How to do shut off?
Jorra
Posts: 3,338 Member
For those of you with anxiety. How do you stop? Have you found anything that helps you just shut up that little worry-wort in your head?
I've been trying to write things down which helps me stop thinking about the little things, like remembering to send an email or turn in a form.
EDIT: Fantastic, there's a ridiculous typo in the title. That's going to bug me forever....:sick:
I've been trying to write things down which helps me stop thinking about the little things, like remembering to send an email or turn in a form.
EDIT: Fantastic, there's a ridiculous typo in the title. That's going to bug me forever....:sick:
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Replies
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And even the mods can't fix the title...I have found
I don't particularly suffer from anxiety. But when I go to bed at night is when all the thoughts start bugging me. I have thought about taking some time each day, quiet time, to just think. Maybe that would help get it out of my system so I could fall asleep quickly. And by quickly, I mean quicker than an hour. I've always had terrible insomnia falling asleep. It used to take HOURS to fall asleep. Regularly. It's gotten better. But it still takes about an hour.
But I have yet to put this idea into practice....0 -
Theoretically,
Is the thought absolutely true?
Is it helping me to think it?
Is there another explanation?
Is there anything I can do about it right now?
If it isn't certainly and 100% true. Like "I'm an idiot with all these phone typos" then you argue the ways it isn't true and train yourself to go elsewhere with your mind.
If it isn't helping you give yourself permission to let go of the thought for now atleast.
If the other explanations can be tested you do. My husband is sick right now. This evening he was working playing guitar (music teacher) and had low energy no enthusiasm and talking short and low "are you mad at me? " "no still sick" kept me from worrying.
If you can't do anything rigjt now, you write yourself a note and try to let go.
Then you do mindfulness practice and guided imagery. (Www.healthjourneys.com)0 -
This sounds like homework...maybe that's why I still have issues0
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Stupid phone
...and even with all that I still can't sleep sometimes and worry during the day.
Going to tae kwan do helped me with PTSD because I wasn't vulnerable anymore. And when I'd get scared id imagine myself beating the crap out of someone esp if they scared me.0 -
These sounds like excellent questions I should start asking myself...often.Is the thought absolutely true?
Is it helping me to think it?
Is there another explanation?
Is there anything I can do about it right now?
Thank you.0 -
Those questions someone suggested are VERY good. As far as supplements, kava kava helps my SO an incredible amount for something OTC that's not a drug.
Also do this. It works when you don't have an answer. DON'T try and fight it, telling yourself "ugh there's no reason for me to be anxious!" That will make you more anxious. Just sort of "accept" it. I told my SO to almost make it where you accept someone's presence in a room whom you are indifferent towards.0 -
Those questions someone suggested are VERY good. As far as supplements, kava kava helps my SO an incredible amount for something OTC that's not a drug.
Also do this. It works when you don't have an answer. DON'T try and fight it, telling yourself "ugh there's no reason for me to be anxious!" That will make you more anxious. Just sort of "accept" it. I told my SO to almost make it where you accept someone's presence in a room whom you are indifferent towards.
You are totally right about fighting it. It just makes me anxious about being anxious. That's a spiral downwards that leads to nothing good. It just makes me feel even more crazy.0 -
Those questions someone suggested are VERY good. As far as supplements, kava kava helps my SO an incredible amount for something OTC that's not a drug.
Also do this. It works when you don't have an answer. DON'T try and fight it, telling yourself "ugh there's no reason for me to be anxious!" That will make you more anxious. Just sort of "accept" it. I told my SO to almost make it where you accept someone's presence in a room whom you are indifferent towards.
You are totally right about fighting it. It just makes me anxious about being anxious. That's a spiral downwards that leads to nothing good. It just makes me feel even more crazy.
That's true for me too. When I still worked at the place I was attacked, with the patients who saw it, I started getting panic attacks. Almost entirely because I knew these were people who could read my fear and I would legitimately be more vulnerable. But that made me completely lose it into full panic mode. The thing that helped with that was what my therapist said to do. If I felt I was gonna have a panic attack I had to say "fine. **** it. Bring it on" and that would make it go away. And ****, it worked!0 -
I really wish I knew how to do that. I worry about things all day long. Shutting that out would give my brain a break for once.
