How to get rid of obsessive thoughts. Reasons for the appearance of obsessive thoughts and fears

Learn more about obsessive thoughts: what it is, treatment for OCD. Psychology

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). What is this mental mechanism, and how to get rid of obsessive thoughts and fears? Video

Greetings!

For me, this article is very important because I am familiar with the problem of obsessive thoughts from my own experience.

And if you are reading it, perhaps you yourself have encountered something like this and do not know how to deal with it.

It will be not only about the knowledge of psychology, but what is even more important, about your own experience, sensations and important subtleties, which, in order to know, you need to go through it yourself.

I want you to use and test what will be discussed in this article on your own practical experience, and not on someone's words that you heard or read somewhere. After all, your own experience and awareness is nothing and no one replaces you.

Somewhere I will repeat myself throughout the article, but only because these are very important points to which I want to draw your special attention.

So, obsessive thoughts, what are they?

In psychology, there is such a concept "mental gum". This name alone should tell you something - a sticky, viscous, addictive thought.

Obsessive thoughts, obsessive states or obsessive internal dialogue - scientifically OCD (), in another way is also called obsessive-compulsive disorder.

This is a mental phenomenon in which a person creates a painful feeling of the forced appearance in the head of some kind of repetitive information (some thoughts), which often leads to obsessive actions and behavior.

Sometimes a person, tormented by obsession, himself invents for yourself some kind of behavior, action-ritual, for example, counting some numbers, numbers of passing cars, counting windows or pronouncing certain “stop words (phrases)” to yourself, etc. etc., there are many options.

He invents this behavior (action) as a way of some protection from his obsessive thoughts, but as a result, these "actions-rituals" themselves become obsessions, and the situation only gets worse over time, because these actions themselves constantly remind the person of his problem, reinforce and enhance it. While it can sometimes help in moments, it’s all one-off, short-term, and doesn’t cure OCD.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

No matter how strange it may seem to anyone, the main reason for the emergence and development of obsessive states, in whatever form it manifests itself, are: firstly, the formed the habit of constantly conducting an internal dialogue with oneself, and in an automatic (unconscious) wayon any exciting old or new occasion;secondly, it attachment to some of their beliefs (ideas, attitudes) and deep faith in these beliefs.

And such obsessive thinking, to a greater or lesser extent, is present in many people, but many do not even know about it, they just think that this is correct, that this is a normal way of thinking.

Having become habitual, the obsessive internal dialogue manifests itself not only in what is important for a person, but also in any everyday, daily and new situations. Just watch yourself carefully and you will quickly see it.

But more often this manifests itself in what the person is fixated on, that he has been worried for a long time.

From the constant scrolling of a monotonous, restless (often frightening) and, in fact, useless internal dialogue, such fatigue can heap that, apart from the desire to get rid of these thoughts, there is no other desire. Gradually, this leads to a fear of one's own thoughts, before their appearance, which only exacerbates the situation.

A person loses freedom and becomes a hostage obsession... Insomnia appears symptoms of VSD () and almost constant, increased anxiety.

Actually, general internal anxiety and dissatisfaction for some reason led to the possibility of this problem, but this is the topic of other articles.

Obsessions (thoughts) at their core.

What exactly are obsessive thoughts in their inner essence?

It is very important to understand that obsessive thoughts are those thoughts that, without our will, make us think about something. It is usually stressful, monotonous (monotonous) scrolling internal dialogs the same mental plot, only in different ways. And this unconscious stream of thoughts in the head can so absorb attention that at this moment everything else that happens around almost ceases to exist.

An obsessive state as a function of the brain, oddly enough, has its own natural task, it plays a certain role and is something like a "reminder", "signal" and "coercive" that push a person to something.

Many of you may now think, and there is some kind of "reminder" and "signal" here, because obsessive thoughts are just thoughts anyway.

In fact, these are not just thoughts. And the main difference between obsessive thoughts and ordinary, logical ones is that these thoughts, despite all their often seeming rationality, do not contain anything healthy in their inner filling.

These irrational, emotional thoughts, as a rule, are always associated with our fears, doubts, resentments, anger, or with something important and troubling us. These thoughts are always based on an emotional charge, that is, their basis is emotion.

And what can be useful in this obsessive mechanism?

An intrusive Signal is called a signal that informs us of something. This mechanism is mainly designed to automatically remind and focus our attention on what we consider important to ourselves.

For example, if you have a bank loan, you have to pay off it, but you have no money now, and if you are a sane person, you will look for a solution. And obsessive thoughts that, whether you like it or not, will often or constantly, at any time of the day or night, remind you of the situation that has arisen so that you can resolve it.

Another example of the use of this intrusive function.

What is so vital a person can think that can bring him to an obsessive state?

About money, a better job, a better home, personal relationships, etc. For example, a person has a goal, and he begins to constantly think about it, make plans, without stopping, does something and continues to reflect on it.

As a result, if this is non-stop, continues for a long time, there may come a moment when he, having decided to take a break, tries to switch and occupy himself with something else, but notices that he continues anyway unknowingly reflect on your important goal.

And if he even tries with willpower and sound reasoning to say to himself “stop, I need to stop thinking about this, I need to rest,” this will not work right away.

Obsessive thoughts, in this example, make a person think about important things. That is, they perform a completely useful role, not allowing a person to stop there, but at the same time, completely not caring about his health, because this is not their business, their only role is to signal, remind and push.

The very emergence of an obsessive state - dangerous and harmful for us - is a sign that mental disruptions have begun.

Just keep in mind: no matter what important you are doing, if you do not give yourself a good rest, this can lead to some kind of frustration, chronic fatigue, increased anxiety, obsessive states and neurosis.

There is only one conclusion - no matter how valuable and useful what you are doing, and what important you think, you must always take breaks, stop and allow yourself to have a good rest emotionally, physically and especially mentally, otherwise everything may end badly.

Obsessive thoughts about an alarming (frightening) reason

Obsessive thoughts can be associated with something natural and completely justified, and with something completely absurd, frightening and illogical.

For example, thoughts related to health, when a person, having felt some painful symptom, begins to worry, think about it, and the further, the more he scares himself. My heart stabbed or pounded strongly, immediately the thought: "Something is wrong with me, maybe my heart is sick." A person becomes obsessed with this symptom, worries, and obsessive thoughts arise about this, although in reality there is no disease. It was just a symptom, caused by some anxious thoughts, fatigue and internal tension that arose.

But you can't just take and immediately ignore them. Perhaps it really makes sense to listen to these thoughts, because, you really may have some kind of physical illness. In this case, consult a doctor. If, after all the tests, you were told that everything is in order, but you still continue to worry, go to the second doctor, but if it is confirmed there that you are healthy, then you are, and you are now simply susceptible to OCD ...

Other people are attacked by the obsessive thought to harm and even kill someone close to them or do something to themselves. At the same time, the person actually does not want this, but this very thought does not give rest and frightens that it even occurs to him.

In fact, this is a proven fact: there is no recorded case in the world that would lead to dire consequences. It is precisely the presence of these obsessive thoughts that keeps a person from such actions. And the fact that they arise suggests that you not inclined to this, otherwise it would not scare you.

Those who are inclined to something like this, they do not worry inside themselves. They either act or wait, that is, they really want it and at the same time do not worry. Since this scares you, then you are not like that, and this is the main thing.

Why are you having your problem? The following happened to you. Once you were visited by some crazy thought, and instead of saying to yourself: "Well, stupid things can come to mind," and not attaching importance to this, you would have left yourself alone, scared and began to analyze.

That is, at that moment some thought visited you, you believed it and believed that since you think so, it means that you are like that and you can do something bad. You trusted without solid reason this irrational thought, not knowing that such absurd and can visit anyone healthy person, this is a very common phenomenon. This thought, in turn, triggered an emotion in you, in our case the emotion of fear, and off we go. Subsequently, you became fixated on this thought, because it scared you, began to analyze a lot and yourself endowed it with strength (attached importance), so you now have a problem, and not at all because you are some kind of abnormal or mentally ill, that you can and want to do something scary. You just have a disorder that is definitely being treated, and you definitely won't do anything wrong to anyone.

