Stopping Silly Thoughts Anxiety?

Question

Is it possible to stop the stupid thoughts that you get with anxiety. I have tried every method under the sun, The Linden Method was excellent, it cured all the symptoms, Panic attacks etc, I no longer have the fear of fear as they call it, the only thing that none of these methods have cured it the stupid thoughts.

When I say stupid thoughts they are thoughts about when I was at the worst with my anxiety, and the thing that triggered my anxiety which was a break up, they say time is a healer but I have suffered these thoughts 10 years, also thoughts about hurting members of my family which in turn make me depressed,

Is this the best I am going to be? Am I always going to have these thoughts? I have tried to forget them, distract myself but it doesn't work, when I first wake i'm fine, but about 10 seconds later they start flooding in,

Any advice appreciated?

Answer 1

Are you taking a multivitamin? Do you have a daily routine? Do you consume at least 6 glasses of water a day? Do you excercise daily?

Not sure if this is part of the Linden Method, but these four points have helped many people with anxiety issues to be more calm and focused. Otherwise, you may benefit from a low dose anti-depressant.

Answer 2

I think anxiety is an unpleasant complex combination often accompanied by physical sensations such as heart palpitations, nausea, chest pain and/or shortness of breath, tension headache, and inner nervousness.
Anxiety can be somewhat of a mental illness. Exercise, laughing, breathing technique, stress management are some of the best ways to reduce anxiety. Search for meaning and purpose – some experts have indicated that residual generalized anxiety can be the result of a sort of "boredom" about existence. They recommend looking for an occupation the sufferer finds meaningful. For the people who feel anxious and do not know why, it is worthwhile to sort out whether the anxiety is over a particular circumstance or a more abstract existential worry.

Answer 3

it may sound simple but i had mild anxiety and i dont know how bad yours actually is but i used to have anxiety attacks mostly in my maths class (because of personal reasons i wont bore u with)......my therapist said that you should put ur hand on ur tummy and breath in and out, so that ur hand can feel ur tummy going in and out whilst blocking these thoughts untill u dont feel anxious any more. Maybe going for a run in the morning, or any alternative activity might help, if you feel as though you've achieved something early in the day, u feel good. Also i couldnt help but notice the way you describe these thoughts as 'stupid' and the way u said ur thoughts make u feel depressed, negative thinking doesnt help anxiety, its a vicious circle im afraid aka 'sods law', have u ever had long term therapy b4? its not a short term fix but it will help u understand your anxiety better and get to the root of the problem, which u might think is something when its in fact 'normally' traced back to childhood. once you've found this out, u can talk thru it and hopefully start living ur life age.


i hope u sort these feelings out.....good luck, and no, this isnt the best ur goin 2 be, because once u find the issue and get thru it, its the best feeling in the world, i promise, just keep thinking of that as ur goal maybe.

Answer 4

There is hope; I've been there, and still am there, it is a long, hard struggle. I recommend
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cognitive_b... worked best for me, with mild anti-anxiety meds. I suffered from social anxiety for over 15 years. I've tried individual therapy, and group therapy and studied psychology for 10 years, as a profession, but also with the hope to cure myself.

Depending on your comfort level, you could go to a psychologist that practices CBT and specializes in anxiety disorders, seek a group therapy, or create one.

Another idea is to see if there are any local research studies being conducted that you could participate in.

Any questions, let me know ... I can't tell you how much this has improved my life!

Answer 5

hello...
first of all, let me say that there are no such things as stupid thoughts...both your thoughts and feelings are very valid.
i am a therapist and i have had clients with anxiety and depression...time is not a healer but a supressant, and these things need to be directly adressed if you are to be healed.
10 years is a long time to walk around with this and leave it untreated and it means that you have had a decade to practise these behaviours / thoughts, making them a habit and part of your daily life.
i strongly suggest you seek professional help...DO NOT attempt to diagnose or treat yourself with any kind of anti-depressant unless specifically advised to do so after consultation with a qualified medical professional.
from the little you have said, it sounds like a cognitive-behaviour based therapy is best suited to your needs. you said that the Linden method 'cured' all the symptoms but the thoughts remained...our thoughts are the foundation for our behaviour and emotions so unless you adress those, it means the treatment was not successful. anxiety and depression especially need cognitive-behaviour based therapies since self-defeating and irrational thoughts form a large parts of these 'disorders' [i personally hate the use of the term].
you have taken a huge step in the right direction by verbalising your concern and i wish you all the best on your way to your healing !

Answer 6

I take medication for my anxiety disorder, but still have the stupid racing paranoid thoughts, doubting myself from time to time. Right now I'm in the middle of a med change and they are really bad. (losing a bit of sleep over it)

Anyway, what I try to do when these thoughts come racing through my brain, is to think about the good and positive things that I've done throughout the day (or past few days/weeks) and try not to doubt that I did the right thing.

I was diagnosed about 10 years ago and have pretty much decided that racing thoughts are something not to take too seriously, not place too much stock in them and not obsess over them because that just makes them worse.

Another thing I do is to review the progress that I've made over the last 10 years. I know I'm not perfect. I still make mistakes, but I try not to beat up myself about it. I guess I've come to terms in knowing that racing thoughts are something I will always have to deal with. Therapy (years of it) was a big help too.

You say you have made progress but are still beating yourself up over one lasting symptom. Apparently you have made a lot of progress or you wouldn't be thinking about your worst times. Know that the worst is over and things will only get better and believe it. BECAUSE the worst is over and the healing has began.

Answer 7

When we get stuck with our "stupid" thoughts, it can take more than just telling yourself not to think them as you already know. What I have done is to do a technique called Rapid Eye Technology and found someone who does this through this website: www.rapideyetechnology.com. Take a look at this website and see how they explain how thoughts can stay stuck in our brains and what we can do about it.
Just a suggestion. It worked for me anyway.
And good luck.

Answer 8

Carry a note pad with you. Write all the junk down. Each time you complete a page, destroy it, don't read it. All this helps you clear this from your mind. At the moment, you are simply going around in the same circle. Break the circle, get it out of your head. Healing yourself is the best method, preferably without drugs, if you can.

Answer 9

In my idea reading a good novel will guide your thoughts to the correct way. It will distract you and vanish all your silly thoughts. It always works for me. Great novels and books most of the time take us to another world and attract us too much to think about useless things.
I hope it will help you too. try it.

Answer 10

Bless you, i think a lot of people have been there in some way or another, you need to do things you enjoy and FOCUS on something that makes you happy....

Take up a new hobbie, Read, tell your self i have dealt with this , time to get on and enjoy my life....GOOD LUCK TO YOU.