[hopeless2015]

How do you fight through them? Right now I feel like everyone hates me and I'm terrified to leave the house. I can realize I'm being irrational but can't stop the feeling right now

[Guiness187055]

I try to get physically active in some way shape or form. I know its the last thing you want to do but it helps!

[5150DirtDiva]

I am sorry you are feeling like that. I am sure there are better suggestions, but I try to acknowledge the thought. Then I do not judge it as good or bad or anything and ask it to move along. It sometimes works for me or gets me thinking about something else.

[glowsinthedark]

Fighting irrational thoughts never works for me. I find it's much more helpful to distract myself. When I used to get really bad OCD type thought patterns, my therapist told me to schedule a specific time of day during which I was allowed to think these thoughts as much as I wanted, but only for that predetermined time period (for example, at 4:00 PM I'm allowed to indulge in these thoughts for 30 minutes). When the thoughts pop up before their time, you have to put them off until later. Often when later arrives, you find you don't need to think about them anymore. If you miss your 30 minute window, re-schedule it for the next day

[bioChE]

Proper medication is the only thing that works for me.

I have a difficult time finding anything with some consistency. A hobby helps. Photography in my case. When I cycle I either feel disinterested in what I'm doing or I become overly critical, so there is a downside. I'm sure the medication is helping some but I get caught up in my own thoughts and it is hard for me to calm down. Right now I am without a therapist, and I am pretty much friendless right now. I feel a little bit of security and anonymity posting in the forums because I can share how I am doing without judgment and get a sense of community as I discover there are others out there facing many of the same demons.

I have to acknowledge the irrational thoughts are there, and that at times in my mind I will make them rational through a lot of over analysis. What I try to do is take the excess energy and stress brought upon by my bipolar and put that into other activities. Most recently a new job search. I can't tell you how many times I edited my resume until I felt it was just right. But that sort of attention to detail and tenacity to get it done right probably wouldn't have existed if I just stuck in the same patterns.

You can't ignore, and you cannot substitute. But, I think, you can divert and channel that energy into something greater. I'll be the first to admit it doesn't always work, but when it does I feel very satisfied.

[Cocosurviving]

Medication worked for me. I do try to stay busy some. I hope things get better for you

[Unrigged64072835]

I usually question why that thought came up in the first place. Was there a trigger? If there was, I try to work with it so it doesn't trigger me anymore. I normally find I'm ruminating on something and I need to shift my focus to something else.

[Moose72]

I try to talk myself out of it because my Pdoc will up my zyprexa . Enough insentive!

[gina_re]

I always try and distract myself with something else....usually that means watching tv

[hopeless2015]

Thanks for all the replies, I've basically watched tv all day to try and distract myself. I had a friend text me to check in and that helped some to, we got to talking about something she is going through and that was a good distraction for me to.