Paranoia: what are your coping strategies

I have a lot of paranoia as the result of my PTSD.

I also have justified fears about my ex-employer doing vindictive things to ruin my reputation in the community. Even though there are many people who respect me and speak highly of me in my industry and community, my former employer is very vindictive and will do things to try and ruin a person's chances. I'll give an example. Recently a temporary employee expressed sympathy for another employee who was fired from the organization on the fired employee's Facebook page. Pretty much only saying how sorry they were to see what happened to them. When the temp employee's supervisor recommended bringing them on full-time permanently, the CEO said that this person was unemployable because they had expressed sympathy for the fired co-worker. The fired co-worker has started their own organization, and has reached out to some of the employees at my former employer to have them come in and do some freelance work. Normally it's totally okay for them to do that freelance work; but because it's this employee, if anyone does, they will be fired immediately.

But because of that situation, I'm very paranoid about what former co-workers might be saying about me, even though I know it would all be lies.

So, to be clear, I'm not asking for career advice or how to behave on the job. What I am curious is: how do you counter act the disordered paranoid thinking? It's not just something I can turn off by saying: I didn't do anything wrong...I mean, that's why it's disordered thinking, because it doesn't add up.

I've worked on a lot of coping skills in therapy, but before I lost my insurance, paranoia was not really one of the things we talked about..and it's really intensified more of late.

So how do you get your paranoid thinking under control?

Thanks,
Seesaw

I will be following this post.
I want to say this:
Anyone who knows me also knows that I have neither sought nor desired a status within any community, real world or otherwise. However, status finds me, in that I've had leadership roles placed upon me, some of which I excelled at, and others I should have not been near. I don't seek approval of others for a feeling of self. This removed some of my paranoid outlook on life, which when crashing from full mania was always a problem. I'd become paranoid the neighbors I'd never talked to were out to get me at times, when it turned out that once the hypo or full manic me or even better, the calm "normal" me, meet these people, they were ok all along and had no idea of my thoughts, actions, etc.
I suppose my coping mechanism, get to know them immediately, so that I have an idea of if they really are out to get me based on interaction and not my misconceptions.
Then we get into my trust issues. That's a whole different thing.

I guess I should clarify that i don't seek status in my community only that my reputation for the work I do remain strong, which I need it to do so for my livelihood.

I agree, I also have trust issues, which intensifies the paranoia. But I feel like I have been a terrible judge of coworkers and employers in the recent past as they turned out to be highly unethical people, so I don't know how to even decide if someone is trustworthy anymore.

Seesaw

You figure that out, please find me and let me know! It seems like every time I trust someone they turn out to be awful people.

Haha! Yeah, when I find out the secret I'll pass it on.

I guess it's a product of the abuse by people I should have been able to trust (family) that I have a hard time being able to judge who I can trust now.

I guess I'll just stick with distrusting everyone.

It's always more difficult when it's work related because future positions can depend on what is said. Most paranoid thoughts I can brush off with a "What's the worst that can happen?".....really nothing....but with work, not getting a new position because can be devastating.

The thing is that IN REALITY there is nothing you can really do to stop it if it happens but to just keep your ears open to hear anything & counter it with the TRUTH. Deal with it IF if happens. Worrying doesn't help because if it doesn't happen then you have worried for nothing & if it does happen there is nothing you could have done to stop it. SOOOO, I let my focus for a little while be what would I do IF this happens, then let it go to see what happens in REALITY & be ready to counter if necessary.

That is my logical minds way of dealing with things that could possibly happen in my life rather than hang on the paranoid thoughts.

As far as trusting someone, I find that I never fully trust anyone until after knowing them for a long time & having their trust PROVEN to me. I don't share anything about myself until I feel safe to trust what they might do with the information & as for trusting they will do what they claim I give it time for them to prove themselves before investing my expectations on them. I keep the distance during my observation mode. Some things we just have to trust on an initial basis like a job offer being real but the stability of the job, some times only looking at their stocks & into their public files on the business can help see possible issues they otherwise try to hide.

Life is definitely not black & white

Have you ever watched the US version of "the office?" You could let this become a Jim (you) and Dwight situation...
My fav is when Jim slowly kept adding nickels to Dwight's phone handset. Then, one day, he took them all out.
Made me smile anyway.

I actually feel more like Dwight...he's paranoid, for a reason, lol.

You have reason to feel paranoid, but every reason to learn not to. Have faith in you that most people aren't going to do that. You have to learn to trust people (Holy crap! I said that?!?!).
But if you're the Jim, you might find your Pam. If you're the Dwight, you'll only get your beets and the suit your grandfather was buried in. Somehow I feel both silly and positive today. Hmm... Sillitive or posilly?

I would normalize the interpersonal skills are important so what you want to make sure is that you can deal with all people and scenario. If the bosses is getting beside himself on sympathy or if the issue is not being on facebook especially if the ur company policy forum then don't. I think if forced you get talked about more than you know . I like to be very imaginative so if you got ur new story shown on television then folks would be talking I'm sure you'd tell your social circle.

I don't understand your response at all. I'm sorry.