Does anyone else do this?

[BumbleGirl]

I've noticed that if I'm feeling down or anxious then I will associate that feeling with whatever I'm doing at the time.
I'm not really sure how to write this so it makes sense so will give a few examples.

For example, I'm having trouble in my new flat because I miss living in the comfort and safety of my Mums house so when ever I'm in my flat or even think of it I feel really anxious and uneasy about it.

Another example is last thursday I was really panicky and felt trapped inside the flat so as tomorrow is a thursday I'm dreading being in the flat incase the same thing happens because it's the same day.

Another example is if I have been having a hard time whilst listening to certain songs or watching certain programmes then when I hear/see them again I will turn them off because it brings back the same feelings I had the first time.

I'm not sure if this is making sense but I know I am associating bad feelings with objects, etc when that's not what the bad feelings are associated with - they're all there because of my ocd, anxiety and depression xx

[Mrsk]

I suffer from something similar but for me it's clothes. I've been known to throw out perfectly good things because I associate them with something bad that happened while I was wearing them. I know it's silly and sometimes I have to force myself to wear something just to prove that it's not jinxed. My husband always knows when I'm particularly anxious as I wear my "lucky" clothes!

[Oosh]

I do this a lot.

I do it with foods mostly these days. A change in mood, I'll associate it with food I ate and do that more or less depending on if I'd gone up or down. I'll then do that food for days, weeks even years in some cases before I admit the food is doing sod all and then I stop.
I get addicted to things. I stop dead.
I get addicted to things. I stop dead.

Associated 9.09pm Tuesday with my first panic attack for years. Crapped myself every time that time came around like it meant something, which of course it didn't.

I associate things with clothes too. Avoid rewearing clothes because of events associated with them.

Associated my mums house with panic attacks and bad events for years after I moved away and was very uncomfortable about returning to the house and even the familiar roads of my town. I associated it all with how I felt at that time in the past and didn't want it triggering those feelings in me again.

I've always been aware of how associations affect me and find that I can change them. You just have to have a little think, see things in a new appealing way and make new positive associations. I enjoy doing it. How can you see it so you change the way you feel about it ?

It's normal to make associations.

[BumbleGirl]

Thank you for replying both of you :-) Glad I'm not the only one and very interesting to read how other people associate certain things too.

I also do the clothes one; a top I wore to my auntys funeral I can't wear because I worry it will bring bad luck.

Oosh, to be honest I'm not sure how I can change it :-/ xx