so scared and worried about the thought that Donald Trump will cause WWIII

[Bluegirl2014]

Hi, I have generalised anxiety disorder diagnosed for over ten years now... long slow road. I often worry about the threat of terrorism, but have recently been managing to lead a fairly normal lifestyle without too much of these intrusive thoughts. I used to worry if my teenage daughters were in a public place they might get attack by a terrorist, so I would constantly worry when they were at movies etc.

Now my fear is that America and Donald Trump in particular will cause a World War and I'm so scared that my kids and family will suffer terrible experiences or die and I won't be able to help them or take their fears and pain away. I know it sounds dramatic but I cant stop these thoughts. One of my children also has anxiety and I'm so worried she will be hurt and scared confirming that world is bad after all.

[blondguy]

Hello Bluegirl2014

Welcome to the forums and thanks for posting too

Having any type of anxiety is not pleasant and I understand as I have had same for about 30 years. Im sorry that your child is also having some anxiety feelings.

Having GAD can means we may overthink and overworry about various situations that we have no control over.

I cant stand Donald Trump or his values. He is only a businessman and TV show host. I am fortunate as I have had so much counseling I have decided that there is so many things in life that I have no effect on I wont give them any of my precious mental energy/thoughts. I would achieve nothing.

GAD doesnt help with our overthinking thus regular visits to the doc/therapist is always a bonus. I dont know how regular your therapy is but remember that anxiety does need management so you can heal effectively.

Just another way to look at Donald Trump, He has a huge ego....he in love with his money....I dont think he would jeopardize either of those for a moment Bluegirl.

If I may ask you, has your daughter been diagnosed with anxiety? You are a caring and very thoughtful person. I hope you keep striving for recovery for your daughter and yourself

You are more than welcome to post back as many times as you wish Bluegirl

Kind Thoughts

Paul

[Chris_B]

Hi Bluegirl2014, welcome back to the forums.

It sounds like you're struggling with some of the same fears and anxieties you had when you were last here, perhaps renewed by the emergence of Donald Trump on the political scene. I'm going to link back to your previous thread below, in case you'd forgotten about it - you had some great advice from our members last time that might be helpful for you to read through again:

Scared of bad things happening in the world and terrorism

[Bluegirl2014]

thanks for your houghtful reply. My beautiful has also been diagnosed and she regularly attends therapy, I feel bad that I have obviously had this influence on her, hopefully she will continue to develop strategies to manage it throughout her life that I haven't always been able to. She is quite amazing really. I like your thinking about Trump, that he does have an invested interest in himself and money to risk it, this will help me sleep.

[Bluegirl2014]

Hi, thanks for your reply, you're right these anxieties have been around for a while, although I did seem to manage to not been so focused on them for a while. I do try not to watch the news etc, so I don't have it in front of me all the time and I know realistically that the news does give just a snapshot of the world and there are many more wonderful kind and caring people than there are evil ones, I still worry though. i think it is time to go back to therapy but I feel such a sook talking to him about this.

[blondguy]

Hi BG

Thanks for posting back 🙂 You are not being a sook at all. You have brought up a good point with the nightly news.I recently stopped watching it because it started to make my brain 'tired'. I am a news junkie but I just give it a miss now.I think many people are like you and worry about all the bad stuff...I do too.

Not watching the news is also another way of desensitising ourselves from anxiety as well..Great point!

Here for you BG

please be 'gentle' to yourself 🙂

Paul

[Starwolf]

Hi Bluegirl,

It seems that right now anxiety is the real issue for you, not the state of the world. It is anxiety which makes us fear the worst and blots out the beautiful, positive side of Life.

Opening up to your therapist in all honesty would be the way to go. There's no way a problem can be managed without full knowledge of the facts. You mentioned in earlier posts that you feel reluctant to talk with your psych about your fears because they sound silly and unjustified. Therapists deal with patients' anxiety symptoms and effects on a daily basis. They've heard it all before and some more...They're qualified to help with those issues because they know how they function. To them they're not silly imaginings but common symptoms of a real condition.

Please keep in mind that most of the scary scenarios we invent and torment ourselves with never make it into reality. The mind runs according to well established patterns. Once stuck in those ruts, getting out of them doesn't come easy but -with persistence- fear and negativity can be de-programed.

I have found that immediately deleting negative thoughts before they take hold and replacing them with a more positive version does help. The more positive details you can come up with, the more effective it will be. Having a mental haven to retreat to also helps. An imagined or real place of your choice where you feel safe and comfortable. See it in details and yourself in it, involve all senses, smells, sounds, feel and touch etc...

As for D. Trump...he's someone who would greatly benefit from keeping his over-inflated ego on a short leash. Not doing so has been landing him in a lot of trouble already. His popularity has taken a blow. There's still a long way to go, plenty time to keep accumulating blunders.

The past is gone and the future may never happen. The present moment, here and now deserves our full attention. Abiding there is not easy when anxiety drags us all over the place. But with the right help, support and persistence, it is possible. New habits can be created.

You don't have to go it alone and keep this pain to yourself, so please speak openly with your psych. It is his/her job to listen and understand. Judgment doesn't come into it.

I wish you peace of mind.

[Petra]

Hi Bluegirl

I too can worry about disasters. I've done so since I was a child. I refused to watch TV and especially movies unless I was assured there'd be a 'happy ever after'! As with most movies, there's a sad bit. At this I would lose it and run to my room. My parents having to talk me in to coming back, assuring me that it'll all work out in the end, I just need to sit and watch. Needless to say I eventually didn't trust them and had them tell me the storyline beforehand, sad bits and all, before I agreed to watch!! Media can trigger my anxiety. If I expose myself to too many news and media platforms. As my GP explained to me, not too long ago society only had to deal with problems and events in their immediate communities. These days we have so much access to the goings on in the world that we can tend to take on too much, feeling overwhelmed, helpless and responsible for things that are out of our control and influence. These days I am mindful of protecting myself from over saturation. I read the news on my iPhone and only the headlines unless I want to 'read more'. This way I have some control. I am aware of events but not absorbing (for want of a better word). I set boundaries for myself. I don't have FBook. My children, family and friends know my limits. They know how to get me....phone, email and text. Hope this is of some help. Best wishes to you.

Pet 😊