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Intrusive thoughts (TW)
Hey…I just joined and wanted to share that I’ve been struggling a lot with intrusive thoughts lately including thoughts of SH and sometimes worse (I’m safe though). I just have no idea how to cope with them. I have really bad anxiety and depression and it’s really crippling… but it’s gotten much worse the past couple of weeks and I’m just not sure how to cope with it, especially since I’m in lockdown currently and also still doing the hsc. Was wondering if anyone has any advice or tips for what works for them?
Comments
Hi@HannahJoy 🙂 Sorry to hear you've been feeling so low lately, but also thanks for being brave enough to share! Lockdown is a really shitty time at the moment, I'm in a similar situation. I have recently started seeing a psych and she has got me to work on getting into a routine and finding activities that I enjoy so that I don't notice the news so much or overthink the situation a lot of us are in atm. I have found being outdoors, cooking, and even focusing on my studies to really boost my mood as they give me a goal to achieve and cooking is my way of getting creative. Mindfulness is also a great way of instill a state of calmness and staying present and take a break from the outside world 😌 Have you spoke to family or friends about how you've been feeling? What do you like to do?
Yeah I'm actually going to start seeing a psych as of tomorrow and I talk to my friends about it a bit. I like to do things like playing music, surfing or running but unfortunately I get panic attacks when I run with a face mask on and I haven't felt up to playing any music recently, and I don't live near a beach 😕 so I mainly watch Netflix to distract myself.
I get intrusive thoughts like that too and they suck and hurt. I don't really have any advice, except remembering that they don't say anything about you as a person.
anyway you're not alone 💖
Hi @HannahJoy welcome to the forums 😀. I am sorry to hear about what you have been managing lately, it sounds like things have been quite difficult. It is really great that you are here reaching out for support! Intrusive thoughts can be quite hard to manage, but there are strategies that can be quite helpful. You might find that different strategies work better for yourself than others and this is very normal! Here is a link to another thread that you might find to be useful as other users share some of the strategies that they use to cope.
It might also be helpful for you to think about what potentially may be triggering these intrusive thoughts as working with that might be a good place to start. Is there a certain time of day or a certain mood or topic that might trigger these thoughts?
Hi@Sophia-RO I think it's more just whenever my anxiety or depression is at its worse that I find myself overwhelmed by thoughts. I'm not really sure what triggers them though
Hey @HannahJoy, what you are going through sounds so hard 🙁 You have a lot on your plate with lockdown and HSC. I want you to know that you aren't alone, a lot of other people struggle with this as well. Are there days where you notice even a tiny improvement in your intrusive thoughts? I am also wondering if you receive any profesional support for your anxiety/depression?
Hey@Taylor-RO thanks, im about to start seeing someone for my anxiety and depression. Also I'm not sure I think there are sometimes days or moments in days where I definitely do improve but it's never fully gone.
Hey @HannahJoy
It is really great to hear you are starting to see someone for your anxiety and depression, it sounds like things have been really hard lately and that you are under a lot of stress. We can tend to disengage from the things that used to make us happy, like our hobbies when we are feeling low. Its good that you do have some days which are not as bad as others but it sounds really frustrating that it always seems to be lingering in the background even on those good days 😔 Are there some things that you have found that help at all?