Endless music

[Zozo66]

One of the things I've been suffering with nearly my whole life is continuous music playing in my head in loops, I think it's referred to as earworm, I think it comes from the fact that I was a musician for many years, it's very rare that it doesn't happen, it keeps me awake some nights and constantly distracts me during the day, if I could make it stop it would be half the battle won, does anyone else have problems with this?

[Hidden]

Yes - that is a form of OCD

[Agora1 in reply to Hidden]

I didn't know that xx

[Zozo66 in reply to Agora1]

Me neither 👀

[Zozo66 in reply to Hidden]

I didn't know, that's interesting, I need to learn more about it, thank you 🙂

[Hidden in reply to Zozo66]

It makes sense you’re depressed too because OCD is treated with anti-depressants like Prozac. Take care. You can can beat that one.

[Zozo66 in reply to Hidden]

Yes I'm trying every day, I'm more determined now than ever to get control of it.

[Hidden in reply to Zozo66]

Consider TMS too - a lot of us get helped by that

[Zozo66 in reply to Hidden]

Ok thank you I'll take a look 👀

[Hidden]

I have it too but I like it, usually. I’m also a musician.

[Agora1 in reply to Hidden]

That's interesting xx

[Hidden]

OCD is, of course, an anxiety issue. Do you have anxiety issues?

[Zozo66 in reply to Hidden]

No I can honestly say I don't, I have deep depression but not anxiety, I don't have any fear issues at all.

[Xene]

Sounds like it could be musical tinnitus or MES, same difference but I’m not an ENT doctor. There is a Tinnitus forum on this website.

[Zozo66 in reply to Xene]

Well that makes sense because I do have tinnitus, I have a constant ringing in my ears but I'm so used to it I hardly notice unless it's very quiet.

[Xene in reply to Zozo66]

Well that does sound more likely as tinnitus comes in all different sounds created by the brain regardless of what caused it in the first place.

[Zozo66]

Yeah I've stopped drinking, it's been holding me back for years, the constant music in my head is worse after a night of drinking.

[Hidden]

guitar - I have a few. Started 30 years ago and still learn daily

[Hidden]

The Beatles are my favorite band and then I like a lot of stuff that grew out of the 60s

[WilliamG]

I have something very similar. The music starts the moment I wake up and it continues throughout the day. Such random songs, too! They’re very much a distraction and play in endless loops. They keep me from being truly present and distance me from my true thoughts. It’s a near-constant thing too. For example, this morning “Shake Your Groove Thing” was playing on loop as I woke up. Before I was fully conscious, the song was blasting in my brain. (This happens every morning with different songs.) When I made my coffee today it was “Dress You Up in My Love.” This goes on all day, too. Sometimes I’m very familiar with the songs, and sometimes they’re something I’ve only heard once or twice. Sometimes they seem connected to what I’m doing, but more often they’re random.

Currently with the help of a therapist, I’m using diffusion techniques to help keep me from “getting lost” in the songs. (Not sure if that makes sense.) Anyhow, when I “fuse” with the songs, I try to accept them and think “there they are again.” I become conscious of them; and then I deliberately focus on something else, like what I literally see around me, what I can hear, or sensations that I can physically feel. This pulls me out of my head and helps disconnect me from the songs. I have to do this countless times a day, but it seems to work for me.

I sometimes wonder if the songs are a defense mechanism of sorts. They keep me focused on something other than my disturbing obsessions. Whatever their cause, I view them as part of my OCD.

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[Zozo66 in reply to WilliamG]

Wow you have described exactly what is happening with me, I have also wondered if its a distraction to stop you feeling the full force of the pain of depression or anxiety, it sounds like you have a way of dealing with it, I'm going to try what you said, thank you and I hope you managed to control it.

[chronic2023]

Oh yes ... as far back as I can remember. Like you, my brain responds to music in a deeper way than words. There are some tones and some notes that hit a chord in me, and then get stuck. Sometimes after a day or two I'll try to deliberately start singing a different earworm and that helps. Other times I focus really hard and hum other songs, or pick up my guitar and play chords that are kind of opposite of what I'm stuck on. In reading the other comments, I never thought about it as related to my depression or anxiety. But that makes sense. When I was a kid I rocked back and forth and made musical sounds in rhythm to calm down.

Thanks for sharing your light on the journey!

[Midori]

Thank you for this post. I get the earworm too, mostly I can ignore it, as I enjoy most music, but it can become intrusive sometimes. mostly when I get 'Hotel California!'

I never considered that it could be a medical or mental condition though.

Darn it! Hotel California has just kicked in! Let me concentrate and see if I can replace it with 'Sultans of Swing!'

Cheers, Midori

[Zozo66 in reply to Midori]

Ha ha I hope you can change it, I get all kinds of stuff like TV commercials and songs that I really don't like!

[Zozo66 in reply to Midori]

Now it's Taylor Swift 🤦

[designguy]

I think its pretty common to have music stuck in our head at times, i read where the average person has 60,000 to 70,000 thoughts in our brain per day, but we have this mistaken assumption that our brain should be quiet. I've learned from having anxiety disorder and some OCD that we can't control our thoughts or try to prevent them we can only control how we respond to them. It's our trying to control or judge the thoughts that perpetuates them and maintains them so the solution is to allow them to happen, try not to judge them and get on with your day.