Thoughts

[griff44]

Hi, this is my first post here so hello everybody

I've been suffering with Anxiety for almost a year now, I had some CBT earlier in the year and although I have come on leaps & bounds, I feel like I can't completely recover. My symptoms I have dealt with physically but my mind is a different story. Because I am aware that my thoughts are what cause the anxiety I am now afraid that i will think the wrong thing that will cause me more anxiety, I find myself sometimes avoiding certain thoughts, I'll start to have a thought that causes distress and I will quickly avoid having it - does that make sense ?

I know I should accept the thought, think it and let it make me feel the way it does (anxious) but my guard is kinda up and sometimes I can't stop myself from avoiding, however when I do I'm quick to tell myself I should have accepted it and not avoided it

It's like I know what to do, I keep telling myself what to do but I can't get it right - sometimes I feel perfectly fine, think whatever without problems but when I'm anxious it's a different story - whys it so hard ??

[SLA]

What would be a thought that would cause distress, and how would you avoid having it?

[griff44]

something as simple as thinking about how long I've been suffering for (anxiety), why am I not getting over this by now ?? - I'll start having the thoughts and then I'll quickly stop thinking about it so I guess I'm half thinking it and then thinking it's causing distress so I stop thinking it - make sense ?

Other times, when I'm back to normal and feeling okay - thoughts crop back up, thoughts relating to the situation I'm in with my anxiety (or have been recently) will cause me distress because I don't want to fall back into the situation, I guess I know the thoughts cause the anxiety so feel distress by their presence

[SLA]

There's a video in my signature about the most important thing I learnt about anxiety. Give it a watch if you're interested, it might be helpful.

I'd write out a better response, but I am just heading home.

[griff44]

Thanks, I guess I'm having those subconscious thoughts and yes your absolutely right they don't serve me well but I understand that and I fight them on times or let them get me down

I guess I need to practice thinking about the negative thought and question them more - like you say are they serving me well - No - move on ?

[SLA]

You just need to realise that you are not choosing these thoughts. It is the way your brain has been conditioned over the years, just like mine.

Once you stop identifying with them they begin to subside, you can replace them with your own consious thoughts. When you counter the negative thought with a thought of your own choosing, you began to break down the old patterns of negative thought.

It takes persistence and practise, but it does work with time.

It's like exercise. You don't just become a body-builder by lifting a weight once.

But by practising each day, you will start to have results.

[griff44]

Thanks, I feel I'm almost there !

My physical symptoms are no longer with me, I can relax, sleep properly now but knowing all along that the thoughts did this to me has left me in a habit of being on guard incase I think wrongly to cause the anxiety but your statement there that I've not chosen these thoughts has sort of made the penny drop - why fight them, let them distress me if it's just the subconscious afterall we have no control over them ?

[SurfingWaves]

Hi there,

I had the same thing happen today. I was feeling quite calm then I thought 'what if my OCD comes back' and started feeling terrible. Like SLA says We need to carry on accepting and countering until we desensitise ourselves to these patterns that have built up over the years.