Have you ever had a disturbing thought that came out of nowhere, totally unprompted? While they may be upsetting, intrusive thoughts are common and usually not a cause for concern.
When you start having them often, or when they keep bothering you and don’t go away, those are signs that you may need to seek treatment. Intrusive thoughts are sometimes associated with conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Whether you have a diagnosable condition or not, there are a few strategies you can try to manage your intrusive thoughts. In this article, we’ll share six ways to minimize or cope with intrusive thoughts.
What are intrusive thoughts, and why do we have them?
Intrusive thoughts are ideas that go against your personal values or desires. This is one of the reasons why they can be so disturbing. They also seem to occur to us randomly, for no reason.
If you’re standing near a steep ledge or at the top of a ladder, you may have an intrusive thought about wanting to jump off. Or you might be walking and have sudden, inappropriate sexual thoughts.
Most people have these thoughts from time to time, and most of the time, for no particular reason, and we can usually choose to ignore them. After all, a thought isn’t necessarily connected to reality — it’s just a thought.
Some people may be more prone to intrusive thoughts than others. People who have OCD may be more likely to have repetitive, distressing thoughts that they have a hard time ignoring. They may develop compulsive behaviors as a way to cope, but ultimately, the unwanted thoughts keep coming back.
With PTSD, intrusive thoughts may come in the form of flashbacks, images or distressing thoughts related to a traumatic experience. They can also occur in people who have eating disorders.
The following are some common themes in intrusive thoughts, especially for people who have OCD:
- Unwanted sexual thoughts
- Doubts about your sexual orientation
- Doubts about relationships
- Religious or moral concerns
- Irrational fears or exaggerated worry about specific situations
- Germs, infections, or contamination
- Perfectionistic thoughts
- A need for order or symmetry
- Thoughts or memories about past traumas
What strategies can I use to manage intrusive thoughts?
The way you respond to your intrusive thoughts can change your relationship with them. The best approach may depend on the root cause. If you have OCD, accepting your thoughts for what they are and trying to distance them from yourself may be helpful. If you have PTSD, grounding yourself in the present may be a better approach.
Try using the following techniques to manage intrusive thoughts:
Thought labeling
Sometimes, labeling your thought as “just a thought” can help you take some of its power away. This is a form of cognitive distancing that can help you separate yourself from your thoughts. Practice saying mantras like “My thoughts are temporary” or “I am not my thoughts.”
Visualization
Visualizing your thoughts as things that are fleeting or separate from you may also be helpful. You might picture your thoughts as leaves floating on a river or bubbles that float and pop.
Or you might visualize yourself as a bus driver, with your thoughts as passengers on the bus. They may be distracting, but you can shift your focus and decide where to go.
Mindfulness and grounding exercises
Grounding yourself in your body and your environment can help you turn your focus away from intrusive thoughts. Try concentrating on your breathing or feeling the ground or your chair beneath you.
Thought defusion
There are ways you can create distance from a thought to make it lose its meaning. For instance, try repeating a word over and over again until it’s just a string of syllables. Or sing it to yourself in a weird voice.
Avoid arguing and say “thank you”
Arguing with intrusive thoughts makes you engage with them, which can make them stick around. Instead of thinking, “No, I don’t want my mom to get hurt, and this thought bothers me,” try thanking your brain. Say, “Thank you for that warning.” It may sound counterintuitive, but it sends your brain a different message.
When should I seek treatment for intrusive thoughts?
Everyone experiences unwanted thoughts from time to time. It’s not the thoughts themselves but our relationship with them that determines their impact on our well-being.
When your intrusive thoughts are distracting you from other tasks and responsibilities, or when they’re causing you distress, those are clues that you may benefit from mental health treatment. If managing unwanted thoughts takes up a lot of time in your day, around an hour or more, or if they keep coming back, those are also signs that you may need help.
Because intrusive thoughts go against the grain of your personality, working through shame and self-judgment is often a part of the treatment process. Having intrusive thoughts or seeking treatment for them isn’t a moral failing, and it doesn’t say anything about who you are as a person.
Many people know that their intrusive thoughts are irrational or harmless. They can still be worrisome and cause a lot of stress. If you have OCD, you may feel you have to do things or think certain thoughts in response to intrusive thoughts.
However, following compulsive instincts usually doesn’t provide lasting relief. With treatment, you can change your relationship to these thoughts and learn more effective ways to deal with them.
Are you ready to seek support in managing your intrusive thoughts and explore your treatment options? At Lightfully, we provide personalized treatment for the whole person. That means our licensed clinicians see you as a human being first, not a list of symptoms. We’ll get to know you so we can support the life you want to live.
Contact us with any questions or reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team today. Let’s take the next steps together.
