Anxiety and POSITIVE CHOICES Community Group
Learn the skills to conquer overwhelming anxiety from physical to emotional coping. We can choose how we feel and think, you just have to be willing to make those changes and commit to them.
Anyone have intrusive scary thoughts they wouldn't want to do?
I understand that OCD patients have them frequently. I've had 4-5 in 20 years. I hid knives in the house for 24 hours 20 years ago when the TV (Oprah & Montel type shows the news) talking about women who would black out/blank out and wake up to find they killed their children. I thought, "Why them and not me? I love my children and would never want to hurt them, so I will hide the knives in case I blank out." Well, within 24 hours I brought them back into the house since everytime I needed on for cooking I went out in the garage to get one.
Then, during this recent setback I saw a flash of me flying like a cartoon character towards my (6th Floor) balcony railing. That created fear of going near the balcony for 2 days. I tried to counter the fear by seeing myself with a parachute, with giant wings, with fire-escape type stairs on the other side of the balcony if I actually went over.
Then, twice in 2 months when I opened the cabinet that has an old gun (unloaded, btw) in it, I had a flash of my putting it to my head and I heard myself make the noise like little kids make when they're playing war with guns.
This happened last night after I went too long without xanax (trying to take as little as possible) and I went in the cabinet for a ream of paper. I came to the computer and read again about intrusive thoughts and how to get rid of them, listened to the audio I have to blow them away, but I still woke up this am very disturbed. Last night when I was sort of frantic I thought if I looked at it and faced it that might help. I went to look at it and my husband had moved it. Thanks :). e promises me there's no ammo in the house.
Anyway, anyone have any disturbing intrusive thoughts and any suggestions that have helped them unglue them from their minds?
Thanks, Betsy
I understand that OCD patients have them frequently. I've had 4-5 in 20 years. I hid knives in the house for 24 hours 20 years ago when the TV (Oprah & Montel type shows the news) talking about women who would black out/blank out and wake up to find they killed their children. I thought, "Why them and not me? I love my children and would never want to hurt them, so I will hide the knives in case I blank out." Well, within 24 hours I brought them back into the house since everytime I needed on for cooking I went out in the garage to get one.
Then, during this recent setback I saw a flash of me flying like a cartoon character towards my (6th Floor) balcony railing. That created fear of going near the balcony for 2 days. I tried to counter the fear by seeing myself with a parachute, with giant wings, with fire-escape type stairs on the other side of the balcony if I actually went over.
Then, twice in 2 months when I opened the cabinet that has an old gun (unloaded, btw) in it, I had a flash of my putting it to my head and I heard myself make the noise like little kids make when they're playing war with guns.
This happened last night after I went too long without xanax (trying to take as little as possible) and I went in the cabinet for a ream of paper. I came to the computer and read again about intrusive thoughts and how to get rid of them, listened to the audio I have to blow them away, but I still woke up this am very disturbed. Last night when I was sort of frantic I thought if I looked at it and faced it that might help. I went to look at it and my husband had moved it. Thanks :). e promises me there's no ammo in the house.
Anyway, anyone have any disturbing intrusive thoughts and any suggestions that have helped them unglue them from their minds?
Thanks, Betsy
Glad you're better and not having to deal with these. It is so strange, how our minds can work. We take all the negative things, and leave the positives on the back burner.... lol
I'm much better than I was, but I still get the occassional thoughts. Nothing major, though because I've worked hard on positives. I know what they are and like I've said, I won't let anxiety rule my life. It can be around, but on my terms. "I'll do my thinking for myself, Mr. Anxiety, but thank you for trying to intrude anyhow"
:):):)
Down near the bottom of the page you can click and download it.
I ran to the grocery and also walked an hour with my friend...whom I love but her stories might not be contributing to me getting better. I will have to see what I can do about that.
Currently, I can feel and see the thought is further and further away. At this point I am just anxious because of the anxiety the thought brought up. I also at this point am worried that another one will come at a bad time (like at the condo) and I know that I need to be in the NOW and deal with me one day at a time.
Ya'll have been so wonderful disclosing such intimate things. It is so helpful to just know I am not alone.
Sort of along these lines my husband told me he was reading an article this morning about how delusional so many people are trying to get on American Idol. He was trying to show me that there are so many people walking around this earth with a lot of weird sh** running thtough their minds.
Thanks again, Betsy
Betsy, I also had friends that contributed to my anxiety. For the ones that I was fairly close to, they KNOW not to tell me stories that I don't need to hear at this point. Others, I have distanced myself from. If she is a good fiend, let her know you've been having anxiety issues (if she doesn't know) and to please try to stay away from negative stories, and such with you for the time being. If she's a true friend, she will understand.
I had to tell Kevin this. I just said "I don't want to watch shows that are negative, I don't want to do things that are negative, and I'm not hanging out with people that are negative" So, in certain social gatherings, I don't go. Some of it is because of him acting the way he does. But, a certain couple I just refuse to hang out with.
Do what's best for you :) That's what was best for me. I'll try and post that TEA formula for you tonight. I've got a rotten headache, so I'm hoping it goes away so I can get that on here for everyone.
Hugs,
LeAnne
i totally understand the thing with friends and family ie my sister with her pregnant lady story !! but yesterday i told her what the story had done to me and she was so sorry she thought it would make me feel better !! ha what a joke but i told her not to tell me stuff like that anymore i was not horrible but i was firm and she totally understood well she said she did anyway !! and i feel much better today yey ! from now on i am only thinking positive things i know it will take time but hey all good things come to those who wait xx
It helped me, too :)
Now, onward and upward to the positive side ! WOOT WOOT !
What's interesting is that your sister thought that the story would make you feel better. Sounds like she is not unlike the rest of us in what we see as positive and negative. I guess the difference is that her brain chemistry doesn't then pop it into overdrive on the mental treadmill.
Also, sounds like you were assertive by telling her how YOU felt when YOU heard the story instead of blaming her for your thoughts. WooHoo for you.
Betsy
It's good that you open up about those things. There is no shame, you were a child and who in the heck would know how to cope in that type of situation ? You've come very far, Dreaming :)
You know the wonderful person you have become and you bring to this group lots of things to consider, think about AND you also give support.
We musn't allow ourselves to suffer from the past. If we do, we're are ruining our "todays" and tomorrows.
You're a good woman and I'm so happy you feel comfort in this group. That is exactly how I want it to be :):)
Hugs!