Wierd thoughts when anxious

[mlondon]

When I am particularly anxious, such as when I am going out for an evening I have horrible thoughts such as 'I am going to die', 'I can't cope and will kill myself by mistake', 'I feel depressed what if I can't cope with it', 'i might do something irrational'..... I know it all stemmed from a major PA, I had early on in my anxiety when I was alone and drunk and thought the only way to stop the panic was jump off the balcony, I didn't, I managed to take some Valium and go to sleep.

These thoughts ruin things I would normally enjoy.

Other less extreme thoughts are 'I can't get home alone', 'I am going to lose consciousness' and 'my legs will stop working'.

In fact it seems more than thoughts it seems like feelings as well. They go hand in hand.

Does anyone have any advice or does anyone have similar experiences?

[pinkpiglet]

I have experienced irrational thoughts and worried about getting so low that i might do something hasty. This is when i decided enough was enough and i went to the doctors. I knew that i had to take action before i got any worse and my doctor was the only person who would be able to help me. You don't say how long you have beeen feeling like this or wether you have seen your doctor about it. If you havent i suggest that you probably should.
Hope you start to feel better soon chuck x:hugs:

[mlondon]

Hi

I was on Citalopram for a year and had CBT. I feel a LOT better now than I did last year, it is just at times of extreme anxiety I have these thoughts. I really don't want to go on the meds again, I see my CBT therapist occassionally but can't afford to see him as often as I would like. I am determined to get through this by facing the anxiety and trying to learn not to be scared of panic. I am trying to think 'this is panic, I can handle it, nothing bad will happen'.

[feels_like_home]

Hi,
I get those same thoughts when my anxiety is really high. Have you read the Claire Weaks books? She is really good at explaining why we think and feel the way we do. I am reading her book now and it has helped a lot. It also helps to know you are not alone.
Take care.
Michelle

[phil06]

I've had some weird thoughts when anxious too like:

I get a thought I can't relax, hard to explain like mixed excitement, worry...feel I'm not relaxing and feeling life is going too quick. This one is troubling me a bit the last few days.

My body might shutdown or pass out when I get a panic attack.

Can suddenly feel all weird with my surroundings.

Worry I've become accident prone as I always have a muscle pain or something wrong with me or health anxiety.

Just seem to be getting lots of weird sensations and thoughts but not constant ones just weird passing ones. :shrug:

[DavidJ85]

When I feel particularly anxious or have worked myself up I get these irrational thoughts though mine really concern me...anyone else get these? I ask myself:

Why are words, words like "Why is the sky called the sky, why is an emotion called an emotion?"

Then because I'm doing this I work myself up into thinking "Why does nobody else think like this? I'm going mad, how do I get out of this, oh my god what's happening to me, why am I think about all of this too much?"

It's crazy, I just hope I'm not alone and this is all part of it...

How are you supposed to cope?

[Maj]

You cope by realising that these thoughts are only thoughts fuelled by the anxious mind, because when we are anxious we are holding onto ourselves trying not to think or do the wrong thing. We think we are going mad - but we aren't!! As Claire Weekes says: thoughts can be strange or grotesque when anxious, and we follow them through, determined to find out their worst!! Just how mad can we be.......? But it's all just anxiety. If you thought "why is the sky called sky" when you were calm, you wouldn't even worry about why you thought it. It's only because of how you feel. So don't matter how weird, strange or grotesque the thoughts you think are, they are only THOUGHTS, and can do you absolutely no harm. The less anxious you are the less they'll happen. Whenever you get such a thought just think "vivid imagination again!"and don't let them scare you!!
Myra x

[DavidJ85]

It's just so odd as I continuously start to do it as I become relaxed so I try and stay busy but then I think to myself "Oh god I've gotta stay busy to stop going mad" when all I want to do when I relax is....relax.

It's horrid!

[Maj]

Sounds as though you are "struggling" to stay busy to stop these thoughts, and they will never go away, or you will never relax, when you struggle, as this causes more anxiety. Stop struggling and accept.
Myra x