I know I am jumping a head the program here, but I really need some help in this regard. I currently am stuck on the anger portion of the problem, however today made me realize how I need help with this aspent of my anxiety! For the last year now I have been worrying about getting cold sores. I've tried to look them up and how you get them, etc., but I still worry about it and I don't know why? I've never gotten one and hope I never do. Today my waiter had what looked to be a scabed over lip and then I got nervous, like what if he touched it them my drink or food, etc. So for the first time since I started I almost had a panic attack. I've been pretty happy that so far I haven't had one since beginning, and so far I'm calming myself down, but its still lingering in my head about me catching that. Should I go through this section of the program now? Could anymore help me?

Hello
You can jump a head to a session if need be I did I jumped ahead to obessive scary thoughts and then I went and contiuned with the program.

Go to the Lesson for Obsessive Scarey thoughts and go through it and then go back to where yyou were. Stop worrying about the cold sores, either you have herpes or you don't and unless you kiss someone with one. If you have never had one you probably never will. I have never had one and don't ever expect to. So what, if you did get one, they have such good medicines now a days and it makes them go away very fast. What scares you about them?

I once had a lot of trouble with obsessive thoughts, and the key is that the thing you are obsessing over is rarely the real issue. Cwhite asks a pertinent question -- why are you scared of cold sores? As ailments go, they are quite minor. But, obsessions are rarely logical and the fear is real. It helps to start by recognizing that the object of the fear isn't the real issue. You know, logically, that you can't get a cold sore by being near someone with on, and that if you did get one, it would clear up and be fine. If you have read up on them, you also know that people are either prone to them, or they arent, so if you have never had one, you probably haven't been exposed to the virus and you won't get one now.

Knowing these things tells you that cold sores are just the focus of your anxiety, and it could be anything. When I had obsessions, over the years, they tended to shift focus. I'd find new things to worry about.

They great news is that you "almost" had a panic attack, but you didn't!

I got over my obsessions by learning to have the thoughts, but not be scared of them. The tendancy is to panic when the thoughts come because you KNOW they aren't logical or helpful, and you get upset with yourself for thinking that way. Accepting that the thoughts come because you have put so much emphasis on them and simply built up a habit of thinking about it, can help a lot.