Intrusive thoughts

I wouldn't say there's a "best way" of doing these things. There are a number of different approaches, all of which may make more sense for you at different times. One trap to be careful of is expecting the "maybe, maybe not" response to get rid of the intrusive thoughts or anxiety. It's true that over time, as you train yourself to not get so involved in the thoughts, they will arise less often and you will feel less anxious when they do. But that won't be the immediate effect of "maybe, maybe not" thinking. You can kind of think of it like getting your reps in at the gym. Building muscle is a long term byproduct of doing weight training. There are other approaches as well. Redirection: Thought: "Deep down you actually want to kill that person." Response: "Yeah maybe that's true. Wow I'm pretty hungry, what should I have for lunch?" Leaning in (or "yes, and..."): Thought: "That person thinks you're a jerk." Response: "Definitely, and I bet they want to see me dead." There are also things you can do that aren't so thought-focused, like practicing mindfulness. If you are particularly burdened by intrusive thoughts, try bringing your attention to your body and noticing exactly what you physically feel. No matter what the thoughts are, just let them come and go, and be aware of your actual feelings. Do a scan of your body: what are your feet currently feeling? Legs? Stomach? Chest? Arms? Shoulders? Neck? Jaw? Eyes? Through this training, you can learn to find the markers of anxiety. This is a great skill, because as you really feel the anxiety, you'll come to understand that it is nothing but a little physical discomfort. You'll realize that this little bit of discomfort is the thing you're so afraid of feeling. It's the thing you're desperately trying to avoid when you try to resist the intrusive thoughts. The more practice you get allowing yourself to feel it, the less scary the idea of being anxious becomes. The less scary that is, the less scary the thoughts feel. The less scary the thoughts feel, the less you care about them. The less you care about them, the less you'll ever notice them in the first place. As you wait to get into therapy, try to drill this into your head: the thoughts aren't the problem.