Anxiety-Fact or Opinion

[Otherside]

So...we are probably all aware of the difference between fact and opinion. But how many of us here are anxious about something that isn't a fact, just an opinion? A fact is something that's driven by rational thought, is undisputed and has supporting evidence. Whereas an opinion is reinforced by emotion, and based on a belief or a personal view.

For example you're walking down the street and you see someone you know. They don't talk to you, don't look at you, don't talk to you. So instantly, you presume that she hates you, she's being rude, snotty, she doesn't want to talk to you, someone must have said something mean about you to her...etc, etc, you can probably all imagine the mindset in this hypothetical situation.

When the only facts here are that 1)She was on the same street as you 2)You know her and 3)She didn't talk you, for whatever reason.

Why she didn't talk to you could have been for various reasons. She might not have seen you, for example, and well, you didn't exactly say hi yourself and make your presence known, did you? (Heck, we've all done it...well I have anyway, anxiety and all =/ )

[compulsive]

Yeah ive noticed that doesn't work : in the short term at all.

If its reinforced again and again and again, you start to question those thoughts. Like a habit.

Theres research that says that people with social anxiety disorder think that neutral faces are angry. I think its true.

[Otherside]

I struggle with this a lot. But I have a mother who's got similar issues to me (depression being the main issue, but there's some anxiety in there too...nowhere near the level of mine though) who said that she's been "trained" to think in the way above, automatically questioning thoughts, seeing things from a different perspective. It pretty much is a habit to her, I guess. Me, I struggle with it. In the short term, it doesn't work.

Dad once bought me a t-shirt with "Things are never as bad as they seem" on it. If only I could remember that.

[Misssy]

Well politics is just opinion, the creation of laws by which facts are assessed are opinions. A gang shoot-out is based on opinion, Wars are opinions because each side believes he is justified. Opinions are powerful, often more powerful than fact and that my friend/foe is my opinion.

I don't have any friends that is a fact.

I don't have any family that is a fact.

Bleh.

[Antidote]

I don't think only anxious people do this though. Everyone makes assumptions. We're designed to do this, especially with social stuff. I think the difference is that anxious people usually assume bad things, whereas normals assume bad things less often, or when they assume bad things they're less bothered by it. I also think normals have more skill with reading body language and social situations / context, so that in general, their assumptions when it comes to social stuff are more likely to be correct than when socially anxious people do the same.