Helpful Tips for Intrusive Thoughts
All these tips are from experience, I'm not a professional but as someone who has had OCD from a very young age, these are some helpful things that i use to fight intrusive thoughts. I will post a different helpful tips for intrusive memories, which are a separate but related issue.
1. Distraction! My first step when experiencing intrusive thoughts is to distract myself. Focusing on the thought only makes it stronger, so redirecting my attention to something positive helps stop it in its tracks. Some distractions that work for me are reading, video games, or drawing. Find what works for you!
2. Remember the facts! The intrusive thought is not a part of you, it was generated by a random sequence in the brain that has nothing to do with your personality or identity. The thought you have AFTER the intrusive thought, the ‘Wtf was that thought?’, that is you.
3. Don’t ruminate! The questions you ask yourself like ‘Why would i think that?’, ‘Is something wrong with me because of that thought?’ and ‘Is this thought part of my subconscious somehow?’ - are not helpful. Intrusive thoughts can be extremely distressing, remember tip #2 and don’t spend time feeling bad for having them.
4. Remember that you are not alone! Most people will experience some form of intrusive thoughts at some point during their lifetime. People like me with OCD and a variety of other conditions experience them all the time. I promise that it can get better.
5. Find an anti-intrusive thought to repeat! For example, when i experience intrusive thoughts i purposefully think ‘Wow brain, that was a weird one’. Because the thought is not me, it is a randomly generated combination of stimulus, memories and general knowledge. I get plenty of random thoughts that are actually pleasant, but of course being random, some of them are disturbing and thus intrusive. “That thought is not me” is another great anti-intrusive thought. I’ll also add “Nope, don’t like this thought one bit” and the dramatic “I BANISH this thought from my brain castle!”
I really hope this can help someone out there. After so many years of dealing with intrusive thoughts, these are the best tips i have to offer. Of course though, i will always recommend tip # ∞ , which is to seek professional help. Sending my love and hope to all.