Thoughts themselves cannot force you to do something; for this you need a real, strong desire and intention. All they can do is make you think, but nothing more. This, of course, is also very unpleasant, and how to deal with it, how to get rid of obsessive thoughts, will be below.

In others, obsessions may be associated with everyday things, for example, "have I turned off the stove (iron)?" - a person thinks and checks a hundred times a day.

Some are afraid of getting infected and wash their hands repeatedly or repeatedly in a day, wash their apartment (bath), etc.

And someone can worry and obsessively think about their appearance () for a long time, or constantly worry and think about their behavior in public, control over themselves and their status in society.

In general, everyone has their own, and no matter how scary or acceptable is what is imposed, all this is essentially the same - OCD only in different manifestations.

An example of how obsessive thinking can manifest itself

Let's briefly, with a simple example, see how the habit of compulsive thinking can often manifest itself, and what physically reinforces and reinforces this habit.

If you have a conflict or an argument with someone, and some time has passed, and thoughts related to the situation do not let go.

You keep on mentally, unconsciously, replaying this in your head, conducting an internal (virtual) dialogue with the opposing side, arguing about something and finding more and more excuses and proofs of your innocence or your guilt. You get angry, threaten and think: "You should have said this and that, or done this and that."

This process can go on for quite a long time until something catches your attention.

Over and over again you worry and get nervous, but in fact you are doing the real, very harmful absurdwhich is reinforced and automatically moved emotional obsessive state and feeling of anxiety.

The only right thing to do in this situation is to stop thinking about it, no matter how much you want it and no matter how important you think it is.

But if you succumbed, and this obsessive process dragged on, then it can be very difficult to get together internally and stop the internal dialogue.

And you can aggravate the problem even more if at some point you realize that you are not in control of the situation at all, you are even more afraid of these thoughts, you start to fight them in order to somehow distract yourself, and you start blaming and scolding yourself for everything that is now is happening to you.

But the guilt for everything that happens to you is not only yours, but also in the neglected mechanism, which has both a mental basis and a physical and biochemical component:

• certain neurons are excited, and stable neural connections are created, at which it begins to be produced automatic reflex response;
• the body produces stress hormones (cortisol, aldosterone) and a mobilizing hormone - adrenaline;
• the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is triggered, and somatic symptoms appear - the muscles of the body are tense; increased heart rate, pressure, tension, sweating, trembling in the limbs, etc. Very often there is dry mouth, fever, lump in the throat, shortness of breath, that is, all the signs of VSD (vegetative-vascular dystonia).

Remember: what to scold and be angry with yourself in this situation - the crime against yourself, much here simply does not depend on you, it takes time and the correct approach to stabilize all these symptoms, which will be discussed below.

By the way, you should not be afraid of these symptoms listed above, this is a completely normal body reaction to your anxiety. The same as if there was real threat, for example, a huge dog would run at you, and you would naturally be afraid of it. Immediately, the heart would pound, the pressure would rise, the muscles would tighten, the breathing would become faster, etc. These unpleasant symptoms are the consequences of the release of chemical elements and adrenaline, which mobilizes our body at the moment of danger.

Moreover, notice and be aware of the fact that all this happens in our body, not only at the moment of a real threat, but also at contrived, virtualwhen there is no real danger now, no one attacks you, and nothing falls from above. The danger is only in our head - we think about something restless, we wind ourselves up with some kind of disturbing thoughts and begin to strain and get nervous.

The fact is that our brain simply does not feel the difference between what is happening in reality and the mental (mental) experience.

That is, all these strong, unpleasant and frightening symptoms can be easily caused by disturbing (negative) thoughts, which will provoke some unwanted emotions, and those, in turn, unpleasant symptoms in the body. This is what many constantly do, and then, in addition, they begin to be afraid of these natural symptoms and even bring themselves to PA () and.

Now, I think it will be difficult for you to immediately realize this, because this moment of the relationship between the psyche and the body requires a more detailed and deep explanation, but this will be in other articles, and now, so that you can slowly begin to understand yourself, I tell you again, I suggest learning to observe yourself, your thoughts and emotions.

Understand where and what comes from, how thoughts, emotions and other related sensations arise; what happens unconsciously and what we consciously influence; how much it all depends on us, and how your thoughts affect your current state.

How to get rid of obsessive thoughts, fears on your own?

The first step is to realize the fact that you cannot completely believe everything that comes into your head, and you cannot associate (identify) yourself, your “I” only with your thoughts, because we are not our thoughts. Our thoughts are only a part of ourselves. Yes, very important, intellectual, necessary for us, but only a part of us.

Logic (thinking) is our main ally, it is a great tool given to us by nature, but you still need to know how to use this tool correctly.

Most people are sure that EVERYTHING our thoughts are only our own thoughts, it is we who invent them, and then we think them over.

Indeed, since some thoughts arise in our head, then these are, of course, our thoughts, but in addition to this, they are largely derivatives of various external and internal factors.

That is, what we can experience, and what thoughts now come to our minds, does not depend only on uswhether we like it or not. All this directly will be associated with our mood at the moment (good or bad) and will be a consequence of circumstances beyond our control and past experience.

If we had other attitudes, a different mood, a different past, for example, we would have been born to other parents or now live in Africa - there would be completely different thoughts.

If some negative moment had not happened to us in the past, there would have been no bad experience, therefore, there would not have been any obsessive thoughts.

When we associate ourselves, our "I" only with our thoughts, when we are sure that our thoughts are WE OURSELVES, then we have nothing to do but deeply believe everything that comes to mind, but it can come such ...

In addition, it is very important to realize that we are able to observe our thoughts, comment on them, evaluate, condemn and ignore. That is, we are what can be attention outside thinking, be aware of yourself outside your thoughts. And this suggests that we are not only our thoughts, we are something more - something that can be called a soul or some kind of energy.

This is a very important point in solving this problem. You need to stop identifying yourself with your thoughts, stop believing that they are you, and then you will be able to see them from the outside (detached).

Our body speaks to us all the time. If only we could take the time to listen.

Louise Hay

If you start observing yourself and your thoughts, you will quickly notice the fact that most of our thoughts in our head are nothing more than automatic thoughts, that is, they arise unconsciously, by themselves, without our desire and our participation.

And what's most interesting is that most of these thoughts are repeated every day. These are 80-90% the same thoughts only in different variations.

And this is not just someone's words, this is a confirmed scientific fact based on numerous studies. In fact, we think and scroll the same thing in our heads every day. And you yourself can trace it.

Second step,which I briefly wrote about in the article ““, you cannot fight obsessive thoughts in any way, resist and try to get rid of them, brush them off and forget.

Watch yourself: if you are trying very hard not to think about something, then you already think about it.

If you strive to get rid of thoughts, switch or somehow drive them away, then they will prevail even stronger and more persistently.

Because by resisting you themselves endow them with an even greater emotional charge and only increase the internal tension, begin to be even more anxious and nervous, which, in turn, intensifies the symptoms (unpleasant physical sensations), which I wrote about above.

Therefore, the key point is do not struggle with thoughts, do not try to somehow distract yourself and get rid of... Thus, you will save a lot of energy that you are now wasting on fighting them, without getting anything in return.

How to stop obsessive internal dialogue if you can't fight?

At the moment when obsessive thoughts visited you, and you realized that these thoughts do not tell you something really necessary (useful) - this is just from time to time, many times, like a worn-out record, a repetitive internal dialogue that you then it is very disturbing and has not yet resolved your problem - simply, impartially, indifferently begin to ignore these thoughts, without trying to get rid of them.

Let these thoughts be in your head, allow them to be, and watch them. Look at them even if they scare you.

