Guest Post: 7 Ways to Cope With Intrusive Thoughts

Find out how you can curb intrusive thoughts with the help of online therapy options and other effective strategies.

For those who have struggled with their mental health, intrusive thoughts are not a new thing. It is often more difficult to control our thoughts and emotions than we let on. Because it can be difficult to control our thoughts, intrusive thoughts can sneak in and affect the way we feel about ourselves. If you’ve sought out this article as a way to help manage intrusive thoughts, then you’ve already made an important decision. Only once we recognize that we are having intrusive thoughts can we take steps to curb them.

If you are currently experiencing intrusive thoughts, then it is important to do everything you can to stop them. Not only are they uncomfortable—and oftentimes disturbing—they are disruptive to our everyday lives and can cause symptoms of mental health disorders to worsen. That’s why we are discussing 7 different ways that you can curb, cope, and distract yourself from intrusive thoughts. Today, we’ll be exploring everything from how to find a therapist to in the moment solutions for when negative thoughts pop up. Plus, we’re going to be discussing how online therapy options can help you get to the root of your intrusive thoughts. But first, we have to define what intrusive thoughts are and take a look at some of the causes. Let’s get started!

What is an Intrusive Thought?

Before we start exploring different online therapy options, we first need to take a closer look at what intrusive thoughts are and are not.

Many experience intrusive thoughts without knowing what they’re called.

When you hear the phrase “intrusive thought” you may assume that the phrase is self-explanatory—an intrusive thought is a thought that intrudes on your conscious mind. However, intrusive thoughts are more sinister than that. An intrusive thought by the psychological definition refers to thoughts that are unwanted, involuntary, and cause distress. These kinds of thoughts are characterized by their often violent, graphic, or disturbing nature. While not every intrusive thought is disturbing, they are always unwanted.

It is common for intrusive thoughts to be repetitive, out of control, and seemingly random as they pop into our minds. When these thoughts appear, they can exacerbate existing symptoms of mental health disorders, make it difficult to focus, and can lead to feelings of shame and guilt. It is also commonly reported that intrusive thoughts are vastly out of character for the person experiencing them. To get a better understanding of what exactly constitutes an intrusive thought, let’s take a look at some of the common themes reported by people who experience these kinds of thoughts:

• Inflicting harm on others 
• Harming yourself 
• Graphic fantasies 
• Family or friends dying 
• Disasters 
• Car crashes or plane crashes

These are just a few of the common themes that appear in intrusive thoughts, but really any thought that is unwanted and causes stress can be considered an intrusive thought. The important thing is that you are getting help if you are experiencing thoughts that involve the aforementioned themes. If you are, it is important to explore ways to get help like online therapy options or in-person care. But, before we get to the solutions, we should take a look at some of the most common causes of intrusive thoughts.

What Causes Intrusive Thoughts?

There are a whole host of mental health conditions that can cause intrusive thoughts.

Intrusive thoughts can be caused by several internal and external factors.

Most often, intrusive thoughts are brought on by an already existing mental health condition. If you are experiencing intrusive thoughts only, you should search for online therapy options or in-person care to try to get to the bottom of what is causing these thought patterns. For most people who experience intrusive thoughts, the thoughts are just one of the many symptoms associated with the following disorders:

• Anxiety disorders 
• Depression 
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) 
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

These conditions produce a lot of negative side effects, with intrusive thoughts being one of them. If you have already been diagnosed with one of these disorders, then that is most likely the cause for your intrusive thought patterns. If you haven’t already been diagnosed, you may be suffering from one of the aforementioned disorders without realizing it. As we mentioned, either in-person or online therapy options can help you get a better understanding of where the intrusive thoughts are coming from.

Now that we’ve discussed how intrusive thoughts manifest, let’s start exploring the 7 methods to curb these unwanted thoughts. First up, we’re taking a closer look at how talk therapy can help people manage unwanted thoughts.

Talk Therapy

If you suffer from a mental health disorder, you likely already know the benefits of in-person or online therapy options.

