someone requested resources/tips for dealing with paranoia, there’s very few resources i’ve seen for this sort of thing, having dealt with it myself i know it’s pretty tough to deal with. here are some tips from my own experiences and a few websites (i’ll include links later in the post)
- get enough sleep. i know it can be hard to get sleep sometimes, i’ve had terrible insomnia my whole life and its still a daily struggle to get enough rest, but getting enough sleep makes so much difference. if you struggle with sleeping here are some resources
- for help with nightmares,
- avoid drugs, alcohol and caffeine, i don’t want to sound like your middle school health teacher here but drugs and alcohol can really hurt you badly if you have any sort of mental disorder or if you’re on any medication. caffeine can trigger manic episodes and cause complications with adderall and other ADHD/ADD medication. even drugs that are used casually without any harmful effects can cause a bad reaction if your brain chemical balence is abnormal or if you’re on any medication.
- eat well and drink lots of water. this is just a general health thing, if you’re not eating/drinking enough your whole system is out of wack
useful things to try during a paranoid episode, a lot of these are used in cognitive behavioural therapy, one of the most successful therapy techniques currently being used. if you have/could get access to a therapist/mental health professional ask about this method because a trained professional can really help in some cases.
- recognize patterns of thought, think back to previous paranoid episodes and see how your thoughts develop and if they stem from a trigger of some sort. try and remember this pattern so you can recognize it in the future and use that realization to comfort yourself and remind yourself that your thinking isn’t rational
- write down a list of evidence to challenge your harmful thoughts. basically make two columns, write your thought down and then write evidence that supports your thought and evidence that doesn’t support it. something like this
- this website is a really really excellent guide to self-help cognitive behavioural therapy
- seriously click on this http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/psychosis.htm
- ^^^
hopefully this was helpful, here are the resources i used as well as just useful sites to visit
- http://zenhabits.net/meditation-for-beginners-20-practical-tips-for-quieting-the-mind/
- http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/psychosis.htm
- http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/paranoia/how-can-i-help-myself/
- http://www.anxietybc.com/self-help-cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt
- http://www.paranoidthoughts.com/coping.php (tips from other people on coping with paranoia)