Are they talking about me? That group over there, are they laughing? They started when I walked by. What did I do that's so funny? How have I made a fool of myself this time? What is wrong with me? These questions may not be so unfamiliar, they are the questions asked by someone who suffers from paranoia along with depression. It can add to anxiety and cause depression symptoms to worsen which defeats the purpose of getting out and working to get better. It is very easy to go outside and find things that make you wonder. Snippets of conversation that you overhear can be interpreted as being said about you. The ability to listen to these things and not interpret them to be about you is the talent. How do you do that? The reality is that it has nothing to do with these other people, it is all about you. They are most likely not talking about you, and you probably know this rationally. Instead, though, you do not see it with that rational part, because you are expecting bad things to happen. So you interpret what they say to be negative. Stop that! Accept that there are good parts to you, and that not everyone is looking for reasons to ridicule you as you step out of your house. More importantly, so what if they are laughing at you? They are strangers that you will never see again in your life, so their opinions do not matter. You need to make sure that your own opinion, which does matter, is strong and positive. |
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