When it comes to people who have anxiety, they may get irrational thoughts which at the time can be very scary. Even though they know these thoughts can be irrational, they still have a hard time dealing with them. Thinking can become a habit and some people think about what they don’t want and expect to not have thoughts about the subject.
For example, if someone told you not to think about a certain color such as blue, it would be hard not to think about blue when you keep telling yourself not to do it. In other words, the more we try not to think certain irrational thoughts, the more powerful they can become in our minds. Just like other symptoms of anxiety, if you try to run away from them, the worse they become. This is because when you run away from fears, they usually become worse and more prominent. This is why in order to eliminate panic attacks and anxiety you need to make sure that you identify the symptoms before it’s too late.
With anxiety, there are a lot of “what if” kinds of thoughts. What if you have this disease? What if you pass out? What if something scary happens? Keep in mind that these thoughts are usually fueled by adrenaline. If you put meaning in these thoughts by trying to analyze every detail of them, you are saying that these thoughts have power over your life and that there is a reason to worry.
For whatever reason, people with anxiety tend to think that they have all these diseases. I remember hearing about the disease and thinking I had it even though it made no sense. The reason for this is that people with anxiety are very self-aware and are constantly watching their bodies or checking in to make sure that everything is fine.
When you come to an understanding that these thoughts can be a product of adrenalin and the habit of worry, you will simply see them as thoughts. People have many thoughts throughout the day and how you interpret them is what they mean to you. Don’t try to overanalyze every thought and be in the present moment.
Keep in mind that anxiety is not necessarily what is happening but rather the thought of what might happen and what has happened in the past. When you truly keep your mind in the present moment and focus on whatever you’re doing that day you will find how different you feel.
This is not to say that you should be trying to control your thinking obsessively, but rather stop worrying about what happened in the past and what may happen in the future. Accept that these thoughts are a habit that your mind has created over time.
Like any habit, it can be broken. Initially, it may be difficult to just let these thoughts pass by as not important but with time you get better at it and it bothers you less. One thing that is important is not to try to force yourself to think a certain way. Let yourself be fully aware of what is in front of you.
Just like other symptoms go away with time, this one does as well when you just stop worrying about it. Although you may have irrational thoughts running through your head, you do not have to talk about it or have a mental dialogue about it.
