Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
Good morning DS:
I was going through old emails and I came upon some advice I read from various sources that I made into a little self-help piece that I have gone back to from time to time. This has really helped me to organize, declutter, and categorize all those thoughts bouncing around up there in my head these past few years.
Basically, the idea with the questions listed below is you ask yourself each one. If your answer is no, then you know that this thought has no rational basis, and therefore is irrational. Now that you've at least identified it, you can put it in its place, which should be on the backburner or if you are lucky, completely out of your mind.
What I have found is that there is unfortunately no magic answer or remedy that will make it (anxious, obsessive thoughts) all go away. There are however, coping skills. This is one that has helped me. Know your enemy...
There's also a little blurb on the bottom about those of us who have ever been a bit insecure on what others think of us.
I titled this "Assessment criteria for a rational thought"
#2: Will this thought help protect my life and health?
#3: Will this thought help me achieve my short-term and long-term goals?
#4: Will this thought help me get along with others?
#5: Will this thought help me feel the way I want to feel emotionally?
-Thoughts on people needing to be concerned about other people's opinions about them:
People's opinions do not matter to us. Their acting on those opinions might matter. Therefore, if we aren't being mistreated in any way, there is no point in concerning ourselves with what other people might be thinking about us.
-In other words, what you think of me only matters if you act on that opinion in a way that hurts me. If you don't act on it, then what you think doesn't affect me, and therefore, doesn't matter.
-Who you are or what your relationship is is unique and doesn't have to be measured against some standard. It just is. It is not good or bad
Hope I was able to help someone today. It's Monday. Keep your spirits up.
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It's bedtime but I heated up some coffee to take my pills with and made a fresh pot so I can have some as soon as I wake up tomorrow a.m. I've been on a roll for 2 days with cleaning and getting other stuff done. I bought a new cell phone about a week ago and I've been having some issues. I stopped at Verizon and a nice young man jumped in to help. As a result, I was able to get an iced...
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Is this based on fact? I don't know, if I'm worrying about it if might be.
I have found a few words to help me somewhat with that.
Live your life like the wolf is not at the door, because most of the time
he's not.
Usually bad things happen that you never thought of. Occasional when
You have thought of it. The thing isn't as bad as you make it out to be mostly.
For someone else, they may need to adjust the wording to fit their perspective in order to work it for their well-being.
My thought process includes this - I am responsible for what I say, do, reaction, and response. I am NOT responsible for what others say, do, and how they respond.
When I change my response to fit my well-being, then their usual response no longer fits and it changes. Not always for the better, however it changes. I have seen my thought process improve to where my anxiety is easier to use to work with.
The goal is to keep your thoughts contained to "in the moment", so you can function within a balanced range.
Good for you to share!
And please understand that I don't mean that me not caring what others thinks gives me license to be a terrible, no good, rotten human being. Not in the least. For me, it's a mental exercise to help me to be empathetic when I need to be or to be "all about business" when I need to be also.
If I've stuck to my code of ethics, then I've been responsible. Beyond that, it becomes your responsibility to how you will react.
Tired, I also agree with what you said that most of the time, it's the bad things you haven't thought of that may get you. Like the car crash I didn't see coming last year. Not obsessing all night over whether what I said in a meeting or email was received the way I intended it to. I won't ever know, and even if I did, there's nothing I can do about it now, except learn from it and move on.
Anxiety, you can be a cruel master.
Thanks for posting