One issue I'm trying to overcome is some magical thinking (in a nutshell, magical thinking is the idea that just because you think about something, it will happen) : two of my cats have died in recent years after going to the vet. And while yes, both needed to go to the vet, in both cases I think actions by the vet precipitated problems that might not have occurred if I'd stayed home. In one case this is probably OCD thinking, the other isn't, the cat really was overtreated.
ANYWAY, my remaining cat hasn't been to the vet in 5 years. He's super healthy (I think), but he should probably go.
Compounding this, is knowing two single women who were both diagnosed with cancer within a couple of months of having their last cat die. So I'm like, No, Max, you cannot die!!!! Making taking him to the vet seem even scarier.
Yes, magical thinking, all. But it's very strong. I don't have too many issues that are purely magical thinking. My germ fears are at least based in some sense of reality. But I find the "magical" types of fears much harder to deal with.
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You are stronger than you think!
1 year ago
I understand the pull of magical thinking. I have found that it sometimes helps to interject a variable. For instance, if the fear is losing the cat to poor vet care, change vets. If the women who got cancer, got it after their last cat died, bring a kitten into the family so that, we your cat does pass away, he won't be your last cat. I know this may sound like more OCD talking, but it really could be as simple as dealing with the actual facts (cat received poor care - get new vet). Remember, changing one ingredient will effect an entire recipe. I had to learn to let the magic follow the facts - deal with what's real and eventually the magic doesn't pull so hard.
ReplyDeleteThe magical thinking can really be stubborn in my life too. The hardest part was accepting that in some cases, bad things do happen, and I'll never really know for sure if I made the right decisions. On the other hand, OCD has a laser like focus, making it seem like it has the answer, when in fact there are way more variables than we can account for with our little brains, and it's only an illusion that we can get it figured out with absolute certainty. I'm sorry you are having this struggle--I know how much it sucks.
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