![]() ![]() In addition to listing out your thoughts, keep a record of your overall mood, and notes about your day. Keeping a journal of your intrusive thoughts can help you understand patterns over time. Often, your thoughts are not entirely random, and your day-to-day interactions may influence them. By accepting intrusive thoughts as just another thought, you’ll become less likely to worry about them over time. Let them pass freely through your mind – recognizing them, but not allowing them to consume you. With that in mind, accept these thoughts as mere thoughts when they arise. These thoughts are not a sign of what’s to come, and there is no intent to act on them, no matter what your OCD or anxiety wants you to believe. However, intrusive thoughts are what they suggest – just thoughts. They want to understand the meaning behind these thoughts and seek reassurance that they won’t commit them. Recognize the difference between thought and realityĪ big concern for many people with intrusive thoughts is the fear they may act out on a dark intrusive thought, such as harming someone they love. For example, if you’re having intrusive thoughts related to death, it wouldn’t make sense to divert your attention by reading a book about murder. Fully immerse yourself in a single activity, and make sure it can’t be linked back to the intrusive thought in any way. Make sure you aren’t switching between a bunch of tasks. For example, try completing a crossword puzzle or reading a book. Instead of consciously suppressing your thought, try to divert your attention away from it with an engaging activity. ![]() He asked participants in the study not to think about white bears for 5 minutes, and guess what happened? The participants thought about white bears more than once per minute on average. Unfortunately, this method results in the exact opposite effect – you end up thinking about the intrusive thought even more.Īn experiment by Daniel Wegner, a psychology professor at Harvard University, demonstrated this concept. Don’t suppress the thoughtįor many people, the first reaction they have when faced with an intrusive thought is to try to forget it about it. Next time you’re faced with an intrusive thought, keep these five tips in mind. You can overcome and free your mind from them. The good news is that disturbing thoughts don’t have to consume your life. ![]()
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