Avoiding Anxiety Triggers
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- čas přidán 19. 01. 2013
- When it comes to avoiding anxiety triggers, approach them in the same way you would if you had a physical injury: understand what's causing the pain and stop that, do specific exercises to recover from the injury, and then gradually but consistently reintroduce the trigger, learning to embrace it in a healthy way so you don't run into the same problems again in the future.
Your 4 minute video has taught me more about myself than 13 years of therapy. Thank you.
Seriously almost anything triggers my anxiety at this point I dug myself so deep
Angelo Moreno I used to be like this too I have overcome it though by changing my baseline ... message me or check out my page if you want info or suggestions :)
I'm the exact same way
You Counselling how can I message you?
Christopher Diehl hey man we're in this together , you should really take a few minutes and watch some Ralph smart he's truly helped me with a lot
I have sleep anxiety so when people ask about my sleep I assume they're obsessing about it. Because a therapist used this method for me with anxiety; she said to use "counter thoughts", evidence against the anxiety. The problem is, anxiety seems a lot more convincing. So even though I know it's irrational, I feel like my anxieties are true because then I get confirmation bias when someone says or does something that to me confirms obsessing.
Thanks for checking out the videos! Struggling with judgments about what's "real" can throw up a lot of barriers. I found it useful to just ditch "real" and focus instead on healthy actions, regardless of whether a worry seemed "real" or not. You might find my videos on being irrationally healthy and false/real memories helpful. All the best on this journey!
I am an OCD specialist . The videos are great Mark, Great work
Thanks a lot. That's great you have your brother there to help you. And congratulations on 2 years of sobriety! Keep truckin'!
Constantly a source of wise support. Thanks Mark once again
Thank you, Gavin!
Thank you so much for your videos. You are so positive and encouraging
Thanks for sharing your videos-Mark!! Very enjoyable!! I have been suffering from ocd and severe depression for about 40 years. I am working thru the OCD workbook and with a therapist with CBT.ERP, but as you know, OCD is an extremely "Tricky/Clever opponent". :) The "Beast" in my head keeps telling me that this latest obsession is Real, unlike the others that "Imprisoned me". It has me "Constantly in horrific pain/panic attacks", unable to concentrate. It's one "Hellish nightmare", but hopeful.
Love the throwing analogy and learning to throw differently. Super helpful!
Thanks so much for the message! That's fantastic. I'm really glad you've found it useful. I use The Hammer for every compulsion I run into as well so keep smashing away with it as you move along on this journey.
Thanks! ERP is great but I'd need to know more to explain how you can use it here. I'd also suggest Acceptance. A big part of what's going on is that you're attaching meaning to things. For example, if I believe blue skies are a "problem", I'm going to get very upset every day I see a blue sky. But I attached that meaning to blue skies. Often with OCD we attach labels to things, judge those labels, and then react to those judgements. Learning to accept things as they are is tremendously helpful.
Thanks, Sharon!
Thank you , good advice .
Thanks for the response Mark!! You and your Videos are Extremely helpful!! I watch one or two a day...and let them digest, naturally. :) My Twin brother has OCD, as well. He works with me "daily", as he has his "Manageable". It's tough for me to get thru ea day. I'm Tough, tho!! I freed myself(2 years Totally Sober) from Alcohol, which I used to "Self-medicate", as I see is common to help with the Pain and Suffering-but not a good idea.
Good Luck in All your Journeys, pal!! :) Keep on Truckin!!
Thanks for watching them!
Awesome!
You're welcome!
Hello Mark. These videos of yours has been super helpful. I deal more with spiritual OCD rooted in doubts, questions that become obsessional and no matter the evidence or logic my brain obsesses and uncertainty triumphs me. Thoughts on how to approach? I know what I believe but my feeling of uncertainty, anxiety, fear trick me
I too have this. I heard in a video that the brain doesn't understand religion, it's part of our OCD.
This is lovely ❤️✨
Thank you
Very helpful video. Im from northwest USA and did I pickup on a Canadian accent? Just wondering :)) thankyou
Confronting your fears and anxiety triggers is the most effective solution for anxiety recovery.
It is useful!