In another way, and perhaps it would be more correct to say, without entering into a dialogue with them, without analyzing You just contemplate them, gently trying not to think about them.

Do not analyze what the obsessive thoughts tell you, just observe them without delving into their essence. Always remember that these are just ordinary thoughts that you don't have to believe in, and you don't have to do what they say.

Don't avoid the sensations

Also observe the emerging emotions and sensations in the body that cause these thoughts, even if they are not very pleasant to you. Take a closer look and feel what, how and at what moment is happening. This will give you an understanding of why your unpleasant symptoms occur and why at some point you start to feel worse.

Just as with thoughts, do not try to get rid of these feelings, give in to them, even if you feel bad for a while. Remember that these are completely natural, albeit painful symptoms, and they have a reason. During the war, people did not even experience that, and after a long and healthy life.

These sensations are necessary accept and live to the end... And gradually inside you, at a level deeper than our consciousness (in the unconscious), a transformation of these sensations will occur, and they themselves will weaken until at some point they completely stop bothering you. Read more about the sensations in this one.

Without struggling with internal processes, you can smoothly transfer your attention to breathing, make it a little deeper and slower, this will accelerate the recovery of the body (read more about proper breathing).

pay attention to the world, people and nature - on everything that surrounds you. Consider the texture of various things, listen to sounds, and when doing something, direct all attention on this matter, that is, with full attention, plunge into real life.

Acting in this way, it is not necessary to do everything in the sequence I have described, do as you do now, the main thing is consciously and carefully observe everything.

If thoughts return, let them be, but without mental analysis and struggle from your side.

Your indifference and calm attitude without a struggle to these thoughts will significantly reduce or even deprive them of their emotional charge. With practice, you yourself will understand.

Do not rush things, let everything go its natural course, as it should go. And these thoughts themselves will surely go away. And they will leave without consequences or without serious consequences for you. It turns out that you are calm and smooth, somewhere imperceptible to yourself, naturally transfer your attention to something else.

By learning not to struggle with thoughts, you learn to live when those thoughts are and when they are not. No annoying thoughts - great, but if there are - it's also normal.

Gradually, with a change in your attitude towards them, you will cease to be afraid of the appearance of any thoughts, because you realize that you can live peacefully without being afraid or tormented by them. And these thoughts in the head will become less and less, because, without running away from them, without endowing them with strength, they will lose their sharpness and by themselves will begin to disappear.

Arguing with obsessive thoughts and finding a logical solution

It so happens that you, trying to get rid of a constantly overwhelming, obsessive thought, are looking for some thoughts or mental solutions that would calm you down.

You are thinking intensely, perhaps arguing with yourself or trying to suggest something to yourself, but by doing so, you only strengthen the problem from the inside.

In a dispute with obsessive thoughts, you will not prove anything to yourself, even if you manage to find a thought that will calm you down for a while, soon the obsessive thoughts in the form of doubts and worries will return, and everything will start in a circle.

Trying to replace thoughts or convince yourself of something with obsessions does not work.

How to get rid of intrusive thoughts: mistakes and warnings

Don't count on quick results... You could nurture your problem for years, and in a few days change your attitude to thoughts, learn to impartially observe them, not succumbing to their provocation - it will be difficult, but this really needs to be learned. Some will have to overcome intense fear, especially in the beginning, but it will get better further.

You can do something almost immediately, and it will immediately become easier for someone, others will need time to feel how it all happens, but everyone, without exception, will have recessions, the so-called "kickbacks" or "pendulum", when the past state and behavior is returned. The important thing here is not to get discouraged, not to stop and keep practicing.

Very harmful talk to someone about your condition, about what you are experiencing, share and discuss your experiences with a non-professional person.

This can only ruin everything. Firstly, because you once again remind yourself, your psyche, your unconscious about what is happening to you, and this does not contribute to recovery in any way.

Secondly, if the one to whom you are telling something, showing his initiative, begins to ask: “Well, how are you, is everything all right? Are you well already? " or “Never mind, all this is nonsense” - such questions and words can simply destroy the healing process. You yourself can feel what you feel at the moment when someone told you something like that, take a closer look at your inner sensations, you clearly feel worse, you start to feel sick acutely.

Therefore, it is very important to exclude all conversations on this topic with other people other than a specialist doctor. Thus, by not communicating about what you are experiencing, you will remove many reminders (internal messages) that you are supposedly sick, and you will stop developing your problem deeper.

Trying not to fight with obsessive thoughts, you observe them, but at the same time you internally want and try to get rid of them, fight with them, that is, in fact, the same struggle is going on.

Therefore, a very important initial step here will be to capture and fix itself a wish get rid of obsessive thoughts. Do not go about this desire, just be aware of it within yourself.

There is no need to wait impatiently for these thoughts to go away and that they will not appear again.

This is impossible, because memory can not be fooled, and cause amnesia, friends, well, it is unreasonable. If you always wait for some of your thoughts to disappear and never return, you are already creating resistance and struggle, which means the problem will remain a problem, and you will continue to dwell on it.

The key in solving it is not that these or similar thoughts will no longer exist, but in your correct approach - in change in attitude (perception) towards them... And then you just won't care much about what comes to your mind at times.

Note this factwhen you have already plunged into an obsessive internal dialogue, or you have some kind of obsessive fear, sound logic completely stops working. You seem to be able to remember or think about something right and necessary at this moment, you can say sensible words to yourself, but if you did not succeed in following them right away, then the logic is no longer perceived, the obsessive state stubbornly dictates its own. Even understanding all the absurdity of this obsession (and many people understand), it is impossible to get rid of it either by willpower or by logic.

Impartial (no evaluation) deliberate observation no logical analysis (because, in essence, obsessive thoughts are absurd, and even if in some cases they come on business, they only remind and signal that we need some practical steps to solve the problem, and not that these thoughts should be thought), without identifying with this state (that is, observe everything that happens inside you: thinking process and sensations from the outside, you are separate, the obsessive state (thoughts and sensations) is separate), and natural, soft, without resistance to these thoughts switching (when you do not try in every possible way, by an effort of will, to distract yourself, get rid of, forget, etc., that is, you accept everything that is happening to you now), is the most correct way out of the situation and the natural process of recovery (release from an obsessive state and thoughts), except.

If you had done this initially, then you would not have this problem now.

P.S. Remember always. In any case, no matter what the obsessive thoughts tell you, there is no point in going deep into them and replaying the same thing a hundred and a hundred times.

Even if some obsession suddenly turns out to be justified and will inform you about a real case or some real problem, then you must solve it in a practical way ( actions), not thoughts. You just need to do what is needed; what the imposing thought tells you, and then there will be no reason to worry and think about it.

Best regards, Andrey Russkikh

The modern rhythm of life leaves its mark on society. Constant stress and anxiety lead to the fact that an ordinary person asks the question: “How to quickly get rid of stress, obsessive thoughts and constant alarm yourself? " Of course, the best solution would be the help of a psychologist, but first you need to try to solve the problem on your own. Let's start.

The reasons for the appearance of obsessive thoughts and anxiety

1. Due to the anatomical features of the vegetative and central nervous system, may be violated metabolic processes neurotransmitters, organic brain injury, infectious diseases and genetic inheritance. The entire list refers to biological factors.

2.K psychological reasons includes neurosis, depression, personality type characteristics, family upbringing, the degree of self-esteem and many factors. Obsessive thoughts can be expressed in different ways. The reasons and fears are different, the rational question arises, how to get rid of them?

3. From sociological reasons, it is possible to single out a long stay in a stressful state, social phobia, emotional and nervous tension. Such factors can arise in the work environment or in family problems.

4. In addition to the main aspects, symptoms of obsessive thoughts and anxiety can develop from various diseases... Among them, the most common are delusional disorder, depression, schizophrenia, neurosis, psychosis, epilepsy and encephalitis.

