Have you been suffering from intrusive thoughts?
Intrusive thoughts are random, unwanted thoughts that can crop up in a person’s mind at any time, place, or during any situation. They can occur in the form of images, sounds, or statements. These thoughts can often be strange and disturbing and might cause distress to a person. They can also be repetitive in nature, meaning that the same intrusive thought may keep occurring over time.
Intrusive thoughts are usually considered normal and can happen to everyone from time to time. In fact, these thoughts can have a practical purpose. They can ensure our security by helping us anticipate dangers and work out how to deal with them. They can also play a role in our creativity and imagination.
However, intrusive thoughts can decrease our quality of life if they become too repetitive or if they start affecting daily activities. People suffering from anxiety, depression, PTSD, or other mental conditions are more prone to these types of thoughts. Intrusive thoughts can worsen their condition and make their recovery more difficult.
Types of Intrusive Thoughts
It’s important to understand what type of intrusive thoughts we are experiencing in order to deal with them more effectively. Some of the most common types of intrusive thoughts are as follows:
- Thoughts about violent acts or causing harm to self or other people harm
- Doubts about a particular activity or a personality trait
- Thoughts about being an immoral person
- Inappropriate thoughts about sex
- Fear of saying offensive things in public
- Fear of germs, infections, and diseases in general
We may also get other types of intrusive thoughts not mentioned on this list. However, they all share the common trait of being strange, disturbing, and things that we would never intend or do consciously.
How To Stop Intrusive Thoughts (or minimize their impact)
It is possible to stop these thoughts or at least minimize their impact on our lives. One of the best ways to do that is by decreasing our sensitivity to them. Experts often suggest the below-mentioned strategies to deal with intrusive thoughts:
Acknowledge Them And Move On
A good way to deal with these thoughts is to recognize them for what they are: thoughts. A thought has no power until it is acted upon. It appears in the mind and disappears just as quickly. Therefore, there is no reason to feel guilty for having these thoughts, as we are not in control of them in the first place. The more we dwell on them, the bigger their impact becomes. Therefore, it’s better to let them come and go.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Therapy has numerous benefits. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) involves working with a therapist who can help us become less sensitive to intrusive thoughts. The therapist can help us understand the potential triggers that can lead to intrusive thoughts and how we can react to them differently.
Medication
A mental health provider can prescribe medication if they deem it to be appropriate for the person or their situation. This could be in cases where the person has conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Conclusion
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted thoughts that can randomly appear in our minds. They can be strange, disturbing, and distressing. Mostly, these are thoughts that we would never act upon. Therefore, their occurrence can cause us to be concerned about our personality or mental health. However, there is no reason to be concerned as long as we don’t feel the need to act upon them. In cases where they become too repetitive or start affecting daily life, there are ways to deal with them and minimize their impact.