Hi Omar-I have the same "Obsession" with Guitar Amplifiers. I am a Professional Jazz guitarist. The OCD Workbook-Bruce Hyman has been very helpful to me. You list your "Triggers/annoying poison" tugs, and in my case-I used Imaginal Exposure-recorded a tape with my voice, of a Horrific situation if the amp failed on the gig. Listen to it 45 minutes per day for one month while obstaining from thinking the disturbing thoughts. Refrain from Reassuring yourself at All Costs-that's what the beast want
Triggers! My house is a minefield. There are so many triggers.
Hey Mark. In the video you quoted "sometimes it may be healthy to stop anxiety triggers for a while." Could this be said too for when I was trying to talk to people so much? I thought the stress was because I wasn't taking to people so I'd force myself and when I felt anxious I'd try even harder but nothing seemed to work. So for like two weeks I haven't been talking to people and a little quiet, really only talking when I truly had something to say. I've stopped reacting to the "talk!!" thoughts. Now I'm slowly bringing back me initiating conversations (I wasn't doing it for those 2 weeks) but it's been much less stressful. Do you think this could be said for any value we may be compulsively engaging , if we are pushing ourselves too hard to take a step back and give ourselves space?
Sure, that makes sense. It's great you're finding a path that works for you!
:) I have not had an issue since.
thanls a lot sir
Hey Mark, massive thanks for your vids. Recently the ocd has come up on people, particularly a few friends faces. "Can I see them properly?" "Can I see how they look?" etc Feeling like I need to judge or know some crucial thing about there face or how they look. Its tough as with other things like looking in the mirror or checking the stove , I know to embrace the fear and walk away. But here I have to keep looking at them to engage conversation etc, (As you normally would!). But I keep trying to check if I can "See them". Is very hard to stop myself and has been making me Ill. Its like me showing you the number 22 and saying ok look at the number again but don't check what it says. Seems impossible! :/ How do I not check but look at something at the same time?
Kyle Nash This sounds like a compulsion that typically grows from other compulsions and one of the most helpful approaches can be cutting out those other compulsions. So I would look to other actions in your life that are about trying to get things "right" or "proper" or "complete" or "certain".
Another big help is learning how to be mindful. In the past, I had a compulsion around making eye contact with people. But if I'm with a group of people and I'm just focused on whether I'm making eye contact with them, then I'm not pay attention to what they're saying. I'm just thinking about myself. Learning to practice mindful listening helped to give my attention to the other person rather than giving it to OCD and letting my mind wander off. I have a video called "Everyday Mindfulness for OCD and other Anxiety Disorders" czcams.com/video/ZGhx_H9Njmo/video.html that might be interesting to check out. A great book that I like for learning about mindfulness in everyday activities is called "Peace is Every Step" by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Happy mindful listening!
Yup, I think you onto something there bud. Thank you so much! :)
very clever man, you know it
I have been doing extensive therapy for almost a year now and it has been helping but we haven't started on my OCD yet... we have been working on my PTSD and generalized anxiety and panic disorder... i find when i think about starting work on my OCD im very scared to be without my compulsions and rituals i have had OCD for over 16 years and its all i know... i also need to try and accept my issues i also have Tourette Syndrome for 20 years and that coupled with My OCD is my life... any advice???
hi mark, i suffer from relationship themed OCD and intrusive thoughts, and going over to my girlfriends house or spending time alone with her inside triggers my anxiety. last time i was there, which was a month ago, i had a panic attack in front her. this weekend im going to try visiting her again because i want to face my fear and get used to doing that so i can go back to "normal". do you have any tips on how i can cope with the anxiety while im there? thank you
+Gabi Marques I actually think "coping" with anxiety is not a good idea. Anxiety is a form of pain. It's far more useful to change the things causing the pain instead of trying to cope with the pain. If a lion attacked you, it would cause a lot of pain. Coping with the pain might seem like a good idea, and you could do all sorts of things to try to distract yourself or take some medication or repeat some mantras to yourself in your head, and those things might help relieve the pain, but THERE'S A LION EATING YOU! Covering up the pain is only going to help the lion, not you. Getting rid of the lion is a much more useful thing to do. So before you go, it might help to explore why you get anxious at your girlfriend's. Why are you anxious when you spend time alone with her? It's very likely that the thing causing you anxiety actually has nothing to do with your girlfriend. There might be some beliefs or judgments or compulsions that you can start to overcome before you go to her house. Here's a video on compulsions that might be useful in this process of exploration: czcams.com/video/VeynBEFcRd4/video.html
I'm confused now should i expose myself to the fear and thoughts for example i watch anime and that triggers alot of harmful thoughts should i stop watching it or should i continue
We don't do healthy things to be successful in beating OCD. That's a similar thought process to somebody who checks the doorknob to be safe, or checks how they feel towards their partner to be certain they're in love, or washes obsessively to be certain they're clean, etc. That thought pattern: "IF I DO X THEN Y" is the problem. So break it. Just do healthy things to do them. Doing them is success, not the outcome.
