# Obsessing Over Mistakes



## milktoast (May 1, 2010)

I can't stop obsessing over embarrassing things I've said or done in the past. My brain keeps dredging up all of these old memories. Some of them are over fifteen-years-old. Every time I think of one, I get really angry at myself. It's like my brain wants me to be miserable. Does anybody else here have the same problem?


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## alexxturner (May 1, 2010)

ME! I have a lot of stupid mistakes and embarrassing things and I keep reliving them over in my head and it's really annoying.


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## VagueResemblance (Apr 17, 2010)

Once upon a time this very thing was a major component of my depression. I could pace and berate myself out loud, for hours, for weeks, over such insignificant little bull**** as having forgotten someone's name, or stumbled through a presentation, or awkwardly delivered a compliment, anywhere from a week to fifteen years in the past.
Last month this happened to me: someone called out OH HI THERE from across a busy store and I replied, thinking it was directed at me, an instant before the person standing behind me did. Crap, how embarrassing. This is the sort of thing over which I would beat myself up for days, and I could do the same thing here, or I could stop it before it started.

First, I recognized it's an irrational and overblown reaction. There is far too much guilt and shame for such a small social misstep, first of all, and second, it helps nobody, not even me, to feel pain over something so slight. Sometimes just telling myself this over and over negates the obsession.

Second, got angry. **** you, depression, this is completely out of proportion. This allows sometimes a bit of clear thinking.. as long as the anger is directed at the overreaction and not at myself, understand. Getting angry at the cause can also help - what was this woman thinking just screaming across a busy store? How rude.

Third, laughed it off. Well, smirked a little. With my dark sense of humor, depression/anxiety are funny to me in a way, and the little ways in which they manifest - like this one. If your tastes are more toward slapstick imagine a piano falling on somebody. Whatever; humor helps.

Fourth, reasoned it out.. this sort of thing doesn't help anybody, and doesn't really matter. I remembered the times I was on the other side of such an exchange. Last month I stopped to ask someone directions, and when she couldn't help me, she thanked me. Why? No reason, it was another such little mistake, and I didn't make a big deal of it at all, nothing bad happened. Then there was the time some guy forgot my name, and I didn't feel resentful about that either, so..

Eventually these steps turned automatic, nowadays I don't have to think about them at all. Whenever I feel some needless guilt/shame coming on I can smile, shrug, and it's gone. The effort is unconscious.

I hope this helps you guys a bit.


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## styler5 (Oct 7, 2006)

Yeah. Some really bad memories make me yell out of embarrassment.


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## Jayne311 (Aug 20, 2009)

I do this a lot. I can't even forgive myself for things I did as a small child.


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## AHolivier (Aug 6, 2009)

It's always the little things...I remember stuff from when I was 5 years old that makes my stomach twist in knots to this day. Luckily, I've been able to slowly adapt to a forgetful mindset. If something happens to me where I get embarrassed, usually the next day, it begins to take a blurry form. With each passing day, the event gets more and more blurry...


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## milktoast (May 1, 2010)

wisteria said:


> It's always the little things...I remember stuff from when I was 5 years old that makes my stomach twist in knots to this day. Luckily, I've been able to slowly adapt to a forgetful mindset. If something happens to me where I get embarrassed, usually the next day, it begins to take a blurry form. With each passing day, the event gets more and more blurry...


How do you do this?


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## bmc (Apr 28, 2010)

I do this all the time.. Sometimes I lose sleep over things that are really trivial.. but embarrassing.

I'd love to learn how not to dwell.. Its just hard not to.. Its automatic these days


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## occamsrazor (Jun 18, 2009)

VagueResemblance said:


> First, I recognized it's an irrational and overblown reaction. There is far too much guilt and shame for such a small social misstep, first of all, and second, it helps nobody, not even me, to feel pain over something so slight. Sometimes just telling myself this over and over negates the obsession.
> 
> Second, got angry. **** you, depression, this is completely out of proportion. This allows sometimes a bit of clear thinking.. as long as the anger is directed at the overreaction and not at myself, understand. Getting angry at the cause can also help - what was this woman thinking just screaming across a busy store? How rude.
> 
> ...


Great breakdown!

For years I used to be plagued by recurring thoughts of embarassing moments like these. It took me a long time to realize that they keep coming back because they haven't really been processed or dissected in a way like you've laid out. And once you think it through and see it clearly, it starts to seem silly that you ever worried so much about such a tiny thing. Then it stops coming back and bugging you.

The part about laughing about it is really key. And it helps to hear people saying they've been through the same thing, it helps you see the humor in it. Like saying hi to somebody that's talking to the person behind you. That cracked me up b/c I've done that before and I bet everybody has.


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## Fitzer (Feb 13, 2010)

Thats one of the worst things about my SA. I've been getting better about not dwelling on stuff like that recently.


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## occamsrazor (Jun 18, 2009)

akstylish said:


> Yeah. Some really bad memories make me yell out of embarrassment.


I do this too sometimes. Just out of the blue I'll remember something really embarassing I did a long time ago and reflexively cringe and blurt out "crap" or something else you can't type here. A couple of times I did this when other people are around. It's super embarassing. I just make up an excuse, like "I just remembered I had an appointment this morning I missed" or something like that, so I don't look completely crazy.


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## low (Sep 27, 2009)

milktoast said:


> I can't stop obsessing over embarrassing things I've said or done in the past. My brain keeps dredging up all of these old memories. Some of them are over fifteen-years-old. Every time I think of one, I get really angry at myself. It's like my brain wants me to be miserable. Does anybody else here have the same problem?


