analyzing the clues.

[mcts]

I think too much. I end up late to things because I'm busy thinking about things and I lose track of time

[OraProMe]

I felt like this at 3am last night and just started writing till it was all better. Write alot and spend a lot of time at benediction of the blessed sacrament.

[Ash Wednesday]

Persistent thinking and anxiety are pretty much the story of my life.

[Guest ZeweAeternus]

I assume your fears stem from thinking too much [i]about your religion[/i], don't they?

That said, suggesting that adding even more religion to your thoughts - rote prayers in particular - seems like self-sabotage at its best.

Have you considered taking a break from Catholicism and seeing how you fare without it?

[Era Might]

Have you ever read "Ethan Brand" by Nathaniel Hawthorne? I don't have any practical advice, but it might help to read the story. It's about a man obsessed with finding the "unpardonable sin."

[Guest ZeweAeternus]

Isn't suicide unpardonable?

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='ZeweAeternus' date='12 January 2010 - 12:18 PM' timestamp='1263320322' post='2035444']
I assume your fears stem from thinking too much [i]about your religion[/i], don't they?

That said, suggesting that adding even more religion to your thoughts - rote prayers in particular - seems like self-sabotage at its best.

Have you considered taking a break from Catholicism and seeing how you fare without it?
[/quote]
Inappropriate.

[Arpy]

[quote name='ZeweAeternus' date='12 January 2010 - 11:18 AM' timestamp='1263320322' post='2035444']
I assume your fears stem from thinking too much [i]about your religion[/i], don't they?

That said, suggesting that adding even more religion to your thoughts - rote prayers in particular - seems like self-sabotage at its best.

Have you considered taking a break from Catholicism and seeing how you fare without it?
[/quote]
To assume makes an ass of u and me, but mostly u. Actually, most of my overthinking stems from worries about the trivialities of everyday life, and it's when I remember to give God my attention and let him take over that I can calm down and relax more.

[Ash Wednesday]

[quote name='ZeweAeternus' date='12 January 2010 - 01:18 PM' timestamp='1263320322' post='2035444']
I assume your fears stem from thinking too much [i]about your religion[/i], don't they?

That said, suggesting that adding even more religion to your thoughts - rote prayers in particular - seems like self-sabotage at its best.

Have you considered taking a break from Catholicism and seeing how you fare without it?
[/quote]

You are assuming that her anxiety stems exclusively from religion and giving advice without knowing anything in full. It is entirely possible (though not an assumption) that she struggles with an anxiety disorder or depression, which is a condition that can plague a person regardless of religious beliefs. Anxiety CAN affect how someone might practice their religion on an individual level -- for example, scrupulants are given special consideration and often don't always receive advice or spiritual direction of the same sort as everyone else. There is such thing as spiritual abuse, religion used in the wrong way can exacerbate anxiety. But when implemented in the right way, it can help combat it. It can go either way. Anxiety and religion are not one and the same. You are also making a pretty sweeping statement about rote prayer. Some find it helpful. Others less so. You can't generalize.

[quote name='ZeweAeternus' date='12 January 2010 - 01:23 PM' timestamp='1263320636' post='2035446']
Isn't suicide unpardonable?
[/quote]

No. They used to not have public Catholic funerals for suicides because they were afraid of scandalizing the faithful into thinking such an action was acceptible, and they feared being viewed as showing endorsement, but as is it was never assumed that they were unpardonable and they still said masses for them in private.

Edited January 12, 2010 by Ash Wednesday

[Vincent Vega]

[quote name='ZeweAeternus' date='12 January 2010 - 01:18 PM' timestamp='1263320322' post='2035444']
I assume your fears stem from thinking too much [i]about your religion[/i], don't they?
[/quote]
Not for me. In fact, the least of my worries are of religion.
And perhaps the definition for others is different, but my definition of worry is not the same as fear.

[AccountDeleted]

Nothing wrong with thinking a lot - just channel those thoughts into productive and meaningful ones. St Thomas Aquinas thought an awful lot (he would get distracted even while eating with the King of France) but he didn't think "too much". He did come to the realization one day (after a vision of God) that all he had written was "as straw" but I think that is just the fact that in the end God is beyond all our thoughts. St John of the Cross said that to know everything, one must first seek to know nothing.

Keep thinking -- just use your will to control what you are thinking about. I love thinking - wouldn't stop it for the world!

[mcts]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' date='12 January 2010 - 04:29 PM' timestamp='1263331781' post='2035566']
Not for me. In fact, the least of my worries are of religion.
And perhaps the definition for others is different, but my definition of worry is not the same as fear.
[/quote]

same here.

[Slappo]

I think some practice in the Cardinal Virtues would suit you best.

Pray for and consciously practice the virtues of Prudence, Temperance and Fortitude (Justice doesn't seem to apply as much here)

Prudence in decision making
Temperance in how much/often you let yourself think of things you know cause anxiety
and Fortitude that you would fear not from not knowing answers to all your questions

These are all Cardinal virtues rather then Theological therefore although they come from God in that everything Good comes from Him, they are not "divine" virtues so to say. You might even call them secular virtues in that a stereotypical good non-christian would be practicing them well also

[Ash Wednesday]

Thoughts and doubts or other transient things that come up in our head, especially the undesired ones that aren't always pleasant -- are not the same as actual will, choice or conscious belief. I found it immensely helpful to distinguish between those things. God knows that if you suffer from episodes of anxiety or depression, it's easy to get distracted and tied down by so many thoughts that come up to the point that it makes it hard for you to concentrate.