"Catastrophic Thinking", Bizarre Anxiety Thoughts
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Chronic Anxiety a Complete Look
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Recently a young lady e-mailed, asking me if having bizarre thoughts about terrible things, was common with severe anxiety states. I assured her that these type thoughts were indeed common to anxiety sufferers and that the name for them is "catastrophic thinking".
She had described to me, that when severe anxiety states occurred with her, she would have racing thoughts, many of them having to do with the fear of losing control and hurting self, or others and sometimes the thought of even harming her own baby. This was understandably very concerning to her because like many anxiety sufferers, she believed these violent, sadistic and tragic type thoughts, indicated that she was on the verge of losing her sanity.
Catastrophic thinking, happens commonly with anxiety sufferers and many people refer to it as "what if thinking". Anxiety Disorder patients describe thoughts like the above ones, that the young lady described but these can also include other fearful thoughts, such as thinking you will lose control in front of other people and make a complete fool of yourself. Other patients may have thoughts of passing out and needing an ambulance, but not being in a location where others will notice and call for help. Others describe thoughts of snapping and becoming violent to others around them or running down a supermarket isle, screaming at the top of their lungs.
One of the reasons catastrophic thinking is so unpleasant, other than for the reasons already stated, is because these thoughts will increase and intensify already present anxiety conditions. Catastrophic thinking in fact, can be a trigger for panic attacks. These "what if thoughts", tend to lead from one to another, until multiple fearful thoughts, are all happening at once, which you could properly refer to as the "snowball effect". The thoughts gain momentum and loom larger and more scary to the sufferer, as they increase during anxiety states.
Why in the world are these catastrophic type thoughts so common to anxiety sufferers? According to anxiety researchers, they believe, these thoughts happen because the "fight or flight response", will kick-in a mechanism, having to do with our thought processes, which will begin to scan for dangers. Of course with anxiety disorders, there are no real dangers and so the mind, will tend to consider possibilities for why the body is reacting as it is, by triggering the fight or flight response. This scanning for dangers, is actually part of the protection mechanism, meant to keep us safe however, the person experiencing them, will misinterpret this as meaning they will actually act on these thoughts and fulfill them.
Let me assure you that this is not the case. The fact that the thoughts are scary to you, in itself, is proof that you do not wish to act on them. Someone who actually is considering such actions will actually take pleasure in these thoughts and contemplate them, rather than fearing them and fighting them. These type thoughts are very common to anxiety disorder sufferers and do not in any way, indicate that you are losing your sanity or actually about to snap and go out of control.
The best way to overcome the fear of such thoughts, which will in turn also cause them to fade away and stop happening, is to reassure yourself of these facts. I have read the testimonials of anxiety sufferers who actually learned to see humor in these thoughts, rather than being terrified of them and this resulted in catastrophic thinking, losing its power in their lives. This is of course easier said than done but with time and repeated reassuring of one's self, it can be accomplished, with very good results.
When you think about it, these type thoughts can actually be humorous and you might even add a little humor to them yourself, as they begin happening! For example, if you have a fear of losing control, add to that thought, the idea of climbing a tree and hanging from a limb, upside down by your legs. This might sound like a ridiculous method but it can be as effective as any other method, in diverting your thoughts and getting them more under your control. A final bit of advice I would give however, is not to make it a fight or struggle, any more than you have to, instead, almost make a little game out of it, or see it as an interesting experiment because anxiety seems to thrive on struggle. Once you gain ground on catastrophic thinking, you will see the struggle aspect of gaining control of your thoughts, fade away and over time, it will automatically be replaced with pleasant, positive thoughts and thinking.
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Comments
Thanks Jill, it comes from one who has been there! Be looking for posts I will make very soon of audios I have on the subjects as well. These will be links with short descriptions and you just click the links and the audios will play within seconds, without having to download them. I was in public speaking for 20 years and this is where my interest in producing audios came from. Some of the audios aren't as good a quality as others because I used different software for different ones and some of it produced less-quality ones but all are very listenable. I'll get those posted soon.
Thank you SO much for this article.
I've been suffering from this and thought i was going crazy, and reading this definately helped me understand what was going on in my mind and body. THANK YOU SO MUCH
haleigh, you are very welcome.The unreality symptoms are very common with chronic anxiety sufferers but not much coverage of this subject is offered out there. Just knowing it is common and not dangerous can be liberating to anxiety sufferers. They find relief in the fact that unreality symptoms are not the same as actually losing touch with reality, it only feels very much like they are. It helps tremendously to know that no one actually goes crazy from anxiety no matter how much they may feel like they will.
Here's a link you might enjoy, where a PhD Psychologist also states that unreality symptoms are common and not dangerous:click here>> http://www.anxietynetwork.com/pdfear.html
Jim, I cannont tell you how much this has helped me.God definitly had a hand in guiding me to this page.I have had severe anxiety for years now and the worst part are the "crazy thoughts" going threw my head....i can deal with anxiety but having thoughts about hurting people I love i just cant deal with.you said to make a joke out of it, and i definitly agree...but how can i make the thought of hurting people close to me humerous.~Woody
it was good to read this i feel like im going mad no noe understands i av strange thoughts i feel so scared and so alone .i av suffered for years and i hate feeling the way i do . i take propananol and st johns wort and dont feel im ever going to get better
how can i help myself i feel stuck.are these thoughts false. i dont av no support. please help
sue, anxiety disorders need time to see improvement from. It takes them a good while to become disorders and also takes time to see progress in overcoming and improving from them. You're already taking trials of supplements to help but also keep working on coping methods because over time you will see gains on it! Do a search online on the subject of "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy" and learn all you can. Also consider listening to my anxiety audio "Chronic Anxiety a Complete Look", that you see posted at top, right side of this hub, that I have available through amazon. Just keep at it and you can't help but see improvement over time but stay determined and with a positive attitude toward recovery. Also don't battle anxiety but try to relax into it and make a game out of coping with it. This takes the stress out of the therapy and helps you take the struggle out of it.
