Why do we go back to the same fears over and over?
Anyone ever wonder? For me it's the fear of going crazy. Whenever I have a panic attack I always think that "this time" is different. It annoys me the next day when I feel better. I wonder why I do that to myself.
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
~~ Ronald Reagan
~~ Ronald Reagan
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Guest
Faith_TX! This is the very SAME thing I go thru with. Each time I have a panic attack or anxiety symptoms, I think..."this time" is different! I am dealing with that right now as a matter of fact. This week I have dealt with anxiety and I thought, I think I need to go back to the doctor to get checked out just "one more time". Wow, that is exactly how I feel each time. And you are right...why do we do this to ourselves???
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JenniPatrice
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2006 1:27 am
I just wrote a novel and clicked post now and it went away!
Anyway, yes it is really annoying. There are different things that sort of set me off. I think last night it was a combination of me drinking one Dr Pepper too late in the day (I've recently been testing to see if I can handle a little caffeine. . .not sure why. . .but mainly because I don't want to be afraid of something) and a friend telling me that she took Tamiflu and it gave her hallucinations.
I have a fear of meds because I worry they'll "make me crazy" and because my family has all had the flu I had considered taking it or Relenza. The thought that I could have taken something and had it do that really set me off.
I started looking it up and found some really scary stories. So then after I did that I started thinking about how maybe the caffeine was giving me a bad reaction too. . . and from there my imagination really got away with me.
I'm feeling better today other than from lack of sleep. . .and trying to get motivated to clean the house. It stresses me that it's a mess but it overwhelmes me trying to figure out where to start!
Anyway, yes it is really annoying. There are different things that sort of set me off. I think last night it was a combination of me drinking one Dr Pepper too late in the day (I've recently been testing to see if I can handle a little caffeine. . .not sure why. . .but mainly because I don't want to be afraid of something) and a friend telling me that she took Tamiflu and it gave her hallucinations.
I have a fear of meds because I worry they'll "make me crazy" and because my family has all had the flu I had considered taking it or Relenza. The thought that I could have taken something and had it do that really set me off.
I started looking it up and found some really scary stories. So then after I did that I started thinking about how maybe the caffeine was giving me a bad reaction too. . . and from there my imagination really got away with me.
I'm feeling better today other than from lack of sleep. . .and trying to get motivated to clean the house. It stresses me that it's a mess but it overwhelmes me trying to figure out where to start!
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Guest
Faith_TX
Everytime you write a post, make sure you right click and copy EVERYTHING and then if it erases then right click and click on paste. It gets really frustrating to put your heart into a post and then it just vanish.
Well from what I've learned, all the negative feelings we have are signals that we need to change something and each feeling has a message.
Anger is a message that someone has violated a moral or rule we have.
Guilt is a message that we've violated our own rule and need to take action to prevent this from happening again.
Overwhelmed/Overloaded is a message that we're expecting too much in too short a time period.
Fear is a message that we need to prepare.
Our beliefs are a big part of why we feel the feelings we feel. If we believe that the symptoms of anxiety are symptoms of craziness then this may cause us to have fear. Is this something that might correspond to your situation? Is this something that is a reasonable belief or an unreasonable one?
In cases that we have unreasonable beliefs, what we need to change may not be so much of the situation but how we percieve things. Maybe actually finding out the symptoms of craziness might help to disassemble the associations of anxiety to craziness.
Does this that make sense?
Mike
Everytime you write a post, make sure you right click and copy EVERYTHING and then if it erases then right click and click on paste. It gets really frustrating to put your heart into a post and then it just vanish.
Well from what I've learned, all the negative feelings we have are signals that we need to change something and each feeling has a message.
Anger is a message that someone has violated a moral or rule we have.
Guilt is a message that we've violated our own rule and need to take action to prevent this from happening again.
Overwhelmed/Overloaded is a message that we're expecting too much in too short a time period.
Fear is a message that we need to prepare.
Our beliefs are a big part of why we feel the feelings we feel. If we believe that the symptoms of anxiety are symptoms of craziness then this may cause us to have fear. Is this something that might correspond to your situation? Is this something that is a reasonable belief or an unreasonable one?
In cases that we have unreasonable beliefs, what we need to change may not be so much of the situation but how we percieve things. Maybe actually finding out the symptoms of craziness might help to disassemble the associations of anxiety to craziness.
Does this that make sense?
