the cumbria shootings.

[puppyskin]

not trying to be disrespectful by mentioning this but it seems to have hit me like a ton of bricks,not really sure why???maybe im in hyper vigilant mode thinking OMG what if i did something like this.

[Kev1979]

you mean personally if you did the shootings?

if so you shouldnt ever think that way no matter how bad anxiety gets or depression just try and focus on how you can get better rather than how much worse you can get or you'll never get out of the anxiety/ depression state.

[puppyskin]

ive always thought this way catastrophizing things,its become habit after 25 years,but finally im getting therapy and cbt and telling people how i feel truthfully,so maybe its a turning point.

[crazyhayz]

i took my son to the park earlier, and there was this weird guys sat against a tree dressed in really weird clothes like all black and was just staring into space, long hair looked really scary. The cumbria madman came straight into my mind, and i immedaitley rushed back to the car. I really did think 'any moment now hes just guna pull out a gun and just start shooting everyone in the park'. I visualised it all happening. Was really freaky. I always think that if something crazy like that has been all over the papers/news, then people like him will go ahead and do the same, like a copycat or something. Its been in & out of my mind all day. Ive been walking past people wondering if they are any minute guna pull out a gun. Its like on a plane, when u look around for people who look like 'terrorists', we're all guilty of it. Itys silly really, but it just goes to show that things like this do happen, even though they are rare, just the fact that they happen freaks me out lol.

hayz xx

[puppyskin]

maybe us anxiety folks are just sensitive people who pick up on everything.

[crazyhayz]

100% agree puppyskin!!!!!!!!! we are very sensitive to everything. Every noise, feeling, sound etc etc etc. It is rather annoying but we'll get there one day lol.

[Girl_Interrupted]

(above post) Mmmm how is fashion relavant to this post!!

I just feel for the families that lost sons or daughters and of course the shooters mum, who lost her 2 sons.

RIP to all x

[gypsywomen]

my thoughts and prayers go out to all the familys and friends ,,,

[Raindog]

The developing story on this seems a bit odd, and may serve as an example that suddenly acquiring money does not make you happy.

From what I've heard on the news, he had £60,000 deposited in his account and became afraid that he would be sent to prison for tax fraud. Haven't read the full details on this to confirm any of the information but there you go, he got a nice bundle of money and something snapped.

[zippy]

I live in whitehaven where this has happened and its usually a quiet town but its like a media frenzy.Theres reporters,cameras,photographers everywhere.I cant believe it could happen here. x

[crazyhayz]

i was just saying to build a 'picture' of what he looked like. no need to get funny is there.

[Oddfish]

I agree that having anxiety makes you more sensitive to things like this. I was walking around town yesterday and I couldn't get it out of my mind. All I could think was that it would have been a similar scene with everyone walking along the high street not suspecting anything. I just felt a little bit uncomfortable every time I passed someone, especially if they were men of a similar age and appearence to the man who did it.

[doodah]

I'm not far from Whitehaven Zippy. It's been awful hasn't it - my heart goes out to everyone affected by this. It really brings home to me how lucky I am to be alive. My daughter was in the town when it was all happening - thank God she was safe!

[pd]

Funnily it's usually the most 'normal' looking people who end up doing things like this. I mean, if you were planning something like this you wouldn't want to draw more attention to yourself, would you? I used to get followed round shops by security guards when I had bright pink hair and a slightly freaky dress sense, but now that I look 'normal' I don't. It would be much easier to steal things now. Not that I'm going to. After something like this happens there's almost always somebody who describes the perpetrator as 'a quiet man who kept to himself'. This one no different, I think I heard those exact words on the news. Anway, I'm rambling.

Things like this do tend to freak me out. I think it's the random nature of the attacks, and the fact that it can happen anywhere, to anyone, just because somebody who shouldn't have got their hands on a gun has managed to get hold of one. I remember after the massacre at the american university a few years ago I started freaking out in classrooms. I still plan my escape route from lecture theatres at uni in case somebody bursts in and starts shooting.

I guess like anything else, we hear about these tragedies and think 'that could happen to me'. Instead of thinking about why should it happen to us, we think why shouldn't it? But it's difficult to live like that. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow. Again, rambling.

[Temenos]

Hi there, can I just add to what many have already said and say that I'm so sorry for the victims and families involved in this tragedy in Cumbria. I can relate to what some of you have said in that it does make me feel a lot more anxious in public places and mistrusting of people, which is a shame because in reality most people are good, just look at all the posts on here for proof!!! I think it's the lack of control one has in preventing anything like this happening to them although very unlikely, it's just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, it reminds me of the fear I have of falling ill, I have no control over this either, I can stay as fit as poss but ultimately I have no control and that frightens me. So sorry again for all involved.