You know, random thoughts that sometimes pop into your head out of nowhere? These thoughts are weird, like imagining something bad happening or seeing yourself doing something you never do. Many people experience these thoughts, find them strange, ignore them, and continue with their day.
On the other hand, intrusive thoughts tend to stick in your mind. These thoughts often repeat themselves, even when you try to forget them. Such thoughts can disturb our thinking process, affect our lives, and cause a lot of stress.
Imagine you are trying to focus on an important thing, like preparing for a presentation at work, but these intrusive thoughts keep disturbing you. These may be that you think you are going to lose confidence during the presentation, or you will say something wrong. They can even make it impossible for you to continue your daily tasks.
Intrusive thoughts are often about inappropriate or taboo subjects. For example, you might have thoughts of hurting your loved ones, even though you never actually want to do that. Although these thoughts come out of nowhere, and you have no control over them, they can make you feel guilty.
Are Intrusive Thoughts Normal?
Yes, intrusive thoughts are often considered common and a normal part of human life. But these thoughts are unwanted, unexpected, and often disturb mental health. Research suggests that intrusive thoughts are expressed in a language-like format. Individuals with a habitual tendency for intrusive thoughts may have stronger and more habitual inner speech processes. Another explanation suggests that intrusive thoughts are expressed non-verbally. But the individuals have a verbal representation of a meta-cognitive exposure of these intrusive thoughts. Many people experience them in their lives at some point.
If you’ve ever found yourself struggling with these strange and unwanted intrusive thoughts, remember that you are not alone. Intrusive thoughts can be passing thoughts that come and go, and persistent thoughts that stick in the mind for longer.
Experiencing intrusive thoughts doesn’t always mean that you are struggling with a mental health condition. But if there are other symptoms along with your intrusive thoughts, it is significant to reach out for support, such as your psychiatrist.
Reasons for Intrusive Thoughts
Many things can be the reason for intrusive thoughts, such as news stories, songs, or a call from an old friend. Sometimes they just come out unexpectedly. Additionally, these thoughts may happen more often when you’re facing mental fatigue, anxiety, lack of sleep, or stress.
For some people, intrusive thoughts are not just an odd occurrence; they become part of daily life. These people may have a mental disorder. The mental problem can be obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which makes intrusive thoughts more dominant and uncomfortable.
The following are the common reasons for intrusive thoughts.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
We can expect intrusive thoughts as a common symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder. An individual with OCD intrusive thoughts can experience obsession and compulsion.
- Obsessions can be described as repeated unwanted, intense thoughts or images. It can be intense fear about germs or forceful thoughts of harming someone.
- Compulsion is a behaviour that attempts to ease the distress caused by the obsessions. It can prevent something bad from happening. For example, frequently washing hands to remove germs.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
People struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often have intrusive thoughts. It is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing any traumatic occurrence. Symptoms of PTSD are flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and rebellious thoughts about the event.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
People who struggle with anxiety, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), have persistent intrusive thoughts that can last for months or years. They often interfere with daily life activities and disrupt them. Many people with anxiety disorders have recurring intrusive thoughts daily.
How to Deal with Intrusive Thoughts?
Here are some treatments that can help in dealing with intrusive thoughts.
Try Relaxation Therapy
Have you ever experienced physical symptoms, such as stomachaches or headaches, when anxious? Our mind and body are connected, so some relaxation methods can reduce the symptoms of anxiety.
- Deep breathing is a common method to slow down the heart rate and reduce anxiety. You can practice it anywhere; it takes just a few deep inhales and exhales, and consult your psychiatrist.
- Deep muscle relaxation also helps to relieve the tension in our muscles when anxious.
- Physical activities are a very powerful method to release the tension in our minds and bodies. These activities can be walking, biking, or gardening.
Find a Support
Intrusive thoughts often cause to isolate ourselves due to feelings of shame and guilt. They also prevent us from going anywhere, which will only increase one’s anxiety. So, finding a support group that suits your needs can help you reduce negative thoughts.
How Can Mental Health Treatment Help?
It is extremely challenging to live with extremely repeated intrusive thoughts. Therefore, you need to seek help from a psychiatrist. It can provide you with the necessary techniques to work on unexpected intrusive thoughts and behaviors. It is ideal to find a psychiatrist for the treatment who specializes in treating mental health conditions. However, if not, confirm they have some experience working with this specific diagnosis.
The following are some treatments that psychiatrists may use to treat OCD:
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an action-based therapy. It works on accepting your thoughts without judgment and ways to control them.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for intrusive thoughts is one of the most effective psychological treatments. This therapy can help individuals to reduce their negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
- Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is like CBT, which involves confronting the feared object or situation to control compulsive behaviors. In this treatment, the therapist will slowly expose you to your specific fears. It will initially increase your anxiety, but with continued exposure, it will decrease.
Seek Help from Brain Power Wellness Institute
People often stay silent about intrusive thoughts due to the fear of being misunderstood. They worry that others might misjudge them. Mental health professionals understand and offer support and psychoeducation. Psychiatrists help people with different therapies manage intrusive thoughts and other mental health conditions.
Brain Power Wellness Institute provides mental health support. Whether it’s intrusive thoughts or any other mental condition, our team of professionals will help you to recover from mental conditions. You can get personalized treatment for all kinds of mental conditions.