Mike
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Guest
I do this too. I think it is just yet another aspect of the anxiety/panic. I always think "what if this time I really am having a heart attack?" Really, I'm having the exact same symptoms that I've had every other time but I always think that my body just can't take the strain anymore and this time will be the time that it actually "gets" me. Its a scary thought but now having started the program I try to use the positive self-talk and tell myself that it is just anxiety, I am ok, and I have survived this before.
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Guest
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Guest
Cra"zy\ (kr[=a]"z[y^]), a. [From Craze.]
1. Characterized by weakness or feebleness; decrepit; broken; falling to decay; shaky; unsafe.
Piles of mean andcrazy houses. --Macaulay.
One of great riches, but a crazy constitution. --Addison.
They . . . got a crazy boat to carry them to the island. --Jeffrey.
2. Broken, weakened, or dissordered in intellect; shattered; demented; deranged.
Over moist and crazy brains. --Hudibras.
1. mentally deranged; demented; insane.
2. senseless; impractical; totally unsound: a crazy scheme.
3. Informal. intensely enthusiastic; passionately excited: crazy about baseball.
4. Informal. very enamored or infatuated (usually fol. by about): He was crazy about her.
5. Informal. intensely anxious or eager; impatient: I'm crazy to try those new skis.
6. Informal. unusual; bizarre; singular: She always wears a crazy hat.
7. Slang. wonderful; excellent; perfect: That's crazy, man, crazy.
8. likely to break or fall to pieces.
9. weak, infirm, or sickly.
10. having an unusual, unexpected, or random quality, behavior, result, pattern, etc.: a crazy reel that spins in either direction.
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in⋅sane
1. not sane; not of sound mind; mentally deranged.
2. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a person who is mentally deranged: insane actions; an insane asylum.
3. utterly senseless: an insane plan.
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Sane
1. free from mental derangement; having a sound, healthy mind: a sane person.
2. having or showing reason, sound judgment, or good sense: sane advice.
3. sound; healthy.
Sane\, a. [L. sanus; cf. Gr. ?, ?, safe, sound. Cf. Sound, a.]
1. Being in a healthy condition; not deranged; acting rationally; -- said of the mind.
2. Mentally sound; possessing a rational mind; having the mental faculties in such condition as to be able to anticipate and judge of the effect of one's actions in an ordinary maner; -- said of persons.
Syn: Sound; healthy; underanged; unbroken.
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De-ranged
–verb (used with object), -ranged, -rang⋅ing.
1. to throw into disorder; disarrange.
2. to disturb the condition, action, or function of.
3. to make insane.
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So Crazy can represent excited, unstable, disorder, infatuated, bizarre, wonderful, being odd, senseless and I think the one that fits the most is not being rational.
1. Characterized by weakness or feebleness; decrepit; broken; falling to decay; shaky; unsafe.
Piles of mean andcrazy houses. --Macaulay.
One of great riches, but a crazy constitution. --Addison.
They . . . got a crazy boat to carry them to the island. --Jeffrey.
2. Broken, weakened, or dissordered in intellect; shattered; demented; deranged.
Over moist and crazy brains. --Hudibras.
1. mentally deranged; demented; insane.
2. senseless; impractical; totally unsound: a crazy scheme.
3. Informal. intensely enthusiastic; passionately excited: crazy about baseball.
4. Informal. very enamored or infatuated (usually fol. by about): He was crazy about her.
5. Informal. intensely anxious or eager; impatient: I'm crazy to try those new skis.
6. Informal. unusual; bizarre; singular: She always wears a crazy hat.
7. Slang. wonderful; excellent; perfect: That's crazy, man, crazy.
8. likely to break or fall to pieces.
9. weak, infirm, or sickly.
10. having an unusual, unexpected, or random quality, behavior, result, pattern, etc.: a crazy reel that spins in either direction.
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in⋅sane
1. not sane; not of sound mind; mentally deranged.
2. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a person who is mentally deranged: insane actions; an insane asylum.
3. utterly senseless: an insane plan.
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Sane
1. free from mental derangement; having a sound, healthy mind: a sane person.
2. having or showing reason, sound judgment, or good sense: sane advice.
3. sound; healthy.
Sane\, a. [L. sanus; cf. Gr. ?, ?, safe, sound. Cf. Sound, a.]
1. Being in a healthy condition; not deranged; acting rationally; -- said of the mind.
2. Mentally sound; possessing a rational mind; having the mental faculties in such condition as to be able to anticipate and judge of the effect of one's actions in an ordinary maner; -- said of persons.
Syn: Sound; healthy; underanged; unbroken.
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De-ranged
–verb (used with object), -ranged, -rang⋅ing.
1. to throw into disorder; disarrange.
