How would you describe intrusive thoughts? Are they like a pop-up ad you didn’t ask for? 🙄 A broken record? 🎶 A backseat driver? 🚗 Fill in the blank and join the conversation.
Now that my brain is quieter. I would call mine almost a "Mean 3rd Person Narrator". I have lived with it for so long I didn't know it wasnt normal. But for ever I have had this "narrator" who constantly criticized my every move, tells me how much life I have missed out on, how much lesser of experiences that I have than others, how much less accomplished, etc. It constantly compared myself to others. I thought it was my inner critique keeping myself accountable or competive or always working to get better. I didnt think it was something destructive, until it was.
@Anonymous Sounds just like me. What has worked for you to get better?
@zamardii122 Honestly, I have been doing a lot of Maybe, or maybe not every time the thoughts have come up. And then ride out the anxiety just like they say. Sometimes it makes me cry for literally 2.5 seconds and then its gone. Some times when your rational brain is back in charge you can start to do some radical self acceptance work and that has been good to. Its rough though, but the ERP has been essential to making the difference. And I am just glad my talk therapist started me on it as well before I began with NOCD.
@Anonymous Can you elaborate on this radical self acceptance work? What exactly is that? Can you share any resources? Thank you.
@Anonymous The maybe, maybe not thing has helped me a lot too.
Mine are for sure like that meme with Kermit in a black cloak being evil in the background.
That mosquito you hear on your ear in the middle of the night. As soon as you think it’s gone, you hear it again until it drives you mad.
@Laysa Relatable omg
Anxiety
A bully
The old granny that you feel like you should listen to but she's full of misinformation but you don't feel like you should tell to shut up. She's really annoying, lol!
A broken record
I was going to post this the other day, and this seems like a perfect opportunity. I agree with all of these ideas and mine manifest differently sometimes. Can definitely be like a bully, the demon on your shoulder, etc. However, I think one thing that has helped me has been to realize that even though they are troubling, the origins of these thoughts lie in our brain trying to protect us. So sometimes (I am not always successful) I try to show my OCD some compassion and think of it more like an overprotective helicopter parent. They are trying to protect us, just overdoing it, homing in on things that really don’t pose a threat. Again, some of my thoughts can be pretty terrifying, so viewing them in this way is really hard sometimes, but I’m trying to give my OCD a little more compassion. It is a part of me after all. Whether I like it or not.
@cmj4333 I feel you on this! Thank you for sharing!
@cmj4333 I really relate to this. I see my ocd as a big overprotective totally scared monster (like a cute muppets monster) underneath all the scary mean monster like qualities. Trying to give it (me) more compassion and love.
A very convincing voice of urgency, a black cloud of scribbles always above my head. Sometimes the scribble lines are more bold and harder sometimes the lines are softer or less busy.
... when a song you hate gets sick in your head.
Intrusive thoughts are that obnoxious coworker who doesn't know when to shut up.
A drunk person
Me and my fiance started calling it "Henry" from Stranger Things.
@Anonymous I totally relate to this. Love stranger things but the way that Henry had infiltrated minds and made them believe that they were horrible horrible people was exactly how my ocd present itself sometimes
Shows me sad things about myself, sad gross feeling, so repulsive that its unlivable
I really understand you
That older sibling that tells made up stories to scare the hell out of you
Like talk radio plus ads that never turn off.
@kp28support Where is my premium subscription or skip button 😂
@j vv 😂
The movie Inside Out 2 made me cry because of how relatable this character was! OCD feels like that sometimes too, a very intensely destructive attempt to "care".
1000% same those movies make me cry so much lol
Mean
DJ play my song now 😂
A de-railed train it takes a few moments to get my thoughts back on track.
Your brain stalking your worst fear!
A siren blaring in my head. Sometimes I'm standing right next to it (i.e it's loud AF) and other times it's far off in the distance (bless those quieter days!). I'm personally still working on allowing those loud days to simply be without placing judgement/meaning on my recovery and progress.
Right now, venom from spider man. Hopefully just bees buzzing, soon. I’m going to keep putting in the work and living my life.
@Anonymous proud of you :)
Like an itch I feel like I need to scratch, but the more I scratch the worse it gets.
