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. . . Scary/Warpy Thoughts. . . vs. . . Positive/Rational Self Talk. . .

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Anxiety & Panic Disorders
Do You Have Scary/Warpy Thoughts?
YES - 82.4% - 14 votes
NO - 11.8% - 2 votes
I DON'T KNOW - 5.9% - 1 votes
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Posted 12/20/2008 12:59 AM (GMT 0)
Hello :)

I am pretty big on talking about Scary/Warpy Thoughts (if you all haven't noticed:) lol

This is something that everybody goes through in life daily.  Some people can right away notice that they are not thinking realistically and move on with their rational thinking through Positive/Rational Self Talk. . .

Then there are some of us that need to learn to work on it and conquer it :)  Sometimes a person's perception of things are not accurate because we tend to make assumptions.  Nobody should assume that a situation is a certain way or that a person is thinking a certain way because we truly do not "know" without proper communication and rational thinking.

Here are a few examples of Scary/Warpy Thoughts vs. Positive/Rational Self Talk:

Wrong:  "Oh, no. . . Bob over there just looked at me funny.  He must hate me."

Right:  "Bob sure has a funny look.  He is probably having a bad day.  Maybe I'll ask him how he is doing?"

 

Wrong:  "Nobody will listen to me.  I must be worthless if they don't care."

Right:  "I think everyone is busy with their lives right now.  They will get around to me when they get some time.  After all, it is the Holiday Season."

 

Wrong:  "So much has went wrong today.  My heart is pounding.  I think I have heart problems and am going to die!"

Right:  "This day has been tough and I feel a little anxious.  That is okay.  It's normal to feel this way when faced with a difficult situation.  It is also normal to have these symptoms from anxiety.  I will make a doctor's appointment to discuss this with him/her to ease my mind, but until then I know what this is and I can control the situation."

Do any of you have Scary/Warpy Thoughts?  What are they?  How can you make them rational, realistic and not so dramatic?  I know I have this problem all the time and have to use Positive/Rational Self Talk to keep me calm and rational.  Please share examples and your ways of dealing with it so we can all benefit from your positive knowledge and experience :)

Thank you for your time :)

 

Posted 12/20/2008 1:44 AM (GMT 0)
You are doing great Nikki :) Thank you for participating. You actually reflected some Warpy/Scary Thoughts I have had in the past :) Isn't recovery great?!? I love the Positive/Rational Self Talk :)

Here is another one for me yeah

 

Wrong:  "I feel bad and am mad at myself because I'm not working on my therapy like I should be."

Right:  "It will be okay, Sam.  I have been doing great with my therapy and I will continue it tomorrow.  The holidays have me really busy right now and besides that,  I love myself.  I am actually feeling pretty good today!"

 P.S.  I can not express enough how great the CBT therapy is :)

Posted 12/20/2008 11:33 PM (GMT 0)
Anybody else??? :)  I'll do another. . .

Wrong:  "My ribs are hurting today and I feel like I my heart is messed up. . . It hurts so bad I can't breathe!"

Right:  "No wonder my ribs are hurting with the cold front coming in.  I'll just take it easy and rest.  And obviously I'm breathing or I could not type right now because I would be laying on the floor.  I will make an appointment with my doc to have some more tests run to ease my mind so I'm not always freaking out."

Posted 12/21/2008 12:52 AM (GMT 0)
Wrong: What if I wake up tomorrow morning and start to panic?

Right: I am going to wake up in the morning with a positive mental attitude and a fresh start to the day!!
Posted 12/21/2008 6:40 AM (GMT 0)
Wrong: "What if I never recover from my Anxiety problem?"

Right: "What if I DO recover from my Anxiety problem?"

Just notice how the difference between one word in each sentence can make some warped thinking.  The wrong one evokes a sense of feeling anxious and hopeless, while the right one opens doors of possibility and happiness.

It is really easy to change the way we think to a more postive one:) We just need to quit the "What If Thinking" and "Assumptions" that we make about different situations :) Doing these exercises really have helped me over time to become a better person. I really love and respect myself now. . . Plus I have become almost OCD (lol:) about being a rational person :)

Take care everyone! I hope that you either do a few exercises on here to help educate or do them in the privacy of your journal to help yourself heal :) You won't regret it!

Posted 12/21/2008 11:31 AM (GMT 0)
Wrong: I am going to have a bad day and my panic attacks will never go away.

Right: I am going to live in the moment, not be so hard on myself, and know that panic attacks DO go away.
Posted 12/21/2008 3:53 PM (GMT 0)

Great thread,

I am working on CBT on my own right now, but you are right on with this post, this is a prime example of what CBT canhelp you with as you work  through the program.

To everyone:  have a cool yule! devil

Kitt

Posted 12/21/2008 11:51 PM (GMT 0)
Wrong- I am a horrible person for being irritable the last few days, im a terrible partner and mother for being like this!

Right- Ive been feeling a bit irritable the last few days, and will apologise to my family for being a pain but explain that i am feeling a little anxious and it will pass soon enough.
Posted 12/23/2008 10:42 PM (GMT 0)
Wrong: I can't do this, i won't be able to handle it, i'll finally "lose it" this time!

Right: i CAN do this, i've gotten through it before so apparently i CAN handle it! it's been years and i haven't lost it yet, because it's not going to happen!

