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MrsStobe13
04-06-13, 00:51
Hey folks,
Just had to post as my anxiety has gone from bad to worse but first I must share the good news..I have been a wife now for just over 2 weeks and love every moment of it! :-D

Now, back to why I'm here :-( sadly my intrusive thoughts have kind of got worse since the wedding. I've had a variety of common intrusive thoughts coupled with post wedding questions, I think my thought processes have generally been something like:

"Am I sure this is what I want for me?"
"What if we don't last?"
"What if I get annoyed with him and stab him?"
"What if I stab someone else?"
"What if I get really depressed and kill myself?"
"What if one of my family members die?"
"What if I kill a family member?"

So as you can see..I've been sort of driving myself in circles. Don't get me wrong, the wedding went far from smoothly but I loved the ceremony. I'm not really a centre stage person but I loved every minute of it. The reception wasn't so good but I still didn't have any bad thoughts. In fact, on our wedding day, a day most people expected me to be fainting at the very idea of getting hitched- I was surprisingly calm!

For some reason though, everytime I look at our wedding cake or a picture of it I am getting horrible violent urges towards my Mum or thoughts of horrid things happening to her. My Mum worked flat out to make our wedding cake and the end result was beautiful and delicious. The flowers from it have been carefully preserved and the remaining cake has been sent up to me to send pieces to the people who could not make it. Before the wedding I got very upset about having to stick a knife into my Mum's hard work, now it's all over I've had thoughts about attacking her. Even writing this I can feel the tears prickling in my eyes. Something in my mind is sure my Mum did me an injustice and wants to harm her, but I know she didn't. I feel like I need a seriously damn good cry but life never finds time for it. I know so many people love me and want to be around me, and I love and want to be around them but I've been to afraid to reach out in case I lash out at someone. At times I feel like a wild animal, dangerous and out of control.

I've not long got back from a fortnight in Devon on honeymoon and for some of it, it was amazingly relaxing. I'm normally a stressed out busy body who's mad about getting everything done. I made time to sit by the sea at Dawlish and just listen to the waves and relax at Teignmouth, it really helped me and a clear mind was just soo soothing. Now I'm back to reality I've been pacing the room trying to find a starting point to everything. I need to get our marriage certificate copied and sent off to various bodies, send the original to the DVLA, send out a tonne of letters and thankyou cards, sell 5 crates of bits from the wedding..
I also started getting suicidal ideas on honeymoon and I could not stop thinking about them. Everytime I stood on a train platform I thought about jumping in front of a moving train. It's not like I want to die, it's not like I want to kill myself..the thought was just, there. Each and everytime I saw a train come along I thought about it, contemplated it, then weirdly grasped the bench or pushed myself to the floor, or simply stood there, frozen. On the way home I insisted on going in the waiting room to wait for our train, I physically could not be on the platform. it's bad and I'm ashamed of myself now for giving into these stupid thoughts, but at the time I felt so sure I might do it :-(

My thoughts aren't just the violent thoughts, either. I obsess over the fact I might do something someday. My Nan had Altzheimer's so I worry about losing my mind and doing something bad. I also obsess over the fact I think I might secretly be a serial killer, I might actually want to kill someone and that I'm a bad, evil person. I tell myself that I'm sick and disgusting and that my family and husband have done nothing wrong to deserve to be killed. I make myself think about all the happy times I've had with them and ask myself why I want to end them all by killing them. Again, normally it makes me really upset but I'm beginning to avoid spending time with loved ones in case I hurt them. Last time I avoided time with someone they died while I wasn't there and I never got to say goodbye. To this day, I regret my decision not to make more time for them.

Frankly, I just don't know how to cope. I do realise that my mini-pill has had some effect on me but I'm at risk to be on the combined pill. I used to take Cerazette but this gave me severe violent thoughts like everyone had wronged me. The thoughts now are almost like a "just because I can" but I can normally push them aside. Since swapping to a different pill (Noriday, for those familiar with them) my moods have improved but I've had a very irregular cycle, which has resulted in PMS and consequent rare but powerful violent thoughts, followed by outbursts of torrential crying.

I've probably got other stresses too. At the moment we both only have £300 between us. I have a lot of junk to sell on Ebay from the wedding but it will all take time. Our flat is looking less than impressive and that always effects my mood. I also want to redecorate as the murky brown walls feel dire and old but without the money we simply can't afford to.

I'm not currently on any medication for these thoughts. I did speak to my GP about them previously but he said they seemed to be hormonal and put me on a "less androgenic" mini-pill. Whether this has worked the way he hoped I'm not entirely sure. He changed my pill 4 days before the wedding so it's really hard for me to say whether it's made a change to my mood. A huge chunk of me is/was so terrified by the thoughts that I sort of willed them to stay. I also developed a cough/cold 2 weeks ago and I still have bouts of a chesty cough, my anxiety always goes through the room when I'm not well. I do use Rescue Remedy pastilles though I sort of will myself not to use them. Again, something in my mind sees using the pastilles as sort of a compulsion. I get an intrusive thought, I start chewing a pastille, eventually the thought gets easier and I stop using them. A few hours later I get another thought and chew another one and so the cycle continues until the only relief I get from the intrusive thoughts is RR pastilles.

