
If you are struggling with your mental health, taking steps to improve your self-care routine can also benefit you.
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A mental health professional trained in techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy can teach you ways to reduce your sensitivity and heightened reaction to your most distressing thoughts. Talk therapy is another strategy for managing stray impulses.
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Through meditation, you can learn how to separate the occasional unwanted compulsion or irrational idea from your sense of self. A meditation practice can teach you to acknowledge each thought as it comes, then release it. Mindfulness meditation is one thing you can try to accomplish this goal. Can You Stop Intrusive Thoughts?Ī proactive way to take control of your intrusive thoughts is to change your relationship with them. People who spend a disproportionate amount of time dwelling on food, calories or eating could have an eating disorder. Meanwhile, if your intrusive thoughts usually involve vivid flashbacks to a frightening or upsetting event, you may have PTSD. Still, intrusive thoughts may be problematic if they happen frequently enough to detract from your overall quality of life.įor example, believing you must repeat specific behaviors in a pattern to avoid a disaster is a leading hallmark of OCD. Unexplained urges or bizarre images aren’t necessarily a symptom of a mental illness that requires professional help. Sometimes, they could be your subconscious mind’s attempts to process experiences, and other times, they are completely meaningless. Not all the urges that pass through your stream of consciousness are equally valid. Contrary to what you might fear, having them doesn’t mean you secretly wish to act on every random whim that enters your mind. Intrusive thoughts can happen to anyone, at any time. If you are one of the millions of people with an anxiety disorder, violent or sexually explicit intrusive thoughts can intensify your symptoms. Many people feel intensely embarrassed or ashamed about their intrusive thoughts and never mention them to anyone, including their partner or therapist. These ideas may be about things you would never ordinarily think about doing, such as hurting a loved one. Understanding Intrusive ThoughtsĪny impulse or image that suddenly enters your mind is an intrusive thought. Here’s what you need to know about intrusive thoughts and their meaning. Since these can be so strange, frightening and upsetting, you may wonder where they come from and whether you can stop having them. If you live with a mental health challenge like anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder, you have probably experienced intrusive thoughts.

What Are Intrusive Thoughts? Lindsay Chambers T17:49:34-06:00