I have anxiety thoughts, but they are so ridiculous they are funny. However, this doesn't make the fear go away. For instance, in panic mode I believe (don't laugh) that there is a group of large lobsters trying to get into my house. I know this is not true. (I live in the mountains) I know it's not true when it is happening. That doesn't dissolve the fear. The fear is so real. This is just one of my weird thoughts. Others include getting a phone call that my father has died (Dad dies ten years ago). Someone is going to ask me to be a hitman and I am scared to tell them no. I have forgotten to feed and take care of a horse that I don't even own. So on. These are silly thoughts. I know they are silly thoughts when they are happening, but the fear and worry still exsists. On the up swing always funny afterwards. Any suggestions? I did prepare butter for the lobsters.
Gert,
I enjoyed reading your comments and appreciate them! Thanks also for the laugh at the end, that was really nice to top off my day.
It's interesting that you're using humor to help you cope with the catastrophic thoughts. I actually suggest using humor to overcome both catastrophic thoughts and unreality type symptoms. In other words if the thoughts that come during severe anxiety spells can be laughed at, you cause them to lose their punch! It's as effective a way to overcome them and even defeat them, as any other aspect of Cognitive Begavioral Therapy is (changing how you react to thoughts).
Click the link below and I think you'll be pleasantly surprized at how your reactions to the phobia-thoughts (see humor in them) are what I actually suggest! Thanks again for the great comments.
Click here>> http://hubpages.com/hub/Overcoming-Catastrophic-An
Hi Jim,
Thank you for sharing with us your experience and what you learned from it.
I have been having this irrational thoughts for 8 months, either hurting myself or loved one, or loosing control at work especially if a co-worker makes a nasty comment, and what is scaring me are this non-stop thoughts that I am tired of this routine how can people enjoy this life especially the ones like me who have to do almost same things eveyday? Is this the way my life is going to be? May be my old self is lost? ...
Can you please help me. I used to be a happy person all the time I did have bad days like any person but not with this non-stop irrational and scary thoughts.
Thank you so much!
Maggie,
If I may, I will refer you to my audio download on anxiety coping. I put my best knowledge into it and a lot of heart as well. It is the one you see advertised at Amazon at the top-right of this article titled: "Chronic Anxiety a Complete Look". It's only priced at .99cents but is full-length and upon ordering it, you're supplied a download link that allows it to play on your computer.
It really does contain my best advice and if you order it, I hope it is very helpful.
Blessings,
Jim
Thank you for this eye opener, I have had anxiety attacks but not to the point of thinking of hurting myself or my loved one. very informative hub. creativeone59
creativeone59,
Thanks for reading and commenting on the Hub!
Some people, even with severe anxiety don't experience the catastrophic thoughts. Those who do are really concerned by the thoughts but at the same time, they know they don't desire to act on them. This is why the thoughts are so concerning, because they are bizzarre and not typical of thoughts the person normally has. It often causes the fear that they are going crazy but that's not the case and these type thoughts are common with chronic anxiety.
Thanks again!
When i was 18 i started to suffer from panic attacks 2 days before i went on my spring break and had the worst time ever cause i would focus on that feeling so much that I would make myself have panic attacks over and over. The thoughts creeped in when i was on the airplane and i had an attack and i wanted to punch out the window. it terrified me that i would think about it and started to look at the window. i new that i would would never do it but the thought kept crossing my mind. now i wont get on an airplane cause i think i might might have that feeling or thought again. its been eight years and i have misssed so many good times due to this. i used to have a ton of crazy thoughts but over the years i have been able to cope and deal with all of them except for this one and i cant figure out why. now i know your going to say just do what you did with the others and your right but i just dont want to chance it cause i dont want to hurt anybody. it almost makes me say why me but without this i was on a track that it stoped me from going down but also held me back from college away and vacations. lost girlfriends over it and can never go anywhere unless i have to drive. gas is getting 2 exspensive lol. to all you out there time and education makes it go away or makes it a lot easier. knowinbg that there are others is the big thing. i am going to continue my healing and hope to fly one day and enjoy all the world has to offer.
jonny,
Thanks for that great testimonial and comments! It's always inspiring to hear from fellow anxiety sufferers who've defeated negative anxiety at any and every level.
jim..... how did you find all this stuff out??? i start starting have thoughts about hurting very close people to me... i read your artical about 2 weeks ago and every since then its been easier for me to fight.... somtimes i wonder wwill i acaully do this?? but u just keep fighting and i just want to thank you like all the other people have you have truley made a diffrence in all of are lives!!! thank u again!!
samantha,
I found these liberating facts, the same as you have, by searching and finding the info!
As you have aleady discovered, understanding that the thoughts are caused by the "fight or flight response" and are not actually harmful or dangerous, although extremely unpleasant, brings immediate coping power.
The fear that the thoughts indicate developing insanity or that you'll act on them, is what fuels the anxiety and causes it to keep cycling.
I'm thrilled to hear you have found this first major step to ongoing coping! Thanks also for commenting!
Jill Morgyn says:
2 years ago
Your article series on panic disorder is interesting!