Obsessive thoughts and anxiety symptoms

This condition of a person is also called obsessional syndrome. This problem belongs to the psychological, from this point of view, it must be considered.

There are 2 types of symptoms: psychological (internal), somatic (external) signs. Let's consider them in order.

External, or somatic, symptoms:

• unstable heart rate (tachycardia, bradycardia);
• shortness of breath;
• frequent dizziness;
• pale or, conversely, reddened skin;
• excessive bowel work.

Internal, or psychological, symptoms:

• in rare cases, hallucinations;
• negative memories accompanying shame, guilt and remorse;
• impulsive actions and actions characteristic of a nervous person;
• constant conversation with your own "I", scrolling the same thoughts in your head, bad memories;
• invented and imposed images in the head;
• susceptibility to phobias, for example, fear of death, insects, germs, heights;
• sharp aggression towards loved ones (hatred, anger, etc.);
• the need to finish what you started, without this there will be no peace;
• doubts about whether it is necessary to perform some action (wash, go to the store, etc.);
• the desire to do terrible things (most often it will not be realized).

The listed list of symptoms is not the whole list of how obsessive compulsive disorder manifests itself. Anxiety and negative thoughts appear for different reasons, based on the personality type.

Ways to get rid of obsessive thoughts

Like any professional in their field, psychologists recommend using all the opportunities that will help a person get rid of obsessive thoughts and normalize their state of mind. So how do you eliminate anxiety on your own? Let's try to figure it out together.

Method number 1. Let the positive become part of your life.

1. Do not allow negative thinking, block it at the slightest sign of manifestation. As soon as you think about the bad, immediately switch to a positive direction.

2. Find comfortable spot and lie down. Think about life situations when you felt like the happiest person in the world. Remember these emotions, switch to them when the negative again makes itself felt.

3. When a person lacks positive emotions, he plunges into his own world of despondency. Day after day, "chewing" the negative, a full-scale depression begins.

4. If there are no thoughts to switch to, find an activity you like. Sign up for a pool or boxing course (woodcarving, etc.). Your day should be busy so that you don't have time for obsessive thoughts.

5. When you get into an active rut, you will spend more time both with friends and in the fresh air, make it a habit to take a break. This will help get rid of obsessive thoughts.

6. Sit back during the day, and you will forget about the feeling of anxiety, watch movies, eat pizza. Doing nothing does not mean doing nothing. You can cope with the problem yourself.

Method number 2. Think about what you were afraid of as a child?

1. Many people, in sessions with a psychologist, confess to the ridiculous fears they experienced in childhood. Agree, everyone was afraid of a "babayka" who would suddenly jump out of a dark corridor. Now these fears seem ridiculous and silly.

2. Intrusive thoughts change over time. Adults have their own concerns. Some are afraid of losing their jobs, losing financial support or contracting AIDS.

3. It is important to understand that as soon as a thought settles in your head, you will scroll it over and over again. Try to drop your fears or do whatever it takes to prevent it.

4. For example, are you afraid of losing your job? Make friendships with bosses and colleagues, improve your qualifications, study every day. Is there a fear of terminal illness? Monitor your health carefully. It is important to get tested regularly and play sports.

Method number 3. Immerse yourself in obsessive thoughts

1. You cannot close in yourself, unless you switch to positive and detachment. Try to face bad thoughts and find the real reason for them.

2. Allow yourself some time during which to write down all your thoughts, worries and fears on the sheet. Look for an explanation for them, dive deeper.

3. Even if now it seems that it is impossible, you try. Allow yourself to be sad, cry, despair, but only for a certain period.

4. Psychologists advise to penetrate inside their imposed ideas and destroy them from within by means of consciousness. Such actions should be carried out every day in your free time, when no one will disturb you.

5. Finally, allow yourself to rest. Take a hot herbal bath, play calm music that is not associated with bad events in life.

Method number 4. Do not have internal dialogue with yourself.

1. You, like all people, tend to talk to yourself and conduct a dialogue that does not carry any semantic load. During everyday worries, we burden ourselves even more, thinking about the possibility of getting rid of obsessive thoughts.

2. From now on, forbid yourself to do this! Don't think about the bad and the anxiety. If you're washing dishes, focus on soft foam, rag slip, or music playing. Dream, relax, allow yourself to rest, live in the here and now.

3. It is worth preparing yourself for the fact that it will not work out right away. Practice is required. Sign up for yoga, martial arts, or start meditating.

Method number 5. Feel free to ask for help

1. Recent opinion polls have revealed that more than 40% of the world's population dream of visiting a psychologist. And this is not surprising. A specialist with many years of experience will give practical advice, you will know yourself and learn to cope with stress.

2. For psychologists, the question of how to cope with the posed problem yourself does not sound correct. Because the specialist believes that it is much easier to immediately undergo therapy at an early stage of the compulsion syndrome.

3. The only problem you may face is lack of funds. If this is the case, ask a friend or close relative to become a psychologist for you.

4. Many people practice communication on the Internet with like-minded people. Visit forums where people discuss the same issues. Look for joint solutions.

Ways to get rid of anxiety

There is a list of factors that negatively affect the process of getting rid of obsessive anxiety. Some individuals lack confidence in themselves, others expect the disease to disappear on its own, and still others simply lack persistence. In practice, you can find interesting peoplewho, due to their dedication, coped with a number of phobias and fears.

Method number 1. Psychological techniques

Fight negative thoughts. This technique has received the characteristic name as "Switch". The essence of the technique is that you mentally need to imagine all the problems, phobias. After that, imagine a combination of fears in one place in the form of a switch, turn it off at the right time to get rid of everything. All phobias from obsessive thoughts to fears and anxieties will disappear from consciousness on their own.

Respiratory technique. Experts recommend breathing to accompany courage and fear. Get into a comfortable position and begin to inhale air slowly and evenly. As a result, you will normalize your physical condition and will be able to clear yourself of negative thoughts and anxiety. Complete calmness ensues.

Respond with an action to the alarm. It is quite difficult to concentrate and look fear or phobia in the “eyes”. If you have stage fright, you should step over yourself and speak at the event as a speaker. Fear will disappear due to new sensations and courage.

Play the roles. With obvious phobias, the patient needs to play the role of a successful and purposeful person. Practice this state as a theater stage. After a few sessions, the brain begins to take the new image for granted. As a result, worries and fears dissipate forever.

Method number 2. Aromatherapy

As in most cases, aromatherapy will help get rid of fears, obsessive thoughts and constant anxiety. To cope with phobias, it is important to be able to relax on your own. At the moment of rest, the emotional state should be fully restored.

Aromatherapy helps with depressive and stressful stress. The procedure is best combined with psychotherapy. The pleasant scent allows the body and subconscious to relax, but the root of the problem is deeper.

Obsessive thoughts and fears: how to get rid of

There is no point in dealing with psychological phobias. folk remedies... To do this, you just need to morally and immerse yourself in yourself.

1. Fears and obsessive thoughts are chronic personality disorders. Unfortunately, phobias will have to be resisted for a lifetime. There will be positive and negative points. Sometimes phobias will go away or appear.

2. Don't stop after the first successful procedure. Always practice and be prepared. Phobias shouldn't take you by surprise. Work on yourself, do not give up and never despair.

3. Carry out psychological procedures always yourself. Do not transfer to later and do not transfer to loved ones. You yourself create your own destiny, do not rely on chance.

4. Always try to think positively. Don't blame yourself for anything and don't feed negative phobias or obsessive thoughts. Fears are your main enemy.

5. See a qualified psychiatrist if possible. A specialist can easily identify phobias and tell you how to get rid of them using targeted therapy. Medications do not always help with obsessive thoughts and anxiety.

6. You can resort to various rituals yourself. The bottom line is that you are voluntarily in a state of phobias. In this mental immersion, you must fight fears and obsessive thoughts.

7. Each time you perform rituals, try to reduce the time spent in a trance. Try to realize that all phobias are only in your head, and you can cope with them.

