Thought Addiction Assessment: Are My Thoughts Addicting?

Millions of humans all over the world are suffering from addictions of all forms: behaviors, emotions, substances, and/or thoughts. It does not matter what their culture, creed, race, or social status, addiction strikes through the fabric of them all.

What is an addiction?

Addiction is unrealistic attachments to a behavior, emotion, substance or thought that consumes or devastates someone’s life. An addiction is being caught in a habitual pattern of use that produces a very unhealthy destructive relationship that does not serve the person.

The definition of thought addiction is the development of an intrusive habitual pattern to one thought or set of thoughts. Thought addiction is the returning to a thought that does not serve the individual and has damaging results to one’s life. A thought addiction depletes every system of the human body.Repetitive and unhealthy thoughts can deplete one’s emotional, mental, physical and spiritual energy, leaving you with nothing.Thought addiction follows the same rules and progression of all other addictions.

Types of addicting thoughts are:

· anxious

· blaming

· compulsive

· depressive

· failure

· fear

· obsessive

· guilty

· negative

· ruminating

· self defacing

· sexual

· shaming

· suicidal

· unwanted

· excessive worry

Thought addiction is a hidden addiction that affects many American’s mental, emotional and physical health. Thought addiction (TA) is the seed to all known addictions and can result in an addiction to a substance or behavior and can also be the aftereffect of surviving any abusive, overwhelming or traumatic life event.

It is important to understand that if you are in the beginning throws of an addiction that all forms of addictions start with a thought. Take this assessment to help you to recognize if you are headed into a thought addiction which might expand into an addiction with a substance, food, exercise, emotion or behavior as a result to attaching to an unhealthy looping of a thought or set of thoughts. Stop, take this assessment, identify and learn if you are in danger.

Take out a piece of paper. Write the numbers 1 through 20 on the left side. As you read each numbered question, put “Yes” or “No” next to each number.

1. Do you periodically or constantly think about a thought or set of thoughts that alter your mood?

2. Do you have difficulty concentrating due to a thought(s)?

3. Do you have an inability to participate or function in your daily tasks because of a failure to stop a thought?

4. Does a thought or set of thoughts keep from feeling?

5. Is your thought content over 75% negative or not serve you?

6. Does a thought or set of thoughts block you from succeeding?

7. Does a thought or set of thoughts keep you from investing in relationships?

8. Does a thought or set of thoughts cause you to self sabotage?

9. Do you have a thought or set of thoughts cause you to behave in ways you do not want to (acting out, emotionally reactive, self harm or addictive behavior)?

10. Does a thought or set of thoughts cause you to reject yourself?

11. Does a thought or set of thoughts keep you from sleeping?

12. Does a thought or set of thoughts cause you to over eat or binge?

13. Does a thought or set of thoughts cause you to under eat or restrict?

14. Does a thought or set of thoughts cause you to over or under compensate in your life?

15. Does a thought or set of thoughts cause you to hate or reject all or a single part of your body?

16. Does a thought or set of thoughts cause you to over eat?

17. Does a thought or set of thoughts cause you to say, “No” to social invitations?

18. Does a thought or set of thoughts cause you to perform poorly at your job or school?

19. Do you call off from work because you are thinking you are too “depressed” to work?

20. Does a thought or set of thoughts consume all your mental time during the day?

Grade Your Own Results

Once you have completed the assessment, add all the “Yes” answers.

Evaluation

If you have 4 or less “Yes” answers, you are experiencing mild episodic thought looping which does not interfere with your mental life.

5 to 8 Yes answers indicate a low level of habitual thought looping. Troublesome periodic occurrences are experienced in this range. To gain a deeper understanding, you may want to address each question you answered yes.

If you answer from nine to fourteen questions with “yes”, then you are experiencing moderate thought looping and maybe affecting you on a regular basis. Maybe you should address all the issues in the questions that were answered with yes.

If you checked 15 or more questions with yes, then you are in the high range or addictive range. You are probably going through feeling so of loss of control of thoughts and ability to function effectively is probably compromised. You should seek help support reduce the affects. There is a good possibility that could become worse and you begin to substitute or act out your thought addiction with a secondary addiction such as a substance, food, exercise, inappropriate relationships or destructive behavior.

How Can I Address This Right Now?

There is hope no matter how your assessment results. Gaining knowledge about thought addiction can empower you and increase your awareness. Take the first step toward recovery by surrendering to the fact that you are powerless to your thoughts and that your thoughts are consuming your life. This first step of recognition will empower you mentally and help reduce the affects of thought addiction.

The second step is to acquire new skills to reduce the power of the looping thoughts.

To learn new skills that are available to stop habitual thought looping go to http://drbilltollefson.hubpages.com/hub/Unblocking_Addictive_Thought_Patterns

If you have trouble making your first steps consider certified master life coach or therapist that is trained in and specializes in programming or thought addiction (TA). A holistic addiction recoverycoach can walk you through the beginning stages, so that you are not alone in the beginning of your recovery. Master life coaching avails you with a customized action plan which focuses on your intentions as well as offering a program for accountability, encouragement, mentoring, skill development, guidelines, structure, and ongoing support. It is possible to unblock the thought barriers in your mind allowing you to strive, achieve and grow.