Can anyone else feel when they are trying to suppress an intrusive thought? Or am I a true weirdo and maybe actually thinking these things?! 😭😭

I’ve never really tried to before today and I can really feel it

@BetterWays it hurts your head

@Anonymous Yes it literally hurts my head. Then I try not to suppress them & let them come through & then I feel like im thinking them on purpose. It’s a horrible cycle.

@BetterWays me too you aren’t alone

@Anonymous I’m glad I’m not alone but I’m sorry you’re going through this too.

@BetterWays yea it’s annoying and every day seems to get worse when did yours start ?

@Anonymous The more I suppress , the harder they try to come.

@Anonymous Even when I don’t suppress them , the worse they get.

@BetterWays i feel you

I wish music helped me but what I normally listen to doesn’t help at all. It sucks.

@BetterWays Dang, I used to have that problem so can relate. Over the past few years especially, I’ve found a ton of incredible musicians who have similar mental problems and use music as a coping mechanism. So a lot of what they make is very soothing and distracting, because they know how it feels and really tap into that feeling of trying to suppress intrusive thoughts. It can be hit or Miss though, some of it is triggering because they express the feelings of mental illness a bit too well. But those songs can be skipped easily. I can give you recommendations if you want, no pressure though:))

@Anonymous I could give it a shot.. I miss listening without thinking horrible things. 🥺

@BetterWays My favorite artists are Brian Wilson, Daniel Johnston and Thom Yorke. Which is laughable to some extent because they are known for making depressing music. But the thing is, a lot of what people consider “depressing” by them to me is simply realistic. They are so good at recreating certain feelings, such as anxiety, hyperactiveness, euphoria, depression, stuff like that. So it kind of has this reverse effect on me. When I’m anxious, I listen to an anxious song and it kind of cancels my feelings out. Obviously that doesn’t work for everyone, but in a sense, succumbing to the feeling and letting it naturally subside with the song is pretty effective. I hope any of this makes sense hahah I’m really passionate about music therapy and stuff. A song that hits really hard lately for me is How to Dissapear Completely. It sounds bad, but it’s actually about how Thom, the singer, would repeat to himself “I’m not here, this isn’t happening” whenever he felt anxiety and it worked. So it’s in a way uplifting. And he made another called “Idioteque” that’s about the feeling of isolation. I listen to it a lot at night, it’s become a habit now. Take this advice with caution, these songs could be triggering depending on the person. But personally, listening to music that matches how I feel exactly is a kind of magical experience that takes me out. It forces me to get through it, in a way. And my negative emotions end when the song ends.