Challenging Anxious Thoughts?

[dinkydave]

I've been doIing a CBT course, it says you have to challenge Anxious thoughts but I'm a bit confussed as to how to do this. Like this morning, I woke up felt anxious like I do every moring in life, I can put this down to a couple of things,

A/ I'm off work on holidays this week, and being at home alone makes me anxious as I was off work a month or so with anxiety and it reminds me of that time I suppose.

B/ Its a glorious sunny day here, I always feel bad in the sun as it heats me up and makes me feel uncomfortable, and I had one of my worst panic attacks one day outside in the sun caused by being blinded by the bright sun light if you know what I mean.

Does this sound stupid? How do I go about challenging these thoughts?

[honeybee3939]

Hi Dave

Theres some great information on the How to Cope section of the forum to deal with your anxious thoughts.

Hope it helps

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/NMPcms.php?nmppage=coping

Love
:hugs:
Andrea
xxxx

[carl.h]

Anxiety/panic heightens our senses, it is a fight or flight situation. Everything is brighter, too bright at times, louder and more sensational in everyway. This is normal for someone prepared for a fight or a round of survival of the fittest after all your life is at stake isn`t it ?

It`s a chemical reaction in our bodies cos we are in a state of fear, the fear howether is irrational. The chemical reaction is very real though. It is upto us to prove to ourselves how irrational those fears are.

[Southern_Belle]

Hi Dave,

I may be wrong on this and if I am anyone please tell me but I would say try not to give in to the fear. Instead refocus your thinking process. I wake up every morning with my heart racing, instead of laying there focusing on my heart racing I try to think of at least 3 good things I have in my life, I cuddle with my dog (lucky I have her), and I say a prayer. That helps me. You will need to find your own way. The point is to challenge it or fight it. I hope this helps.

Laura :)

[jill]

Hi there :D

Hay, this dose not sound stupid at all, if it was easy knowing how to challege our thoughts we all would be doing it, I still find it very hard most of the time because it's dame hard work.

Laura said it well, I to think it's not giving into the fear, to focus our minds onto somthing more positive, intead of thinking all the negatives.

Dave, just as a pointer,

You say you had a very bad pa while in hot weather, this is a very big negative, I know its dame hard but try not to focus on your past pa's. eg, time's places, this will only feed your fear.

You say you don't like hot weather, why is this, can you try and challege your thoughts on this, try to look at hot weather in a different way.

Think of ways of keeping cool on days like these,

Challenging our thoughs mean to me, that I have to take a good hard look at the way I am thinking and if the thoughts have alot of negative, change them to positives. eg, I feel sick this morning, boy, I'm going to feel like this all day, ohhh boy, negative. ( challenge thought) I may feel a little unwell, but its not going to spoil my day, it will pass soon.

Sooo, when you say you wake up with anxiety, what are you thinking, all negatives I bet, challenge that thought and challege the way you think, try challenging the way you feel, tell yourself your fine, you WILL be fine.

In no way is this easy, it takes alot of hard work and time. I still get morning when I wake up feeling mmmmm crap, ooops, can I say that, but I reasure myself, get out of bed have breakfast, think about my day in a positive way, try dame hard NOT to let Mrs anxiety rule my thoughts.

Not sure if this helps

You take care

LOVE JILLXX