How to get rid of intrusive thoughts and fear?
Well you are not alone. I can relate to this from times past. This came and went on a couple of different occasions in my life during times of intensive stress and inability to control factors that would have an impact on me.
Depression and anxiety have been a more consistent theme in my case. Contributors to the condition are as wide and varied as ways of addressing it.
The big picture-
Depending on your current situation / many factors, there will probably be a handful or just a few practices or remedies that make a big difference for you short term, but you need to support health in all areas, basically upgrading your way of living to prevent recurring problems. This will turn the hardship into a life that´s better than you would have imagined.
It is a mistake to rely on just one ¨fix¨ for this problem. Problems of this nature seem to have a life of their own. They are sneaky, crafty and can morph into other mental illnesses. Itś a real challenge with little or no recognition for progress, but you´ll be rewarded with a better life experience and possibly some mind blowing discoveries along the way by doing what you are doing- reaching out, and having an open mind about transforming the problem.
For a problem that has developed over ten years (mine have developed over a few decades so you are not unique), it is unlikely that anyone will post ¨Tips & Tricks¨ that will free you from ten years of misery, but they can give you good leads for what to look for, choose, start doing so you can add more, build up your health and develop well rounded strategies.
Relief may come soon, or gradually over time provided you are willing and ready to try new things and give them a fair chance to make an impact. This might take patience and tolerance for trial and error. I think you can realize improvement after a few weeks of
- mindfulness practice or meditation, Even pre recorded hypnosis and guided meditations can be effective unless you are heavily biased against them. I like them unless the music or voice repels me. This can have surprising benefits but I do not suggest relying on this alone. Mindfulness practices however- are worthwhile re-learning strategies for how to think and experience what it is like to be You again, not yanked around like a dog on a leash by fear. This is not something where I can leave a couple of mindful awareness practices and that have much value but this is an example of mindful awareness practice..
Identify less with the fear /emotion. That does not mean try to ignore it. Acknowledge, but without judging it. (this may require some practice). If you try to make an emotion ¨wrong¨, it is as if you are missing the point so emotion serves you by coming back stronger.
At that point you should ask yourself what the fear could be trying to tell you besides that you are afraid that you might do X. Since this is chronic, it still might be about X - something you are neglecting or mis-ordered priorities, etc.. but you may just be finding a way to get the fear itself to make sense- by inventing something to be afraid of. In this case, the fear may be nervous malfunction, chemical imbalance or long held, unresolved trauma that you failed to face and come to terms with. Well I hope that drops a clue but for long term change, but as you might expect, there is a lot more to it.
- changes in activity level if you are not getting exercise, Your ability to cope, nervous system functions, attitude, mental clarity and self control are all at risk if you are not getting out and moving. Fast, low impact walking are fine. Get your heart rate up for at least 15 minutes a few times each week. Everything else works better when you do this. Increased activity if you are sedentary- is a Must. .
- Nutrition- balanced eating. Neglected? Get to work on it today. Don´t make it a big deal but take steps. Make lists. When one good habit has taken hold, add the next and so on. And Iĺl say it with No apologies - a well chosen dietary supplement and / or herbal medicine / supplement at some point if you are having continued problems. Nutrition and the lack thereof has a major impact on mental health. Herbal medicine- supplement, whatever they are allowed to call it - is a far cry better option that anything a psychiatrist will torture you with.
Sometimes those drugs work for a time, but they lead to problems that get continually more difficult to remedy. Don´t fall into that trap or fall for the lies being told by food and drug agencies about herbs they want to stop you from having access to- like Kratom. Gave me my life back and the will to forge ahead.
- Another word on supplements. Some people are afraid and conditioned by agencies that are funded by drug makers to oppose alternative means of health care (your responsibility, not the governments or an industry). Supplements and herbs have made my life tolerable and saved me from far more serious risk. Over the years, solved serious illness with ¨no other known treatment¨ besides surgery so Iḿ glad I researched and found that I could choose a seed oil in place of a splenectomy and more hamful drugs. That success started a long term trend in my life and I want people to know the value of research and a little faith on top. I now campaign hard to preserve our right to choose and to stop misinformation and product bans that are based on intentionally distorted facts and altered records. You don´t want to be limited to anxiety meds, trust me on that one.
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