:D

Posted 12/24/2008 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
I just want to dito that one State of Calm!!! :)

Have a great Holiday everyone!
Posted 12/24/2008 10:55 AM (GMT 0)

Wrong: I am a burden to my friends, family and colleagues. i am not worthy of happiness as i have made poor choices in the past.

Right: My friends, family and colleagues love and respect me, and try to understand what i deal with. i AM worthy of happiness, the mistakes of my past should be left there and i should focus on my future.

that felt good!!!

Maz XX

Posted 12/24/2008 11:08 AM (GMT 0)
Wrong: Christmas is too stressful, and I am afraid I will have panic attacks. I can't wait for the holidays to be over.

Right: Christmas only comes once a year, and I am blessed to be able to spend it with my family. I will live in the moment.
Posted 12/24/2008 11:39 AM (GMT 0)

Wrong: i am stuck in this pity party rut and deserve to be here

Right: only i can change this and need to fix this- i deserve better than this

Posted 12/24/2008 8:41 PM (GMT 0)
Wrong: I let people walk all over me and I can't make them stop.

Right: I can be compassionate to others while still maintaining healthy boundaries. It just takes time to learn, and I can be patient with myself while I do learn.

Great thread, Sam!

percycat
Posted 12/28/2008 10:20 PM (GMT 0)
Wrong: I let people give me false hopes and I feel like a failure. Won't I ever learn?

Right: I'm not a failure. It is not my problem certain people can't get their facts straight. I am a good person and I have better things to do with my time :)
Posted 12/29/2008 12:01 AM (GMT 0)

Sam and Members,

This is the CBT Program that is free online @

CBT Online moodGYM CBT, free!  http://moodgym.anu.edu.au/welcome

Posted 12/29/2008 2:08 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Kitt! CBT is a wonderful way to deal with the "Scary/Warpy Thoughts".  I am a huge supporter of MoodGYM. . . It is nice to receive the "Certified Unwarped" Certificate at the end. I have it in my scrapbook :) Everyone please to take Kitt's advice and click on the link she provided :) The time to start your recovery is now!

Take care all :)
Posted 12/29/2008 4:53 AM (GMT 0)
Here is another thing I have found to help those with the Scary/Warpy Thoughts

Think like an optimist!
The ABCDE of Optimism
Optimists have been shown to live longer, happier, healthier lives and are more successful than pessimists!

The ABCDE of optimism is a simple and effective way to chang negative, pessimistic thinking. Using this method, consciously and deliberately at first will train your mind to instinctively and unconsciously think more optimistically.


Adversity - The issue that you face:
My friend has not rung me today'

Belief - The negative belief generated by the advsersity:
'My friend has not rung me, s/he hates me'

Consequence - How you feel as a result:
'I feel awful, friends always leave me'

Disputation - Challenge the belief, generating many other reasons for the adversity:
'Perhaps my friend has been too busy'
'Perhaps my friend's phone is broken'
'Perhaps my friend is feeling down and wants me to ring'

Energise - Notice how the more optimistic options can give you more energy and allow you to feel better!

                                          ~Author: Martin Seligman Book: Learned Optimism~
Posted 12/29/2008 4:55 AM (GMT 0)
Wrong: I'm just going to give up my therapy and be a whiner because it is a lot of work for me.
Right: I will not be a quitter and nothing that is worth anything is easy in life. Life can be tough. . . Get used to it."
Posted 12/29/2008 3:02 PM (GMT 0)
Sam,

That ABCDE list is really nice! I've never seen it before, but I'm going to try to turn it into a habit. It very much matches what my therapist and I talk about in specific cases, but the acronym will make it easier for me to "carry around" in general on a daily basis.

Thanks for sharing!

percycat
Posted 12/29/2008 7:09 PM (GMT 0)
That's not silly, Nikki, it's a great song, and the movies are awesome!
Posted 1/1/2009 9:27 PM (GMT 0)
Wrong: "I'm going to stress out and not take the opprotunities this New Year to work on my recovery."

Right: " I will work on my recovery the best I can this year. I deserve this and will do what I am able to do because I'm only a regular person after all :)"
Posted 1/14/2009 7:52 PM (GMT 0)
Bumping up for new member Laney
Posted 1/15/2009 8:01 AM (GMT 0)
So It gets even better and funnier your life as a peanut who's name is Rocky with arms and legs in a boxershorts playing Eye of the Tiger??  Love it babe!!  You crack me up. gillxx yeah

just breath said...
I wanna be like Rocky! I love the Rocky movies! When I think about my recovery I think like I am Rocky and Rocky would never give up or give in!!! I am so silly I sometimes play "Eye of the tiger" when I exercise. lol. Hey, it helps.


Adriainnnnnnnnnnnnnnn! lol

Nikki

Posted 1/15/2009 4:14 PM (GMT 0)

Thank you SO MUCH for starting this thread.  I keep coming back to it and it really helps me stay in the moment and not let my anxiety manifest.  It also has shown me what a pessimist I am!

wrong:  What if the anxiety is so bad today, that the palpitations kick-in and get so bad that I have to go to the hospital?

right:  Why would that happen today if it's never happened before?!  I will deal with the anxiety and if the palps come on, I'll just take deep breaths and they will go away :)

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