Obsessive, Scary Thoughts (These are thoughts you use to distract yourselve from what you are really afraid of) They scare you a lot and are repetitive, and can be hard to get rid of.
Obsessions can include fear of hurting oneself or others, some revolve around a fear of committing some unacceptable action. (hurting someone with knives, being sexual in some way with others.)
Obsessive thinking blocks any kind of quality living. It is scary, and, will keep the anxiety symptoms alive. Remembering we feel how we think is important as we look closely at changing our thoughts. Great deal of difficulty relaxing, and being alone with our thoughts because we don’t like them. Necessary to learn and practice relaxation. Dealing with facts is important. Obsessive thoughts are usually not based on accurate information. Often based on all or nothing thinking or some other unrealistic belief system. You are stronger than the thoughts. Obsessive thinking is stagnating. Trapped in cycle of circular thinking. It allows us to avoid: if we get stuck in the thoughts we don’t have to deal with the unpleasant event or conflict in our lives. Obsessive thinking is a sign of anxiety just like body symptoms.
*Using the 6 steps is important to interrupt the pattern. Stepping out of the cycle as soon as possible is a key.
Use humor to help change the emotion attached to the thought from fear to not taking it so seriously. Helps change the chemistry.
Stay away from asking why questions. Asking why can distract you form working on solutions. Stick with concrete answers that keep you in the here and now. Remember breathing, slow thoughts down. You would never give a child scary information you feed to yourself when obsessing.
Finding a way to use this creative energy for you and not against you helps so much.
Every person has some thoughts that are unpleasant. The difference is that other people just let the thought go in one ear and out the other. Might say “Oh that was a goofy thought,” then get on with their day. By giving the thoughts more attention we give them power. We attach the fear response to the thoughts and that keeps them alive. We analyze to the point that we feel out of control. This is just a sign of anxiety. When things feel out of control around us our thoughts feel out of control. Focus on the facts and problem solve positively to stop this pattern.
If we have the ability to question our sanity we have already proven that we are sane. Slow yourself down and begin to respond to the thoughts differently. Be specific about what you can do to calm yourself. Step outside the thoughts. You can choose to think of something else.
Nothing funny about scary thoughts. Far too serious. Give permission to be silly-to do something out of the ordinary. Make it so extreme you know that it is ridiculous, outrageous, and completely absurd. (It’s got to be something you absolutely know you wouldn’t do) You won’t believe the thought anymore. The thought will become funny and lose its power. We can’t make bad things happen or not happen from worrying about them.
Another common fear is the fear of being stuck someplace (or with something, for me I think I obsess about being stuck in a situation I won’t like. I have a hard time committing to things in fear I won’t like them or be able to handle them or the work involved, etc.) Laughing really does help. It’s hard to be fearful when you are laughing. Laughter creates a chemical release just as fear does, but it feels much better.
Thoughts (like Satan) will only have the power over you that you give them. They are not actions. Thoughts not anymore you then five year old imagining he/she is a superhero thinks he/she can fly. See thoughts as the scary distractions they are. Thoughts keeping you from dealing with what you need to focus on. Keeping you in a state of alarm. Be tough on them and use your skills to change the response and you will begin to eliminate the body signals that go along with the thinking.
Understand obsessive, depressive, scary thoughts are a distraction. Determine real concern behind over-reactive illogical thoughts. Defuse power of obsessive thoughts. Cultivate insight to use logic and humor while restructuring scary, obsessive thoughts. Use pause rather then stop when dealing with obsessive thinking. Thoughts not necessarily facts. Find themes in obsessive thoughts and address them.
We tend to dwell on things. (For me good or bad.) Feels like mind is racing.
COMMON OBSESSIVE THOUGHTS:-Something I or someone else said or did (good or bad). I analyze it a lot. -? Thoughts with a religious them-Sexual or intimate thoughts-My health-sometimes-? Losing control of myself in a situation-? Thoughts about my anxiety
When you begin to feel your mind racing about a particular thought, stop and ask yourself-what is really bothering you? What is going on in my life right now that I don’t want to deal with because it would make me feel anxious (or depressed)?
Often, the situation you may be avoiding is totally subconscious. (May not be able to pinpoint it.) Just recognize it’s an obsessive thought and you won’t act on it. The thought is not the problem, it is the style, the pattern of our thinking that becomes a problem. Before have a feeling, you must have a thought. If we don’t like how we are feeling, we must change what we’re thinking. Obsessive, scary thoughts just another way to avoid. If one gets really busy with circular, irrational, unreasonable, unrealistic thinking, one doesn’t have to deal with whatever started the cycle. (Maybe questions about relationships, rather then deal with doubt and concerns we obsess.
