Worry about an emotionally challenging time?

[phil06]

Having read about the Coronaviruses and people being put in isolation it got me worrying when they say it affects there mental health. My anxiety is what if I face a challenging time in the future? Some kind of isolation or delay in a foreign country I fear this could affect my mental health too. Would I cope?

[nomorepanic]

You are jumping the gun here Phil - this could maybe never happen and if it does then you will have to cope like everyone else does.

If you take control of your mental helath NOW then you will be better prepared but you don't seem willing to do that.

[phil06]

You are jumping the gun here Phil - this could maybe never happen and if it does then you will have to cope like everyone else does.

If you take control of your mental helath NOW then you will be better prepared but you don't seem willing to do that.

Thats true could it never happen. But I have become a sucker for newspaper articles about all the terrible stuff that happens. This is why I developed a fear of flying due to the graphic detail of these articles. Sure I could not read these articles but even my partner reads them. It’s common for me to read the news and fear it could happen to me..

[nomorepanic]

Yes but that is why you need help with challenging those thoughts and not making them such a big deal.

[ankietyjoe]

Don't read those articles then. You've already identified the problem, so why persist reading them? Seems odd.

[pulisa]

I think you need to feel anxious, Phil. It's what you know and what you think about constantly. How would you cope if it all magically went away? How would you occupy yourself?

[phil06]

I think you need to feel anxious, Phil. It's what you know and what you think about constantly. How would you cope if it all magically went away? How would you occupy yourself?

I know the anxiety is like a comfort blanket if I feel anxious it’s a way of feeling safe. I think I would feel good I was on a train trip a few weeks ago I felt very chilled out and relaxed and enjoyed the scenery. I often wonder why I can’t be like that more often? Sure I could do relaxations but I only do this now and again. I think I worry about a lot of trivial things and put lots of pressure on myself to set goals fly, drive, move jobs this propels my anxiety. I just can’t feel “content” I always look for something else. I can think of a time when I was a little more chilled perhaps when I was a teenager I had less goals and less pressure so I had a little less anxiety. Perhaps this is something CBT will help with? I spent most of the time discussing the ocd. Usually if I mention anxiety they say deep breathing and I can’t be bothered with all that?

[pulisa]

I would suggest looking at why you seek out anxiety and whether it could be a safety behaviour as you have said? You put pressure on yourself to be like how you perceive everyone else to be but maybe you should concentrate on how YOU are and feel rather than trying to fit into a generation driven by always wanting more and losing sight of true values. I think ACT would be better suited to you but your local services seem to be really limited so standard CBT may be all you are offered.

[Lencoboy]

Phil,

Just try to chill out and avoid all the phony papers like The Sun, Daily Mail and the Daily Express, all three of which IMO are the worst for OTT sensationalism and scaremongering. Try to source your info from the more 'trustworthy' news sites (eg the BBC) and for specific advice concerning Coronavirus visit gov.uk. Another site well worth a look is fullfact.org. A great site for debunking fake news and 'myths' about certain topical issues.

Of course, there are a lot of 'smart alecs' and 'know-it-alls' about who like to think they have superior knowledge to the 'real' experts, and social media and many online forums are hotbeds for those rabid egotists who seem to have nothing better to do but forever keep seeking their proverbial 'fifteen minutes of fame', but more often than not, they actually know naff all!!