Hi Moonstruck,
Oh some good questions here - I'm really glad that you're asking them!
Sometimes thoughts are facts, and that can be the hardest thing - because we treat all of our thoughts like facts even if they aren't. As an example, my brain believes that I am wearing a black top (true) as much as it believes I'm too fat today (probably not true; I just ate too much today!). So it's up to us to work out which are the ones that might be unhelpful and untrue. Often the unhelpful ones are the lingering ones that won't go away - and for people with anxiety it might be the 'I'll look stupid', or 'nobody likes me' thought.
Does this make sense?
When you're in a situation where you are finding that there's a negative/unhelpful thought, you can absolutely say "nope, that's not true". Other times it might be something like "actually.. if I think about it this way" and "reframe" it so that it's a more realistic or helpful thought.
While it's great that it will bring you relief, you may find that over time it changes your behaviour too, so if previously you maybe didn't leave the house because you thought you looked stupid (just a random example), you'll find that by challenging and reframing that thought, you'll be able to change your behaviour - and then change your mood. So there's a lot of self-talk with a potentially very big knock on effect.
What you've said totally makes sense. I think that I would probably feel helpless too. I think though by being there for your son you're probably actually being very helpful; having that support while he's going through such a crisis is so powerful. Hopefully the Mindspot therapist can offer you a bit of extra support too 🙂
