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Help with completely irrational thoughts?


7 years ago 0 5 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thanks for the tips Ashley! I have worked through the sections on exposures and challenging negative thoughts and I'm trying to do a couple challenge worksheets a day. It has improved a bit -- I was having panic attacks just sitting on the couch and anticipating unreal situations and that has improved. I still get panicky when I'm in situations or even watching TV when there is a situation shown that causes fear. It's been three weeks since I've been able to just walk outside to the store though. I guess it will just take some time to unlearn this fear.
7 years ago 0 11210 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi Scotty,

Many anxious thought are irrational thoughts. This actually can make it easier to challenge with CBT. Check out the section on challenging negativity for more information. I think the ten questions found in this section will be especially helpful for you. It would be great if you could post the answers to the questions here.
 
10 Questions that Help Fight Anxious Thoughts
1.   Is it "true"?
2.   How do I know it’s true?
3.   Is the anxious thought 100% true? (Something less than 100% true is not true)
4.   What's the evidence for it being true?
5.   What's the evidence against it being true?
6.   Has it ever happened before?
7.   What's different now?
8.   How bad would it really be?
9.   What's the worst thing that could happen?
10. If the worst thing happened, how bad would it really be? 
 
 
Ashley, Health Educator
7 years ago 0 5 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I know people will laugh at what I have to say, but it's a source of panic for me and I haven't read about a lot of other people with these same thoughts. It's similar to fear of death and having a heart attack (which I don't experience), but it's more external to my body. I literally feel like I'm going to float away when I'm outside and in large rooms (basically anything higher than an 8 foot ceiling). I feel like gravity is going to let go of me at any time. In fact, just thinking about it as I'm sitting on the couch writing this, I can almost generate a panic attack if I don't work to distract myself and think of something else. I have flashbacks to a Big Bang Theory episode where one of the characters unknowingly eats a marijuana cookie, and freaks out that the earth is moving too fast. He quickly comes out of it if you've ever seen the episode, but that scene can cause me a panic attack now because of this feeling of floating away. I can relate to someone feeling like they're going to have a heart attack and die, so I'm wondering for one, if anyone has such a crazy thought as what I have, and even if not, how do you cope with similar fears of dying by legitimate means like a heart attack. I honestly don't know what's worse -- fear of something ridiculous (when has anyone ever defeated gravity in history?) or fear of an actual event like a heart attack. Luckily for me, I never experience chest pain or anything that could indicate a heart attack, but I know there have to be others that do. Maybe it's a similar fear, mine is just not based in any sort of reality at all. That actually makes it harder to combat in a way.

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