clouded judgement

[willwander]

when i have a bout of anxiety, i recognise that my ability to reason rationally is sometimes skewed, cbt also has the concept of thinking errors.

when im anxious i still need to make decisions/reasoning whatever just to get by in everyday life,

How you meant to know when your thinking straight and when your not?

or am i just thinking too much :)

[metalfossil]

good question

sometimes I just wish I had an off switch as I just would love to be able to switch my thoughts off.

what if, what if, what if..... :(

[athene42]

I know my judgment becomes quite clouded when I'm in a state of anxiety. It's like the ability to look at things rationally just disapears...
I'm new here and looking to hear from people who share these experiences. Thanks!

[txmom]

The way I test whether or not I'm thinking rationally, or worrying excessively or out of proportion about something that really isn't all that deserving of worry, is this:

I ask myself, "If this were happening to a friend or coworker, instead of to me, would I think she really had anything to worry about? Or would I simply assume that things would probably turn out okay for her?"

For instance, if my coworker had a headache, would I assume she had a brain tumor?
If my coworker had a rapid heartbeat, would I assume she was having a heart attack?

This helps minimize the problem back into the proper perspective; the answer is always "no". There are many other causes for the symptoms that are much more likely.

"If my coworker couldn't reach her her husband or son for over an hour on their cell phone, would it be reasonable to assume they'd probably died in a car accident?"

Of course not.

"If my coworker got in an argument with her husband, is it reasonable to assume he'll leave her?"

"If my coworker, an otherwise exemplary employee, called in sick to work one day, is it reasonable to assume she'll be fired?"

Not at all.

But see, these are all the things I worry about when it comes to me, personally. I always assume the worst. And no, it's not reasonable, but I do it anyway.

Sometimes I explain my problems to people, to get their take on it. By gauging other people's reactions to my problems, I can get some sort of a read on whether my worries are or are not realistic and rational.
If people seem put off, if they say, "You're really weird to be worried about that", etc... then it reassures me. It means the things I'm worried about won't happen. Nobody in their right mind thinks it's likely or possible.

So anyway, that's how I handle this type of thing.