Spam email. Unwanted radio station. My least favorite politician telling me lies. A pesky fly. False fire alarm…
If I were to describe my intrusive thoughts in order to explain them to a friend, I would call it a demon. It reminds me of those horror movies where it’s telling you bad things are going to happen to you and your family and possibly that you want those things to happen. It’s always like a thought though, not anything you literally hear like in the movies. Just something evil that wants to keep me oppressed. I’ve lived with this for over 40 years. I remember when it first started. I was around 9 or 10 and I remember being in my bed and having this thought cross my mind where if I went to sleep, I would wake up entirely alone on Earth (no family, no nothing) left to fend for myself. I cried until I eventually fell asleep. Of course, that didn’t happen, but it did nothing to change my perspective on whether or not something could happen in the future. So began the rest of my life, struggling with intrusive thoughts after that initial introduction as a kid. I didn’t tell anyone about all my mental health battles until I was in my early 30’s. I was afraid people would think I was strange or broken. The fight continues!
@PAJLlljbglj@10 You are so damn tough!!! Wow!!
I'm so sorry that you had to go through that at such a young age. I've also dealt with OCD since I was a child and it's horrible. I am so proud of you for fighting OCD this long. You are truly a warrior and I wish nothing but good things for you 💞.
@PAJLlljbglj@10 I too have had it all my life and I’m 64, it’s like a roller coaster I can feel pretty good for awhile and then it rears its ugly head. The fight is never over unfortunately 😥
Mine is like a "Shadow Self" Always lurking in the background, making question everything that I do, the relationships I have and just my overall life.
this is what mine is like too...
Agreed
My opposite. My intrusive thoughts are always so extreme and completely against my morals or the exact opposite of anything I would ever say or do. I’m always so disgusted and terrified my brain could even think something like that and I hate that they replay constantly.
@gabyM This!!!
@gabyM I feel you on this! What are you going to help
@Anonymous I meant to say what are you doing to help:)
@gabyM I just heard recently in the podcast that your intrusive thoughts are the actually the opposite of what you really want.
A “friend” who constantly tells you “bad things will happen” to make you worried
I think of them as a whole separate person living inside my head that's absolutely insane and extremely irritating. Like a conspiracy theorist who won't shut the fuck up
Nails on a chalkboard
A freaking roller coaster ride or hamster wheel
Like my cat when I’m trying to use the bathroom in peace 😩🤣🤣
It has evolved for me. For much of my life it was a critic. It was like having a bully narcissist living in your head, just annihilating you 24/7. I did some trauma therapy and literally that critic stopped immediately. It was kind of phenomenal. But then it was the commentator. It’s like a really dark, sarcastic, cynical comedian that’s doing a commentary on life 24/7. I do the hmmm maybe or could be or what if type of response and try to keep it moving. ERP has helped immensely.
After the anxiety takes hold, it feels like a record stuck on repeat.
An uninvited visitor who scares the heck out of me.
@WendyC It can feel like a jump scare in a horror movie for sure!! 🎥 🍿
Like a very persistent HOA that has the wrong house address for their complaints.
😂
Having yourself, an angel, and a devil all sitting in one room (your mind/body) arguing and debating all day because none of them trust one another.
@1820217Sfc* This is so real
like a ghost constantly tapping me on the shoulder or asking me to leave the current conversation or activity I'm engaged in to contemplate minutia that has been mistakenly labeled as URGENT.
Rude house guests.
It's definitely like a broken record. The thoughts and anxiety repeat over and over.
Doom spiral 🌀
At the peak of symptoms I also had like a like a hum or buzz maybe static and I could have the ruminator/commentator going off the low level static and multiple song lines going omg so exhausting
@Anonymous Yes!! It feels like there is static noise breaking up the frequency!
A fly that buzzes around and gets more and more irritating OR a pang in my chest that makes my whole body feel hot
Like buckets of ice water being dumped over your head over and over (〒﹏〒)
“Pop-up ad from hell”, a “storm”, a “dog begging for treats”, a “fearful child throwing a tantrum”, a “car with faulty parts”, “the part of me that was never protected as a child”, “my overactive fear center/amygdala”— these are all ways I’ve had to reframe how I perceive OCD. Seeing it as part of me has helped me love and be patient with myself when these intrusive thoughts pop up!
It feels like someone hacked my brain and re-wrote the code and mixed everything up. Or someone unplugged the wires and plugged them back into the most absurd and incorrect places.
@Etheric very true and well said
Definitely a bully
Like an annoying family member who won’t shut up.
