Intrusive thoughts?

Hello everyone. I have had Anxiety for over a year now, the worst part of the panic attacks have calmed down now for a while, yet my anxiety still peaks when i am driving, especially on a motorway.
I have always known myself to over think things and repeat things over and over in my head, just random little things....but most of the time my thoughts are very distressing and i get very frustrated and upset with them - but cant stop thinking about them at the same time.
These thought are majorly about death. I am petrified of dying....whenever i am driving - i fear that i may lose control of the wheel on the motorway and have to get off the next turning to calm down. I always worry about the death of my family - sometime i have scenarios in my head that my whole family will be wiped away and only me left, and how would i cope with that - which disturbs me, but annoys me even more i cant stop thinking about it.
My thoughts swap and change from different scenarios - If i hear a story on the news if something bad has happened to someone and caused pain to others...the image grows and grows in my head. My most worrying one is stories about pedophiles, so when i hear about them i cant stop thinking about how awful it is and then the more and more i think about it I feel like i am strange for thinking of stories like this in the first place.
Basically i am worried about my over thinking and the pain and frustration i get from these thoughts. I would never do any harm to myself or others, but these thoughts have scenarios when i may be present and that freaks me out even more.
I have been reading threads and curious into whether these sounds like 'intrusive thoughts?' - - My anxiety does shift from time to time and affects me in different ways....but these thoughts are just horrible :( and i feel like a bad person for thinking of them.
Please help and explain why i am thinking like this :( I lead a very happy life so i cant understand why these thoughts would come across :( death scares me so much...well the thoughts of them do
Thanks xx

Hi Leanne, wow you sound just like me. I'm very scared about death also and every time I thought about it I would panic and have to snap myself out of it. Now I get thoughts I will perform suicide even though I know I wont. I'm managing to keep these thoughts under control by keeping myself busy. When I've not been thinking these thoughts for a while I feel my old self creep back and this is how I KNOW these are just thoughts and nothing real. I'm mostly scared about just snapping and hurting myself. I also had thoughts about hurting my Mum which I would NEVER do but these went away. My thoughts about death aren't as scary as they once were but I know what your going through. Sorry I couldn't be much help but it's hard to help people when your going through the same thing but it's always nice to know your not the only one. Everytime a thought comes to you just think to yourself, these are just thoughts and cannot harm me! Hope this helps :) xxx

Thank you so much Smile :) ....It really is reassuring I am not sick in the head, or just plain crazy! I can't speak to anyone about it as they think i am a hypochondriac anyway form me panicing from other symptoms of anxiety. It really is nice to know i am not the only one, yet again feel for those who are going through the same thing. I cant believe how some thoughts can make you feel so sick to the stomache, and with the thoughts - you feel like you might be that 'type of person' you are thinking of, which makes me feel even more sick. I know they are just thoughts and would not act upon any of them, But death or harm to say children scare the s**t out of me, and really finding it hard to get my mind off things :( ....Im sure this will eventually pass and a new symptom will occur, but i must admit, this is the hardest to overcome so far just because of how i cant stop thinking.
Thank you for your advice hun, i will be keeping busy - Just hope this passes :(
xxx

P.S Smile - - I didnt say how sorry I am that you are going through the same thing, and from the sounds of it for a lot longer time. Sorry for my rant, I didnt mean to appear rude! ....I really do hope you overcome these thoughts :(
Hugs xx

Hi Leanne,

How are you getting on? xxx

I have had anxiety for years now, and I too have started to get intrusive thoughts.
The other night, lying in bed I had this terrible thought that I was going to die, and would never wake again. I was so terrifed because it seemed so real. I also create scenarios. We just have to realise that its JUST in our heads and not atall true to our life. x x x