Paranoia - Help

[Eeeekhelp]

I have always been a bit paranoid about things in the past however I feel like it’s spiralling out of control.

Here are some examples -

I feel like all of my friends meet up without me and speak about me (slag me off)
I feel like my DH family hate me and make digs towards me (DH said I am taking comments the wrong way)
I feel like people at my work speak about me when I leave the room
My DH works away and I feel like he’s either cheating on me or speaking to someone else (he had an emotional affair 2 years ago which probably triggered this)
Also many others things like my health, I get something into my head that I’m ill and freak out about it

Like I said above I have always known I’ve been abit paranoid but I was having a conversation with my DH and I had mentioned I walked in on his family slagging me off. I heard his auntie telling his other auntie to shhh when I walked in the room so really it could have been anything but I took it as I was being slagged off. My DH then told me to stop being so paranoid and it’s since then I’ve sat and thought to myself... holy shit I’m extremely paranoid. I don’t know how to stop this.

[Eeeekhelp]

Anyone

[Rosielee93]

Hi sorry no advice here just wanted to say I'm also really paranoid over stupid things and I'm really anxious too. Im not sure what the answer is tbh.

[Eeeekhelp]

Thanks for replying. I just don’t know what the next step is in trying to fix this

[bluegreenwhite]

Have you heard of CBT before, OP?

[Eeeekhelp]

Bluegreenwhite - I’ve just had a quick look online and I have heard of it before but never looked into it. Il look into that tonight, thanks

[Rosielee93]

My only advice would be counselling but that takes time. In the short term we're a bit stuck really. I try to just rationalise things in my head and not to always think the worst.

[RitmoRatmo]

Sorry to hear you’re having such troubling thoughts and feelings OP. From what you’ve posted it doesn’t sound like actual paranoia. Paranoid delusions/beliefs are a psychiatric condition which I you would not normally have insight into. It sounds like you’re anxious and having insecure thoughts, possibly based in low self-worth. Not that I’m trivialising such feelings, but at least these aren’t a sign of acute psychiatric illness (which would usually need anti-psychotics), and are instead very much things that can be improved through counselling and improving your self-worth.
All the best with things.

[Eeeekhelp]

The idea of having to sit down and do counselling just petrifies me too.

Yesterday my DH and I went through a drive thru and I 100% got into my head that the drive thru lady and my DH were flirting right in front of me. Usually I would have had this thought and that would be it but after I had this thought yesterday I knew I absolutely need to get help for this.

Ritmoratmo - thank you. Having these thoughts are mentally draining how ever I don’t feel mentally unwell. The low self worth does sound about right.