A story that takes over my mind where I have no control. The thoughts just appear when I am not even concentrating or noticing it.
It’s like someone is monologuing in the background, and also there’s this negative urge that I’m always afraid of but can’t fully describe.
They are like little lightning bolts that hit the soft spots in my brain
A pesky gnat that keeps flying around your head
That drunk guy who keeps yapping in the corner.
Oh my gosh yes. I had an alcoholic friend and it is so frustrating.
My worst enemy
I don't know how common this is, but my intrusive thoughts "talk" to me probably less than half the time. So instead, I tend to experience them nonverbally. As images, feelings... They're like little fires that get started, clips that play on loop, or an especially funny image I thought of recently was an aggressive goose that wouldn't stop honking and pecking at my arm.
@the_sowhat_doggo:3 Yes!
Mean and impolite guest of the mind
A fake news reporter yelling headlines at me, spreading fear and panic over nothing at all...
@Teresa1 Yes!
a video of something that feels as though something has happened but in reality it hasn’t yet the brain gets stuck trying to work out whether it did
Intrusive thoughts are like a switch that came on in the brain that just won’t turn off. A switch that at some point jammed upwards and just won’t ever go down again. A switch that altered my whole world and won’t give me back my peace.
Like someone handed me a pair of binoculars and said here look through these and think how small your world is going to be now! But I started pretty strong yesterday and will be doing it again today on ignoring the replays, whether or not I entertain the thoughts and remembering sensations are 99 percent out of my control. Also, remind myself, you are recognizing the fact that you have a disorder, not because of anything you did or chose. You simply have it.
my intrusive thoughts are like an ice storm
Like Pennywise, because they play on your fears, just like IT does.
Your boss who keeps calling you on vacation, his name is Geoffrey. Just let the phone ring, it’s not worth it to pick up.
Sounds like loud music of different kinds playing all at once. Or my mom's voice, either when she's bringing up a fear/worry for me to consider, or when she's been drunk and volatile, following me into every room antagonizing me.
a horror
A cop turning around when you pass them lol
Some weirdo who wants to sell bread
So tiring
The Devil
A dummy that I hate
An enemy that shows to your surprise party uninvited.
dealing with a monster. The things that horrify you, even if you feel numb to some of them in the moment, you still feel that horror in the aftermath. You question yourself everyday, to the point you’re paralyzed and crying, like Annie Scrambler here before she goes on stage in “The Electric Company”
Overly graphic and inappropriate friend who shows you gore and porn without you wanting to see it
Intrusive thoughts are like junk mail ✉️🗑️
Like computer commands that constantly run in the background
Broken record
The opposite of what you truly want
That little devil that will sometimes appear on a cartoon character’s shoulder but instead of being like “hehe you should buy 13 hotdogs” it’s just constantly screaming “YOUR MOUTH IS FULL OF SPIDERS”
A Broken Record
Big bully
The mosquito in the corner of the room. Everyone else says it’s not a big deal and to ignore it - the “worst” that could happen is it drinks until it explodes. What they fail to recognize is that I’m allergic to mosquitoes (in this case, both figuratively AND literally) and getting bitten would literally cause an unavoidable, insatiable “itch” for the next week to month. Ignoring it does NOT help.
@Miekhachu Then turn that around and step on it, squish all the blood out of it.
A gnat that keeps flying around you
A backseat driver
Mean, worst case scenario
Like I befriended an eccentric, freaky serial killer (•_•)
Intrusive thoughts are like a splinter in your foot that hurts you every time you walk.
Mosquitoes
A devil on my shoulder
They are like voices in my head that pop in whenever I’m not actively engaged into something , they don’t go away, I’m trying to fight the thoughts
That one friend that semi likes you but low key hates you & never mis a moment to give backhanded compliments.
A tick in the middle of your back. Itchy, uncomfortable, and nagging.
Suffocating
Someone standing behind me and poking me in the face at random points during the day. They won’t stop and if I ask them to they will poke more and harder.
A theft in the night. By stealthily stealing time, peace, and joy, often leaving me feeling helpless, exhausted, and detached from the present
When its really bad I tell myself it's like being surrounded by thousands of flies. You can hear them, you can feel them on your skin, but then can't hurt you. But God does it make you want to scream and run away sometimes.
A pain in the
An occupier or an invader — a very dark force that is all-incompassing and paralyzing
Uninvited and unwelcome. And super painful.