Talk therapy is a great resource for helping to understand intrusive thoughts.

Intrusive thoughts can start affecting your life and your mood if they are not addressed properly. To address the underlying cause of the unwanted thoughts and talk through how they affect your conscious mind, we recommend talk therapy. It doesn't matter if you opt for in-person or online therapy options, as long as you are talking to someone, you are taking steps to start feeling your best.

The first step in this process is finding a therapist that you trust to confess your unwanted thoughts and feelings. It is important to remember that when you talk with a therapist, they must follow a code of ethics that includes client confidentiality. This is ideal for people who experience intrusive thoughts as the thoughts can be violent or otherwise disturbing. When you express these thoughts to your therapist, you are speaking with someone who is trained to deal with them, ask the right follow-up questions, and keep your information private.

If you choose not to see a licensed mental health professional, you risk letting your intrusive thoughts get out of control or confessing very heavy thoughts to unprepared friends or family. Though there is nothing wrong with having an intrusive thought—and you shouldn’t feel any shame—that does not mean that the people around you will react constructively when you tell them about unwanted thoughts. That’s why it is always a better idea to seek out professional help when it comes to heavy subjects. Luckily, there are lots of in-person and online therapy options that you can explore to find a therapist you trust and a time to fit therapy sessions into your schedule.

Mindfulness Meditation

Now that we’ve discussed in-person and online therapy options, it's time to explore some more remedies to cope with intrusive thoughts in the moment.

Meditation helps you slow down your thoughts.

Beyond exploring your options for in-person or online therapy, there are a few useful methods that can help you slow down—and even stop—intrusive thoughts as they pop up. One of these methods is practicing mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness encourages you to step outside of yourself for a few moments and calm yourself down if you are experiencing anxiety or racing thoughts. It can also help you step outside of the intrusive thought and normalize your feelings.

There are a lot of different ways to practice mindfulness—and there are a lot of different guides available online that you can try out for yourself. A great thing about practicing mindfulness is that you don’t need any materials or equipment to get started. All you need are a few moments of peace and quiet and a little bit of focus. If you need a bit of assistance when it comes to relaxing your mind and body, there are a lot of different resources out there including step-by-step guided meditations and apps you can use to help you stay in the moment.

Any time you can spare to slow down your thoughts is beneficial and will help you both deal with unwanted thoughts in the moment and in the future.

Come Up With a Mantra.

When an intrusive thought appears, you can always use a mantra to distract yourself.

Finding a mantra is a powerful relaxation technique.

Though intrusive thoughts are often scary and unsettling, it is important to remember that they are only temporary. For people who suffer from intrusive thoughts brought on by depression or anxiety, a mantra is a helpful tool to cope with unwanted thoughts in the moment.

When you have another point of focus—the mantra in this case—it is more difficult for subconscious thought to make their way to the surface. So, when you repeat your mantra you can quickly curb the intrusive thoughts before they have a chance to affect your mood and conscious thought processes. Some helpful mantras to help lift your thoughts out of a dark place include phrases like:

• “This will pass” 
• “Water off a duck’s back” 
• “My thoughts are temporary” 
• “I am in control of my own thoughts”

When unwanted thoughts pop up, you can repeat these phrases as your mantra until the thought subsides. The more you repeat these phrases, the more true they will become. For some, repeated assurance is enough to curb intrusive thoughts entirely. Your personal mantra will depend on which words or phrases work to calm you down and make you feel in control.

Practice Visualization

Visualization is an important meditation technique to stop unwanted thought patterns.

Use your imagination to curb intrusive thoughts.

Visualization works in a similar way to repeating a mantra, it is a way to distract yourself and cope with intrusive thoughts in the moment. When you feel the thoughts begin to enter your conscious mind, you should practice visualizing something that directly opposes the thoughts that come into mind most frequently.

