Hi all. Have been here before but not for a long time. Have been on medication for many years, I go downhill very quickly usually to not being able to put coping strategies in place in time. There’s always a trigger but it’s not always the same thing. Usually though it’s due to family issues etc which I cant help but dwell on. I’d love to learn how to stop dwelling on things that don’t exist but drive me (and my family) loopy at times. Tips please. 🙆♀️
Hey Looney Tunes53x , welcome. I like your username, I love Looney Tunes.
I guess a lot of people would relate to you, I know I do. I struggle myself so I don't have any tips unfortunately and don't want to give you wrong advice. but you could try what TonyWK suggested, looking at those forums? You could search them on Google, or type them in the search bar on the website up the top.
Thank you for responding. Glad you like my name -I couldn’t think of anything else when put in the spot to decide. Being Very indecisive is also a trait which I’d like to get rid of. 🙃
Hey Tony WK. I’ve read the first 2 topics and can see the similarities. Typical scenario is (being naturally suspicious) my brain seems to be on high alert most of the time and when a thought enters I catastrophise it to the point where I can’t convince myself that what I’m thinking is not true. I tell myself this but it’s to no avail. A major blowup with partner is generally the result followed by a few days of complete silence. I want to talk it out but it’s as though my throat has closed over and the words just won’t come. Would a psychologist help with this do you think-it’s becoming crippling. 🙃
I find the stop-technique helps me a lot. I close my eyes, literally say out loud "stop. go away." Then I open my eyes and try to really observe 3 things right in front of me. I might look out the window - sky is so blue today, that cloud is an interesting shape, the sunlight gives the leaves a pretty glow. This helps me to refocus and forget about the worry. Sometimes the negative-thought comes back so I would repeat the same mental exercise. My worries used to ruin my entire day, but nowadays at least I can steal back some parts of the day to calm my mind and do something I enjoy.
I cannot get rid of my anxiety-triggers. It's all about ongoing management. Don't we all wish there's an easy cure!
Thanks Amanda2000. So do you think the constant thought diversion works, and gets easier with practice? Sort of like a muscle ; the more you use it the better it gets? . I have tried this in the past but perhaps I haven’t followed through enough. 🤷♀️
Whether it gets easier with practice depends on whether I'm having a bad day or a good day, haha. If it's a really bad day, my mind is just too exhausted to do this. Sometimes I just tell myself "It's all too hard. I'll deal with it if my worry becomes a reality." Other times I might need to sleep to reset things overnight. Very often the initial worry gets replaced by a new worry. But the good thing is I can finally see that the initial worry was not so bad after all, and sometimes I can use that to dismiss the new worry.
