We all have that moment when an unwanted, hard-to-ignore thought or image pops into our minds.
These are intrusive thoughts which are harmless. However, if we were to obsess about them to the point where it disrupts our day, this could be a sign of an underlying mental health problem, explains WebMD. The symptoms of those intrusive thoughts could be anxiety, depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
The publication notes that intrusive thoughts come in many forms: sexual thoughts; violent thoughts; negative thoughts and ‘junk’ thoughts, which can often be weird, bizarre or paranoid thoughts that you cannot control.
Most of the time, intrusive thoughts are just thoughts. However, if you feel that those thoughts bother you, you can take the necessary steps to reduce their intensity and frequency.
Below are tips from WebMD on how you should or should not handle intrusive thoughts.
Do:
- Label and recognise your intrusive thoughts for what they are – uncontrollable.
- Let them linger instead of pushing them away.
- Accept the fact that your intrusive thoughts will eventually pass.
- Prepare yourself for the thoughts to come back.
- Continue with what you were doing before the intrusive thoughts flooded your head.
Don’t:
- Act on or engage with these repetitive and random thoughts.
- Attempt to question why you are having the thoughts in the first place.
- Look for possible meanings behind your intrusive thoughts.
- Suppress them as this will make you think about them even more.
If your intrusive thoughts consume you and stop you from going about your day, be sure to speak to your doctor.
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