I have had a 3 year old lad running riot in a post-wedding flat today so I think I may also be very tired. I'm also quite gutted as try as I might to lose weight before the wedding I still weighed in at 18st. I've been scaring myself even more as I'm well aware that's a huge size to be and the health consequences of being so big. Everytime I eat something I wonder to myself if it may later trigger a heart attack, just another anxious thought to add to my list!

Has anyone got any advice? I'm not sure whether therapy would help me as my thoughts vary so much day by day. First thing in the morning when I wake up bright and refreshed I'm absolutely superb and I can go all day thought-free or ignoring those pesky thoughts. Come about 6pm though when I'm tired I start getting them, then I stay up obsessing over them and make myself worse. If I've had a bad night, it's cold and murky or I'm ill they're much worse, but given none of these variables constantly happens I'm really not sure what to do!

Thanks all for reading and sorry for the long post, it does help to post what I'm going through in the hope that someone somewhere understands, even if just a little!

MrsStobe13 x

Luckyduck
04-06-13, 13:21
Hi

Congrats on the wedding!

I have had thoughts like you. Of hurting my self or hurtings the people i love.
I had thoughts about hurting my mum too.
My mum is the world to me. My best friend, bloody funny and i would protect her until i die.
So why these horrible thoughts?

Well the way i see it is the anxiety took over. My body and mind. Running riot.
Its like when you press to many buttons on the computer and it goes haywire. My mind was focusing on dread at that point. I would even aviod my mum for fear of hurting her. And other things i would avoid.

Therpy has helped me ten fold.
I have learnt to understand myself better.

Not to try and ignore my feelings and thoughts but to address them.
Lets say im at the shops and queing. Im having a panic of getting embaressed. To just run into the road as i want to leave the que.

But i say to myself " ok deep breath" " im just in a que, its normal."
" ive done this a thousand times" "nothing has ever gone wrong before".

If you ask yourself questions and usually have the answers this will calm your mind but also important not to just ignore your thoughts.

Also your body and mind are trying to help you. With making you have the feelings and thoughts you do at a time of anxiety. Although not always helpfull you need to kindly train your body and mind to try different was of helping you.

It sounds a bit like new age crap. Of which i dont like. But bloody hell it works. Its hard and will take a while but once you get good at doing whats said above you will do it automaticlly.

I would recommend therpy. Its good. Find the right therpyist for you. Its might take a few people to find the right one but its worth it.

Try to focus on the good things. Your kid and husband and family.
Take each day as it comes.

Do things slower. I find instead of rushing, its better to relax into things. Ok it might take longer but it helps.

Xx

amaryllis_celladine
04-06-13, 17:42
Hello, MrsStrobe.

What you describe sound like common intrusive thoughts. Lots of people with anxiety have them, and it can be a symptom of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (but it isn't always!).

The other thing I have noticed about my own intrusive thoughts is that my thoughts of harming other people/animals happens when I am afraid of being hurt by my companionship with them. For example, I love that person so much I cannot bear losing them. So the thought of killing them is my subconscious trying to gain control over something that is not able to be controlled at all.

You have never harmed anyone, you seem to keep yourself safe and keep others safe. I have been in the situation where I have been afraid of these thoughts, but I always remind myself that they are just thoughts and they cannot hurt me. They're unpleasant, they're not nice, but they're reactions to stress, and believe or not, they are rather common. Think of it like this - these thoughts distress you, they make you upset. You would only have something to worry about if they *didn't* make you so anxious and upset. You are reacting like this because you love people, and you are a good person who doesn't want to hurt anybody.

You are not sick, you are not a bad person. I strongly recommend you find some form of therapy, not because you are a danger, I honestly think you're not. I think it would do you a world of good to go through some Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and some meditation/mindfulness. It will take the sting out of these thoughts and give you the tools to disarm them, as it were.

I think some form of medication for the anxiety might be helpful as well, at least for a short period of time.

I hope you find the help you need. There is a pattern of behaviour here that you have developed, and it is how you deal with your problems at present. CBT will help you reconfigure the way you approach these problems, help you see things differently, and adjust your mental filters so that things don't seem so terrible. It will also help you deal with these unhelpful thoughts. They won't go away, but you will hopefully be able to get to a point where, if they happen, you can say, "Yes, that is a thought I'm having, and it isn't helpful and it isn't what I'm really feeling. I am going to let it go now."

