Intrusive thoughts: why do they appear and how to manage them?
Recurring ideas that leave us worried for days. Is it possible to eliminate them?
Have you ever been immersed in a loop of thoughts from which you do not know how to get out? Have you experienced the unpleasant feeling of not being able to "expel" from your mind an idea that hurts you? As if it were a catchy song, do you feel unable to think clearly because the background melody of some repetitive thought is continuously playing?
If you think these examples explain your situation, it is quite possible that you are a regular victim of intrusive thoughts. a habitual victim of intrusive thoughts. Here's exactly what they are.
Intrusive thoughts
Obsessions are intrusive, repetitive and disturbing thoughts that remain in our mind for long periods despite attempts to fight or run away from them. They are those intrusive thoughts that we do not want to have, because we are aware of their uselessness/dysfunctionality and yet they end up coming to us again and again, disturbing our calm and making it difficult to concentrate.
If we do not work on them**, these intrusive thoughts can end up becoming the axis of our lives**, because while we put all our attention on them, we exclude the reality around us. We feel unable to redirect our attention to other stimuli because obsessive thinking rules everything. Thinking and rethinking things is perhaps one of the most frequent problems in our society, being a source of anxiety problems, suffering, incapacity...
How are obsessions generated?
Obsessions appear because people have developed the illusion of absolute controllability. We want to have everything under our control because we have not learned to tolerate uncertainty, but this illusion collapses again and again when we see that certain circumstances in life are uncontrollable. this illusion collapses again and again when we see that certain circumstances in life are uncontrollable, e.g. illnesses or other people's behavior.for example illnesses or other people's behavior.
Obsessive thoughts can also appear when we find ourselves in the situation of having to make a decision and not knowing what to choose among the possibilities. We think about it for days, months or even years, falling into the trap of immobilizing obsession, without realizing that not deciding is already deciding.
Giorgio Nardone states in his book "I think therefore I suffer" that doubts are the launching pad for our creative thinking, but also the springboard for obsessive thinking. In the first case, doubt is mastered and oriented, leading to the discovery of new thoughts. In the second, it is fought and repressed, and becomes the tyrant that persecutes thought.
Since it is very likely that we will never be certain that the decision we make is the right one, it is advisable to take the time strictly necessary to evaluate the pros and cons and then decide, taking responsibility for the fact that it is possible that we have made a mistake and learning to renounce the path we have decided not to take.
Dispute between thoughts
Our conscious being tends to rationally reject those intrusive thoughts that disturb us.. It is normal, since if you stop to think you will realize that there are enough stressful events for us to live in constant discomfort if our attention cannot disengage from them.
Therefore, it is likely that sometimes a struggle between rational thoughts and irrational or uncomfortable thoughts is triggered. On the one hand, those uncomfortable thoughts, being "forbidden", have a lot of potential to attract our attention. have a lot of potential to attract our attention to them.. On the other hand, the part of thoughts and sensations that we can tolerate does not have to be strong enough to "cover" all our reality, leaving no gaps.
However, there is the paradox that thinking that we do not want to think about something is already focusing our attention on it, and there is the frustration of wanting to erase a thought from our mind and obtain the opposite effect: to strengthen it.
How can we manage intrusive thoughts?
Obsessive thoughts are a symptom that warns us of something. That is why one of the first steps should be to pull the thread (alone if we see ourselves capable, or in the company of a trained professional) to discover from where they arise and why they are maintained and to be able to work on it from the root..
If we do not do so, the cause that pushes those intrusive thoughts into our consciousness will continue to do so, and not only that, but we will gradually succumb to the force of stress. Thus, we must go beyond the immediate symptoms and look for causes that explain this phenomenon.
In addition to this, we can use a series of tactics to manage intrusive thoughts in an appropriate way and diminish their impact on our lives. and diminish their impact on our lives.
1. Disengagement of thoughts
Discover and accept that you are not your thoughts. You do not decide what does or does not come into your mind, but you can select what interests you and what you want. you can select what you are interested in and want to keep, and send the rest to the SPAM folder..
When the thought appears, it is useless to fight against it, because it will become stronger. Investigate why it appears in your mind and then decide if you want to focus on it. If not, say goodbye to it and visualize how it goes away.
It is an exercise that requires effort and training, and it is normal that at first you see that the results are not as expected or that it is very difficult to disengage. But if you work consistently, you will discover that they will eventually lose strength and disappear.
Carrying out activities that promote concentration, attention and self-control.
Training your mind in techniques such as meditation, yoga or Mindfulness will help you gain self-control over your own thoughts and you will learn to focus your attention on other areas when recurring thoughts appear.
2. Frequent physical exercise
Thoughts are energy, and it is much easier to control them when we have released the excess energy that our body generates. that our body generates. Therefore, daily physical exercise will help us to have a clearer and more relaxed mind and to reduce the intensity of recurring thoughts.
3. Daily dedication to thinking about the disturbing thought
If you have been thinking for a long time about a certain thoughtand you don't see yourself able to give it up, dedicate 15 minutes a day, always at the same time and in the same place, to think only and exclusively about it. You can take notes and leave your thoughts in writing to gain productivity, but as soon as the alarm sounds to warn you that the quarter of an hour has passed, you can not think about it again until the next day.
4. Avoid continually talking about recurring thoughts
Seeking reassurance or people's opinion continuously is a double-edged sword.. On the other hand, it produces a temporary tranquility or "relief" but on the other hand it encourages and reinforces the maintenance of the problem as well as the feeling that by ourselves we are not able to solve it, which generates feelings of low self-esteem and interpersonal dependence.
When is it necessary to contact a professional?
If the recurrent thoughts have become an obsessive vicious circle that you do not see yourself capable of letting go of, they affect your daily life and considerably detract from your quality of life, it is advisable that you visit a specialist with whom you will be able to analyze your situationIt is recommended that you visit a specialist with whom you can analyze your situation, discover the causes of the appearance and maintenance of obsessions, and learn tools that will help you learn to think in a healthier and more effective way.
(Updated at Apr 13 / 2024)