Obsessive thoughts: why do they appear and how to combat them?

These thoughts are able to emerge into consciousness many times without us being able to avoid them.

Our ability to think in a sophisticated way and from abstract concepts is what distinguishes us from animals. However, this quality has not only brought us advantages. With the ability to think have also come new problems; uncomfortable situations that other species do not have to face. Obsessive thoughts are an example of this.

In this article we will see what to do before the appearance of these obsessive thoughts and why they appear.

The appearance of obsessive thoughts

Why is it that, in certain stages of our lives, certain ideas or mental images emerge over and over again to our consciousness? After all, it is paradoxical that we tend to think of consciousness as the "command center" of our body and that, at the same time, there are unconscious mental processes capable of imposing themselves again and again on this supposed authority. And the fact is that no matter how much we want it, we cannot directly "force" these obsessive thoughts not to appear.

The truth is that the intricacies of psychological processes are not yet known in depth, but we do know something of which there is already much evidence: emotional memory is as or more important than memory based on words, concepts.

When we experience something that marks us, whether it is related to experiences related to the environment or to thoughts, it leaves different types of traces in our brain: on the one hand, the narration of what happens, that which can be explained by talking. On the other hand, the sensations and emotions that this experience leaves in our brain.for example, fear, joy, etc.

Obsessive thoughts appear again and again in our consciousness, among other reasons, because their emotional charge is relatively high and, in addition, is associated with common experiences in our daily lives. For example, if these mental images have to do with family discussions, seeing other families, family consumer products or even the word "dad" written on a billboard can make it come back to us.

• You may be interested in "Emotional memory: what is it and what is its Biological basis?"

What to do to manage them?

Below we will see some tips for dealing with obsessive thoughts. However, you should keep in mind that in the most serious cases it is necessary to to go to personalized psychological therapy servicesSince following guidelines individually and without professional help and advice will not help.

1. Do not try not to think about it

Trying to "force" obsessive thoughts into oblivion simply does not work. The urge to stop thinking about it leads us to a state of stress and alertness, which achieves just the opposite which has exactly the opposite effect, since everything we feel will be associated with the image we are trying to quarantine.

The best thing, then, is to opt for other strategies that do not have to do with denial, but rather with acceptance.

2. Change your habits

It may seem counterintuitive, but the key to prevent obsessive thoughts from becoming a constant source of discomfort has nothing to do with "working on the internal aspects of our mind", but rather with the opposite: making changes outwardly, in our way of relating to the world and to others.

Therefore, it is good to radically change habits and routines, in all aspects. Frequenting different places, looking for other contexts in which to interact with others, and ultimately and, in short, subjecting yourself to new stimuli.

What does this achieve? Before this torrent of sensations and new experiences, the obsessive thoughts are diluted, since there are many elements in which to fix our attention and that unconsciously we will try to memorize because of its emotional carca.

3. Focus on a new and exciting project.

Having new goals in life makes the mental associations that we make in our day to day life be linked to what we give importance to at that moment. If there is something that for our focus of attention competes in importance with obsessive thoughts, it is more likely that these will gradually lose strength.

Thus, as that which keeps us excited is a real magnet for our attentional focus.In this way, the obsessive thoughts are disappearing, something that is noticed in the frequency with which they come to our mind: from more to less, until they evaporate.

4. Practice relaxation techniques

It is good to combine the previous steps with relaxation techniques, since anxiety itself leads us to think about what obsesses us.