8. It is not at all necessary to mask fears and try to distract from them. Just let them into your consciousness and accept them as part of yourself. Soon you will realize that phobias are harmless and won't disturb you anymore. In some cases, fears can become your feature.

1. Animals, like children, are so defenseless creatures that they make a person feel much happier. If you previously wanted to shelter a dog or cat, now is the time to do so.

2. Get in the habit of keeping a journal. Express in it all the negativity that has accumulated over the whole day.

3. Keep a list of your strengths and victories. So you will understand how strong and characteristic you have become.

4. Spend time outdoors every day, do not sit within four walls.

5. Make new acquaintances, do not refuse offers of friends to visit entertainment events.

6. Begin to actively play sports, physical activity will knock out all the "crap" from you. There will be no more time for imposing thoughts and anxiety.

7. Make a rearrangement or repair in the apartment, change your place of residence, if you feel sad now.

8. Save money for a rainy day to become financially independent. Money gives confidence.

9. Set goals for yourself, without them a person suffocates. Have you wanted a car for a long time? It's time to embark on the path of the embodiment of the desired.

10. It is necessary to travel more, develop horizons. Learn a foreign language, take as many bright photos as possible and everything will be fine soon!

To get rid of obsessive thoughts and constant anxiety, let the positive become a part of your life. Do not engage in internal dialogue with yourself. Immerse yourself in thoughts on your own. Feel free to ask for help.

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Obsessive thoughts do not allow to live peacefully, trapping a person in a kind of vicious circle, and getting rid of them is quite difficult.

What are obsessive thoughts

Obsessive thoughts are what psychologists call disturbing images or ideas that are difficult to control. As a result, a person is constantly depressed, depressed, obsessive thoughts about death and panic attacks visit him. As a result of constant mental stress, people begin to take more and more powerful sedatives, get used to antidepressants and tranquilizers.

The cause of obsessive thoughts is an increased emotional background that provokes a person into an unmotivated fear of various situations that can certainly end tragically. For example, on a trip by car

Obsessive Thought Generator

Obsessive thoughts are generated by the perception of the surrounding reality and the interpretation of the events taking place around, which are passed by the brain through a kind of filter and sent to the subconscious. The emergence of negativity is directly related to how your filter is configured - if the "settings" are negative, obsessive thoughts will visit you quite often. The filter is influenced by your baggage of memories, while the brain simply gives a "forecast" of a particular situation, based on the data from this baggage.

How to get rid of obsessive thoughts: option number 1

Few people know how to get rid of obsessive negative thoughts. First of all, they must be accepted, since ignoring the problem will only complicate the problem and make it chronic. Much more energy is spent on suppressing negativity than on recognizing its existence in your head, and the constant struggle with it only fixes the problem more firmly in your mind.

Investing energy in the constant generation of obsessive thoughts makes them more powerful, and your ability to get rid of them depletes every day.

So how do you get rid of bad thoughts once and for all? Listen to yourself and realize that the only source of obsessive thoughts in your head is you and only you. Perhaps with their help you are trying to stifle other thoughts that you stubbornly do not want to accept. Do the exact opposite - accept all the thoughts that scare you, think them over and try to solve the problem that causes them. If the problem does not exist, and your obsessive thoughts do not have any background under them, be aware of the fact that negativity is a by-product, but a natural product of any psyche.

How to get rid of obsessive thoughts: option number 2

Another good way to get rid of bad thoughts is to watch them from the outside. Take a look at them through the eyes of a stranger and assess the scale of your problem. It is possible that compared to the real problems of many people, she is just ridiculous. If you feel obsessive shame or guilt, understand that you are not guilty of anything and you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, since you have no right to judge yourself.

How to get rid of obsessive thoughts fueled by your interest? Yes, yes, your bad thoughts nurtured by your interest in them - this is a kind of moral masochism, when a person revels in negativity, scrolling it over and over again in his head, like a favorite movie. Naturally, as a result, the obsessive thought grows to enormous proportions and eventually becomes a full-fledged phobia. Nothing will help here except changing your thinking to a more positive and positive one.

How to get rid of thoughts about a person

Have you been betrayed and abandoned? Your close person died and you can't stop thinking about him? How to get rid of thoughts of those who are no longer with you? The process of getting rid will take some time, but the results will be worth it. Try to gradually replace obsessive thoughts with joyful memories that will bring you pure satisfaction and joy, not longing and despair. Do not feed negative thoughts, drive them away, extinguish the impulse of negative thinking with willpower.

The quality of your thoughts also affects how your brain works. Happy, supportive, positive thoughts improve brain function, while negative thoughts turn off certain nerve centers. Automatic negative thoughts can torment and torment you until you take concrete action to get rid of them.

We'll talk with you about the inner critic later, but for now, check out the concept of ants. Ant (eng). - ant; for "automatic obsessive negative thoughts" the abbreviation "ANTs" is used, (automatic negative thoughts). Or "cockroaches".

They are, as it were, the background of our reflections. Involuntary negative thoughts come and go spontaneously, like bats flying in and out, bringing doubts and frustrations with us, we hardly notice them in our daily life.

For example, when you are late for a train, you think to yourself: “What a dunce I am, I always do everything at the last moment,” or when in a store you measure clothes and look at yourself in the mirror: “Ugh, what a nightmare, it's time to lose weight ! ".

Negative obsessive automatic thoughts is an incessant voice that sounds in our head 24 hours a day: negative ideas, comments, negative thoughts about ourselves. They are constantly pulling us down, they are like foot-line comments that undermine our confidence and self-esteem. They are the "second wave" of thoughts that Beck noticed.

The first step is to pay attention to these thoughts, learn to notice when they appear and when they leave your consciousness. Look at the drawing of the glass: negative thoughts are foam on the surface. It hisses and dissolves, revealing your thoughts or feelings that you are currently feeling.

They show the importance we attach to what is happening around us. They also give us insight into how we perceive the world and what place we occupy in it. Automatic negative thoughts are a manifestation of what rises from the bottom of the glass, what rises to the surface from a deeper psychological level.

Automatic negative thoughts strongly suppress self-esteemthey are like endless nagging; negative in nature, they will constantly make comments about you, causing depression, giving everything you are trying to do or what you are trying to achieve, a negative connotation.

Becoming aware of your negative thoughts can help you deal with your deeper emotional problems. Automatic negative thoughts weigh on you drop by drop, distorting your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Automatic obsessive negative thoughts:

they exist steadily in your mind

you just need to start noticing them;

they are conscious

show how you think they lie on the surface, this is not subconscious;

they oppress

due to the fact that they are by nature "bad", they plunge you into despondency and spoil your mood;

they are regulated

depend on the situation (for example, if you are walking down the street at night, you think: "I am scared, now someone will attack me");

they "look like the truth" - these are masks that we put on and believe in them (for example: "I am not good for anywhere", "I am too fat in these jeans", "I will never get the job done on time", "I always choose not that / wrong guy / girl "," Nobody loves me ");

we have an internal dialogue with them

we can always convince ourselves of something or dissuade ourselves from something: we put on masks and believe them;

they are permanent, especially if your problems have long been embedded in your life, for example, if you have depression. Your HNMs constantly convince you that you are worthless, that no one loves you, that you are worthless, that you are helpless and alone.

Did you know that when a thought arises, the brain releases chemicals?This is amazing. The thought came, substances were released, electrical signals ran through the brain, and you understood what you were thinking. In this sense, thoughts are material and have a direct impact on feelings and behavior.

Anger, dissatisfaction, sadness, or annoyance contribute to the release of negative chemical substancesthat activate the limbic system and impair physical well-being. Remember how you felt the last time you were angry? Most people tense up their muscles, their heart beats faster, their hands start to sweat.

The body reacts to every negative thought.Mark George, M.D., proved this with an elegant brain study at the National Institute of Mental Health. He examined 10 women on a tomograph and asked them to take turns thinking about something neutral, something joyful and sad.

