Allow Time to Pass

Hi all,

I just wanted to share some useful techniques about allowing time to pass with obsessive thoughts.

The bibliography information is given below.

Hope this helps.

Allow time to pass. Don’t urge it on. Observe your anxiety and distress from a curious, disinterested point of view. Do not keep checking to see if this is working; just let the thoughts be there. They are thoughts. There is no hurry.

Allowing time to pass is one of the most important skills for recovery. Remember that any thought that produces a repeated feeling of urgency is a sign of anxiety. A feeling of urgency is discomfort, not danger. It comes automatically with the thoughts, but it is not a signal for action. Counting down until you feel better propels you into the future, increases your discomfort, and makes you fight the thought even harder. Checking to see if the steps are working is yet another way of stimulating them. Slow down. Let it be. You are dealing with discomfort, not danger. Time allows your normal calming reaction to take effect, on its own, naturally.

Remember that you are practicing new ways of relating to your thoughts. The most effective way to rob them of power is to continue doing the things you were doing and had intended to do prior to the thoughts. Imagine that unwanted intrusive thoughts are terrorists of the mind. Just as terrorists work by making people change the way they live, feeling compelled to abandon what you are doing is giving power to the message of terror. Even if you are feeling afraid (that’s your amygdala doing what it is supposed to do) and even if your intrusions return, your most powerful response is to continue with your life as if nothing has happened.

Winston, Sally M.. Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts: A CBT-Based Guide to Getting Over Frightening, Obsessive, or Disturbing Thoughts (p. 121, 122, 123). New Harbinger Publications. Kindle Edition.

[Greekdude]

nice tips thank you !

[Gretajetta]

Thank u for the tips. I will try to do the counting.