Sudden intrussive thoughts/images

[Dave Tupper]

Hi all

I suffer from a generalized anxiety disorder and was diagnosed many years ago. For the past 6 months I have been experiencing random unconnected images that just pop into my head out of no where. They frighten me and get my anxiety going. I am scared that it is a greater problem and that something is wrong with my brain, like I have the onset of Alzheimer or Parkinsons, or something along those lines. It really frightens me because they come out of no where.

For instance I will just be sitting at my computer at work typing away and I will get an image of the pizza guy coming to my house or some girl I haven't seen in 10 years and she had little meaning to me then and now. I was doing my taxes and I got an image of another lady I used to know dancing through a field. I also haven't seen her in years and she has nothing to do with a field.

Also when I have been trying to sleep it seems as soon as I lay down and close my eyes I get images right away. Such as last night The following images came into my head pretty quickly and left: a coconut cut in half, 2 paint brushes, a C-shaped box, German, a kid I havent seen in 15 years, twigs, Velcro, Daffy duck, some random old guy, freeze pops, and a red dodge car. I eat freeze pops but everything else seems random. This doesn't happen every night either.

Also, some nights I have been experiencing dreams while still awake it seems. I will close my eyes and think of writing stuff down and I will visualize it, then I see my cat jump up and want to push her away but the whole cat part seems like a dream. Or another example was it was snowing and I was awake but dreamed I had to go shovel my garage out, but I dont have a garage. I open my eyes and it scares me almost like they are delusions.

I am hoping it will pass and it is stress and anxiety related. But it really scares me and ruins my day. No one can seem to give me any certain answers or relate.

I do have mild OCD. But these don't seem to fall in the three categories of intrusive thoughts, and what I am experiencing seems to be images.

Thanks

Dave

[em1]

It sounds to me that you have got anxiety and yes it very well could be to do with stress

[ac17]

My anxiety is very driven by visuals as well. I will get random visuals of horrible things happening around me whether it involves people I know or don't know! I leaned through therapy that you are in full control of your thoughts! You are not going crazy or mental. Next time when you get a visual or thought that might frighten you or make you anxious, stop and say to yourself " I'm going to change this visual or thought into ones that reflect a comfort zone" examples can be of a beach or reading a new book if you like reading books.... Basically anything that makes you happy! :) you can do this!

[Dave Tupper]

The images I have are unconnected to anything I am doing and just pop in to my head. They actual images are night frightening or anxiety causing but the thought of having them come out of no where for no reason is what is causing my anxiety with this. I can't control them because they come out of no where. I feel like they come in more when I am less focused but they do scare me because there is no sense in why I should have an image of someone I knew 10 years ago dancing in a field with nothing around to remind me of them.

[Cobra]

The images I have are unconnected to anything I am doing and just pop in to my head. They actual images are night frightening or anxiety causing but the thought of having them come out of no where for no reason is what is causing my anxiety with this. I can't control them because they come out of no where. I feel like they come in more when I am less focused but they do scare me because there is no sense in why I should have an image of someone I knew 10 years ago dancing in a field with nothing around to remind me of them.

Some people call that imagination or daydreaming. I think your problem is not the images. We all get images in our head. The problem is anxiety. You have anxiety, and you have associated the images with the adrenaline, making something that is quite normal feel threatening. It's like how people become scared to drive. They get nervous while driving, have a panic attack, and associate driving with that terrible fear. The images are harmless and normal. You fear the fear that they are triggering.