lizxx
- Date posted
- 1y
Intrusive thoughts
Does anyone have any advice for intrusive thoughts and "what ifs"? How can I try to care less?
EFFMYOCDEFFMYOCD
- Date posted
- 1y
All I know is for a couple years I have desensitized myself to my intrusive thoughts by looking at them with curiosity instead of facts. I would literally just be like “interesting. Oh well” when I would get an intrusive thought instead of battling it or trying to make it stop. Even for the worst ones. It was so hard but it was what my therapist told me to do. Over time, I started noticing I was having them less bc I wasn’t alarming my brain to be afraid of them anymore. Now I still get them occasionally but they pass so much quicker and don’t rule my life as bad. Hope this helps you!
lizxxlizxx
- Date posted
- 1y
@EFFMYOCD I loved this, thank you!
charissepisces2021charissepisc...
- Date posted
- 1y
I did this too! Just let the thoughts be there even if they were terrible. I used to have dreams too, and i dreamt i even liked it. Did the same thing, worked.
charissepisces2021charissepisc...
- Date posted
- 1y
Do you ever try to answer the what if questions, like exposing yourself to the reality you fear, and then coming up w a solution?
lizxxlizxx
- Date posted
- 1y
@charissepisces2021 I usually get random what ifs and sometimes they are so bad like what if I did this and I don’t know if I did or not. They usually are pretty bad so trying to expose myself to them is pretty hard. I’m going to try to just not focus on the thought.
lizxxlizxx
- Date posted
- 1y
@charissepisces2021 Do you have any tips?
MikecicleMikecicle
- Date posted
- 1y
Simple, don’t engage. Focus on literally anything else, don’t try to suppress the thought but just acknowledge and move on. If you experience anxiety because of them, that’s okay it’ll pass, just don’t interact with the thought.
lizxxlizxx
- Date posted
- 1y
@Mikecicle thank you!!
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Chels0212
- Date posted
- 23w
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I struggle so bad with intrusive thoughts. They can be so bad that I'll cry because I KNOW that's not how I feel or want to do. (Too embarrassed to say what they're about) I'll constantly try to figure out why I have them, and constantly figure out what they mean, causing me to constantly circle around and around. I had to get on anxeity meds, which helped a little but the thoughts still happen. How do you help yourself with this? How do you know that you're just not some physcopath? 😅
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