I also really need to start thinking positive. I think so negative about a lot.0 -
I tend to feel guilty for feeling guilty. Lovely.You are totally right about fighting it. It just makes me anxious about being anxious.0 -
what works best for me are tiny steps. not the big picture, just the small steps. i can control those. "now i am getting a shower. now i am getting dressed. now i am having breakfast. now i am brushing my teeth." not "ok so at work today i have to........" if i can get to controlable steps, then i can take control. usually.0
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I just wanted to tell you guys that I used some of your ideas this afternoon.
My fiance is joining the military and he had a day of training today before he goes off to basic. We usually text each other all day long since I'm away at school. After the whole afternoon of not hearing anything, my mind started to wonder about what was going on. Needless to say I started getting all kinds of irrational fears of him being hurt. I also worried about how much I'll be anxious when he's gone and we won't be in contact hardly at all. In addition, while this was happening, I was reading in my geology textbook about deep sea research. I have a fear of the open sea, especially in the deepest parts. I started panicking and feeling like I was in the middle of the ocean in the water.
I just kept taking deep breaths and told myself I was nowhere near an ocean and that I can trust my fiance in the hands of the military, they will take care of him. After about twenty minutes, the major anxiety passed. Although, I still had nagging worries until I talked to him later.0 -
I just wanted to tell you guys that I used some of your ideas this afternoon.
My fiance is joining the military and he had a day of training today before he goes off to basic. We usually text each other all day long since I'm away at school. After the whole afternoon of not hearing anything, my mind started to wonder about what was going on. Needless to say I started getting all kinds of irrational fears of him being hurt. I also worried about how much I'll be anxious when he's gone and we won't be in contact hardly at all. In addition, while this was happening, I was reading in my geology textbook about deep sea research. I have a fear of the open sea, especially in the deepest parts. I started panicking and feeling like I was in the middle of the ocean in the water.
I just kept taking deep breaths and told myself I was nowhere near an ocean and that I can trust my fiance in the hands of the military, they will take care of him. After about twenty minutes, the major anxiety passed. Although, I still had nagging worries until I talked to him later.
i am so glad to hear that you were able to pull out of it. *hugs*0 -
Glad things worked out.
For me, I just need to break the frenetic nature of the thoughts. What makes it hard to intelligently analyze a situation is that my brain is spinning in anxiety, often moving too fast to stop and look at a situation rationally.
I find that getting my mind briefly on something completed unrelated helps. This might be exercise, or music, or TV or a phone call, or a video game, whatever. Probably the best way to break the mental spin cycle for me is to look outward, make someone else's well-being my focus for a few minutes. It might be a phone call to a friend, an email to someone I've been wanting to connect with, even a supportive comment on MFP. Something about focusing on another person - if only for a few minutes - seems to really help break that grip of self-focused anxiety.0 -
what works best for me are tiny steps. not the big picture, just the small steps. i can control those. "now i am getting a shower. now i am getting dressed. now i am having breakfast. now i am brushing my teeth." not "ok so at work today i have to........" if i can get to controlable steps, then i can take control. usually.
I do this with just about everything, sometimes I make lists of these steps, and I try not to think about the end goal as odd as it sounds. Thinking about the end result or goal will sometimes trigger anxiety attacks because I then start to think of all the steps in between. Crossing out these steps as I achieve them is very encouraging.0 -
These are very good ideas!0
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There is nothing worse than not being able to stop thinking and obsessing over things. I spent many years with little to no sleep and I found that music absolutely relieved me. Certain types of music...music with empowering lyrics, soft instrumental etc. When I'm stressed at work, I have a route that I drive that takes me about a hour or so, leaves me time to stop and get a coffee, and I just put the windows down and raise the volume.
When I'm home, it's kind of the same thing. I've become a huge list maker...I have a few whiteboards in my house to write down things so I don't forget. I keep a notepad in my night stand to write down other things and like someone else mentioned about asking yourself "can I do anything about it or this is what I can do about it" so that I have a clear idea of how to tackle it tomorrow AFTER I've given my body and soul a rest.
The other huge factor to any success for me has been Prozac. I tried everything in the book and finally found the one medication that helps me "breathe" again.0
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