How To Stop Intrusive Thoughts – A Simple Guide That Works

The thoughts can be scary. They tend to have the tendency to happen unexpectedly and seem uncontrollable. These are thoughts that bring in a great deal of distress to many people living with OCD. That is to say you do have them but that does not imply you approve of them or desire to do them. They are symptomatic, they do not define your value system, who you are.

The silver lining is that you can be taught how to act in response to them in a manner minimizing their effects. Intrusive thoughts can be tamed with the help of proper strategies and appear less frequently.

Why forcing them away doesn’t work

One would naturally like to discard a thought once it comes to know. When you make an attempt to drive a thought out of your mind, it rather has a tendency to come back more strongly. This would be as a result of your brain perceiving the thought as significant thus continued checking. The more you fight, argue or get assurance the more your brain is conditioned to the same pattern.

The aim is, rather than engaging in fighting the thought, to respond in a different way. The process can end with refusing to pay it any attention and instead acknowledging its existence and rendering the thought somehow less threatening.

A quick calm routine you can use right now

You might attempt the following brief process when an intrusive thought will come up:

1.Take a slow breath pause, take a deep inhale and an exhale lasting 6-8 seconds.

2.Label the thought noiselessly and in a categorical manner: e.g. This is an intrusive thought.

This habit breaks up the latch hold of the automatic panic response, and gives you better senses of control in that moment.

Label and observe the thought

Giving a label to a thought enables you to regard it as the mental event it is. You may say, instead of, I might harm someone, I am thinking that I might harm someone. That slight change makes an intermediary between you and thought.

To visualize is also possible when looking at the thought as a cloud floating in the sky or a leaf that goes with the river flow. You see it come by and you do not cling to it. The habit, in the long term, numbs the emotional impact that intrusive thoughts hold.

Acceptance over resistance

It might sound opposite; however, an acceptance of a thought is more effective than denial. It is not to be admitting that you accept the thought. It states that you will be ready to accept its presence without combating it.

Nice to remind yourself: It is okay my mind is thinking like this now. This eliminates the imperativeness to correct or forget it, hence, anxiety reduction. The weaker the thought will be, the less you feed the thought.

Delay and defuse

When a thought makes you want to do something, or check something, consciously start by delaying. Tell yourself that you will consider this in five minutes again. In many cases, the desire will diminish, during the period.

The other helpful tool is defusion. Include in it something such as, “I am noticing that I am thinking like this.” It reminds your brain that it is nothing more but a mental activity, not a signal that indicated some sort of an action must be taken.

Breaking the checking cycle

Checking is one of many answers to intrusive thoughts, which can include seeking reassurance or repeating events as well as searching the internet or finding evidence. Such thought patterns have temporary relief but prolong the issue.

One of the major components of the OCD Self Help is to get rid of such habits. It can cause anxiety during the initial instances of resistance but as time goes on and repeat exposures are made, the anxiety diminishes. Whenever you resist checking, you brain receives the signal that the thought is not dangerous.

What ERP Therapy does

One of the finest options that help cure OCD or intrusive thoughts is ERP Therapy (Exposure and Response Prevention). It assists you in overcoming the thoughts or predicaments that instigate panic and blocks the tendency that leads to compulsive behaviour.

Remaining in the situation without executing a ritual makes your brain learn that the anxiety decreases in itself. In the long run, the ideas become powerless. ERP Therapy has been of benefit in letting many individuals take control in their lives.

Starting ERP in a safe way

Where possible, go to a trained therapist who knows about OCD. If at present the treatment is not an option, avail self-help ERP internet resources, books or guided programmes.

You can begin by creating a list of stimuli ranked in order of the easiest to hardest. Start with the mild ones. Put yourself in the thought and situation and fight the compulsion. Cry with it, be with it until it begins to wear off. Once you have practiced, then you can move up the hierarchy on the list to harder triggers.

In case you have some of the thoughts to concur with this safety issue, it will be better to find professional help to attempt exposures.

Daily habits that make a difference

Daily activities promote your mental health. Sleep allows your brain to process the emotions and do it better. Frequent exercise helps to melt tension and reduce anxiety. Being less caffeinated and eating proper meals will make you feel cooler.

Practicing compassionate mind even in a few minutes a day can enhance the capacity of experiencing discomfort and not to react to it. This minor day-to-day anesthesia accumulate and facilitated the OCD strategies.

Final thoughts

That is not you. They will not stop coming and there is nothing that you can do about it but, you can manage the way you react.

You can stop the cycle by employing such techniques as grounding, labelling, acceptance, and ERP Therapy. The easier it gets the more you practice. Even the limited actions are associated with great efforts of progress, such as postponing a compulsion by several minutes.

Take it one small step at a time, be kind to yourself, and most important of all-you are not the only one in this situation.

To get more self-help guides, tips on support and recovery, visit OCD-Anxiety Blog and read tips on controlling intrusive ideas.