Posted by chess on August 27, 2005, at 17:34:10
In reply to Re: therapy for OCD GAD (help please, i'm confused) » chess, posted by JenStar on August 27, 2005, at 13:25:42
hi JenStar
i tend to agree with you
i think that if the reassurance is REALISTIC and from yourself then it should be okay
getting reassurance from other people or other things (like a rabbit's foot) seems like avoidance to me
so a compromise to reassure myself but also accept uncertainty could be when i feel anxious ... "i'm anxious and afraid that i might lose control right now, but i remind myself that anxiety doesn't lead to loss of control and that i've never lost control in the past, i'm just feeling anxiety, it's possible that i could lose control from having an brain aneurism (sp?) or something but it's very unlikely, i'm okay right now but i also accept that there's uncertainty in life and i just have to live with that and concentrate on what i enjoy doing rather than on what i can't control"
how does that sound? too much?> hi Chess,
> it sounds like the two T's are talking at cross-purposes! What works best for YOU to make the anxiety or obsessive thoughts stop? That might be a cue as to which method to use.
>
> I personally like the anxiety-person approach. I tend to blow up things in my mind and make them really scary (ex: I feel a slight twinge in my chest, it must be a heart attack, I'm going to fall down and die, Oh My God!) When I stop and think rationally -- very few chest pains turn into heart attacks, especially like this one, and my doctor told me I don't have heart issues, and I KNOW I have acid reflux disease....then I can calm myself down. So talking to myself seems to help. I mean, if I said, "Hey, I could be having a heart attack..." that doesn't help me feel better.
>
> My doctor did also tell me that it's OK to think the worst, as long as you then figure out whether or not it's going to happen. Such as, "Well, I COULD have a heart attack. What's the worst that could happen? I could call 911, get to the hospital, and probably get treated. People much older than I am are treated successfully. I have aspirin in my purse in case I need it. But based on the types of pains and my history, I know a heart attack is not likely."
>
> So...FIRST I think of the worst, but THEN I talk myself down.
>
> Does that make sense for you? Maybe you could think: OK....maybe I COULD lose control. What would happen then? But most likely you WON'T lose control. Anxiety doesn't do that. You won't die. History tells you that. And so on...you can calm yourself down.
>
> So I'm wondering if the two theories might be linked in a way, or more similar than they first appear?
>
> good luck! I hate anxiety and I hope yours goes away soon!
> J
>
>
poster:chess
thread:546505
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20050824/msgs/547320.html