It takes a LOT of work to get to that point, but I do think it's worth it. Good luck. :)

daisydaisy
04-06-13, 20:08
Hi MrsStrobe,

I had some awful thoughts and suicidal thoughts second time around with this anxiety/depression episode. I posted a lot on here and received some fantastic support so I hope you find the site useful.

I went back to fluoxetine for the 2nd time but after 3 weeks I switched to mirtazapine. It's not been easy by any means but my anxiety and thoughts have lessened, to the point I am in a much better place to rationalise and as Luckyduck has said I realise this is just anxiety and fear manifesting in my mind. I am going through counselling too and this has really helped. Even though it feels like it will be this way forever you will move forward and learn how to accept and deal with the thoughts but as others have suggested it would probably be a good start by having this chat with your GP and then perhaps looking into counselling or CBT- your GP may be able to refer you to your local service or give you the information to self refer.

I have tried some self help too. I read a book called 'At Last a Life' by Paul David which did talk a bit about bad thoughts etc- he also has a blog online and one of them is dedicated to this topic so have a google. Other posters have recommended Claire Weekes- Self Help for Your Nerves- I believe she tries to show you how your anxieties can lead or exaggerate the bad thoughts and feelings.

I hope you start feeling better soon.

Xx Daisy

MrsStobe13
06-06-13, 00:44
Hey all,
Thankyou so much for your kind words of advice and I will definitely be looking at the therapy option. I guess in a way I was off of the idea as my family are quite enthusiastic about helping themselves (better sleep, improved diet, less sugars etc). I've tried all this but still get these thoughts and think I need to ask for help. Even my husband likes to put it down to common problems like tiredness, stress or PMT. All things which will make it worse for sure, but I don't think they're the cause.

Anyhow, yesterday was MUCH better for me. I managed to get my butt into gear and go change my name on the rent account and deliver some wedding cake to a few who didn't make our big day. Today I managed to send of 6 pieces of carefully packed wedding cake and send a milion (or so it seemed!) letters to change my name. I also changed my name at the bank, so I look forward to getting my new debit card by Monday :-D I've also moved all the stuff I have to sell on Ebay and started clearing the display units I intend to get rid of. Yes.. married life has definitely made a more productive woman of me. Don't get me wrong, I'm keen to relax, but I can't relax in a messy lounge!

In addition, I met an elderly lady who inspired me. She was my husbands neighbour before he moved and sent us £20 as a wedding gift, so we popped some cake down to her. We were there some 2 hours chatting and she told me how she used to suffer with depression. She told me about how she uses visualization to calm herself and showed me the picture she's brought of the beach she thinks she imagines. Needless to say, when I left her flat I felt amazingly calm and touched by her warmth. She was highly religious but she reinforced my own attitude to Christianity and praised my thoughts towards being at one with God while surrounded by nature, shortly my quoting the lyrics of "All things bright and beautiful", a fond memory of my Nan.

I've also not needed the pastilles since posting on here, so I'm wondering maybe if I was depending on them a little too much. Rather than waiting for the thoughts to get bad, I grabbed them at the first inkling. Perhaps somehow I need to reprogramme myself to think "no, this is a silly thought and nothing more, I want/I need to do (insert chore here)". I do find when I'm sat around bored, I occupy my time with these thoughts. My husband often asks me why I don't relax and watch TV, but interaction stops my mind in it's tracks. Having to focus on something stops me focusing on those horrid thoughts.

Thanks again for all your support all and my apologies it's taken me a day or so to get back to you. I think I've dealt with all the formalities of changing my name now so I SHOULD be able to respond a bit quicker. Thanks for the congrats, too! :-)

MrsS x

daisydaisy
06-06-13, 18:03
I forgot the congrats bit doh- congratulations :yahoo:

I am glad that you have had a better day and have tried a few things to help you with the troubling thoughts. It does take time sometimes so don't be hard on yourself if they return or your mind wanders, just go back to what you were doing or want to do and keep going. Lots of people on here use mindfulness and talk about this- staying in the moment is a really useful thing to learn and apply. Sounds a bit like what your lovely elderly neighbour was talking to you about too.

I hope you continue to feel well.

X Daisy X

MrsStobe13
06-06-13, 18:53
Thanks Daisy,
I've had a few wobblies today, I had 360 wedding photos to sort through earlier and the wedding day wobbles came back a bit. I also cut a bit of wedding cake for my husband (we have LOADS left over) and had a few funny thoughts. Fortunately, post wedding they seem to be more of a come and go thing. I did have one last night and actually thought I was going to get up and attack my husband but I reminded myself that once I got into the lounge he would probably ask me why I was up. It's scared me a bit today still but my hubby is perfectly fine :-) I'm hoping a few productive dxays and good nights sleep will really sort me out!

Mrs S xx

PS. Thanks for the congrats! :-D