How do y’all not engage with your thoughts? My therapist told me to just watch my thoughts pass, but that seems so impossible.

Focusing on the physical sensation of emotions is enough of a distraction for me to keep my from trying to answer. You basically have to adapt to being able to tolerate the anxious, wobbly feelings or guilt caused by the questions when you don't respond to them. Just tolerating them, doing nothing about them so eventually they leave on their own.

Did you ever learn to ride a bike?

I use this strategy to bring myself into the present. What do I hear? What do I see? What do I see? Smell? Taste? Also deep breathing helps.

I also try to be aware of my surroundings/situation/triggers for when i get intrusive thoughts.. And sometimes there are patterns, theres something which leads to these thoughts barging in, but sometimes they appear at totally random times. It's just so draining, there's times where I'm good at not giving in and letting the thoughts pass, but other times where I just fall right in and I'm so so tired of letting myself down and feeling pathetic and disgusting and low and weak and vulnerable. I know there are people in worse situations but I can't help but question why me? Why do I have to have these thoughts? Why is it me they won't leave alone?

I’m interested in this too. I will go weeks without compulsions and then one day it’s like I’m binge eating and get as much as I can. I don’t know how to stop when it starts.