How I got over intrusive thoughts

[thereishope]

Does an unwanted thought keep popping up in your mind? Do you find yourself unable to concentrate on the things you normally enjoy, afraid it will pop up? Are you constantly shaking your head, tapping or trying your best to divert your mind when the thought comes up?

If so, I know exactly how you feel. Before I got over it, the following ideas plagued my mind:

-I wish this never happened
-How am I going to eat my next meal?
-How am I going to get to sleep tonight?
-What if this never ends?
-What if the thought has meaning behind it?
-What if I'm different now?

Sound familiar? Now how exactly do you get over it?

You need to believe the following truths, not recite or obsess over them, just let these truths sink in:

-The reason the thought/s are bothering you is because they are -not true-
-You didn't "choose" to have the thought when it first happened, everyone has random thoughts which can be plain weird or disturbing
-Thoughts that arise from the subconscious are not "hidden desires", they are merely your brain piecing together a literal translation of events, sounds, etc you have heard
-When it happened, you overreacted and began to analyse why you had this thought
-You have done nothing wrong
-You haven't changed
-You will heal over time

Once you believe these truths, put the following technique into practice:

-Don't try to stop thoughts before they happen, if you prepare for something, of course you will think of it
-Don't beat yourself up if the thought pops up, remember, you have made it a habit, and you can make a new habit
-If it pops up, calmly take comfort in the knowledge that it's just a random thought, who cares?

In short, "do nothing", once you stop putting so much effort into "solving a problem" that never needed to be solved in the first place, your mind will go back to how it was. Trust me, this isn't generic advice coming from some random, I've been there. I know how it feels.

I hope this has helped anyone who is worrying about this.

[John_Mark]

This helped me.

Thanks for sharing.

"You will heal over time" - Good!

[em1]

You have explained this really well and yes it does work,they come and go but everyone has them

[superchick22684]

thereishope,
I think I'm going to print this out if you don't mind. I have problems with not only intrusive thoughts but obsessive thoughts as well. I'm hoping maybe your tips will help. Thank you for posting.

[thereishope]

This helped me.

Thanks for sharing.

"You will heal over time" - Good!

I'm glad it helped, stay strong

You have explained this really well and yes it does work,they come and go but everyone has them

Thanks. Yes the most common misconception is that you are weird or different for having them, everyone has them people just don't talk about it.

thereishope,
I think I'm going to print this out if you don't mind. I have problems with not only intrusive thoughts but obsessive thoughts as well. I'm hoping maybe your tips will help. Thank you for posting.

I don't mind at all, they will help you I can promise that. If I could get over it anyone can, at one point I near convinced myself it was impossible. Once you adopt the correct and positive attitude, your brain will be retrained without you even realising.

[Catherine52]

I too have these thoughts at times, but thankfully not very often. Keep calm and stay strong!