2. to disturb the condition, action, or function of.
3. to make insane.
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So Crazy can represent excited, unstable, disorder, infatuated, bizarre, wonderful, being odd, senseless and I think the one that fits the most is not being rational.
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Guest
So now lets take this in the contexts that you suggested.
You mentioned you were afraid that taking meds is going to make you crazy. Do you think taking meds is going to;
Make you more excited? Make you be more bizarre? More wonderful? Is it going to make you less rational and make you put peanut butter on a book instead of on toast? Will it make you infatuated? will it make you unstable?
How many people have you seen go through these things because of meds?
Mike
You mentioned you were afraid that taking meds is going to make you crazy. Do you think taking meds is going to;
Make you more excited? Make you be more bizarre? More wonderful? Is it going to make you less rational and make you put peanut butter on a book instead of on toast? Will it make you infatuated? will it make you unstable?
How many people have you seen go through these things because of meds?
Mike
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Guest
Unstable yes. And yes, I have known several people that have had horribe reactions to various drugs.
One during labor was hallucinating that there were spiders crawling all over the walls. I decided no pain meds because it's weird enough having a baby come out of you without having bugs crawling all over the walls! I sometimes worry I'll get hurt and will have to take something for it and have a bad reaction.
One on antidepressants couldn't care for herself and had to have her father come sit with her while she let it get out of her system. Same person (cousin) tried another drug and she became suicidal and was texting her goodbye's to all of her friends. Same person has had emotional problems and now had a car accident with a brain injury and has been told by an occupational therapist that the job is too stressful for her, and so she should not be working there or only work part time.
Another one I already mentioned took Tamiflu and thought her husband was the devil in the bed with her. She quickly recovered but it scared her.
Another one took antidepressants years ago and started hallucinating and even after stopping still did not recover and had to quit her job because of her mental illness.
So. . .this is my fear. Either my anxiety or some medication for anxiety/depression or even something for a cold could cause me to have some sort of condition or permanent damage such that I wouldn't be able to work and help support our family. My husband insists that I work and so this would cause a pretty severe problem in our marriage.
But back to the original thought. I'm fairly certain that it is an irrational fear, however when I'm in the midst of it, I feel like it makes sense. It feals real. Then once I "snap out of it" I feel extremely goofy about the entire matter.
One during labor was hallucinating that there were spiders crawling all over the walls. I decided no pain meds because it's weird enough having a baby come out of you without having bugs crawling all over the walls! I sometimes worry I'll get hurt and will have to take something for it and have a bad reaction.
One on antidepressants couldn't care for herself and had to have her father come sit with her while she let it get out of her system. Same person (cousin) tried another drug and she became suicidal and was texting her goodbye's to all of her friends. Same person has had emotional problems and now had a car accident with a brain injury and has been told by an occupational therapist that the job is too stressful for her, and so she should not be working there or only work part time.
Another one I already mentioned took Tamiflu and thought her husband was the devil in the bed with her. She quickly recovered but it scared her.
Another one took antidepressants years ago and started hallucinating and even after stopping still did not recover and had to quit her job because of her mental illness.
So. . .this is my fear. Either my anxiety or some medication for anxiety/depression or even something for a cold could cause me to have some sort of condition or permanent damage such that I wouldn't be able to work and help support our family. My husband insists that I work and so this would cause a pretty severe problem in our marriage.
But back to the original thought. I'm fairly certain that it is an irrational fear, however when I'm in the midst of it, I feel like it makes sense. It feals real. Then once I "snap out of it" I feel extremely goofy about the entire matter.
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Guest
I get the same fears over and over, it seems, and then they go away after I combat them enough. Then, they come back with the taunting notion that it's different, or worse "this time". When I think about it though, if my anxiety didn't use that way to creep it's way back into my life every time, I wouldn't let it in when it 'knocked on the door'. Because I would think, "hey, been there done that...got over it already and I'm fine." So I think it's a subconcious tactic to allow the fear back in. I find it exhausting, and I get so worried about what my husband thinks of me because it's "always something" new going on with me. For example, I'm currently dealing with my fear of going schizophrenic. For this same fear about 6 months ago, I had briefly seen a phychiatrist, felt better and was fine for a while. A few months ago I was afraid I was having a heart attack...so I went for testing and was fine. Before that, I had a complete MRI on my brain because my migraines were so bad I was almost certain I had a brain tumor. Actually, the more I write all this out the more plain it is to see that it's all anxiety. The hard part is believing it with all of my being and recovering. I hope to be there some day.