I just can't turn my mind off!

For many people, the bed becomes the place where we spend a lot of time during treatment and recovery. It also sometimes the only quiet place available to us after our full and busy days.  This is often when our minds will begin to think about all sorts of things. These can be grouped into the following categories:

  • Random racing thoughts-these thoughts usually don’t have emotion attached and are fleeting. They can quickly lead to planning, review and rumination or worry.
    • Examples
      • “I prefer taupe colored walls in the living room” (this could lead to “I should paint the living room”
  • Planning-this encompasses thoughts that involve organizing, making mental to-do lists and evaluating
    • Examples
      • “I didn’t finish everything I needed to get done today. That means tomorrow is going to be even more difficult”
      • “I forgot to fill the car with gas. I need to make sure I am up a half and hour earlier so I can get to a gas station”
      • “There is hardly any food in the fridge. After work I need to pick up groceries. Hmmm, I think we need…”
  • Review and Rumination-these thoughts involve events occurring in the past, our feelings towards them and how the outcomes are relevant to our present situation. These thoughts are often tied to an evaluation or judgment of whether the event was positive or negative and how it reflected on us.
    • Examples
      • “I don’t like how that person at work spoke to me in the meeting today. I wonder what their problem is? This is just another example of why I hate my job. No one appreciates what I do for the company”
      • “I should never have yelled at the kids this evening. They shouldn’t have to put up with my bad moods. What is wrong with me?”
  • Worrying
    • Examples
      • “How am I ever going to be able to pay for all these expenses? I haven’t been able to work since I started treatment. My family depends on me”
      • “I have an appointment with my oncologist next week. I hope that nothing shows up on the scan”
      • “If I don’t get enough sleep tonight, I won’t be able to function at all tomorrow. I never used to be like this.”