Anxiety out of control - feeling terrible and can’t switch brain off

[ineedtocalmdown]

I suffer with anxiety and ocd. Sometimes I’m better than others - sometimes I’m terrible like now. I drive my family mad. I’ve done cbt and had counselling snd try to follow strategies / exercise etc but I just can’t switch my head off. I get a thought / worry In my head and it goes round and round until I literally can think of nothing else and I start to feel physically unwell which then makes me think I am actually ill. Stomach pains shivering / trembling peeing a lot etc, loss of appetite The current worry is Covid. The thought that numbers are rising in those double jabbed and showing no symptoms - if i did test positive I’d lose work and ruin holiday plans for my family but more importantly I can’t relax because of a fear of harming someone else with a virus I might have even though rationally it’s highly unlikely and there’s no reason to think I would have picked it up . I’m double jabbed and being really careful but all I think about at the moment is what happens if I test positive. I was doing regular Lfts in fact too regular but my ds has just gone overseas and I’m petrified of testing in case it comes back positive and what would I then do about him as he would have had contact with me within 48 hours but then my other side needs the reassurance . I have no reason to be believe I have covid I feel a bit off because of the anxiety symptoms - the ocd is saying test for reassurance the non ocd brain says no need to test as no symptoms and let sleeping dogs lie. I find it hard to work because I can’t focus. Don’t really know what I’m looking for but reassurance, I just want to fe carefree like I used to !

If I said "I think your hair is made of Astroturf" would you worry about that? No, of course not - because my thought is (palpably) untrue. In the same way your thoughts about Covid - while not 100% false - are very, very unlikely.

Try this. When you have an anxious thought, stop what you are doing and write it down.

Then write down the factual evidence or proof in favour for this thought.

Then write down the factual evidence or proof against this thought. (In this instance, look up the actual percentage risk of you, double jabbed, becoming seriously ill with Covid.)

Then write down what you would say to a friend who came to you with the thought you are having. What would you say to reassure them? Say that to yourself.

We can't stop our thoughts, but by realising that they are not true and putting them on trial in the above exercise we can control our response and reaction.

You could also watch to understand what's going on in your body. Knowing what's going on can really help calm the anxious response.