Story of my life. I have alot of guilt too.


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## Georgina 22 (Jan 4, 2009)

If I did something embaressing or stupid, I can't easily just shake it off, I ponder over it for days or hours. 
I shouldn't though, I should just shake it off because the people who noticed my mistake/embaressment have probably gotten over it by now or didn't think it was that much of a big deal. Something I need to work on


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## Colhad75 (Dec 14, 2009)

milktoast said:


> I can't stop obsessing over embarrassing things I've said or done in the past. My brain keeps dredging up all of these old memories. Some of them are over fifteen-years-old. Every time I think of one, I get really angry at myself. It's like my brain wants me to be miserable. Does anybody else here have the same problem?


I'd swear you were talking about me. That is exactly my problem too.


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## Kwinnky (Oct 23, 2009)

My automatic negative thoughts are basically all the stupid stuff I did as a child, so I empathize.


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## xJoshx (Apr 29, 2010)

I'm also dealing with this as well, not as bad lately. But still so irritating to try to stop thinking about it.


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## London (Jan 26, 2010)

Little embarrassing things i've done in the past are always lingering in my head. I feel so strange because when I complain to friends "I just can't forget it, I can't get over it", they act like it's nothing when it's a big deal to me. Just how do they do it..


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## oku (Dec 9, 2013)

I can totally relate. I can't still get over some stupid things I did years ago


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## Grog (Sep 13, 2013)

Used to not any more learned to just let go 

It's easy to think constantly about those thing as society is judging every thing looking for any form of weakness so we also look at our mistakes and weakness to maybe self prepare for the onslaught of criticism which some times doesn't come but better to be prepared mentally than not . 

My key was to just not give a **** . When I gave up caring about what people thought and or said ( still listened but took what I need to out of it and dismissed the rest . Looked at things from their point of view ) I started to feel better and content with me . And my eyes opened .thing made a bit more sense .
Don't look backwards when walking forward you will crash into a wall . Let go


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## scribe (Mar 8, 2011)

Have the same problem. Just last Sunday, I was trying to make a right turn onto a big, busy street, not noticing the no turn on red sign at the other side of the intersection. A couple bicyclists waiting at the light got mad and started yelling at me as I encroached on their crosswalk. Who gives a sh1t, right? Apparently, I do because I kept thinking about that for days afterward. Why didn't I notice that sign? I wonder what they were yelling at me?(windows up, I couldn't hear them). Most people wouldn't think twice about dumb stuff like this, but SA makes you obsess about anything where you come off "bad" in the eyes of other people. I try to shrug it off, but my mind just isn't wired that way.


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## Jesseg187 (Feb 15, 2015)

Omg I just went to drop a girl off at her house and I pulled out of her driveway like a dumbass and a cat ran out in front of me and I I lost control and got stuck on the side of the road in the snow less than 100 feet from her house!!! She came out and helped me get unstuck. It's been over an hour since its been over and I still feel like I'm about to die from embarrassment! I hope this feeling goes away soon.


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## kitkat29 (Feb 15, 2015)

I too suffer from this. Another word for it is 'rumination' and it's a symptom of depression. It's like your brain picks the worst memories and replays it over and over again in your brain like a broken record. Rumination is not healthy in general, even if it's rumination of good memories, because it means you're too focused on the past and not living in the present moment. Vagueresemblance gave a very articulate explanation and some good tips. I tend to 'hyperfocus' on the most subtle trivial mishaps. They are so slight that most people don't even notice them yet they come off as so glaringly obvious to me. Another tip is to keep yourself moving and occupied in something. Just keep moving forward. Sometimes observing other people and seeing all the mistakes they make and their reactions to it (brushing it off) can help too.


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## Drunky (Feb 8, 2015)

I suffer from the same problem. I agonize over every stupid thing I've said and done or if I make a mistake, some days I don't think about them but they creep back up and it makes me cringe so bad. Always thinking how I would do it again differently.


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## mjkittredge (Sep 8, 2012)

We feel most embarrassed in relation to how we think others perceived the events. Thing to remember is, they often forget the moment right afterwards. Other people get over things quickly and move on, even if we don't.


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## EphemeraI (Mar 23, 2015)

I've been going through this for as long as I can remember. I feel some need to be shameful of little mistakes I have done and I hate myself for stupid things. Like tripping in public or when asked something stumbling over my words. I can clearly remember many events like this that occurred at least 5-10 years ago. I have tried to rationalize with myself but there's some part of mind that thinks like this: WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU?! YOU'RE AN IDIOT, HOW DARE YOU MAKE A MISTAKE! And the other part of me just cowers in the corner saying sorry.


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## Jesseg187 (Feb 15, 2015)

Thx for the stories, looking back now 6 months later I feel silly for how much this embarrassed me. The girl ended up getting a crush on me but I ended up falling back in love with my current gf. Thx for the stories relating to mine. Nice to know I'm not the only one who obsesses over silly stuff.


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## Seiyoku (Aug 14, 2015)

All my life is mistake after mistake. For over 10 years now I keep thinking I'm making some progress and then I'll make some stupid ****ing mistake to undermine it and it's made me realize that there really is no hope for me. No matter how good things seem to be at the time I know I will without a doubt make a mistake and ruin the relationship. I always, do every single time, without question. And it's always the same kind of mistakes. I will never change, this is simply who I am and I can't do anything about it. Every time I think I have a handle on my mistakes I just make them again anyway.


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