Can't sleep. I'm wondering how anyone can ... - Anxiety Support

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Can't sleep. I'm wondering how anyone can be happy when there is so much bad stuff happening in the world. Is this normal?

JillEBean profile image
8 Replies

I seem to be a lot worse at night. As soon as my brain has nothing to distract it it goes off into awful thoughts about all sorts of horrible things. Recently I've been thinking of all the horrible things that are going to happen in my life, like my parents will eventually die and horrible things like that. I just don't know how anyone can be happy knowing that these awful things will happen one day. And also there are so many terrible things happening in the world right now, how can some people be happy and full of in their lives when they know that these things are happening? I just don't get it. How can people just not think about these things and go about their lives? I'm not sure if these thoughts are normal or if its depression, anxiety or just being oversensitive.

Does anyone else have these thoughts and is there any way of stopping them as I think that this train of thought might just go on and on for me.

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JillEBean profile image
JillEBean
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8 Replies
BriarRose profile image
BriarRose

Hi hun

Does sound like depression to me - yes, there are horrible things going on in the world, but there is also love, kindness, compassion, selflessness, courage. It's late, and i hope you've managed to go asleep by now, but, if not, try reading the attached - i love it!

Love

Rose

xxxx

mwkworks.com/desiderata.html

in reply toBriarRose

Hi. Rose. How absolutely wonderful. I have not come across this before. Words of total wisdom. My goodness, the man must have been really inspired. Many thanks. jonathan.

Hi. JillEBean. Plese read the attachment to Rose's blog. It says it all in words that would be beyond me. Yes, the world is a pretty shocking place but we have to live in it so must come to terms with it. You are worse at night because you are tired and when sensitised, which you are; thoughts come slowly and are often depressing. How do you know horrible things are going to happen in your life? Yes, some may but others wont. Remember the old man?

"I have had many awful things in my life most of which never happened". You are flogging yourself with thinking that drains energy and it makes you more tired and more vulnerable.

You cannot banish thoughts such as your overnight but you need not be so impressed by them. Do not make the mistake of trying to get rid of them. Go with them there. They are only thoughts however upsetting and cannot harm you.

ACCEPT THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE. A Buddhist monk once said, "Grandfather dies, Father dies, I die". How pessimistic they said. "No", said the monk,"That is the natural order of things, and if we Fight IT we are going against the natural order". Now you ask how most people can go on knowing how the world is. The fact is that the vast majority don't care. YOU CARE and that is why you are as you are. CARING involves \suffering. (See recent blogs on this). But do you not see that in caring as you do you have set yourself apart from the herd. You are rare and, therefore to be helped and encouraged. YOU FEEL, you have EMPATHY.

Don't regard it as something bad. It is not! I doubt if anyone on this site has not shed a tear when they watch TV with it's awful world events. Read the last bit of Desiderata. "With all it's sham etc..............". No, you will not be like this always. But do not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Do NOT stop being a caring person. The world needs you. WE need you. Love and blessings. jonathan.

john80614 profile image
john80614

to me it sounds a bit of both! i know theres horrible things going on in the world right now - maybe things you dont even know yet but i wont say cos an anxiety forum isnt the place!! i completely understand where youre coming from and how youre feeling - its what made me click on your post! we must try to stay strong and positive during these hard times!! x

hairyfairy profile image
hairyfairy

I feel angry rather than sad about the dreadful things that human beings have to tolerate, I mean who needs sickness, war & famine & all the rest. It`s so unnecessary. We shouldn`t be made to suffer the way that we do.

in reply tohairyfairy

Hi. hairyfairy. We are not MADE to suffer. We humans suffer mainly because of our own stupidity, greed, selfishness and with a total lack of understanding as to why we do these things. Some blame 'God'. Whatever your religious views are, if any, we must accept that it is nothing to do with' God'. Suppose you give a child a beautiful new toy to which the manufacturer has devoted hours of work in the making. The child, in a fit of temper, smashes it against a wall. Will you blame the manufacturer? Earthquakes happen; thousands die. San Francisco is built on a well known serious fault line. Why build it there? Too late now so we have to suffer the consequences of our own folly. Hope you feel a little better about things..... Love. jonathan.

Pennylayne profile image
Pennylayne

I can definitely empathise with this question .......it's something I've felt all my life and it took me ages to see that I am one of those who are so sensitive to everything that the 'bad' things seem to take over and are so upsetting that you can't really see the good things.

Then I couldn't figure out why everyone else seemed to walk around oblivious to all the suffering in the world and it made me feel quite isolated like I was seeing the world in a different way. I thought they must be hard and uncaring but that is not the case, it's healthier really not to be so sensitive to the harsh realities of life as it protects you mentally.

People who are over sensitive need to really work at protecting themselves in a way by making sure they don't allow their sensitivity to turn into full blown anxiety.....panic attacks and the horrible physical symptoms that it causes.

Many of us here have gone down the route of full blown anxiety, sometimes for a lifetime and we are finally realising that it is our own way of seeing things that is often the cause.

Thankfully there are medications available, there are counsellors, there is CBT .....there are good friends and there are places like this .......none of which were as readily available 20-30 years ago. It certainly helps to know that we are not alone ......we are in the 'Sensitive People Club' and we have great attributes too that the less sensitive do not have.

Take Care PL

JillEBean profile image
JillEBean

Hi everyone, thank you so much for all your replies. You have helped me to look at things differently and have made me understand why I feel this way, and also why others don't seem to let it bother them.

It must be so much easier just not to care and not have these thoughts going on in your head all the time, but now I understand I am just one of those kinds of people that does care.

Hopefully I can just accept the way I am and also realise that there is nothing I an do about the bad stuff.

If all people were so sensitive then maybe there wouldn't be so many bad things happening in the world!

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