With neutral thinking, nothing changed in the brain. Joyful thoughts were accompanied by a calming down of the limbic system. With sad thoughts, the subjects' limbic system became highly active. This is compelling proof that your thoughts matter.

Every time you think of something good, joyful, pleasant and kind, you promote the release of neurotransmitters in the brain that calm the limbic system and improve physical well-being. Think about how you felt when you were happy. Most people relax, their heart rate slows down, and their hands remain dry. They breathe deeper and more calmly. That is, the body also reacts to good thoughts.

What is the limbic system? This is the most ancient department of the brain, which is located in its very depths, more precisely in the center to the bottom. What she is responsible for:

sets an emotional tone

filters external and internal experience (distinguishes between what we ourselves thought and what actually happens)

designates internal events as important

stores emotional memory

modulates motivation (what we want and do what is required of us)

controls appetite and sleep cycle

carries out an emotional connection with other people.

processes odors

regulates libido

If you are anxious every day, namely, deliberately thinking about what bad can happen to you and your family in the future, while you have heredity for anxiety disorders and even have an unfavorable childhood experiencethen it is likely that your limbic system is in a very active state.

Interestingly enough, the limbic system is stronger than the cortex, including the frontal cortex, which is aware of and controls everything. So if a charge of activity hits from the limbic, then the cortex cannot always cope. Moreover, the main blow comes not directly to the bark, but in a roundabout way. An impulse is sent to the hypothalamus, and it gives a command to the pituitary gland to release hormones. And hormones themselves trigger this or that behavior.

When the limbic is calm (inactive mode), we experience positive emotions, cherish hope, feel included in society and loved. We have good sleep and normal appetite. When she is overexcited, the emotions are generally negative. The limbic system is responsible for translating the senses into a physical state of relaxation and tension. If a person does not do what he was asked about, his body will remain relaxed.

I explain that bad thoughts are like a plague of ants in your head. If you are sad, dreary and anxious, then automatic negative thoughts - "ants" attacked you. So, you need to call a big, strong inner anteater to get rid of them. Children love this metaphor.

Every time you notice "ants" in your head, press them until they have managed to ruin the relationship and undermine self-esteem.

One way to deal with these "ants" is to write them down on a piece of paper and discuss. You should not take every thought that comes to your mind as the ultimate truth. You need to decide which "ants" visit you, and deal with them before they take away your power. I have identified 9 kinds of "ants" (automatic negative thoughts) that show situations worse than they really are. By identifying the type of "ant", you will gain control over it. Some of these "ants" I classify as red, that is, especially harmful.

9 kinds of automatic negative thoughts

1. Generalization:accompanied by the words "always", "never", "nobody", "every", "every time", "all".

2. Focus on the negative:marking only the bad moments in each situation.

3. Prediction: everything is seen only as a negative outcome.

4. Mind reading:making sure you know what the other person thinks, even when they haven't talked about it.

5. Mixing thoughts with feelings: infaith in negative feelings without a doubt.

6. Punishment with guilt:accompanied by representations "must", "must", "necessary".

7. Sticking labels:assigning negative labels to yourself or others.

8. Personalization:taking any neutral events personally.

9. Accusations:a tendency to blame others for your troubles.

Type 1 negative thoughts: GENERALIZATION

These "ants" crawl when you use words like "always", "never", "constantly", "everyone." For example, if someone in church annoys you, you might think to yourself, "People in church always pick on me," or "Only hypocrites go to church."

While these thoughts are notoriously wrong, they are incredibly powerful, for example, they can forever scare you away from the church. Generalizing negative thoughts are almost always wrong.

Here is another example: if a child does not obey, an “ant” may creep into his head: “He always disobeys me and does not do what I ask,” although most of the time the child behaves quite obediently. However, the very thought “He always disobeys me” is so negative that it drives you into anger and grief, activates the limbic system and leads to a negative reaction.

Here are some more examples of generalization "ants":

• "She's always gossiping";
• “At work, no one cares about me”;
• “You never listen to me”;
• “Everyone is trying to take advantage of me”;
• “They interrupt me all the time”;
• "I never get a rest."

Type 2 negative thoughts: FOCUS ON THE NEGATIVE

In this case, you see only the negative aspect of the situation, although there are positive aspects to almost everything. These "ants" belittle positive experiences, good relationships and work interactions. For example, you want to help your neighbor. You have the opportunity to do this, and you know what needs to be done.

But when you are about to offer help, you suddenly remember how one day a neighbor offended you. And although at other times you were friendly with him, thoughts begin to revolve around an unpleasant incident. Negative thoughts discourage helping someone. Or imagine that you have a wonderful date. Everything is going well, the girl is beautiful, smart, good, but she was 10 minutes late.

Focusing on her being late can ruin a potentially great relationship. Or you first came to a new church or synagogue. This is a very important experience. But someone noisy distracts you from the service. If you focus on the hindrance, the experience will be spoiled.

Type 3 negative thoughts: BAD PREDICTIONS

These "ants" crawl when we foresee something bad in the future. Forecaster ants suffer anxiety disorders and panic attacks. Predicting the worst causes an immediate increase in heart rate and respiration. I call these expectations the red "ants" because by anticipating negativity, you trigger it. For example, you think your day at work is going to be bad.

The first hint of failure reinforces that belief, and you’re depressed for the rest of the day. Negative predictions disturb the peace of mind. Of course, you should plan and prepare for different scenarios, but you can't focus only on the negative.

Type 4 negative thoughts: IMAGINATED READING OF ANOTHER THOUGHT

This is when it seems to you that you know the thoughts of other people, although they did not tell you about them. This is a common cause of conflicts between people.

Here are some examples of these automatic negative thoughts:

• "He does not like me...";
• “They talked about me”;
• “They think I'm not good for anything”;
• "He got mad at me."

I explain to patients that if someone looked at them gloomily, then perhaps that person is just now experiencing pain in the stomach. You cannot know his true thoughts. Even in close relationships, you cannot read your partner's mind. When in doubt, be honest and refrain from biased mind reading. These "ants" are contagious and cause enmity.

Type 5 negative thoughts: MIXING THOUGHTS WITH FEELINGS

These "ants" arise when you begin to trust your feelings without a doubt. Feelings are very complex and are usually based on memories from the past. However, they often lie. Feelings are not necessarily true, they are just feelings. But many believe that their emotions always tell the truth.

The appearance of such "ants" is usually marked by the phrase: "I feel that ...". For example: “I feel that you don’t love me”, “I feel stupid”, “I feel like a failure”, “I feel that nobody believes in me”. Having started to "feel" something, double-check it, do you have any proof? Are there real reasons for these emotions?

Type 6 negative thoughts: PUNISHMENT WITH GUILT

Exaggerated guilt is rarely a beneficial emotion, especially for the deep limbic system. It usually leads you to make mistakes. Punishment with a sense of guilt occurs when the words "should", "must", "should", "necessary" pop up in the head.

Here are some examples:

• “I need to spend more time at home”; “I have to communicate more with children”; "You need to have sex more often"; "My office should be organized."

Feelings of guilt are often exploited by religious organizations: live this way, otherwise something terrible will happen to you. Unfortunately, when people think they have to do something (no matter what), they don't feel like doing it. Therefore, all typical phrases appealing to feelings of guilt should be replaced with: “I want to do this and that. This matches mine life goals».

For example:

• “I want to spend more time at home”;
• “I want to communicate more with children”;
• “I want to please my spouse by improving our love
• life, because it is important for me ”;
• "I intend to organize life in my office."

Of course, there are things you shouldn't do, but guilt isn't always productive.

Type 7 negative thoughts: LABELING

Every time you put a negative label on yourself or another, you are preventing yourself from seeing the situation clearly. Negative labels are very harmful because by calling someone a jerk, dispensable, irresponsible, or overconfident, you equate them with every jerk and irresponsible person you’ve ever met, and you lose the ability to communicate productively with them.

