Unwanted Limerence

Let’s look at this differently. Agreed that it is normal and human to find other people attractive. But remember that Attraction ≠ desire ≠ intention ≠ values. The problem began when your brain labeled the these thought as dangerous or meaningful. OCD then treated it like a problem that must be solved. The unwanted thought keeps repeating because your brain thinks there is something to fix or figure out. But there is nothing to address here. No decision. No investigation. No repeated questioning needed. You are not thinking about this celebrity because any of these thoughts are true. You have having repeated unwanted thoughts because you are afraid of what the thoughts might mean horrible/catastrophic about your identity. To be free from unwanted thoughts that torture us , we need to learn an important truth: *** A thought and your identity are two different things. *** Who you are is defined by values plus consistent actions, not by mental noise. Formula for managing unwanted thoughts, try saying this to yourself : • “Oh, that’s an interesting / funky / weird thought.” • “Thoughts are not identity.” • “People have all kinds of thoughts that pop up.” • “There’s that thought… and that’s not me. It’s just a thought.” Then redirect attention without checking how you feel. Love is shown by actions and choices, not by mental noise. This is OCD mislabeling a normal human thought as a threats.

Very relatable post. Thanks for sharing. I recite a mantra that “thoughts are not facts” to help. However, these types of intrusive thoughts have still been very overwhelming for me nonetheless.

Much obliged boss and likewise. Most days I hate everything but one small step not to give into the negativity.