Intrusive thoughts can also be managed by addressing the underlying problem, such as anxiety, stress, or a personal history of trauma. The process may help you to shift some of your general thought patterns, which can enable you to better manage these thoughts when they do occur and might lessen their frequency. However, even if intrusive thoughts aren’t affecting your life in a significant way, you can still see someone to get help.Ĭognitive behavioral therapy is one strategy that is often successful in helping people manage intrusive thoughts.
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See a mental health professional if unwanted thoughts are starting to disrupt your daily life, particularly if they’re impairing your ability to work or to do things you enjoy. Know that having a strange or disturbing thought doesn’t indicate that something is wrong with you. When you have an intrusive thought, just accept it. "Think to yourself, ‘that’s just an intrusive thought it’s not how I think, it’s not what I believe, and it’s not what I want to do,’" says Dr. When these thoughts emerge, try taking the following steps:ġ. Instead of fighting intrusive thoughts, it’s better to learn to live with them. "The more you think about it, the more anxious you get and the worse the thoughts get," says Dr. Intrusive thoughts are often repetitive and won’t go away.
If a thought is disturbing and it’s something you want to push out of your mind, it might be an intrusive thought. "For example, it might be uncharacteristically violent," says Dr. An intrusive thought is usually very different from your typical thoughts. So, how can you tell if you are experiencing intrusive thoughts? There are some signs to look for. I shouldn’t tell anyone they might think something is wrong with me.’" Identifying intrusive thoughts When the thought happens, they’re horrified-‘I can’t even believe that came into my mind. "They might think about hurting a family member, such as a baby. "A lot of times when patients bring it up to me, they might preface it with something like, ‘I’m not crazy, but this weird thought comes into my mind,’" she says. People are often too embarrassed or ashamed to talk about it, says Dr. While intrusive thoughts may be disturbing, they aren’t harmful or a sign that you have a secret desire to do the things that popped into your mind. This can lead to an uptick in anxiety, and in some instances, obsessive thinking. They may become more isolated, or develop a fear of aging or of developing physical ailments, she says. Anxiety symptoms may also commonly occur as women transition to a different stage of their life. Olivera Bogunovic, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. These days many women have experienced significant stress from the isolation caused by the pandemic, says Dr. "Any life stressor, if big enough, can increase your risk of having intrusive thoughts," says Dr. For example, a woman might experience an uptick in intrusive thoughts after the birth of a child. They may also be a short-term problem brought on by biological factors, such as hormone shifts. Intrusive thoughts are often triggered by stress or anxiety. Kerry-Ann Williams, a lecturer in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
But many people who experience these thoughts don’t have a mental health disorder, says Dr. They are also common in post-traumatic stress disorder, which can be triggered by a life-threatening or extremely stressful event, such as an accident or violent attack. Sometimes intrusive thoughts are associated with a mental health disorder, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, where thoughts become so bothersome that they prompt repetitive behaviors or compulsions to try to prevent them from occurring.
Intrusive thoughts, as these are called, are thought to affect some six million Americans, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. The more you try to push the thought from your mind, the more it persists.
Whatever the content, it’s often unsettling and may bring on feelings of worry or shame. It might be violent or sexual, or a recurring fear that you’ll do something inappropriate or embarrassing. It seems to come out of nowhere - a strange, disturbing thought or a troubling image that pops into your mind. Disturbing thoughts that pop into your mind unbidden may make you feel uneasy, but they are common - and there are strategies you can use to manage them.
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