Crazy Thoughts

[ScaredBetty]

Does anyone else get strange thoughts when experiencing periods of anxiety, like the most random thoughts will pop into my head about things that happened years ago that I have never thought about before or strange creatures and scary images will pop up...I feel like I’m going crazy 🙄🙄

[Jack_J]

Hey, hopefully nothing bad in these thoughts if so contact someone and work through them. Nothing is wrong with you and you aren't going crazy its just anxiety. I too get these but the key thing is remembering it is not reality, and the things you thinking of may be twisted to a negative, and this can cause you stress both in workplace and in social situations.

So what you can try to do is work through them, either understanding when its happening or trying to stay out of anxiety. A useful website for somewhat quick help is

https://psychcentral.com/lib/9-ways-to-reduce-anxiety-right-here-right-now/

if you try to follow those steps hopefully you will be able to overcome it.
Hopefully its helped and you can overcome the challenge.
:)

[jess334]

Hi ScaredBetty,

Yes absolutely! I have scary or crazy thoughts all the time. I often remember things that have happened to me in the past and it's almost like I am reliving them.

I try and use the ACT mindfulness techniques to lessen the anxiety these thoughts bring. Instead of trying to prove the thought wrong (for example by telling myself monsters dont exist) I will try to acknowledge the thought ("thanks for the weird thought brain") and let it drift off without attaching to it. The more time I spend trying to stop these thoughts or prove that they aren't true, the more I think about it.

Our brains are weird and sometimes not at all helpful. It's very common to have intrusive thoughts.

Beyond Blue created a comic about this for their Youth campaign that I found really accurate and clever.

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/about-us/about-our-work/youthbeyondblue/brains-can-have-a-mind-of-their-own

Kind thoughts,

Jess