Negative thinking

[SarahG]

I spend all day analysing what I am doing, what I am going to do and what may or may not happen. I plan any outings (which are getting less and less because I am so paranoid about what could happen) around where there are toilets and how quickly I can get home. "What if, what if, what if???" is the mantra of my life!

I have read again and again that by thinking positively I can change the way my mind reacts to things and slow the panic. My question is, how do I change my thinking to positive thinking when I really really believe bad things are going to happen? I know that if I get anxious, I immediately need the loo. Therefore I plan for this eventuality. Is this wrong or is it sensible? How do I change the way I think? Any tips would be gratefully received.

Do you know what I've just thought... even calling this thread "Negative thinking" as opposed to "Need positive thinking" is a sign of the way I think.

[oneofus]

Read up on CBT. The running to the loo scenario is atypical safety behaviour. You run to the loo to avoid a stress situation, but the very act reinforces the behaviour. You need to break the cycle. It's not positive thinking per se. You need to watch your own thoughts to see what brings on the worry that sends you to the loo. It's almost certainly what the CBT people refer to as a negative automatic thought. You must catch it and challenge it and see that it is not real; if you open the door an axe man is not going to be behind the door regardless of what you think. Your thoughts do not control your future, regardless of the number of times you meander over George Cloney or David Beckham (sorry!).

one of us

[guitarpants]

CBT is great.

The first thing you need to do is recognize the negative thought pattern. You are aware of it so that's a good start. But don't feed it. Once you recognize it, replace it with a more logical/rational thought/explanation. You can almost do the opposite of what the negative thought is telling you.

Staying present is key. All anxiety is, is uncertainty. Worry about what "MIGHT" happen in the future. I emphasize that because you need to recognize that there is no present problem or danger. If there were, being fearful or a sense of danger is useful. With anxiety, it is dysfunctional. We are responding to problems that don't even exist, or might in some hypothetical future scenario, which is only an illusion.

Once you lift that veil and realize there really aren't any present problems, you will immediately start recovering.