Type 8 negative thoughts: PERSONALIZATION

These "ants" force you to take any innocent event personally. "The boss didn't talk to me this morning, he must be angry." Sometimes it seems to a person that he is responsible for all the troubles. "My son got into a car accident, I needed more time to teach him how to drive, it's my fault." There are many explanations for any kind of trouble, but the overactive limbic system only selects those that concern you. The boss may not speak because he is busy, upset, or in a hurry. You are not free to know why people do what they do. Don't try to take their behavior personally.

Type 9 negative thoughts (most poisonous red "ants"!): ACCUSATIONS

Blaming is very harmful because blaming someone for your problems puts you in a victim position and is unable to do anything to change the situation. A huge number of personal relationships collapsed because people blamed partners for all the troubles and did not take responsibility for themselves. If something went wrong at home or at work, they would withdraw themselves and look for the culprit.

"Ants" accusations usually go like this:

• "It's not my fault that ...";
• "This would not have happened if you ...";
• “How could I have known”;
• "It's all your fault that ..."

"Ants" - accusations always find the culprit. Every time you blame someone for your problems, you are actually assuming that you are powerless to change anything. This attitude blurs the feeling of your personal strength and will. Refrain from blaming and take responsibility for your life.

For the brain to function properly, you need to manage your thoughts and emotions. Noticing the "ant" crawling into consciousness, recognize it and write down its essence. By recording Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANT), you question them and reclaim the power they are stealing. Kill the internal "ants" and feed them to your "anteater".

Your thoughts are extremely important because they calm down or fire up the limbic system. Leaving the "ants" unattended, you infect the entire body. Refute automatic negative thoughts every time you notice them.

Automatic negative thoughts are based on irrational logic. When you pull them out into the light and examine them under a microscope, you can see how ridiculous and damaging they are. Keep your life in check, not leaving your fate to the will of an overactive limbic system.

Sometimes people find it difficult to object to negative thoughts because they feel like they will be deceiving themselves. But to know what is right and what is not, you need to be aware of your thoughts. Most "ants" crawl unnoticed, they are not chosen by you, but your poorly tuned brain. To find the truth, you have to doubt.

I often ask patients about automatic negative thoughts: Are there many, are they few? To keep your limbic system healthy, you need to keep the ants under control.

What to do?

0. Develop awareness.Developed awareness is best remedy treating and preventing negative thoughts.

1. Tracking negative thoughts.Learn to see them. Negative thoughts are part of a vicious circle. The limbic gives a signal - causes bad thoughts - bad thoughts cause the activation of the amygdala (the main guardian of the brain) - the amygdala partially releases excitement into the limbic - the limbic is activated even more.

2. Think of them as mere thoughts - unreal formations.Don't give them any importance. They should not be actively displaced either. Feed your anteater. Maintain the habit of finding negative thoughts and revisiting them. Praise yourself for this in every way.

3. Doubt. Sometimes people find it difficult to object to negative thoughts because they feel like they will be deceiving themselves. But to know what is right and what is not, you need to be aware of your thoughts. Most "ants" crawl unnoticed, they are not chosen by you, but your poorly tuned brain. To find the truth, you have to doubt. I often ask patients about automatic negative thoughts: Are there many, are they few? To keep your limbic system healthy, you need to keep the ants under control.

4. Look for outside confirmation.Attract more people to you who give you positive feedback. Good connections calm the limbic, it also makes the feeling of gratitude .. Focus on the positive, denote it. Positive thoughts are not only good for you personally, they also help your brain work better. Each day, write down five things you are grateful for this day.

5. Teach people around you to build strong emotional bonds with you.(Express your feelings, show the importance of the people around you, refresh relationships, strengthen intimacy, etc.). Reduce stress levels with the power of oxytocin. I will write more about this.

6. Act in spite of fear.

Can positive behavior change the brain? Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles assessed the link between brain function and behavior in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People with OCD were randomly divided into two groups. One of them was treated with drugs and the other with behavioral therapy.

Researchers performed PET imaging (similar to SPECT) before and after therapy. The drug group, which was treated with the antidepressant, showed calming activity in the basal ganglia, which is implicated in getting stuck on the negative. The behavioral therapy group showed the same results.

Behavioral therapy was that the patients were placed in stressful situation and demonstrated that nothing bad happened to them. This therapy aims to reduce sensitivity to fearful objects and situations.

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For example, people who had an obsessive fear of "dirt" seeing it everywhere were asked to touch a potentially "dirty" object (say, a table) and, with the help of a therapist, refrain from washing their hands immediately.

Gradually, people moved on to more and more "terrible" objects. Eventually their fears diminished and disappeared altogether. Behavioral therapy consisted of other techniques: eliminating intrusive thoughts (people were asked to stop thinking about bad thoughts), distraction (advice to switch to something else).published

I had already been preparing this article for a long time, but still could not write it for the reason that I was not sure that I had a complete idea of how to get rid of obsessive thoughts.

Now I have learned from my own experience how to cope with such thoughts and am fully prepared to tell you about it.

Perhaps some of my readers think that from the moment I started creating this site, I completely got rid of all personal problems. Indeed, I had already changed a lot by the time of the first entries in this blog, but my current state cannot be called complete freedom from negative emotions, prejudices and fears.

My position can be characterized as a struggle with myself, during which experience and materials for these articles are born. Of course, in this confrontation between my true self and the primitive, instinctive, emotional self, the former gradually wins.

But this struggle continues: two steps back and four steps forward. Self-development arises from the awareness of one's own shortcomings and work on them. If there is no struggle, then this does not mean a final victory, but rather a surrender.

After all, self-development is an endless process. I continue to face and struggle with some problems. Including with obsessive thoughts.

Mental "gum"

These thoughts have always been with me. They could occupy my head and make me nervous, endlessly mentally referring to the same experiences. It was like mental chewing gum.

I constantly chewed the same thoughts in my head, tried to resolve them, to untie some imaginary knot. But from my attempts to weaken him, on the contrary, he tied up even more.

I remember how even in my distant childhood I could not stop thinking about some things that I could not think about at all. It must be that my brain's habit of endlessly "processing" some experiences and ideas was aggravated in times of other psychological problems.

I recently realized that I had learned to work with obsessive thoughts. Moreover, I am ready to formulate a method that allows me to get rid of them. I realized that this article may now finally appear.

By the way subscribe to my Instagram at the link below. Regular helpful posts on self-development, meditation, psychology and relieving anxiety and panic attacks.

Obsessive thoughts come from emotions

This is the first thing you should understand. Obsessive thoughts are of an emotional, unconscious, irrational nature. They are associated with your devoid of all reasonable fears, anxieties and complexes.

This is why they are intrusive. The emotions that form in you make you constantly think about something. They seem to signal “Problem! Problem! We must look for a solution! "

It's like a notification in Windows or another operating system that appears as an icon and will annoy your eyes until you update a program, remove a virus, or install the correct driver.

We can say that obsessive thoughts also have a positive function. They remind you of the problems that you must solve. And you cannot just take and turn off these "notifications". It's hard to starve to death when your brain constantly reminds you of food.

But, unfortunately, obsessive thoughts do not always tell us about some real problem. The mechanism behind these thoughts is quite subtle. And if, for some reason, the "standard settings" of this mechanism go astray, then natural human fears and worries can take an extreme form, manifesting themselves in the form of obsessive thoughts, which are very difficult to get rid of.

Everyone knows how normal taking care of your health can turn into hypochondria, how a natural fear of danger threatens to turn into paranoia.

And now you become a regular visitor to medical forums, and thoughts about your health do not leave your head. You may be constantly thinking about danger while you are outside. Or you cannot get out of your head the thought of what people think of you, although you yourself do not see any point in thinking about it.

The conclusion I want to make is that obsessive thoughts are based on emotions. Therefore, they have no rational nature. Therefore, they cannot be fought with logic.

