I've tried explaining it to my husband, "It's like realizing you've lost your wallet, over and over again throughout the day". 

Random, anxiety invoking thoughts that send me into a mini-attack...except I:

A) Can't do anything about it at the time
B) Try to avoid full blown panic by trying to divert my attention elsewhere (ultimately avoiding concern altogether)
C) Feel so overwhelmed that I'm totally paralyzed by anxiety 

Examples

Oh shit, I forgot to respond to this email.
Oh shit, I've been avoiding this task and I still want to avoid it.
Oh shit, I messed this thing up and now I have to deal with the consequences.

How do you balance the effort to not ruminate without just completely avoiding life? I literally feel like I can't do anything anymore.