OBSESSIVE, SCARY THOUGHTS ARE ALSO ATTEMPTS AT CONTROL. Thinking it will change something or prepare for something. (We don’t depend on the spirit enough to help us. We worry about things we don’t need to.) It’s something we can’t put away. We play with it when have a free minute. When find self walking in a circle, just jump out.
We can become sensitized to our thoughts. You respond to a conditioned stimulus. A thought as well as an object, can generate a conditioned response. Conditioned responses, sensitization, are reversible, called extinction. If you choose to respond differently to a thought, situation, or object you will eventually extinguish the previous response. Systematically exposes oneself to a piece of the feared situation, object, thought, over and over. (You can start by mentally preparing yourself for this before you even do it.) Couple the exposures with a structured list of responses: relax the body, breathe, relax the mind and soothe yourself with truthful dialogue.
Do something about what you’re scared about if realistic fear. Don’t just dwell.
Look for the theme. Is it about control? Etc.
Doesn’t work to say stop thinking about _____________ , because then you’re thinking of it. (this I think happens a lot in church because shouldn’ts get mentioned a lot. Satan will do anything to just remind us of things we shouldn’t.) We need to think and focus on what we should. Think something else and replace.
Notice accept thought. Relax. Breathe. Soothe mind with 3-4 under-reactive, calm sentences. Glide away from catastrophizing, negative thoughts. Less attention give to thought sooner it leaves. (Satan wants us to give it more attention and over react.)
Thought blocking. Imagine closing gate Idea!
Write scary thought over and over until you become bored with it-desensitize.
What you think is not as critical as what you tell yourself about what you think.
Fear is one of our most powerful emotions. Obsessive thinkers are out of balance. Humor will help you balance your emotions. Propose humor is counter part of fear and equally as powerful. Humorous thought creates powerful chemicals that soothe and calm our body, mind and spirit. Either or thinking problem.
Must practice calling upon mind to supply chemicals that comfort and quiet. Some lost sense of humor, not a funny condition. Replacement exercise can help many find their humor again.
Obsessions can include fear of hurting oneself or others, some revolve around a fear of committing some unacceptable action. (hurting someone with knives, being sexual in some way with others.)
Obsessive thinking blocks any kind of quality living. It is scary, and, will keep the anxiety symptoms alive. Remembering we feel how we think is important as we look closely at changing our thoughts. Great deal of difficulty relaxing, and being alone with our thoughts because we don’t like them. Necessary to learn and practice relaxation. Dealing with facts is important. Obsessive thoughts are usually not based on accurate information. Often based on all or nothing thinking or some other unrealistic belief system. You are stronger than the thoughts. Obsessive thinking is stagnating. Trapped in cycle of circular thinking. It allows us to avoid: if we get stuck in the thoughts we don’t have to deal with the unpleasant event or conflict in our lives. Obsessive thinking is a sign of anxiety just like body symptoms.
*Using the 6 steps is important to interrupt the pattern. Stepping out of the cycle as soon as possible is a key.
Use humor to help change the emotion attached to the thought from fear to not taking it so seriously. Helps change the chemistry.
Stay away from asking why questions. Asking why can distract you form working on solutions. Stick with concrete answers that keep you in the here and now. Remember breathing, slow thoughts down. You would never give a child scary information you feed to yourself when obsessing.
Finding a way to use this creative energy for you and not against you helps so much.
Every person has some thoughts that are unpleasant. The difference is that other people just let the thought go in one ear and out the other. Might say “Oh that was a goofy thought,” then get on with their day. By giving the thoughts more attention we give them power. We attach the fear response to the thoughts and that keeps them alive. We analyze to the point that we feel out of control. This is just a sign of anxiety. When things feel out of control around us our thoughts feel out of control. Focus on the facts and problem solve positively to stop this pattern.
If we have the ability to question our sanity we have already proven that we are sane. Slow yourself down and begin to respond to the thoughts differently. Be specific about what you can do to calm yourself. Step outside the thoughts. You can choose to think of something else.