Pop up
@murphyvince26 AGHGHH DOGS I DONT LIKE DOOOOGGSS!1!1!1!1!1!1
A pessimistic, controlling friend (until you realize that they aren’t) that doesn’t want you to be friends with anyone else!
A toothache in your brain.
This is so good
Dead weight in my brain.
Broken record player .
Bullies
Crazy things sitting on your shoulder saying random things.
A ringing in my ear that never goes away but gets louder
Unwanted intruder
Its like an alarm its almost like that feeling you get when you feel like your forgetting something and then the brain assigns reason to that feeling
An overprotective alter ego
A bad song on repeat
Everyday occurrence
Like a pet that is hungry and won’t leave you alone until you feed it. Nag, wine, pestering for attention.
Like the volume in the car is too high, but for some reason you can't lower it and you're driving, trying not to crash. 😬
That one birthday candle that starts singing the moment you blow it (the first time experiencing anxiety) and never shuts up and it doesn't have switch off button and you've tried everything including breaking it to make it shut up
If anybody read the old star wars legends series fate of the jedi, I think of my intrusive thoughts a bit like the creature Abeloth: chaos and destruction, able to make you go crazy, able to hide and look like something you love, impossible to destroy, something that can only be contained. But underneath the death and destruction, there's really just a desire for safety and love.
Gut punches
A bad dj is a great choice hahaha 😅
Crippling
A dark shadow that appears even when you don’t give it any light
Sneaky hate spiral. Iykyk.
Mean manipulator
Something like repeat on repeat everyday throughout the day...
The bane of all joy lol
Pop up, didn’t ask for
Fear
It's like my worst nightmare come true
Wild, horrible, and feel like the truth even though I know they're not on some level
Definitely an annoying pop up that keeps coming back
A broken mirror
Gangsters threatening destruction
A flood coming in and breaking the dam trying to hold them out. Very difficult at times.
Broken record is accurate
abusive. like a punch in the face
...hecklers sitting in the balcony.
mine feel like when a test fire alarm goes off. everyone else seems to understand it’s not a serious threat, but they make me feel uneasy and panicked
A little kid asking if we’re there yet- it just never stops asking
A thief and many described above. Just so persistent and opportunistic and convincing and….
Being constantly interrupted when trying to explain something
For me intrusive thoughts are like I’m in a court of law having to defend my memory and come up with a ton of evidence to prove the thoughts wrong.
A carousel that slows down then speeds up. Then when I think the thought is gone, my mind jumps back on the carousel. My mind constantly tells me to delete that app, reinstall it, get to work, you are wasting the day being sick, and on and on it goes.
Nails on a chalkboard
A meanie beanie stuck in your head
@Anonymous That’s right!!
Cumbersome
Satan being stuck in my head
@AnonCat227 I hear you on that one!!
It's like imagining your partner as the worst person you see anywhere and compare to them while being in love with them and everything about them.
A bully
a broken record!
Intrusive thoughts are like a whirlpool sucking me in
Buckets of cold water
A broken record
"That one conspiracy theorist who is full of crap, but you can't help but listen to" or "a room full of rowdy people who keep talking over each other"
Like the devil, literally
A horrible random song that plays over and over again
Continuous pop up ads.
Garbage
A monster !!
A sledgehammer to the brain that leaves me disabled
A big trigger
A middle school mean girl
A panicky feeling.
Poison
A determined toddler wanting a snack, while you are in the bathroom, fingers under the door included along with the constant melody of “momma, momma”
A siren playing everyday, 16/7, max volume, on headphones, with noise cancellation set to transparent.
A home invader
A childhood bully who makes you nervous.
The complete opposite of what I truly think or want to say. It will argue with me about things I know to be false, and someone for example say they're looking for something they misplaced and my mind will automatically say that I stole it.. Only to have them find the item seconds later. An the more people I'm around the worse it gets. To sum it up, it's complete torture.
Hell
a toxic partner who gaslights you all the time
A devil controlling you
A stab in the gut making me feel sick to my stomach and dizzy
Laying in a bed full of sh!+
A drunk friend
Not real. Not you.
They are just an evil guy who calls themselves Mr. Silly because they can’t help but be so incredibly silly they whisper “are you sure?” Every time I try and think
They consume my mind, and I can’t focus on the life in the moment.
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