Hi. It’s Jenny at AnxietyBoss.com. Our question today is from Sandra in New York. I always have irrational fears about my family and friends becoming terminally ill or dying. How can I stop these thoughts and when can I know that they are irrational?
Dying for most people is a scary thought. Most of us try to repress the thought into our memory so that we’re not constantly worrying about it and then we can more easily enjoy the present. However, there are times where this fear may creep up onto us and then take over our thoughts. Then we can find ourselves obsessing over these thoughts.
When you feel this way, ask yourself a few questions. You’ve made it evident that you know that these thoughts are irrational, but what can you do to reinforce that? How can you better remind yourself that there’s no reason to be worried when everyone is perfectly healthy? Well, you have to think, is it worth wasting all this energy on something that hasn’t happened? That negative energy could easily be positive if you choose it to.
Unfortunately, this is a phobia that may be a bit more difficult to overcome. For starters, you may find it soothing to make a few phone calls when you’re feeling anxious about a loved one becoming ill just to remind yourself that they’re perfectly fine. If you are feeling this way, it is also not unusual to feel the intense fear of being alone or abandoned if these people do become sick. You may wonder; what will I do? Or how could I do this on my own?
These thoughts are common, but they shouldn’t overtake your consciousness. This may be something that you would find helpful to speak to a therapist or doctor about. You may mind that just talking about how you’re feeling will help a lot.
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