And I see these people every day, I have been on sleeping tablets for a many years, please give advice Peter Hung
It could help to see there are more compulsions going on here. It might be useful to work with a skilled professional or grab a good workbook to learn about mental health skills. People saying things doesn't give us anxiety, but us doing compulsions around the things they say can easily create anxiety. It's our interactions with experiences that we can change. Taking sleeping pills for many years would also be wrapped up in that.
sukcks that most of my triggers come when i dont expect them.. and they are the worst :/
Kiri Kiske you can change that... I used to have bad anxiety and have overcome it and make a lot of videos on my own thoughts on this topic,
you are preaching to the choir Kiri
Sir can u provide video on compulsive of breathing bcz many people like me are suffering compulsion in breathing
It really is the same as any compulsion. So any of these videos would apply.
When someone said something that I don't like then I get anxiety, or se someone I don't like, then I get anxiety, can you please help me how to overcome this
I've been dizzy for a month driving
Should I communicate my anxiety triggers with people? Or should I keep that to myself?
Righteous Right Hand huh?
Let them know, why should they judge you for your anxiety
What if you cannot control/avoid the trigger? My dog getssick pretty often and that triggers my anxiety. I cannot know when he will be unwell.
But this video is about the fact that trying to avoid anxiety triggers IS the problem. If your dog is sick, that's an opportunity to care for your dog and give it support instead of putting anxiety in charge
@@everybodyhasabrain thank you Mark ! I always do, i would not forgive myself if i did not ! I won't let anxiety stop me from caring for my baby ! Thank you ! I was a bit confused as you said we should avoid it a bit at first and go gradual but in such situations i cannot go gradual as it is ALL or nothing haha !
It's great you're tackling this and it's completely normal to feel what you're feeling. I had the same experience. Check out my video about "Stockholm Syndrome". Even though anxiety disorders snatch away our lives, it is very terrifying to live without constantly trying to control fear...at first. But throw yourself into that fear the same way you're tackling your other fears. Life without constantly being held hostage by fear is so incredibly awesome that it makes it all worth it. Keep pushing!
This "Cat"-Mark Freeman is Totally "Inspirational"!! :) He knows how the OCD/Monster tries to "Manipulate/Control" the person with the "Faulty Brain Circuitry" better than Any Psychiatrist/Psychologist I've ever seen to Recover. There is NO Magic>CBT is not something that the Therapist "Does" to you-It's something they simply "Coach" you to find what ocd is "Tricking you to keep you in the Dark closet of Fear". It is up to the "Sufferer" to do the "Legwork". Sit on the sidelines and you'll stay.
Another helpful tool for ocd sufferers, along with daily CBT/ERP, that I've found helpful, is "Practicing Mindfulness/Meditation". I "Practice"-30 Minutes-minimum of "Sitting/Walking" Mindful Meditation thru Dr Mark Muesse's Practicing Mindfulness/The Great Courses DVD's-I'm sure there are others, tho. My compulsions are "Mental", so I have the challenge of not Reassuring mentally, which is kindof tricky, but I'm in Charge of thought I sit-Focused only on my breathing on a cushion for 30 minutes
Do not make the mistake like I have done, to try to continue to "Control/overcontrol" those Anxious Intruding thoughts-no Matter what the "Beast" tells you. It'll get you playing "Right into it's evil/bulliesh" Grimy hands-Where you go back and forth in Horror, or at the very least, Arguing with it's questions ALL DAY. Get out of that Cycle. The million dollar question is "HOW"?? The answer is "WHATEVER IT TAKES" to refocus on something else, till you get to "Normalcy" where everyone else lives.
Make videos about religious ocd
How is it different than any other compulsion? It is the same checking, the same rituals, trying to control a fear of a bad thing happening... All of the videos that are already up here apply to it.
People trigger me