Puzzles: Irrational Fears

Puzzles 01.31.13	Yeah, I'm a self-obsessed weirdo. I've tried to get past this with meditation and through encouraging other thought patterns but I always end up going back to square one. I figured posting about it could help
Polyethylene 01.31.13	Spiders
Puzzles 01.31.13	what do you mean "until you continue reading?"
Wolfhorde 01.31.13	You probably need to chill out some/get some good hobbies goin'/roll one ect. at least if that shit is apparent in your day to day life.
Puzzles 01.31.13	I play 8 instruments, write and produce records prolifically, I write a lot (prose and poetry), I paint and recently have been getting into filmmaking. On top of that, I smoke a bit every few days but after a day without I just go back to my old paranoid, anxious self. Not saying that to boast, I'm just saying that none of that keeps me from doing this shit.
Puzzles 01.31.13	It's so fucking annoying and pathetic that I have so little control over my thoughts. Perhaps I'm just hopelessly immature
foxxxythnksustnk 01.31.13	my fear is waking up at night with door locked and light switch not working
ButteryBiscuitBass 01.31.13	No, it sounds like you have an anxiety disorder. Nothing wrong with that. Just chill the fuck out, most of those fears are out of your control and could happen to anybody at anytime.
YankeeDudel 01.31.13	nobody has complete control over their thoughts. the trick is not to give any power or belief in the negative ones. just go with the flow and let your mind wander. distance yourself from it and just watch the thoughts and emotions come and go without judgement. as you get better your mind will have less power over you and the thoughts should subside. if you meditated like you said you should know this stuff.
ButteryBiscuitBass 01.31.13	That might've sounded a bit harsh, but I didn't mean it that way. I used to have terrible anxiety from 16 years old and it would take over most of my writing. I stopped feeling anxious over dying young, etc, when I was 23.
Wolfhorde 01.31.13	"just go with the flow and let your mind wander. distance yourself from it and just watch the thoughts and emotions come and go without judgement" this right here. fighting your own brain mostly just makes things worse, accepting things often makes things a lot easier. also yeah, meditating is pretty sweet. if you don't feel like doing that something similar like taking a walk in nature without a lot of noise just concentrating on what you can sense can prove equally calming.
Puzzles 01.31.13	No that wasn't harsh, I get what you mean. Did any of the worries that you had ever come to fruition? The thing that keep me tied to constantly worrying about things that haven't happened yet is my need to stop worrying (as stupidly ironic as it sounds) - because I live by the principle that the mind is incredibly powerful and that your thoughts can have actual physical consequences on things around you. If you're not familiar with the principle it probably sounds fucking stupid. @YankeeDudel yeah I know I wish it were that simple. During the time I was meditating it was really great but then when I stopped, for whatever reason, all of this started again so I ended up between a rock and a hard place - not motivated enough to start meditating again but all the while miserable over my current mindset.
YankeeDudel 01.31.13	What Im talking about isnt meditating though. You can do it anytime. Watch your thoughts. the harder you fight them the more they fight back. its a battle you cant win. just welcome any thought or whatever that comes, you can always ignore it. the more you ignore the more power you get. until your mind is just there to be used as a tool and not overtake you. basically you cant choose what thought pops into your head, but you can choose which ones you ignore or give strength to.
Chrisjon89 01.31.13	"Whenever I have any sort of disagreement or conflict, I can't help but worry "what if they died and I never got the chance to apologise or we never made up". - this could be sort of a positive thing, if you're the kinda person who won't hold grudges etc because of how you feel. I don't fear 1 but I sure as hell could do without it. also I hate the idea of 4 as well. I think most people in our age group will end up with some form of hearing damage cos of blasting iPods and stuff. and Yankee, you're right but it can be difficult when those negative thoughts take hold.
YankeeDudel 01.31.13	a thought is only as powerful as your belief in it. no matter how negative it is its just a thought. you're the boss here. thoughts aint shit without your approval.
