Discover Hope: 3 Ways to Reduce Scary, Intrusive Thoughts

This is the first in a multi-part "Discover" series, intended to give you practical tools for your journey toward health and wholeness. In this post, you will discover coping skills for anxious thoughts and why anxiety treatment might be a solid consideration.

Anxious Thoughts: Too Much "Noise"

If you struggle with anxiety or worry, you may experience a lot of "noise" in your thoughts that's hard to quiet. Your mind races when you need it to be still, keeping you from being able to focus or sleep. Your thoughts betray you, forcing you to remember things you'd rather forget. No matter what you do, you find it hard to shut your mind off.

Why does anxiety happen?

Most often this is the result of "stuffing" your feelings or not properly attending to them, causing them to swirl around in your head like an alarm that refuses to stop buzzing. Many people avoid these thoughts and feelings because they're overwhelming, and it seems like listening to them will stress you more than you're comfortable with. The problem is that avoiding them produces this exact outcome.

There are probably some underlying root causes for this. However, this may be best to discuss with one of our therapists as it may be difficult to unravel or too frightening to face alone. For now, let's focus on what you can do right now in order to address this issue.

Here are three specific things you can practice doing right now in order to curb these out of control thoughts.

1. Thought-Stopping.

2. Distraction.

3. Mindfulness.

Just Stop It

First, if your thoughts are intrusive and you just need to put them away until a later time, Thought Stopping is the right tool. When you are trying to work or take care of your kids but unwanted thoughts enter your mind, it can be helpful to tell them "no" for the time being. This can be a very simple but powerful skill to obtain.

At first, it can be challenging to do because it's a new skill and your intrusive thoughts may not be used to listening to you like this. With practice, however, they will learn to respond to your command.

How does it work? All you have to do is say "stop" to your thoughts, and then avoid entertaining them. For some people it helps to say this out loud; for others, saying it in their head works.

Once you've essentially said no to these intrusive thoughts, though, it's important to not allow yourself to think about them. If you really must, however, then you can simply avoid thinking about them until a set time in your day when you can devote 10-15 minutes guilt-free. This is a healthy approach to managing intrusive thoughts, so don't worry you're just avoiding your problems!

Find That Squirrel!

Now that you've said "no" to these unwanted thoughts, you might need to distract yourself or stay busy to avoid them popping up again easily. This is another common strategy for avoiding intrusive thoughts during times when you need to focus or be present with something else and is not unhealthy.

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Remember, you're not completely avoiding these thoughts; you're putting them away until a later time when you have time and energy to devote to them. If they are thoughts that don't require any action on your part, then avoiding them is actually regaining control rather than allowing them to control you.

Distractions can be many things: cleaning or organizing, exercising, watching TV, or listening to music, engaging in a work project. Whatever your distraction, make sure it adequately does its job of distracting you from the thoughts you're trying to avoid.

Take Time To Listen to Your Thoughts

Sometimes avoiding thoughts is not the right solution for the problem. When something needs your attention but you keep avoiding it, it will inevitably pop back up to let you know it hasn't been dealt with. This is a situation where mindfulness can be the right tool.

As opposed to avoiding or distracting away from thoughts, mindfulness helps you be present with your thoughts and feelings in order to better understand them. Understanding your emotions better means you know what they are and why they are happening, which gives you more information about what to do about them (if anything). Sometimes we just need to be understood and cared about in order to feel better.

So, how does mindfulness work?

It's quite simple, actually. Start by turning off all the noises and distractions around you and block out about 10-15 minutes of time.

Turn your attention inward, away from your external surroundings, and into yourself. Pay attention to your breathing. Notice the sensations in your body. Become aware of all the thoughts going on in your mind, allowing yourself to only notice them like ships passing along the water in front of you.

If there is a particular thought that keeps coming up, allow yourself to get curious about it while keeping it at a distance. See if you can ask the thought why it's coming up and what it wants you to be aware of. Take several minutes to listen.

If there's anything it wants you to do, make note of that. If it just wants you to be aware of something, do so and thank it for letting you know. Try to be kind to it and don't be afraid to give it some comfort, reassurance, or compassion if it needs that.

When you notice your thoughts clearing up, your mind calming down, and your body relaxing, you can open your eyes.

This all may seem strange to you, but you just took the time to listen to your thoughts and gave them the attention they needed in order to be willing to quiet down.

Summary

When anxious or intrusive thoughts are pestering you, remember to find the right tool for the job. If you're trying to focus or need to be productive, thought stopping may be the right tool. When you're not in the right place to face the anxiety, distractions can help you push it away until a better time. If you've avoided these thoughts and know you probably just need to work through them, practice mindfulness to hear them out and learn what they're trying to teach you.

Whatever the situation, intrusive thoughts are manageable and with practice, you can become clear-headed and calm. You don't have to be plagued with these issues! If you need more help, let's talk about anxiety treatment with us in Oregon soon.

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