Throw a House Party With Your Bad and Intrusive Thoughts...

[Ambien1711]

….Lay out a welcome mat and when they come, invite them in, Now sit and talk about Why they are there, and get to know them. Get comfortable with them and just sit with them for awhile. (UK publications are now highly recommending that you not resist uncomfortable thoughts.) When a distraction or house duty comes up, tell them that you have to leave now but that they are always welcome. They will get so sick of your hospitality and start not showing up as much. Pretty soon you are drinking by yourself. Where did they go? They have LOST their power over you. Look at you now!

Yes, we need to give practical advice and in a fun way. That is what I tried to do here. I deal with the intrusive thoughts but I now welcome them. Now they are not so distressing anymore.

Please let me know if this Post helped you in any way! And-as I always say-BIG SMILE! ; )

[footgo]

Sounds a great idea Ambien1711.

[Hidden]

This sounds a bit like aspects of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy which I like the idea of and am looking into.

Apparently the idea is to get to know your intrusive thoughts - the inner critic - as they developed to help and protect you when growing up.......is this the same sort of thing you are referring to?

I think it's a great idea but can you elaborate more please...how do you DEAL with uncomfortable thoughts?

I think it's good not to fight these uncomfortable thoughts because after all they are all part of us - useful maybe at one time in our lives but not if they are no longer needed and end up ruining our lives. Fighting internally sets up tension.

What are the UK publications you mention? Would be grateful for a link.

Thanks for an interesting post Ambien and well done to you, sounds a great approach!

[Ambien1711 in reply to Hidden]

From what I understand, you REPLACE the bad and intrusive thoughts. For every one, set a tone for a GOOD thought that repels them, yes this COULD include your inner critic. TALK-BACK and be a sassy a$$! You have to literally believe that good will always overcome. Then you know that your bad thoughts have already lost. It is really a matter of progressively CHANGING your thinking patterns. This is probably the best advice I can give to you for this. I am still learning to do all these myself. I struggle daily. I Read the magazines BREATHE and IN THE MOMENT and many times I have found articles on this. breathemagazine.com/ and calmmoment.com/magazines/in.... They are a great self-help resource. You can buy single issues cheap on PocketMags. pocketmags.com/us Hope this helps! ; )

[Hidden in reply to Ambien1711]

Thanks for this, will look into it.

[Ambien1711 in reply to Hidden]

Very glad to hear! I wish you well on your journey of health!

[Jeff1943]

You are absolutely right about how to treat intrusive thoughts: agree to accept them and co-exist with them for the time being. Do not resist or fight them. Fighting only causes more stress and tension which the symptoms of anxiety disorder feed on.

Agree to accept them and you will lose your fear of them for you cannot both fear and accept something. Choose acceptance.

The acceptance method for recovery from from intrusive thoughts - and all the symptoms of anxiety disorder - was first set out 50 years ago by Claire Weekes in her first book 'Self help for your nerves'. The book continues to spread its influence and heal sensitised nerves today: it is available new or used on Amazon and Ebay.

Recovery can be summed up in 6 words. Face. Accept. Float. Let time pass.

Ambien, what you have discovered will surely deliver you from the misery of intrusive thoughts.

[Ambien1711]

Thank you, Jeff1943! It surely is a distressing thing for so many and I am so glad that I happened upon this. I did not know where the original research came from, so thank you for that. I will be checking that out for more research as I need more tips myself on how to deal. We ALL need as many fighting mechanisms as we can learn! Many, many thanks to you and for your wonderful response! ; )