flowerpetals
- Date posted
- 1y
question
is catastrophizing when you’re going through a panic or anxiety attack a compulsion? i do this all of the time and it makes my anxiety so much worse, but it’s so hard to not do
JayCruzzzzzJayCruzzzzz
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 1y
Yes!!!! I think that’s what keeps me stuck. I start getting images and weird sensations in my body.
flowerpetalsflowerpetals
- Date posted
- 1y
@JayCruzzzzz this is literally me!! it makes getting over it so much longer of a process
Amber486Amber486
- Date posted
- 1y
I dont think its a compulsion necessarily. I think it's just a facet of anxiety and stuff in general. In a couple different therapy groups I've been in, they talk about something called cognitive distortions and if you look up a list of them, one of the ones that would be on those lists(atleast the ones i've seen in therapy.. the idea of cognitive distortions might be specifically a CBT skill or idea but I dont remember for sure) would be called catastrophizing. Another is called mind reading, for example. Borrowing from google because my own personal way of defining them is hard to describe at the moment, but google describes them as negative thought patterns or thoughts that lead to negative thought patterns. I don't think I am knowledgeable enough about it(or atleast I dont feel knowledgable enough about it) to explain it very well , but I hope that makes sense because I was very much paraphrasing various sources on google there. Regardless, I do struggle with catastrophizing as well(especially during a panic attack), I actually just was struggling with that yesterday some. So I relate. Regardless of what catastrophizing falls under, it is definetly hard to not do sometimes.
flowerpetalsflowerpetals
- Date posted
- 1y
@Amber486 sometimes i’m really unsure of what causes my panic/anxiety attacks. i’m not sure if it’s because i’m anticipating it to come and thinking of those negative thoughts or if my body is genuinely feeling like it’s in danger. however once i’m in it, i catastrophize so so much. for example, i just had an anxiety attack a couple hours ago about throwing up. i was nauseous and that sent me spiraling. while it was happening, i was picturing myself getting sick and just the worst possible scenarios that it made it so much more worse than if i just tried to calm down. i just don’t know how to not think of worst case scenario when i feel impending doom and like i’m not going to make it out okay.
Amber486Amber486
- Date posted
- 1y
@flowerpetals I'm still trying to figure out how to do that too. Lately, I guess what I'm trying to do is to try to recognize when I'm starting to get more anxious. Like, before It reaches the panic attack/anxiety attack level. (which dont get me wrong is not always easy and takes time to learn, and I dont always recognize it every time) After that step, I try to use my therapy skills that Ive been taught to help manage my anxiety. (I dont neccesarilly mean something like doing an exposure, while they can be helpful, I mean other skills in that moment. They vary I think from type of therapy to type of therapy and some work better for some people than others.) It can be tricky with OCD though sometimes because compulsions and stuff exist. I hope that helps? I know I wasnt very specific, I tried to be but I my brain is blanking on the words I need, and I also dont want to advise you to "use this skill" because what works for me may not work for you. But I've learned that for me, recognizing that I'm starting to feel anxious or overwhelmed and trying to use the like skills for managing anxiety then can be easier then trying to stop myself from spiraling when I am actively having an anxiety attack sometimes. Although there are skills that exist to calm down during a panic attack too, like breathing exercises for example.
flowerpetalsflowerpetals
- Date posted
- 1y
@Amber486 i appreciate this, thank you! could you elaborate more on the skills that help you? whether they work for me or not, i’m willing to try!
Amber486Amber486
- Date posted
- 1y
@flowerpetals I can't right now, but if you reply to this comment or heart it, it'll notify me and I might be able to later
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