ButteryBiscuitBass 01.31.13	No. I used to constantly think that I had stomach cancer because I used to suffer from terrible indigestion. In the end after several trips to the Dr, it turned out that the indigestion was caused by stress and anxiety. The mind is incredibly powerful and that's the problem, if you're creative, which it sounds like you are, you can create anything in your head, just as you can create characters from novels and stories in your head - it doesn't make them real though does it? If your prone to worry and you're actively worrying over hair loss, etc, then your mind is going to focus on negative thoughts. And regards the principle you live by, until you change that I can't see things changing for you. I 100% disagree with that principle. That's exactly why anxiety is a mental illness (no stigma attached!!!). Your thoughts will have no effect on life whatsoever, unless you put them into action. I.E. 'I hate him. I want him to die.' Then you shoot him. If that makes sense.
Wolfhorde 01.31.13	@Yankee: It's just something that's often linked to meditation, if not the main thing associated with it. But yeah, I agree - you can always do it, we often don't realize the power we have over our own brain.
YankeeDudel 01.31.13	Yea but meditation and that stuff is a lifestyle. Its not like you just meditate for 10 minutes and then go back to being anxious/depressed all day. You take what you learn and apply it to everything else. Otherwise what good is it if you only feel nice for 10 minutes? But yea this isnt meditation. Just talking about basic psychology. Thoughts are just words on a screen. They got no power unless you hit send!!! This is coming from a dude who has anxiety issues himself. So I know what puzzles is sayin. Just realize that all these thoughts arent real. They're constantly living in the past and future and about shit you cant control. Just take the power back slowly and see what happens. Dont know what else to say but it worked for me.
Wolfhorde 01.31.13	Oh of course, it's just that mostly it's like "do that and see what happens" instead of going with the process first - granted, people generally seem to have a problem living in a world that isn't "objective". Where there's not always just stuff happening to them ect. Also, I might've never had anxiety issues - at least not when I got older but I was actually quite "choleric" when up until 3-4 years ago. So yeah, same principle here.
Mookid 01.31.13	3 is partially me tbh, you're not alone. Mine is losing my hearing too. Like if I get water in my ears, for instance, I'll start panicking then dump like 50 gallons of earwax removal to clean it out.
Mookid 01.31.13	Yeah Snoxall i'm with you on going deaf. Honestly I would consider mine to be hyper-sensative hearing esque though
Mookid 01.31.13	My biggest fear though is public speaking, something that I've steadily gotten over. I have a minor/moderate speech impediment so public speaking can sometimes be a drag. It's not as bad as it used to be though, which is good I suppose.
Mookid 01.31.13	I couldn't fathome going deaf, it'd absolutely kill me. There would be no meaning to life, but honestly, I'd rather be deaf than blind
KSK1 01.31.13	Super unoriginal but I have a pretty serious fear of spiders. All other bugs are fine with me just spiders get me for some irrational reason. But yeah I think everything you listed is something that everyone thinks about from time to time. Nothing i'd be overly concerned about except maybe 1. Not that it's bad it's just the only one that seems like it could be obsessive and irrational.
Ignimbrite 01.31.13	I have an irrational fear of bees/wasps. I'm not allergic or anything, but whenever one gets near me I have a tendency to start sprinting and/or jumping away.
omnipanzer 01.31.13	Jesus puzzles... you'd better see someone and get a handle on this shit because it only gets worse as you get older. As a person ages they begin to form a better understanding of consequences in life. This is normal but if you have an abnormal (dare I say neurotic) tendency to worry formed at an early age it will just compound over time.
Kimm 01.31.13	1. Relationships 2. The hidden part of an iceberg 3. Unknown living things in the ocean. Or the light up fish in Finding Nemo
demigod! 01.31.13	The only really irrational fear that I have is a phobia for frogs. I can't explain it, but they just strike terror into my heart. especially the big ones.
someguest 01.31.13	"I know this one guy in my neighborhood who's afraid that he's gay but just doesn't know it yet" See, this is a homophobe. Calling someone 'gay' isn't. QUEERS!
GiaNXGX 01.31.13	i'm afraid of dogs
someguest 01.31.13	Canines. Dogs, to the lay-person.
GiaNXGX 01.31.13	i'm afraid of canines
KotoFtw 01.31.13	I'm afraid my telecaster will never intonate properly.