This is a very important conclusion. I watched myself a lot, tried to understand how these thoughts appear and how they disappear, how my mind tries to deceive and confuse me. Earlier, in the evening, when I was very tired, I could not stop some thoughts.

For example, I could start thinking something bad about myself, blaming myself. No matter how skillful the inner lawyer was, who, using logic and common sense, tried to convince me that everything was not so bad (although of course he did not rule out a problem), the accusing party always prevailed, and everything became even more confusing. The more I tried to justify myself and get rid of annoying thoughts with the help of thoughts, the more I got confused and the more these thoughts overwhelmed me. This sport with itself caused the invisible knot to tighten even more.

The next day, in the morning, I didn't even want to think about this problem with a fresh mind. If I began to reflect on yesterday's "dialogue" with myself, then I understood that the problem had a place to be, but it was greatly exaggerated and exaggerated by my state. I realized that the problem should be solved, not thought about it. There is no sense in these thoughts.

After a while, I realized what the deception and deceit of these thoughts lay. If you try to destroy them with logic, they will still prevail, since they are irrational and illogical and make you believe in absurd ideas, in front of which common sense is powerless.

You can't eliminate obsessive thoughts with logic

If you are inclined to blame yourself, then you will continue to blame yourself, even if you have nothing to blame yourself for. Because such is your mood and it is from it that these thoughts flow, and not because of some real situation! Even if suddenly you manage to convince yourself for a minute that these thoughts are groundless, then after a while they will come back again if you resist them and continue to provide them with a logical rebuff.

If you are in a mood in which you think that you are sick, that something bad will happen to your health, then no amount of positive test results will convince you otherwise. "What if the analyzes were inaccurate?", "What if I have something else?" - you will think.

And you will not see an end to these thoughts, no matter how absurd from the standpoint of common sense they are.

It is useless to try to refute them. Because it is impossible. They will return and attack you with new absurd arguments that you will believe in, since you are in such emotional statewhich gives rise to these thoughts about non-existent problems.

Remember the state when you are worried about something. No matter how you convince yourself that everything will be fine, that there is no reason to worry, your perception, distorted by nervous tension and excitement, draws you a perspective in the darkest tones. Not because everything is really bad, but because you now perceive everything that way. If in this state you start to think and talk a lot about the future, then your negative perception will attract your thoughts to the “negative” pole and it will be difficult to break out of this attraction.

The method of getting rid of obsessive thoughts

You need common sense, but only at the beginning.

First of all, you need to figure out if your obsessive thoughts are based on some real problem. It happens that mental gum harasses you, exaggerating the problem. But an exaggerated problem does not mean there is no such problem.

So think about what the reasons are for these thoughts. Getting rid of thoughts, you should not ignore the problem, if there is one. For example, it seems to you that you have some kind of illness and thoughts about it do not leave your mind.

Maybe these are really not unfounded fears, and you have symptoms of some kind of disease. If so, see your doctor. If you have already done this and you have not found anything - forget it.

Regardless of whether there is a problem or not, there is no point in thinking about it all the time! You either try to solve it, if it exists, or you forget about everything, if it doesn't exist.

This is the only moment in the fight against obsessive experiences in which you need to apply logic and common sense.

What to do?

Pick a moment in time when you are in the best possible morale, when you are more optimistic and stronger than usual. For example, in the morning, when you are full of energy, after physical exercise or after.

Convince yourself that it makes no sense to repeat the same thoughts thousands of times in your head. That these thoughts are deception or exaggeration, the purpose of which is to confuse you.

Understand the following things well

• you will not come to a solution to the problem if you constantly think about it
• obsessive thoughts do not have any rational basis, and if they are connected with some problem, then you will solve it, instead of constantly returning to it with thoughts
• you cannot get rid of the mental gum with logical reasoning and reflection

Realize the absurdity of obsessive thoughts

Further, you can once again, with the help of several logical theses, lay bare the absurdity of obsessive thoughts. For example: “I have nothing to fear, because the tests showed nothing”, “they don’t die from attacks of panic attacks, I have read about this more than once”, “no one is trying to harm me”, “even if there really are things that are worth fearing you don't need to think about them 1000 times a day, this will only lead to nervous exhaustion. "

Your anti-intrusive argumentation should be intelligible and concise... You should not get carried away by arguing with yourself. Remember, in a long dispute with obsessive thoughts, you are doomed to failure, in which emotions and fears will prevail over logic and intelligence and negative perception will itself "pull" thoughts to the negative pole.

To destroy the force of this attraction, you need to think less. When you think about annoying thoughts, chew on them endlessly, you only reinforce them.

Set yourself up to ignore obsessive thoughts

Tell yourself that you will no longer think about what you think about all day long. and what plagues and torments you. Indeed, why chew mental gum all the time when it doesn’t make any sense?

An obsessive thought is the repetition of the same thought in different ways. You will not receive any new and valuable information from it, you will not come to any decision.

Therefore, give yourself the intention not to get carried away with fruitless thoughts. After you said it to yourself, made a promise that you will not break, draw an invisible line... After this line, you no longer pay attention to obsessive thoughts.

Don't expect thoughts to return no more

They will return more than once. Tune in like this: "Let them come back, what's the difference, I realized that these thoughts are deception and do not relate to the real problem."

Thoughts will come back, sometimes you will start to untie this knot in your head again. As soon as you notice that you are again carried away by this, smoothly divert your attention to the side. Do not argue with these thoughts, do not be upset that they came (and they will come), ignore them, treat them with complete indifference.

If suddenly you need to remind yourself of the absurdity of these thoughts, do not go further than short formulations: "nothing will happen to me, and that's it." Do not get involved in an argument that you will never win. All the endless arguments that again make you afraid or nervous are lies and deception.

Remember what I said in the article: if you are in such a psychological state in which you tend to worry about your health or about your future, or about your loved ones, then your mind will focus on this fear, no matter how absurd this fear is ... Don't turn your mind against yourself.

You probably know a puzzle toy that looks like a pipe. If you put the index fingers of different hands into both ends of this tube and try to free them with the help of physical effort, pulling your hands in different directions, then nothing will work, the tube will only squeeze the fingers more tightly. And if you relax and don't pull, everything will work out.

The same applies to obsessive thoughts. There is no need to want to get out of them at all costs. Relax, "hammer", let them be.

Be indifferent!

Your indifference to obsessive thoughts will rob your obsessive thoughts of their emotional content, which fills them with such a power that you sometimes cannot control. Over time, you will learn to manage your attention and notice those moments when you again began to think about what you should not.

Then thoughts will leave you forever.

But there is no need to wait impatiently when this will happen: "when will they leave!", "I try not to pay attention to them, but they still do not leave my head!" Such thoughts are not necessary!

Arm yourself with a salutary indifference: thoughts don't bother - okay, they come back - okay too. You don't need to turn thoughts about the appearance of obsessive thoughts into obsessive thoughts!

It’s not a big deal that repetitive reflections keep coming to you. If you have deprived them of their emotional "charge" and try to ignore them, then they do not harass your nerves as before. In this case, they become just an annoying notification window (you may have seen such windows on your computer) that pops up in your head from time to time.

And this is not so scary. You can live with it. Thoughts sometimes appear, but they no longer attract your attention and do not confuse you. They are just short signals in the head that come and go.

When I began to treat obsessive thoughts in this way, they left my head and I learned to deal with them. AND fighting obsessive thoughts is not fightingif you take the fight as violent resistance. Relax!

Conclusion

I have already said in other articles that mental illnesses:, panic attacks, obsessive thoughts can either break you down or make you stronger (as in the statement of a famous philosopher).

Fight against panic attacks can teach you. Dealing with depression can help you find the source of your happiness. And trying to control obsessive thoughts will teach you how to control your attention and control your mind.

Arm yourself with patience and work on yourself, then you will not only get rid of your ailments, but also get a valuable and useful experience as a result that will come in handy in your life!

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