The first step towards breaking the vicious cycle of intrusive thoughts is to become conscious of your mental habits. 

Thoughts are never totally under our control, and it’s normal for our minds to occasionally lean towards the negative. 

However, intrusive thoughts can become a daily struggle for some people. It’s crucial to keep in mind that a thought has no power or significance on its own if you frequently get intrusive ideas. 

It’s not necessarily a sign that you’re a “bad” person if you have a violent or unsettling thoughts. 

The first step in managing intrusive thoughts is realising them for what they are, which is generally possible.

What are Intrusive thoughts

Intrusive thoughts are undesired, involuntary thoughts that are frequently uncomfortable or distressing in character. 

They frequently feel even more forceful because they seem to come out of nowhere and may recur repeatedly. 

These thoughts are frequently odd for the person and may go against their ideals or beliefs. a lot of times intrusive thoughts are violent, unsettling, sexually explicit, or they are the result of beliefs that the person finds repugnant. 

This might make them even more upsetting because the person having them may be brutally critiquing himself. 

Although the subjects of intrusive thoughts might vary, the following are some prevalent themes:

• Harming a loved one, 
• Hurting oneself
• Having crude sexual fantasies Thoughts of driving into oncoming traffic
• Worries of getting sick
• Watching their loved ones die

Why do intrusive thoughts arise? 

Intrusive thoughts may be a sign of one or more of the following mental health conditions: 

• Anxiety disorders 
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) 
• (PTSD) post-traumatic stress disorder 

However, intrusive thoughts can also happen to healthy individuals. Intrusive thioughts afflict almost 6 million Americans, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). 

People who are suffering from anxiety or another disease may be more likely to become fixated on an unwanted thought and interpret it negatively. 

They might also give the concept greater weight by becoming more concerned about its ramifications.

Therefore, even while intrusive thoughts can occur to anybody, they might be more intense for those who have mental health issues.

How to stop having Intrusive thoughts 

While preventing intrusive thoughts may not always be achievable, doing so isn’t always the intended purpose.

 Instead, you can think about concentrating on techniques for reducing its intensity and establishing some mental distance from them. 

To feel in control of your Thoughts rather than having them control you is the objective.

Mindfulness Meditation

Learning to carefully notice your thoughts without passing judgement or getting emotionally involved in them is one of the fundamentals of mindfulness. Because you’re not denying the thoughts’ existence; rather, you’re just altering your relationship with them, it might be a terrific approach to deal with intrusive thoughts. 

You only need a few moments of free time and, ideally, a quiet place to practise meditation in order to get started.

Additionally, there are a tonne of meditation applications available with programmes tailored especially for beginners and those who experience intrusive thoughts.

Cognitive behavioural therapy

All types of thought disorders may benefit from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a type of psychotherapy. 

Because it helps to put some distance between a person and their opinions, it can be especially beneficial for intrusive thoughts that become compulsive. 

The foundation of CBT is the notion that we can unlearn or alter our mental processes. Your intrusive thoughts can be recognised, processed, and reframed so that they aren’t as strong with the help of a CBT therapist.

As always, “This too shall pass.”

This is a simple yet powerful mantra that could assist you in regaining perspective.

It can occasionally seem as though an invasive thought will never leave your mind.

But there is no such thing as a permanent state of mind; thoughts are always transient. Finding a mantra like “This too shall pass,” or “My thoughts are temporary” could be useful in lessening their influence.

Use visualization techniques 

You may feel better in control of your ideas if you visualise them. 

For instance, You could visualise your mind as a clear sky and your ideas as moving clouds.

Although there are both light and dark clouds, none of them are long-lasting. Thought clouds are a mindfulness method that may be applied in non-meditation situations.

Spend time with a pet 

An anxious mind can find great peace in animals. 

They can offer distraction and straightforward emotional assistance because they are unable to comprehend our sophisticated, troubling ideas. 

Interacting with animals helps reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which is linked to many mental health issues, according to a significant animal study published in 2019. 

Additionally, the use of animals in trauma therapy is rising. a little animal research from 2018The intervention of a therapy dog can assist to lessen tension and anxiety after a traumatic experience, according to a survey of 60 German university women.

Externalize the thought 

Our brains are extraordinarily adept at creating stories that seem real to us. Therefore, when an unwanted notion simply resides in your head, it can have excessive strength. 

Think about writing the notion down or even simply saying it aloud to see if that changes how it affects you.

Be in the Present

You may frequently focus on the negative and make up unfounded stories as a result of intrusive thoughts. 

You can be living a lot in the past or worrying a lot about the future without even realising it. 

One effective strategy for managing this is to keep your attention in the present. You can use grounding exercises to focus more clearly by:

• deep breathing
• active meditation
• body scan meditation

Go for a walk  

Spending time in nature has been shown to improve mental health and increase cognitive abilities, according to the American Psychological Association. 

By involving your body and your senses in an activity that takes your mind off of your thoughts, such as walking or jogging in a green area, you can break a cycle of rumination. 

Think about it with curiosity 

These advice may not be applicable in every circumstance. 

However, reframing the intrusive thought you’re thinking is one thing you can always try to do. 

By focusing on how your body reacts to certain thoughts that may come, you can observe your thoughts objectively and approach them with interest. Your brain may be processing something in distressing thoughts.

Next steps

Intrusive thoughts can be scary and upsetting. 

Often, these ideas seem to come out of nowhere, and they could be totally at variance with your regular beliefs and actions. 

It’s critical to keep in mind that a thought only has the strength you give it. It’s only a thought in your head, and it doesn’t necessarily represent who you are or what your genuine character is like. 

You have access to self-help methods that can help you regain control over your intrusive thoughts, such as:

• Reframing 
• Spending in nature or with animals
• Meditation 
• Visualisation practise 

A mental health expert may be able to help you understand what’s driving your ideas, so you might want to think about talking to them.

Also read The Impact of Anxiety and Depression on Male Libido