Last updated on November 11th, 2023
Do you find yourself fixating on certain thoughts or ideas? Do you ruminate on past events or worry about the future? If so, you may be dealing with obsessive thoughts.
While everyone experiences intrusive thoughts from time to time, for some people, these thoughts can become all-consuming.
We all get stuck in our heads at times with unwanted thoughts, but getting stuck in your head is a recipe for frustration, anxiety, and depression. You might be thinking, “Why bother?” “I am not going to change anything.”
Lucky for you, you don’t have to change anything; just accept that you’re stuck in your head and move on.
We all have obsessive thoughts, and it can sometimes feel like you’re not in control of your own mind. Our culture is becoming more and more obsessed with being perfect, and to achieve this, many of us put a lot of pressure on ourselves.
If you’re struggling to cope with obsessive thinking, there are a few things you can do to ease your anxiety and regain control.
This blog post will list ways to deal with obsessive thoughts that often keep you in a bad mood. So please read on!
What are Intrusive Thoughts
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted, intrusive, and recurrent thoughts that can cause you to feel anxious or uncomfortable.
Intrusive thoughts are thoughts that you don’t want to think about and feel like they are coming from inside your head.
They often come when you are trying to sleep, during times of worry, or when you are engaged in activities that you enjoy such as reading or playing a sport.
They often seem to come out of nowhere. Intrusive thoughts can be classified into two categories: persistent and non-persistent.
Persistent intrusive thoughts are those that are likely to return again and again and are usually difficult to stop.
Non-persistent intrusive thoughts usually only last for a few seconds and then disappear without a trace.
These unwanted thoughts can range from sexual thoughts and fantasies, images of violence, negative thoughts of not feeling good enough or even just random thoughts of something that’s going to happen in the future.
It’s important to recognize when intrusive thoughts start to happen and what triggers them, because then you can start talking about it with someone.
Talking about intrusive thoughts can help reduce their frequency and how often they occur.
What is obsessive thinking
Almost everyone has unpleasant or unwanted thoughts at some point in their lives, like a constant worry that their job may not be safe.
But if you have a persistent, unwanted, and unpleasant thought that takes up so much of your mind that it stops you from thinking about other things, you may have developed an obsession.
Obsessive thinking is a series of thoughts that come up over and over again and are usually negative.
Most of the time, it’s hard to stop these persistent, upsetting thoughts, which can range from mild and annoying to all-consuming and crippling.
These troubling thoughts can range from negative self-judgments like “I’m not good enough” to worries about small things like forgetting to turn off the oven or lock the door to more serious worries like fear of dying or hurting people close to you.
Obsessive thoughts lead to compulsions as a way to try to stop or lessen the harm they cause.
But this behaviour is either too much or has nothing to do with reality.
Intrusive thoughts can lead to a cycle of repetitive behaviors known as compulsions.
Intrusive thoughts are among the symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is a common mental illness in which a person has obsessive thoughts and does things over and over again without thinking. That is, their actions and behaviours are compulsive.
People with OCD usually experience frequent obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors.
For example, someone with an obsessive fear of being burgled might feel like they need to check all the windows and doors several times before they can leave their house.
Signs and Symptoms of Intrusive Disturbing Thoughts and Compulsive Behaviors
- An annoying thought is usually very different from what you normally think. For instance, it might be unusually violent.
- A thought that bothers you and makes you want to get rid of it
- Repetitive thoughts that won’t go away
- Prolonged thoughts about the same subject
- Repeated cleaning and hand washing
- Repeated checking (such as checking doors are locked, or that the gas or a tap is off)
- Demanding reassurance
- Hoarding
- Orderliness
- Counting in certain patterns
- Repeating words silently
- Needing to confess
- Thinking “neutralising” thoughts to stop the obsessive thoughts
- Avoiding places and situations that could cause obsessive thoughts
What Causes Intrusive Thoughts or Obsessive Thinking?
There are a number of possible explanations.
One theory is that intrusive thoughts are the result of an overactive fight-or-flight response. When we think we are in danger, our bodies release adrenaline and cortisol to get us ready to act.
This can lead to racing heart, sweaty palms, and tunnel vision – but it can also cause intrusive thoughts.
Another explanation is that intrusive thoughts or obsessions are simply extreme examples of normal human thought patterns.
Stress or anxiety often cause people to have unwanted thoughts. They could also be a short-term problem caused by a change in hormones or something else in the body.
For instance, a woman might have more intrusive thoughts after she has a baby.
How to Deal with Obsessive Thoughts or Intrusive Thoughts
1. Don’t push the thought away
When people have an annoying thought, their first instinct is often to try to forget about it. Unfortunately, this method has the opposite effect of what you want: it makes you think about the annoying thought even more.
This idea was shown by an experiment done by Harvard University psychology professor Daniel Wegner. He instructed the participants in the study not to think about white bears for 5 minutes.
On average, the people thought about white bears more than once a minute.
Instead of trying to stop yourself from thinking, try to do something interesting to take your mind off of it. For instance, try doing a crossword puzzle or reading a book.
Immerse yourself in a single activity and make sure it has nothing to do with the thought that keeps coming back.