Nothing funny about scary thoughts. Far too serious. Give permission to be silly-to do something out of the ordinary. Make it so extreme you know that it is ridiculous, outrageous, and completely absurd. (It’s got to be something you absolutely know you wouldn’t do) You won’t believe the thought anymore. The thought will become funny and lose its power. We can’t make bad things happen or not happen from worrying about them.
Another common fear is the fear of being stuck someplace (or with something, for me I think I obsess about being stuck in a situation I won’t like. I have a hard time committing to things in fear I won’t like them or be able to handle them or the work involved, etc.) Laughing really does help. It’s hard to be fearful when you are laughing. Laughter creates a chemical release just as fear does, but it feels much better.
Thoughts (like Satan) will only have the power over you that you give them. They are not actions. Thoughts not anymore you then five year old imagining he/she is a superhero thinks he/she can fly. See thoughts as the scary distractions they are. Thoughts keeping you from dealing with what you need to focus on. Keeping you in a state of alarm. Be tough on them and use your skills to change the response and you will begin to eliminate the body signals that go along with the thinking.
Understand obsessive, depressive, scary thoughts are a distraction. Determine real concern behind over-reactive illogical thoughts. Defuse power of obsessive thoughts. Cultivate insight to use logic and humor while restructuring scary, obsessive thoughts. Use pause rather then stop when dealing with obsessive thinking. Thoughts not necessarily facts. Find themes in obsessive thoughts and address them.
We tend to dwell on things. (For me good or bad.) Feels like mind is racing.
COMMON OBSESSIVE THOUGHTS:-Something I or someone else said or did (good or bad). I analyze it a lot. -? Thoughts with a religious them-Sexual or intimate thoughts-My health-sometimes-? Losing control of myself in a situation-? Thoughts about my anxiety
When you begin to feel your mind racing about a particular thought, stop and ask yourself-what is really bothering you? What is going on in my life right now that I don’t want to deal with because it would make me feel anxious (or depressed)?
Often, the situation you may be avoiding is totally subconscious. (May not be able to pinpoint it.) Just recognize it’s an obsessive thought and you won’t act on it. The thought is not the problem, it is the style, the pattern of our thinking that becomes a problem. Before have a feeling, you must have a thought. If we don’t like how we are feeling, we must change what we’re thinking. Obsessive, scary thoughts just another way to avoid. If one gets really busy with circular, irrational, unreasonable, unrealistic thinking, one doesn’t have to deal with whatever started the cycle. (Maybe questions about relationships, rather then deal with doubt and concerns we obsess.
OBSESSIVE, SCARY THOUGHTS ARE ALSO ATTEMPTS AT CONTROL. Thinking it will change something or prepare for something. (We don’t depend on the spirit enough to help us. We worry about things we don’t need to.) It’s something we can’t put away. We play with it when have a free minute. When find self walking in a circle, just jump out.
We can become sensitized to our thoughts. You respond to a conditioned stimulus. A thought as well as an object, can generate a conditioned response. Conditioned responses, sensitization, are reversible, called extinction. If you choose to respond differently to a thought, situation, or object you will eventually extinguish the previous response. Systematically exposes oneself to a piece of the feared situation, object, thought, over and over. (You can start by mentally preparing yourself for this before you even do it.) Couple the exposures with a structured list of responses: relax the body, breathe, relax the mind and soothe yourself with truthful dialogue.
Do something about what you’re scared about if realistic fear. Don’t just dwell.
Look for the theme. Is it about control? Etc.
Doesn’t work to say stop thinking about _____________ , because then you’re thinking of it. (this I think happens a lot in church because shouldn’ts get mentioned a lot. Satan will do anything to just remind us of things we shouldn’t.) We need to think and focus on what we should. Think something else and replace.
Notice accept thought. Relax. Breathe. Soothe mind with 3-4 under-reactive, calm sentences. Glide away from catastrophizing, negative thoughts. Less attention give to thought sooner it leaves. (Satan wants us to give it more attention and over react.)
Thought blocking. Imagine closing gate Idea!
Write scary thought over and over until you become bored with it-desensitize.
What you think is not as critical as what you tell yourself about what you think.
Fear is one of our most powerful emotions. Obsessive thinkers are out of balance. Humor will help you balance your emotions. Propose humor is counter part of fear and equally as powerful. Humorous thought creates powerful chemicals that soothe and calm our body, mind and spirit. Either or thinking problem.
Must practice calling upon mind to supply chemicals that comfort and quiet. Some lost sense of humor, not a funny condition. Replacement exercise can help many find their humor again.
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