Fear of the mind pop

Hello all,

Ok so I have 30 and been dealing with panic disorder for a year.

I was scared of everything, having a heart attack, having a stroke and now I'm scared of getting schizophrenic because I started to notice that I was having mind pops.

At the beginning it was when falling asleep and waking up. Then I put my full attention on it and now I get it when I'm bored or doing boring things like gardening or washing the dishes.

These are completely random words or phrases like very short chatter, sometimes in the tone or accent of a friend or someone heard on television recently for example.

I know these are thoughts or memories but I can't help but tell myself that maybe I'm starting to hear voices in my head and going psychotic.

Do you think this is serious ?

Someone been through this already and if you were able to get rid of it?

Thank you friends

Hey, I too have had Panic Disorder mixed with HA for a few years now (plus even more anxiety + depression in the past). If I have either under or overslept, or in some way had disturbed sleep (insomnia or nocturnal panic attacks), I tend to get mind pops during the day too, and like you, they are definitely a bit more prevalent when bored or when falling asleep or waking up. I think it has to do with a wired and wandering mind, and is definitely enhanced if I focus on them. I have had these for years (since early high school at least) and have yet to develop schizophrenia. Therefore, based on my anecdotal evidence, I think it is unlikely that you are developing schizophrenia. Also no, I don't think that it is serious.

I have no special means by which I got rid of them besides setting up a consistent sleep schedule and getting my mind to focus on other things instead, like a good book. I still get them occasionally, but not nearly as frequently as I used to. For the most part, they disappeared on their own.

I hope you have a great, anxiety-free day! :)

Hi!

Thank you very much for sharing your experience with me, I'm really grateful.

Anxiety really is a monster capable of turning normal little things into scary big ones.

I will try to play down and normalize this phenomenon in the future.

Have a great day without anxiety too :yesyes:

I get these all the time, especially when I'm tired. I think they may be one of those things that everyone gets but only anxious people register - they've never bothered me much.

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Originally Posted by BlueIris

I get these all the time, especially when I'm tired. I think they may be one of those things that everyone gets but only anxious people register - they've never bothered me much.

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That's it 100% Like all the other 100% normal niggles we all experience but anxious people focus on.

FMP

You don't 'get' schizophrenia like that.

What you're describing are just completely normal stress/anxiety related symptoms.

They're not pleasant, but they're not harmful.

Hey guys, thank you very much for your answers, very grateful to you. I saw my doctor today who confirmed your explanations to me.
I will take a moment to relax

Its kind of amazing what the "active" brain can do. I think HA or stress, or a combination of both, can really kick off brain hyperactivity. I think this is most noticeable when you are trying to fall asleep. I've had strange visuals, songs stuck in my head, repeated thoughts about events or books, you name it. Once I get my brain to slow down and I fall asleep it goes way and everything is fine the next morning. It doesn't happen very often but it is annoying when it does.

I get similar things but mine are always random memories of a dream a had years ago or a street I drove down as a child. I find they happen when I'm bored and my mind is wandering. They gave me anxiety for a while but once I accepted they won't hurt me I have stopped noticing them as much.

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Originally Posted by Kuraimoar

I get similar things but mine are always random memories of a dream a had years ago or a street I drove down as a child. I find they happen when I'm bored and my mind is wandering. They gave me anxiety for a while but once I accepted they won't hurt me I have stopped noticing them as much.

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A bit like me today, as last night I had a dream about certain valves on pipework that really used to creep me out as a child.

Those particular valves were fitted to sections of (exposed) pipework both in the downstairs toilet at our previous house and in the horrible windowless bathroom at my former residential school.

The high pitched whining sound of the F & E tank refilling on older-style DHW plumbing systems (and some toilet cisterns) and resonating through the pipes also used to give me the creeps as a child.