It is estimated that nearly 6 million Americans struggle with intrusive thoughts every day. They can contribute to anxiety, depression, and compulsion. It’s certainly no picnic to live with intrusive thoughts, but try to think about how the thoughts must feel!
With “intrusive” right in the name, your obsessive negative thoughts can grow to feel dejected and unloved. Here are 10 sure fire ways to let these compulsions know they are seen, they are heard, and they are right at home!
Engage With Them
Asking your fear of accidentally texting the wrong person questions like “What if that dirty text DID go to my Mom?” and “Where would I work if I did accidentally tell my boss to ‘Go to Hell’ even though I didn’t even text anyone today?” will show your intrusive thoughts that you’re truly interested.
Hard-Launch Them On Social Media
Nothing says you’re committed to your intrusive thoughts like posting on your Instagram story “Hey guys! Make sure to like my recent post and also every time I drive I think I’ve accidentally run someone over!”
Keep Them To Yourself
Forget sharing them all over your social media. Holding these thoughts close to your heart means never sharing them out loud. Not everyone needs to know everything about your life, especially when you left the oven on again even though you checked it three times before you left and now your whole apartment building has burnt to the ground.
Make Room For Them in Your Life
Clear your calendar! Having free-time available to only focus on these concerns will make your intrusive thoughts see that they’re the furthest from the last thing you want to be thinking about.
Consider Your Body Language
Open body language shows that you’re happy and confident—The opposite of how your intrusive thoughts want you to feel! Keep your arms crossed, hunch your shoulders, and avoid all eye contact. This will keep your friends away and your unwanted thoughts close!
Keep Them Informed
Looping your intrusive thoughts in by letting them know that you haven’t accidentally killed anyone yet is an excellent way to show them you care.
Avoid Challenging Them
Challenging or disagreeing with your intrusive thoughts is a sure-fire way to make them think you don’t actually believe you could secretly have a life-threatening illness. Even if you don’t think that, how rude would it be to let them know that?
Think About Their Needs
Your intrusive thought of running over your neighbor’s cat who’s always in the street will never happen if your car breaks down because you ignored the check engine light for so long. Getting simple tasks like these done shows you care about doing what you can to help your thoughts reach their goals.
Try Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy has been shown to silence the fear neurons in the brain. By exposing yourself to situations that involve your intrusive thoughts you’ll show them that you’re not afraid. In turn, this will make you feel more comfortable with them and allow the thought to become action!
Be Honest
You cannot build trust with your intrusive thoughts if you’re not honest with them. Even if you can’t trust yourself to not act on them, at least they can trust you to be constantly worrying about them.