How do you get rid of intrusive thoughts?

[Sol-]

I've tried breathing exercises, I've tried listing things I see/hear/etc. I've tried those so much that they're becoming triggers for worse mood. Has anyone found ways for getting out of intrusive thoughts that aren't totally overdone?

[BrmhmR]

Understand thoughts and how to engage with them and those breathing exercises and the listing activity will be effective. Those are good tools that you are trying but can only be done properly once you know the theory behind why those are recommended.

Here is a good analogy. Imagine everyone you pass by on the street is a thought. You can observe them but you don't talk to every single person. Until you see someone you know and then you approach them. Behave like this with thoughts. They are just things to observe and if a good idea comes you can engage with it. Every other thought isn't worth your attention. The same way you won't force a stranger out of your path, you don't force a thought away. Let it pass. Otherwise you get a bad reaction from them.

A thought is a natural process and we do not have control over what enters our mind. We do however, have control over how we react to it. It may not feel like that at the moment but with practice you can influence your automatic response and influence what your mind suggests to you. It is important to know that automatic intrusive thoughts are suggestions. Don't fight them because your mind believes you need to hear it. If you don't it will be chaotic in order for you to listen. But by that point you are overwhelmed, overthinking and stressed. This is the subconscious. It learns from previous experiences in life but it makes mistakes. Your subconscious produces feelings like doubt, anxiety and excitement. Your logical mind is the one that questions why you have all these thoughts. It is the part that solves problems and is more rational. It is the part that requires effort to work.

Think of it like a habit. A habit is an automatic behaviour that doesn't require a lot of thought. You have possibly built this habit of engaging with thoughts. Attempting to avoid them and question them which only feeds them more. Now with habits you can replace them with good ones and it will be difficult at first because you are trying to stop yourself doing something automatically. Over time thought you will build a better habit, one that observes thoughts and focuses back on the present.

Meditation is art of practicing this. Practicing mindfulness. To accept whatever enters and not concern yourself with their presence. Take your breathing exercises and see what thoughts come to distract you. Let them enter and then focus back on breathing. These distractions will come because breathing is not stimulating. Your mind wants distraction, because at the end of the day it wants the quickest way to be happy, even your subconscious has that one goal. But something easy to come by comes with a long term consequence. Once you practice meditation for a few days you notice that you can do it throughout the day. Focusing on the task at hand and letting thoughts pass you. Inner peace.

[Beevee in reply to BrmhmR]

Love this explanation and right on the money! The thoughts only grab your attention because they are laced with fear and give a false sense of importance. These thoughts won't be there when you recover so learn to observe instead of engaging with them and let them go.

By placing belief in the thought content, you engage with them and that just adds more stress, more intrusive thoughts, more of the symptoms you are trying to escape from.

I wrote a post about overcoming intrusive thoughts that complement BrmhmR's excellent analogy that you may also find helpful.

Best wishes.

[Ellamaye]

I have intrusive thoughts they are worse when I try to sleep I always have to listen to something to drown them out or try to but no cure I'm sorry x share what worries you if you feel it will help? I mainly worry about my kids

[Cooking_nut]

Can you see a psychiatrist and try a medication? I hate to suggest this right off the bat but I used to have terrible intrusive thoughts but also very bad anxiety. My doctor put me on Lexapro for the anxiety and I didn’t even realize it until later, but my intrusive thoughts had quite diminished. I would worry about the most ridiculous things and I couldn’t get the thoughts out of my head. It’s much better now.

Also, I’ve found that with some intrusive thoughts, have I put the garage door down, did I turn the coffee, iron, (insert whatever here) off, if I say the words out loud - I.e., “the garage door is down!”, “The doors are locked!”, etc. It really helps a lot.

[Sol- in reply to Cooking_nut]

I am taking an anti anxiety med. It has helped some, but not as much as I would like.

[Lovedogsncats in reply to Cooking_nut]

I have had a similar experience as you. Anti-anxiety meds have helped me a great deal. However, I am still battling crippling depression once a month that really wants to take me down. Exercise has helped me feel more in control but it is hard for my body and brain to separate from those thoughts of the world being better off without me. Trying hard to separate from the thoughts though.

[Kinlay]

I use an AVE device, the David Delight, which actually has a setting specifically for this!

mindalive.com/collections/a...

I also use yoga, specifically yoga with Adriene.

youtube.com/results?search_...

Getting out, whether for a walk or to run errands also helps me during the day. When I'm trying to sleep, I usually have to take a half a benzo when they get really bad, but sometimes just reading or using the AVE can distract me enough.

Keep trying different things - and keep doing the breathing. Adriene uses alternate nostril breathing a lot, which may help. Good luck and hang in there! You are not alone.

[punkster]

I find that immersing myself in something else helps to reduce intrusive thoughts. I immerse myself in work, learning new skills, playing piano, listening to music, etc. I take trazodone at night to help me sleep. It seems to calm me down and calm down the intrusive thoughts.

[jain88]

tell to yourself 1000 times it all fake thoughts all useless all garbage , its not real