For example, many intrusive thoughts include violent scenarios or harmful actions. When you want to use visualization to combat these thoughts, try to picture something serene or something that brings you comfort. Just like your mantra, it is helpful to have a few scenarios in mind that you can conjure as intrusive thoughts appear.

A common visualization technique is to imagine your thoughts as individual clouds in the sky. Just like your thoughts, clouds are lighter and darker in shade—some of them bring thunder and lightning and some of them drift by without issue. As you imagine your thoughts as clouds, notice how they pass—no matter how violent they may seem.

This technique allows you to briefly step outside of your own thoughts and place them into a normalized environment. Your thoughts are only clouds—and they will pass.

Seek Emotional Support From a Pet

Second to in-person or online therapy options, support from a pet is one of the most effective ways to get emotional support.

Spending time with dogs or cats decreases anxiety.

Even though they can’t talk, spending time with animals is a great way to curb intrusive thoughts and manage other symptoms of mental health disorders. Dogs and cats provide both emotional and tactile support for people who are experiencing severe symptoms. Because animals have no understanding of our thoughts and feelings, they actually make perfect confidants and partners. Spending time with a pet is an excellent in-the-moment solution for when you are having intrusive or repetitive thoughts. It has been proven socializing with a pet lowers cortisol, which is a stress hormone. Often these stress hormones are what cause unrealistic and violent thoughts. If you don’t have a pet, we recommend spending time with a friend who has a cat or a dog. Even though this is not an immediate solution, any time you spend with animals can help decrease cortisol and in turn, decrease the possibility of anxiety-induced intrusive thoughts.

Focus on the Present Moment

In-person or online therapy options can help you stop living in the past and constantly worrying about the future.

Exercising helps many distract themselves from intrusive thoughts.

Intrusive thoughts can often take the form of memories or fears about the future. If you are the type of person who experiences flashbacks (which are sometimes spurned by PTSD) or a debilitating fear of the future (often caused by anxiety) then it may be beneficial for you to practice focusing on the present moment. However, living in the present moment is more difficult than it sounds. After all, if it were so easy, we would never have regrets about the past or be hesitant about the future! That’s why we’ve come up with a few ways that you can cope with intrusive thoughts and ground yourself in the present moment. Try any of the following to center yourself and curb unwanted thought patterns:

• Deep breathing 
• Making a list 
• Get outside and explore nature 
• Exercise

All of these activities encourage you to let go of things you were previously dwelling on. Not only that, but they all require a level of focus that prevents any intrusive thoughts from sneaking into your consciousness. Many individuals who suffer from mental health disorders report feeling better just by being around a green space like a forest, park, or body of water.

Analyze Your Thoughts

It is beneficial for some to self-analyze, while others do better with the help of in-person or online therapy options.

Make a list of your thoughts as they appear.

The last technique we’ll examine to help cope with intrusive thoughts is to face the thoughts head-on. This is not a technique that will work for everyone, as many need the help of in-person or online therapy options to work out issues with intrusive thoughts. However, for some analyzing the intrusive thought can help them move on more quickly. It’s sort of like staring the boogeyman in the face and realizing he isn’t so scary after all. While intrusive thoughts might feel scary or shameful when we try our best to suppress or ignore them, sometimes internal analysis can change your perspective.

You never know, a previously scary thought might start feeling ridiculous or even funny. This practice minimizes intrusive thoughts so they feel less upset when they pop up. When you are analyzing your own thoughts, you must remember to stay as objective as possible, otherwise, you risk getting bogged down by shame and guilt.

And there you have it, 7 tips to help you cope with intrusive thoughts. Overall, it is important to remember that intrusive thoughts are not representative of who you are as a person—often they have nothing to do with you at all. In most cases, intrusive thoughts are hypothetical scenarios manifested by underlying mental health conditions. For lots of people, our tips will work in the short term. But, if you feel that you need the help of an expert to deal with intrusive thoughts and other symptoms, you should pursue in-person or online therapy options to get your symptoms under control.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored guest post in partnership with Responsival. All contents are provided by Responsival.