How to deal with intrusive thoughts

Intrusive thoughts happen to many of us and more often than we think. For some of us, the thoughts pounce upon us early in the morning or sometime during the day while we’re hard at work. Whenever the moment is, we can all agree that intrusive thoughts can be overwhelming. They know how to hit us where it hurts mentally and emotionally.

For the unaware, intrusive thoughts come to mind without warning. They are typically negative and can demand a lot of your mental space. Negative and intrusive thoughts can leave you feeling worthless, hopeless, angry, frustrated with yourself and others and just terrible overall. These thoughts can affect how you interact with others and how you operate in your relationships. Some intrusive thoughts are assumptive and can have you thinking the worst about someone when the truth could be far from what’s in your head.

So how do you deal with this ever occurring issue? How can you deal with intrusive thoughts head-on?

1. Stop them in their tracks

This may sound pretty straightforward and obvious but truth be told, sometimes stopping the thought in its tracks is not the first thing that comes to mind mainly because your mind is preoccupied. Quite often the thoughts sneak up on you and begin wreaking mental havoc and you just… sit there and let it. When you finally become aware of the thought, audibly tell yourself “stop”. This may seem odd to do but trust me; saying it out loud will break the flow of the thought as opposed to saying it in your mind where it would most likely be drowned out by the thought itself.

2. Backtrack

By this I mean you should trace the root of the thought. Where did it come from? What happened why this came to mind? What was I doing (or not doing)? By asking yourself these questions and tracing the thoughts (as best as possible), you can then find out what triggers your intrusive thoughts to become more aware of the ‘ideal setting’ for the intrusion.

3. Challenge the thought with truths and/or solutions

Quite often, the intrusive thoughts are birthed from a twisted version of the truth i.e. a lie that needs to be corrected. To do these, you need to challenge the thought. Along with looking into the root cause of the thought, ask yourself if this thought is grounded in any truth. Use what information you have to help you challenge the thought with the truth. But what if the truth coincides with the thoughts? Find a solution. This solution could be having a needed conversation to clarify some things, making a life change, adjusting your expectations or seeking help to deal with a challenge.

4. Affirm Yourself

Replace the weight of the negative intrusive thoughts with positive self-talk. Remind yourself of your worth, your value, how blessed you are, how far you’ve come from and all the amazing things that comprise your life. Give yourself the grace to grow, be better, learn from mistakes and triumph over difficulties.

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I know that for some of us, finding positive things to say about ourselves may be a challenge. In that case, speak to trusted people who can help put things into perspective for you and remind you of the good things you can’t remember of yourself. Of course, seeking professional help with intrusive thoughts and being guided professionally on how to challenge them is always a good option too.

I hope you consider these tips for challenging intrusive thoughts and keep them in mind. It can be difficult to combat something that may have been ingrained in you for a while. However, a small step is better than none.

What are some ways you may have challenged intrusive thoughts? Let me know!