Do you continue to think about bad things that could or possibly happen in order to be prepared for the worst if not all, but most of the time???

for example, if you are in a relationship that is going good, do you think about things that could possibly go wrong...just cause you think that it is too good to be true???

another example, everytime there is an emergency meeting called at work, do you automatically think that it is because of something that you did in error???

Is this called paranoia????

missfee said:

worst case scenario-ism? pessimism? being prepared?

I have a case of this but it is a bit scary. When I do my day to day stuff I involuntarily visualise things that could happen - like I drop the baby and his head splits open, or I overturn the boiling water onto my legs and see the blisters but less so now than say 5 years ago.

I saw a short film about a lady with this problem x 100 - she got through her day avoiding (but mentally visualising) about 20 fatal disasters only to take a swim down at the beach and nearly getting eaten by a shark.

charlottegelin said:

well i don't know why i keep doing this to myself. It's one thing if i can function and do it, but its really making me miserable. I'm the only one that is keeping myself from being happy because i'm constantly thinking that the people closest to me (excluding my family) are out to make a fool out of me. I shouldn't think this way, and i know it, yet its like a temptation that i keep giving into. You know how a junkie knows that they need to kick the habit, but just want one more little taste??? Well thats how my paranoia instincts are....

i just don't know how to settle down, calm down, relax, and just take life one day at a time. Does anyone have any suggestions for me??? I really feel like i'm crazy because I drive myself crazy.
[Edited 1/3/06 19:32pm]

missfee said:

are these thoughts actually stopping you from doing things you need or want to do?

charlottegelin said:

like what? give me an example.

missfee said:

missfee said:

like think that if you get in the bus it will crash so you walk instead? (sorry dumb example) maybe not applying for a job because you think they'd never pick you? Like it's holding you back?

TMPletz said:

charlottegelin said:

Not that I've ever tried it or anything, but from what I hear....

TMPletz said:

yeah. yeah


I have never tried it

charlottegelin said:

I'm too.

charlottegelin said:

hmm interesting, the bus situation no...but the job thing, similar to what you are saying, like if they have one qualification on there that I know doesn't applu to me then i feel like i shouldn't apply for the job.

missfee said:

that's probably more like not enough confidence rather than paranoia though, but next time, just try it anyway, you never know! stranger things have happened and the more different job interviews you go to the less nervous you get about going to them (has been my experience).

TMPletz said:

charlottegelin said:

(I'm feeling better today.)

TMPletz said:

I'm completely back to normal too

missfee said:

No, but I use to. If anything "bad" ever happened to you then you sould realize the reality is often quite less stressful then the stress you give yourself from thinking about all the bad things that could happen. And it quite often doesn't prepare you for the event because if said event where to happen you would need all your thoughts focused on the event and not wandering around your mind for where you stored the manual.

missfee said:

There is a very intresting psychological term called "the self fulfilling prophicy" phenomon, whereby through visualization and such mental processes you actually make the event happen. My sudgestion is instead of wasting time or worst making it happen, spend your time wondering what could make the event a better thing and focus visualize on positive outcomes.

missfee said:

Only if you are a fuck up, or if you fear retrobuition through the faulity system that is capitalizim. I quit working years ago.

missfee said:

Many of those items can be known as paranoia such as the work thingy. Less for the other two, they border on Obsessive Compulisive thinking paterns. However there are very easy steps you can take to put your might right, and it isn't such an uncommon factor.

missfee said:

No, it's called "being Scandinavian".

I almost never automatically assume the worst. But once the worst has happened, I dwell in it forever. I often find it hard to let things go. Even if only in my head.

I'm an optimist by nature so I sometimes try to imagine that things won't be as good as I think they will be so that I won't be disappointed. (Does that sentence make sense?)

MickG said:

What are these easy steps?

MickG said:

can you explain more on this...? This is quite interesting. So you are saying that if a person thinks about something potentially happening to them enough, that they could possibly believe that it has already happened in their mind? Or would their thinking cause this event to happen to them anyway???
[Edited 1/4/06 17:04pm]

Reincarnate said:

yup i do this too.

missfee said:

I do that too!!!

I also obsess about something bad happening in order to prepare myself just incase it does happen.
It is very exhausting and I do not do it on purpose really- comes natural. I worry every single day that my husband will get into a car accident and be seriously hurt or killed. Here's how I rationalize this craziness in my head:
We live outside of a very populated area. My husband drives a lot of miles in very bad traffic. There are many accidents everyday so I worry about that and because I know that he drives very fast because he is so busy. With all of those things in mind I feel like it is very possible that this will happen so I think about it everyday. I am so afraid that if I do NOT think about it then I will be caught off gaurd if it does happen. I know it sounds stupid but my crazy mind thinks this way.

Novabreaker said:

missfee said:

I do this as a rule, pessimist by nature. I look back on my life and say god I have been so lucky because everything has worked out so much better than anything I ever expected - I am hardly ever disappointed!

missfee said:

Realize the behavior.

Subsitute a behavior or thinking patern

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