My obsessive & scary thoughts are all about getting depression. I can jump to the what-if thoughts about it after any type of emotion/feeling like sad, irritated, disappointed, scared, etc. I automatically think the feeling is "wrong" and that I "shouldn't" feel it. I then worry it means I have depression and it really scares me because I worry about it getting out of hand.
This is a pretty deep fear for me and I realize is the theme for me: fearing that loss of control, helpless and hopeless feeling.
Has anyone worked with a similar obsessive/scary/what-if thought?
Any suggestions on how to counteract it especially when it's SO frightening and strong?
Need suggestions on Obsessive/Scary Thought replacing/accepting
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Guest
KD - When you get to a place where you don't give a hoot one way or the other if you experience depression it will no longer "haunt" your mind. Right now you are giving it power by your resistance to it.
Whenever you get the fear (or even if it's all the time) just say: WHATEVER. Stop talking back to this part of you. Just say WHATEVER as often as you need to. Your brain will get the message that this is just not important to you and is not a topic open for discussion. It will be less frequent and will have less impact on you the more you practice this.
When you are ready you can desensitize to fear of depression by writing a worse case scenerio and reading it for 45 minutes a day until it no longer has any impact on you. It works.
You are not alone. An obsession is an obsession. The content is not important. They are all lies. It's your reaction that needs changing.
Whenever you get the fear (or even if it's all the time) just say: WHATEVER. Stop talking back to this part of you. Just say WHATEVER as often as you need to. Your brain will get the message that this is just not important to you and is not a topic open for discussion. It will be less frequent and will have less impact on you the more you practice this.
When you are ready you can desensitize to fear of depression by writing a worse case scenerio and reading it for 45 minutes a day until it no longer has any impact on you. It works.
You are not alone. An obsession is an obsession. The content is not important. They are all lies. It's your reaction that needs changing.
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Guest
Hi,
I too have obsessive thoughts that get me very worked up as well as down. I really do look forward to working with my obsessive thoughts and learning ways to not FIGHT them. I have been told to just "be an observer" of the thoughts and let them happen. I have yet to "get" how to do this as I find myself totally anxious just because of my spiral thinking.
I'm not going to pretend I have the answers for counteracting the thoughts because I'm not quite there yet myself, but I believe that we are all on the way up! Taking this condition on the way we are is even more uncomfortable at times because the focus is on ourselves so much.
If anyone can help us with this further, that would be great.
I too have obsessive thoughts that get me very worked up as well as down. I really do look forward to working with my obsessive thoughts and learning ways to not FIGHT them. I have been told to just "be an observer" of the thoughts and let them happen. I have yet to "get" how to do this as I find myself totally anxious just because of my spiral thinking.
I'm not going to pretend I have the answers for counteracting the thoughts because I'm not quite there yet myself, but I believe that we are all on the way up! Taking this condition on the way we are is even more uncomfortable at times because the focus is on ourselves so much.
If anyone can help us with this further, that would be great.
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Guest
Martin,
It may help if you can picture your thoughts like a passing cloud. Just watch them come and go without your attachment to them. They lose their power but this takes practice. At first you will be tense about this new exercise and form of action (or inaction, however you wish to look at it) but persevere. You'll be glad you did. Your thoughts will lose their power, they will lose their momentum.
Acknowledge that they are there, but do not entertain them or try to solve them in anyway. Watch.
It may help if you can picture your thoughts like a passing cloud. Just watch them come and go without your attachment to them. They lose their power but this takes practice. At first you will be tense about this new exercise and form of action (or inaction, however you wish to look at it) but persevere. You'll be glad you did. Your thoughts will lose their power, they will lose their momentum.
Acknowledge that they are there, but do not entertain them or try to solve them in anyway. Watch.