Hey good people,

Hope you are all managing well.

I would like to share a little bit of my experience and a really great coping skill i learnt. This helps me alot when dealing with intrusive thoughts. 

JOURNALING

1. Start by writing the date

2. Write down the actual thought

3. The type of thought - you could be catastrophisizing, overgeneralizing, mental filtering, labelling etc. You could try looking up the different types of intrusive thoughts on the internet to learn more about this.

4. Feelings in your body as a result of this thought - hot flashes, racing thoughts, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath etc.

5. Behaviors associated to the thought - sleeping all day, lack of proper self care, avoidance etc.

6. Challenge the thought - Is this thought really true? Is there evidence that shows this thought is true?

7. Change the thought - You could say to yourself repeatedly...I am not my thoughts or what is happening to me is just as a result of the body's fear or flight response. These are just examples of counters for intrusive thoughts.

Journaling has helped me to identify my triggers and also makes the thoughts less scary. You get to know your thought pattern and how best to deal with attacks. This method works best if you journal immediately after the attack happens. I usually get instant relief from panic attack symptoms almost immediately when i journal.

I hope this post helps someone in need.