question

[blah27e]

this is taking me a lot of courage to talk about this but here goes: / well im worried that my eyes some how might get poked out or something so i have created a habbit of messing with them, like ummmm : / :( kinda sticking my finger in eye at the bottom ......and doing that makes me think im going crazy because who does things like that?:((( help?

[Robbed]

Actually, what you say is not all that unusual. It's really just a form of obsessive thoughts, which is not at all uncommon when experiencing an anxiety disorder. And regardless of the nature of these obsessive thoughts, the cure is the same: accept them and allow them to be present without engaging them, while continuing to do what you were doing when they happened. But remember that this can be VERY uncomfortable at first. And it will take time for these thoughts to cease to be problematic - longer than you think it should. So rather than feeling hopeless because you still have this problem a few weeks from now, continue to accept for the long haul.

[agoraphobia]

Actually, what you say is not all that unusual. It's really just a form of obsessive thoughts, which is not at all uncommon when experiencing an anxiety disorder. And regardless of the nature of these obsessive thoughts, the cure is the same: accept them and allow them to be present without engaging them, while continuing to do what you were doing when they happened. But remember that this can be VERY uncomfortable at first. And it will take time for these thoughts to cease to be problematic - longer than you think it should. So rather than feeling hopeless because you still have this problem a few weeks from now, continue to accept for the long haul.

I tend to disagree with the method of just let the anxiety run its course. The reason for this is I don't see anyway of being able to bring the anxiety under control.

You need to break the S and R bond, and you can achieve this by desensitization. You must also know that anxiety will not cause you to become "crazy", and you must remind yourself of this while you are feeling this way. I know it is not easy at all, but you have to start at some point.

You are thinking neg. thoughts/false information. Although this is not easy to do when you are feeling this way, you need to correct the false information by telling yourself that the truth of the matter is that I am not going crazy, and what are the chances of you going blind? If you worked somewhere that has flying debri, your chances may increase if you don't wear your safety goggles.

You can write a list of "what ifs", but ask yourself this: What are the chances of this happening?

I have suffered with panic attacks and Agoraphobia for a long time. It's ironic that when I was in college I majored in Psy, and then changed to Nursing. Yet I still have these thoughts when I become anxious, or rather make myself anxious. This becomes a learned behaviour, and your responce to the fear/anxiety is the thought of going going crazy, losing your eye sight, and I would imagine many other things.

If you are seeing a psychologist , one method they use is desensitization, and the focus is breaking the S&R bond. I know of many people that see their psychologist , and for homework, until the next visit, they are supposed to practice these relaxation exercises, and although they may try it once, and because it didn't work the first time, they don't try any more.

The more you do this, the better you will get, and then you will start the reconditioning phase, and will be able to reduce the level of anxiety quickly.

My advise is not to accept the anxiety, but to accept the fact that it is only anxiety, and that it is uncomfrotable, as is a headache, but you have had these many times, and you have not went crazy, lost your vision, fingers..etc, and you will not lose any of the above from anxiety.

Also, again it is important to correct your thinking during this time. False VS truth - rational thinking. Not easy but can be done, and do your relaxation exercises that is prescribed by your DR., and you will be on the road to having the tools needed to reduce the level of anxiety.

I hope this helps in some way. Hang in there, and you will get to a point where you can get a handle on this. ;)