WindSparrow, does "observe and describe" work for you? I find it very helpful.

WS, would an audiobook be more helpful in distracting you on longer trips than the radio?

WS, maybe make an audiotape of positive thoughts to play when the mental tape starts playing bad things?

leftover pizza for breakfast

Steph, I get totally freaked out too when one of my pets swallows something they shouldn't. (What's with the plastic, anyway, animals, how does that seem like food to you?) My ex had a Samoyed who would chomp anything foodlike we put in front of him, too, and Lord help you if you tried to take it away from him. Mike would stuff pills in the end of a stick of beef jerky and let Samson play mighty hunter with it. Maybe you could put the lump of peanut butter on the end of a stick of jerky; she could bite and swallow that.

I don't have many suggestions, unfortunately, Andi - I'm a ruminator, too, and I haven't really found alternatives yet. The only thing that works for me is finding distractions. The audiobook suggestion's a good one. I listen to podcasts on my iPod a lot, especially just before going to sleep. Here's hoping you have a better day today.

That's one reason I hate driving and running. I've heard people say that they love being alone with their thoughts. My thoughts and I do not need to be alone together for long periods, because my thoughts run to recriminations and regrets. Audiobooks from the library are all that keep me sane on long drives. NPR is good, as long as it's talking. Music without words is the same as silence to my brain.

First, WS, don't pretend there isn't a problem when there is. And don't apologize for having a problem. There's no shame there.

I've found mental exercises helpful sometimes to be a great distraction before bad thoughts start. For example (and you may prefer other directions), try to create as long a chain as possible of musicians who've worked together. For example, Whitney Houston dueted with Aretha Franklin ("It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be"). Aretha dueted with Elton John ("Through the Storm"). And Elton can send you in several directions. (Music Trivia: Name two ways to get from Elton to Stevie Wonder.)

Mike would stuff pills in the end of a stick of beef jerky and let Samson play mighty hunter with it. Maybe you could put the lump of peanut butter on the end of a stick of jerky; she could bite and swallow that.

Yeah, AFTER she ate the knife, I told The Boy about it, and he said, "I've started putting the pill in peanut butter on the end of a Milk Bone, so she can eat it all...did I not tell you?"

::facepalm::

She seems okay today, but she's so loopy all the time that it's hard to tell if she's acting weird(er).

I've heard people say that they love being alone with their thoughts.

I do...except when they're really bad ones. And I have never learned a good coping mechanism for that, so I look forward to reading other people's suggestions.

What I like about doing cardio at the machines at the Y is that they have television. That's sad, isn't it?

One reason I'm so stir crazy (and my back is killing me) is because I haven't been able to get to the Y all week or even walk. My ability to go ass over teakettle is too well documented for me to take out on ice-covered sidewalks. I should hit 40 today, and I keep looking out the window to see if the sidewalks are clear yet.

What I like about doing cardio at the machines at the Y is that they have television. That's sad, isn't it?

Hell, no! We don't have cable, so the only time I see cable is at the gym. I think it's kind of evil of them to put the Food channel on, but I still love it.