What are your coping skills for paranoia?

Back when I got paranoia regularly I worked on targeting my thought processes once I gained insight. So instead of thinking I’m terrified–>why am I terrified–>I must be in danger–>there are ghosts/demons in the room–>I’m not safe I changed it to I’m terrified–>I have a psychotic disorder and this is paranoia, my brain is dumping random fear chemicals right now–>I am safe

That helped a lot with keeping me from panic mode. Sometimes though I’d cheat and pray and that would make me feel better. Other times I’d do something like turn the TV on or a youtube video to watch, or if it was really bad, go sleep with my brother

Mainly you want to keep reminding yourself it’s just your brain dumping chemicals and that you’re not in any real danger, and then distract yourself until it passes. If you have benzos, take a benzo. I have found that stops a paranoia attack in its tracks. They are a good short term pharm method of dealing with paranoia until you’re stabilized on a good AP.

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I try to calm myself by distract my view away from that paranoid thought.

I have severe paranoia, so I know what you’re talking about here.

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Thanks @Anna. That’s good you don’t get paranoia anymore.

Thanks for the tip @anon10648258

Question yourself. Ask a lot of questions to yourself about what you are paranoid about. Ask how it would be realistically.

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People usually tell me I’m paranoid. If they don’t tell me, I don’t know I am. Is that common?

Sometimes that happens to me. But I started to read people better and know if they give me strange looks that I’m saying things nonsensical and could be paranoia creeping in.

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I try to reality test with my paranoia, if possible. Trouble is, I don’t always believe what people tell me.

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To me, getting an attack of paranoia is a little like fainting - the brain power just isn’t here. So, I lie down on my bed and put my head down over the edge and let the blood flow up into my head. It gives me a little more strength to deal with some difficult thinking.

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What helped me the most is accepting my own fate which is death, after a long battle with the thought of dying, I finally came to terms with it. I’m not perfect, but it has made my paranoia less severe. Knowing that I will die and coming to terms with it has made the very illogical moment of paranoia something I can shrug off.

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