For instance, if you can’t stop thinking about death, it wouldn’t make sense to read a book about murder to change your mind.
2. Know the difference between what you think and what is true
People who have intrusive thoughts often worry that they will act on a dark thought, like hurting someone they care about. They want to know what these thoughts mean and want to be sure that they won’t act on them.
But intrusive thoughts are just that: thoughts that keep coming up. No matter what your OCD or anxiety wants you to think, these thoughts are not a sign of what’s to come, and there is no plan to act on them.
So, when these thoughts come up, just think of them as that: thoughts.
Let them go through your mind without stopping. Be aware of them, but don’t let them take over. By treating bothersome thoughts like any other thought, you’ll worry about them less and less over time.
3. Find out what causes it
Most of the time, your thoughts are not completely random, and the things you do every day may affect them. Keeping a journal of your unwanted thoughts over time can help you see patterns.
In addition to writing down your thoughts, keep track of how you’re feeling and what you did that day. Refer back to your notes when you start to have similar thoughts over time to see if there are any patterns.
You might have been having these thoughts when you had a lot of free time or after watching a violent movie. If you look for these patterns, you might be able to find the real problem and fix it.
4. Seek the help of a professional
Humans naturally engage in obsessive thoughts from time to time, but these patterns of thought are also characteristic of OCD and other anxiety disorders.
Talk to a mental health professional if you’re having upsetting and persistent obsessive thoughts or if you feel like you need help controlling your obsessions.
They are trained to recognise the signs of OCD, provide professional help for problems with intrusive thoughts, and prescribe medication if necessary.
5. Embrace mindfulness and meditation
When obsessive thoughts come up, try deep breathing exercises. Take four slow breaths in, hold your breath for four counts, and then take four slow breaths out.
Grounding exercises can also help stop unwanted, intrusive thoughts from going over and over in your mind. Focus on how your feet feel on the ground to bring yourself back to the present.
Take in your surroundings with all of your senses and list five things you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel to get into “right now.”
Also, think about taking meditation classes in person so you can learn different techniques in a supportive setting with other people.
6. Focus on the here and now
Intrusive thoughts can make you think about the bad things and make up stories that aren’t true.
You might not even be aware of how much time you spend living in the past or worrying about the future.
Putting your attention on the present moment can be a powerful way to deal with this.
Grounding techniques that can help you get your mind back on track include deep breathing and active meditation.
7. Go out and enjoy nature
The American Psychological Association says that there is a lot of evidence that spending time in nature can improve mental health and make people smarter.
They said time spent in natural settings has been shown to improve psychological well-being and cognitive performance
Walking or jogging in a green area can help you stop thinking deeply about something by engaging your body and senses in a way that takes your mind off of your thoughts.
Taking a walk in a natural setting will stimulate your senses and force your mind to focus on the external world.
8. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
A type of therapy called Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help people with all kinds of problems with how they think.
It aids in separating a person from their thoughts, which can be especially useful for intrusive thoughts that develop into obsessive ones.
CBT is based on the idea that we can change or unlearn the ways we think. A CBT therapist can help you figure out what your intrusive thoughts are, deal with them, and reframe them so they don’t have as much power over you.
9. Use Positive Affirmation to Help With Obsessive thoughts
Positive affirmations for obsessive thoughts are a great way to calm an anxious mind and get rid of negative mental habits.
- This thought will go away
- This is just a thought and it has no power over me
- I am stronger than this thought and my life is bigger than this thought
- I get better at what I do every day.
- I start each day with the goal of getting better. I always try to get better at what I do.
- I figure that if I’m going to spend the time anyway, I might as well try to get better at it.
- If I keep getting better at every part of my life, my life as a whole can only get better.
- When it comes to getting better, I try not to be too obsessed. I just focus on what I’m doing at any given time and do it as well as I can. This is easy for me to do.
- When I give my full attention to the task at hand, I feel more calm and at ease. Using all of my attention gets me the best results.
- I enjoy my life more now that I’m getting better every day. I’m getting better at everything I do every single day.
- Every day that I make progress makes me happy and content. The more progress I make, the better I feel. The better I feel, the more I want to improve.
- I’m looking forward to making a few small changes today. All of the things I do, including my work, my relationships, my hobbies, my diet, and my exercise plan, are getting better.
10. Spend some time with a pet
Animals can be a great way to calm a worried mind. They can distract us and give us simple emotional support because they don’t understand our complicated, troubling thoughts.
In 2019, a large study with animals showed that spending time with them can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which is linked to many mental health problems.
When to get help for intrusive thoughts
At some point, many people will have sudden thoughts that they don’t want. People don’t always need help if they have a few intrusive thoughts now and then.
But anyone who has frequent disturbing thoughts that keep coming back and make them feel bad should talk to a doctor or therapist.
A mental health professional can help the person figure out what is causing the thoughts and how to treat them.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, if you are struggling with obsessive thoughts, know that you are not alone.
These 10 actions can help you to start managing your obsessions and take back control of your life. Seek professional help if your obsessions are impacting your quality of life or causing you distress.
Remember, you can live a full and happy life despite your obsessions.
