Accept and Allow the thoughts

Hi everyone,

I was reading about how to deal with obsessive thoughts, and I came across very useful information, that could help us, who are struggling with it.

Thus, I am sharing with you all.

The bibliography of the book information is listed below.

Hope this helps.

What does it mean to accept and allow the thoughts? Accept does not mean “I am stuck forever with these thoughts and the misery around them, so I just have to put up with them.” It also does not mean “I have to accept the content of these thoughts that says I am bad, crazy, or flawed.” Accept and allow means that you are actively allowing the thoughts to be there, not wishing they were gone, because this attitude helps you grasp that the thoughts are unimportant. They do not require any attention or response. You might even welcome the thoughts as another opportunity to teach the brain a different way.

Accept and allow also recognizes that you might very well get another intrusive thought. So when you are actively allowing the thoughts to be there, you are also letting yourself know that another one might follow.

Accept and allow is actually more of an attitude than a technique. It is an attitude that acknowledges that what you resist tends to persist. It is an attitude of willingness. When you allow thoughts to be there, you are no longer struggling. The thoughts lose their power.

If the thoughts really don’t matter to us, they actually stop coming! Because we have stopped fueling them with our disgust, fear, anger, and shame. The path to the other side of the storm where all is calm is through it. We can’t outrun it or circle around it. But if we walk forward through it, it does not take long to pass. We have the same goal: to not be bombarded by intrusive thoughts we don’t want.

Winston, Sally M.. Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts: A CBT-Based Guide to Getting Over Frightening, Obsessive, or Disturbing Thoughts (pp. 118,119,120,156-157). New Harbinger Publications. Kindle Edition.

[Gretajetta]

I try all different things. I wake up and tell myself it’s a new day. I don’t need to do these things and it just consumes my thoughts until I give in. I think to myself “Just do it and get it over with”. I hate it

[NWOntario]

This is REALLY good advice. It isn’t easy to do by any means, but if you work at it, results will follow.

It takes time to master. Just remember that the process is more important than the immediate results.