Thank you, Mike J. No I'm not seeing a therapist. I live in a rural area, and I would have to drive over an hour to get to a town large enough to have a therapist. Positive self-talk does sometimes provide relief, but it hasn't changed my core negative beliefs about myself.

Thank you, WantToGrow. I like your phrase, "going down the black hole." I call it falling into the abyss. I very much live in my head, swirling around with my thoughts, to the point where I am unaware of my surroundings. I looked up the grounding exercises, and I will definitely give them a try!