Extremely petrified about going into 2019

Hello everyone I need help as I am feeling extremely scared about going into the new year 2019 because I am still thinking and worrying that the national service (compulsory military service) and the death penalty is going to be reintroduced or might actually come back for when Britain leaves the European Union and when some other countries in Europe like France are going to be bringing it back. Also I still think that 2019 will be a disasterous year for all of us. Also I want to be able to create a campaign about wanting conscription to be abolished in other countries as I have heard on Amnesty International that they are campaigning about a lot of things like for the death penalty to finally be abolished in other countries and that did make me feel quite happy and it give give me some hope.

  • I really don't think there's any chance that conscription and the death penalty coming back to the UK. Brexit has not gone well so far but I don't think it's going to be that disastrous. 

    It is nice that you want to help other countries but there are unfortunately some countries that a campaign just isn't going to help.

    I hope I'm not being too outspoken but you seem to be feeling paranoid. You're obviously getting very worried about things that you cannot control. Have you spoken to a doctor about this? I really would encourage you to if you haven't. Anxiety and paranoia are not nice feelings and when extreme can take over your life.

  • Yes you are right I am a bit paranoid unfortunately for lots of reasons now and I just want this to go. And thank you for saying that conscription and death penalty will not come back in the UK even if other countries in Europe was to bring it back because ever country still has different laws.

  • I really think you should talk to someone about your paranoia. They may be able to help. These things can quickly become out of our control.

  • Relax.

    Compulsory military service and the death penalty are not going to be reintroduced. Even if the return of these things was proposed, it would have to be passed through parliament - a process that would take years and is very unlikely to be successful.

  • I’m also very concerned that you’re a bit paranoid, which can’t be a very pleasant experience for you. I think it’s highly unlikely that national service or the death penalty will be reinstated in the UK. If these thoughts become too all consuming then chatting with your GP may be a good idea as they should be able to help you. Out of hours a quick google search will give you the number for your local mental health crisis team who are available 24/7.

  • Not all petrification has to be bad:

    I like a nice shiny slab of petrified wood.

  • I can wholeheartedly relate to your anxiety and paranoia. I experience this too and I make myself ill with the amount of worrying I do. I've stressed myself out so much that my parents are really concerned about me and it's ruining my relationship with my boyfriend. I imagine such extreme scenarios in my head too and obsess over them and can't stop thinking about them.

    I am also really scared about going into 2019, especially as I am thinking of all the horrible things that might happen. 

    I wish there was a way to stop these thoughts. 

  • There is, it’s called inquirey. The best I’ve found is ‘the work’ by Byron Katie, where she gets you to put your thoughts down on paper and question them. 

    It doesn’t take away the tendency for repetitive thinking, but it deals with it and as is congruent with brain plasticity, the thoughts do slow down. I have been using this method for years though so it doesn’t happen over night, it doesn’t change the tendency over night and when highly stressed I still forget to use it. Although when I first started doing it I was doing it continuously. I did put a lot of work into it. I now use it very effectively with clients. 

    You can get the forms, there’s only 4 questions, for free from the website. And there’s also an explanation of how to do it. As they say in AA, it works if you work it. 

  • Ok thank you Jalen for saying that the death penalty and the compulsory military service would never be reintroduced in the UK despite the fact that there has been calls for these things to be brought back in which I think has been going on for years now and that I think some people might still call for these things to happen now and that some people have said that they want these things back but at least I am happy that these things will still not come back even if some people may want these things to be back or that they might or have been calling for these things to be reintroduced but I am happy that these things will still not come back and that these things like you said are still unlikely to be successful anyway.