Weekly Prompt #37: This is your Worry Jar
Hello all and welcome back to another discussion,
Last week, we discussed: How has anxiety affected your overall sense of self-worth or confidence? Thank you to all who participated and shared your thoughts with us. I appreciate you all. I hope all who may read it find it relatable too. If anyone hasn't shared yet, please share them here and I look forward to reading and discussing them with you.
This week's prompt: Add your worry to this Worry Jar! Here's how:
Whenever an anxious thought pops up, write it and share it here with us. This thread will act as a jar. At the end of the week/month, take a look at the worries. Do they seem as scary anymore? Share with us
I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences!
@ASilentObserver I have a nasty habit of talking before thinking 😕 I'm worried that a joke question between friends with silly humour, might be taken as inappropriate with the forum supporters. I don't want to get in trouble 😕
@Tinywhisper11 I hear you tiny. You are concerned about saying something that may be misinterpreted by others. What do you think would happen if they took your joke the wrong way?
@ASilentObserver they didn't, my friends found it funny as I knew they would. But if anyone else was to read it it could of been taken as inappropriate, so I panicked, and asked for it to be removed
@ASilentObserver i worry about how those around me may be thinking of me. Im afraid that, like so many people ive met in my life are nice to my face, and behind my back are talking down about me, even when i have no reason tp suspect that this os happening.
I tend to overthink everything. I sometime play over conversations I need to have with someone. WhenI talk to the person Their response to it is mostly different than I thought it would be.
I do this as well, and the expectation that the convo goes south is so hard to move past that train of thought
I'll be retiring in the next year and I'm really worried about the state of the world.
@MissPen I understand that Pen, it can be difficult when we have big changes coming up and there is so much uncertainty. What thoughts come up for you when you think about retirement?
Oh so many thoughts: Will I have enough money to live on? - we've tried to plan for it, but still, I worry. What will I do with my time - clean house constantly? What happens when I'm spending 24X7 with my husband? Will I be relevant to anyone any more? Will my health remain good? Then there are all the concerns about the bigger picture of politics in America and what that could mean as we age. I know that most of what I worry about is never going to be an issue. I try to just breath deep and let the thoughts go,
I struggle with intrusive thoughts surrounding the wellbeing of my children. A lot of times, the intrusive thoughts are violent and extremely unpleasant. I worry a lot about money, my home never being clean, my husband being unhappy (he is a very negative person, a trait which he hid and masked well until after we had children). I worry about my family, my health, my overeating (which I am working on with the help of a therapist and workout application on my phone).
@yellowPineapple3652 that is a lot weighing on you right now, pine. The worries can feel overwhelming when they are intrusive and violent. Would you like to share more with us? We are here with you
@ASilentObserver. Thanks for your support, and for hosting and posting these threads. I am working on being more open and honest with myself and others about my anxieties, so TW: Intrusive thoughts
I was diagnosed with postpartum OCD in the early spring of 2021, after the birth of my daughter. My intrusive thoughts were flashes at first, unbidden images of her being injured, becoming ill, or being in a dangerous situation, like drowning or getting burned in a fire. I had a lot of nightmares and night terrors about her dying, even saw images of myself tossing her down the stairs or leaving her in a hot car. I felt like an awful mother and like I was going insane. I hid this from everyone, in fear that my precious girl would be taken from me.
Eventually it worsened until I started to fear that I would become a danger to myself or my baby, so I googled and found a postpartum-specific therapist in my area. She's been AMAZING and literally saved my life. I started listening to mindfulness podcasts and working through some of my emotions and processing them. I started keeping a journal. My therapist also referred me to a nurse practitioner in my area who specializes in postpartum mood disorders. Together as a team, we have got me on a medication regimen that works and I see my therapist once a month now.
I am still working on understanding and resolving some of my anxieties in the other areas I mentioned- finance, family relationships, etc. But the intrusive thoughts are getting to be less and less. My daughter is now 3 and my son is 20 months old.
im scared to drive today because im afraid i might crash
@LostGirl92 I am sorry to hear you are feeling anxious about driving today, Lost. What thoughts come up for you when you think about possibly crashing?
@ASilentObserver
I think about the physical damage to the cars, the police and ambulance coming, I think about if I get hurt or my kids or if I hurt someone else. I think about the financial stress and loss of the vehicle, or having to call for help
I have a fear that everyone is looking at me with sympathy, like I am just someone to feel bad for, not respect.
@ASilentObserver I worry that I am not deserving of my degree because I did not get to finish it on time... I hope that I still get to graduate and move on to the next steps in my education and career.
@sincerePlane4053 I am so sorry to hear that plane. That sounds like a heavy burden to carry. What thoughts pop up for you when you think about not finishing your degree on time?
@ASilentObserver I feel disappointed and anguished. I do not know how to describe it, but the feeling is in my gut and my stomach. It is very unfortunate, but I will be able to retake the course I need to complete the program.
@sincerePlane4053 It feels like you are experiencing difficult emotions related to not being able to finish your degree on time. Feeling disappointed and having a sensation in your stomach can be tough. You have all of us here with you E. Keep taking your small steps and know you progressing. How do you process these emotions?
@ASilentObserver Yes, I am doing my best. I am trying to be productive and taking breaks when I need them to simply rest after putting in so much energy and effort into school this year. We will see how it goes, but I definitely know I need to drink more water lol.
Thanks Obs,
E
I worry what life is going to be like as my husband and I age. He was diagnosed with MS about a year ago. I worry about our financial future and if I'll be capable of caring for him.
@redPlum1648 you have many worries weighing on your mind right now, plum. What thoughts pop up for you when you think about your husband's diagnosis?
I worry about how his MS will progress and how it will affect him in our future as we age and get old. I feel guilty when I think about my own feelings and fears surrounding his diagnosis because it's not me that was diagnosed, but I'm still affected by it. I feel like I haven't had much support from my friends but asking for it would make me feel guilty too.
@ASilentObserver
I am worried about too many things lol, but right now what I am mostly worried about is will my pup be able to stay with us without any problems and that we wont have to give her up again and the other worry is if I would get admission in the stream I chose without any hitch or problems.
@calmmoon2104 that is a lot on your mind right now, moon. It can be difficult when we have worries about things that are important to us. What thoughts go through your mind when you think about possibly giving up your puppy?
@ASilentObserver
Thank you for understanding Obs. But to be honest, don't get me wrong but, I don't know anymore what I think about worrying for my puppy if I have to possibly give her up again. I think it would be a good decision for everyone's betterment but the next moment I think that it would be really really bad and emotionally distressing for my parents (I don't care about my emotions anymore, but I will too be much sad and disturbed I guess) again and things would go more downhill. This is causing bad family problems and leading me to self harm occasionally.. I am trying to control my urge to self-harm but it's really difficult you know.
I don't know if anyone can understand this, they all say that it's all my fault.
@calmmoon2104 that feels like you are experiencing conflicting feelings regarding the potential outcome of giving up your puppy. While on one hand, you believe it could lead to a better situation for everyone, but on the other, it may cause further issues for your family and bring up painful memories for yourself. I understand this internal conflict is taking a toll on you, especially when combined with your struggles with sh. We are all here with you to listen to and support you moon. You are not alone in this.