I’ve recently been having the spiraling intrusive thoughts coming up out of seemingly nowhere. Well not exactly nowhere, having some relationship issues but the thoughts will just randomly show up when I’m clam home reading a book.
Ugh yes, I totally get that — those random, sneak-attack intrusive thoughts are the worst. It’s like you’re finally calm, maybe even enjoying yourself, and then BAM — intrusive thought out of nowhere, trying to ruin the vibe. But here’s what I’ve learned: that randomness? That’s just Frank (what I named my OCD) being desperate for attention. He knows I’m feeling more grounded lately, even if life’s a little messy, so he starts throwing out whatever he can to pull me back into his chaos. That doesn’t mean anything’s wrong with me — it just means Frank’s getting nervous because you’re not feeding him like you used to. So when those thoughts show up while I’m reading or doing something fun, I try to notice them, name them (“That’s just Frank being dramatic again”), and keep turning the page. I don’t have to argue with him. I don’t even have to be polite. Just a calm, “Not now, Frank,” and keep doing my thing.
@Vamp DeVille I love this, Frank has been the name of my alter ego for years 😂 seriously thank you for this
it's hard to resist ruminating. i usually just hit it with a quick "maybe" and try to leave it at that. try to lean into the discomfort as much as you can, observe your own anxiety around the thought and let it be there without trying to change it or get rid of it. through doing this, youll find it eventually passes when it gets tired of messing with you. (i will say medication helps a ton with this btw but either way, you got this)
@joshua.bluestine I’m really trying to not be on any type of medication I really appreciate your advice though!
@joshua.bluestine I will sometimes say maybe out loud
I’m finding the phrase ‘so what?’ quite helpful, it helps to reframe the thought by almost belittling it, hope that makes sense or helps in any way :)
@VickyB I like that! Thank you
I struggle so bad with intrusive thoughts. They can be so bad that I'll cry because I KNOW that's not how I feel or want to do. (Too embarrassed to say what they're about) I'll constantly try to figure out why I have them, and constantly figure out what they mean, causing me to constantly circle around and around. I had to get on anxeity meds, which helped a little but the thoughts still happen. How do you help yourself with this? How do you know that you're just not some physcopath? 😅
Two things are happening: I get thoughts that just keep looping. They almost feel like song stuck in my head. Also, I’ll imagine something and I feel my stomach drop. Then as the seconds go by I keep getting fragments of the this thought but with different details. For example, it’s kinda like how a “vision” is portrayed. I’ll get a glimpse of the thought and then it’ll rapidly expand into something worse every few seconds. I don’t know if I’m causing this or if it’s just an automatic thing like any other intrusive thought. It feels unavoidable, idk if this is a compulsion or if it’s just another manifestation of an intrusive thought. Apart from that remembering an intrusive thought triggers the full thought again and then it just keeps looping or expanding. I don’t know how to stop any of this. Help?
Sometimes I notice my intrusive thoughts cause me to spiral and sometimes not. I've been practicing ERP for quite a while so it's a bit easier for me to not spiral. But I wonder why that happens. Does anyone else have it? Also I'm on medication idk if that plays a role.
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