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.

Anyone

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.

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

Have you heard of CBT before, OP?

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

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.

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.

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.