Guys, I'm a really paranoid person.
I'm often correct in having these thoughts since they turn out to be true, but in some cases they're not and it really gets to me.
For example, if I don't get a reply from a friend I worry that they're ignoring me for a reason, when in reality they're probably just busy.
it's a horrible feeling and it really digs at me. I don't know what to do anymore because it's actually affecting my life quite a lot now, like I feel my life is slowly beginning to revolve around paranoia.
Am I justified in having paranoid thoughts, especially when you consider they usually turn out to be true? How do I stop it from eating me up inside?
pic unrelated ofc
take antipsychotics
they're cash as fuck, i had the same issue
>>17133163
I don't wanna resort to any drugs though, surely I can deal with it without them
>>17133157
There's a specific cognitive bias that could cause you to feel like you have a better track record with your paranoia than you actually do, so you should be careful about that.
Other than that, though, I can understand not wanting to deal with drugs, but you should at least talk to a therapist. They can help you figure out how big of a problem it is for you.
>>17133172
You may want to consider cognitive behavior therapy, OP--the root of it would be to learn how to challenge certain assumptions and basically discover how to "think differently." We can convince ourselves that just about anything is "true" or that we're right "all of the time" as a defense mechanism, but it takes practice and confidence to give others the benefit of the doubt and to realize that "not everyone really is against me" or "not everything done is personal." There are self-help books out there, OP, and you CAN overcome this! GL!
>>17133211
It's true - Just because I've been right before doesn't mean I'll be right again.
the people I'm thinking about are actually my closest friends, maybe that's why I'm so worked up over it too. it's not so much the shit they do either, but the fact that I'm left out of the loop.
I just want to be able to calm down.
>>17133215
So basically, I have to start thinking differently, and learn to trust people, or at least not assume things?
I have objective reasons to assume some things though, which is part of the problem I guess.
>>17133157
I feel the same way a lot of the tune, and while you can try to lie to yourself that it's not really true, the fact is that it's much more likely that we are just unlikeable than it is that we have some rare disorder that just makes us incorrectly believe we are.
>>17133229
*a lot of the time
>>17133222
You can rationalize yourself into being able to objectively believe just about anything. That's why conspiracy theorists are so common, and why paranoia often isn't something you can just think your way out of.
>>17133246
Yeah that makes perfect sense.
What do I do then? If I can't simply outthink it, what do I do? Do I get to the root of the problem and just personally try and change things?
>>17133268
Talk with someone about it, preferably a professional. Even if it isn't a professional, I think an outside perspective could be more helpful than trying to deal with it yourself. Other than that, you could try to just constantly doubt any thoughts that sound like paranoia.
you need to stop looking at the small picture.
and realize your life is made up of thousands and thousands and thousands of these little events.
so there's no point stressing out over one single message or missed call or flat tire.
Think of how many have already past and how many are ahead.
One tiny what-if is not worth thinking over.
think of how much energy and slow anguish you've caused yourself over worrying over little shit that accounted to nothing
think of how much energy you spent on something that did turn out to be something. was it worth it? did agonizing and toiling over it really help you in the end?
if you smoke, stop. or anything else that may cause you to go off tilt:allnighters/irregular sleep, shitty diet, hanging around toxic people, binge drinking, doing too much of one thing, etc
it's just a truck.
>>17133290
Thank you. This really helped. Thinking about things won't really change it at this point - Even if I'm right, all I can do is wait to take action.
the fact that I've been through this a lot is pretty much living proof that it works out in the end anyway.
