- Tips to eliminate obsessive thoughts
- 1-Don't try to stop them
- 2-Don't be ashamed
- 3-Write persistent thoughts
- 4-Accept the thoughts and let them go
- 5-Cognitive behavioral therapy
- 6-Diet can help
- 7-stay active
- 8-Learn relaxation techniques
- 9-Apply this little exercise
The negative and obsessive thoughts are those recurring thoughts generally related concerns, fears or violent situations not allow you to focus your attention on other things.
These kinds of thoughts are characteristic of people who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or with severe anxiety problems that cause them a lot of stress and do not allow them to function normally in their lives.
Negative thoughts, related to your fears, emotions or violent situations, are normal in all people. The difference is in how we react to these thoughts. If you don't care about them, then they don't become an obsession.
On the contrary, if these thoughts cause you a lot of anxiety and stress, then it is likely that they turn into obsessive thoughts that prevent you from concentrating on other things and therefore, they can hinder your daily life and make you feel very bad.
Some examples of obsessive thoughts can be:
- Fear of getting sick
- Need for strict organization or symmetry.
- Fears related to simple things, like leaving the door open or the oven on.
- Thoughts related to sexual assault, falls from a balcony, or ideas related to death.
As you can see, some of these thoughts are much more negative than others, but they all have something in common: they are caused by anxiety, they can cause you a lot of stress and prevent you from concentrating on your daily activities.
Tips to eliminate obsessive thoughts
You have to take some steps to get these thoughts out of your mind. These are 10 good tips that you can follow to eliminate them.
1-Don't try to stop them
Numerous scientific studies show that when you try to "not think" about something specific, you think about it more.
That happens because the brain struggles to remember what not to think and as a result, you think about it even more.
You must understand this in order to start removing obsessive thoughts from your mind.
2-Don't be ashamed
Accept your thoughts for what they are, a product of your anxiety. Stop blaming yourself or feeling ashamed for them, they are just a symptom of the anxiety you have.
Acceptance is crucial; These thoughts cannot be controlled, so don't expect to be able to. You must accept them as a natural symptom caused by anxiety. When it subsides, obsessive thoughts will too.
You may think you are crazy or weird, but you are not. It doesn't matter if these thoughts provoke strange behavior in you.
Who cares if you triple-check that you've closed the door properly? What does it matter if you sometimes have inappropriate sexual thoughts? They are just thoughts.
It is a disorder that must be cured, it is true, but while you find the solution, it is as if you had a cold or the flu. You have symptoms of an alteration, but they will disappear as soon as you heal.
As it was said at the beginning, you should not try to combat these thoughts or believe that they are part of a deranged personality.
3-Write persistent thoughts
Some thoughts, more than obsessive, are persistent, and when you have them, you fear that they will transform into obsessive thoughts.
A good idea to eliminate them may be to write these thoughts in a kind of personal journal.
The mind tends to let go of persistent thoughts when they are captured in a permanent place.
4-Accept the thoughts and let them go
One of the main problems of people with obsessive thoughts is the idea of always having to live with anxiety and not being able to get rid of the thoughts. When a negative thought appears, watch it and let it go, without trying to eliminate it.
On the other hand, compulsive behaviors (checking several times if the door was properly closed, for example) provide a quick solution to obsessive thinking.
But if you put these behaviors aside, then you allow yourself to experience anxiety, and after a while, the obsessive thoughts will cause you less fear and appear less often.
To achieve this goal, you may need the support of psychological therapy.
5-Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy works on fears, anxiety, and wrong beliefs that cause obsessive thoughts.
This type of therapy is shown to be very effective in cases of OCD and other anxiety disorders.
6-Diet can help
According to nutrition expert Dr. Ray Sahelian, a diet rich in folic acid and vitamin B12 can positively influence patients with obsessive thoughts.
Some examples of foods rich in these vitamins are meats, dairy products, broccoli, bananas, potatoes, and soy products.
7-stay active
Exercise has great antidepressant power, helps fight anxiety and consequently can also help eliminate obsessive thoughts.
When you do exercises such as a long walk, an aerobic gym session or a bike ride in the park, the brain generates certain substances called endorphins, which reduce stress, anxiety and cause a pleasant feeling of well-being.
8-Learn relaxation techniques
Any activity related to relaxation techniques, such as yoga, meditation or tai chi, can help reduce anxiety and with it obsessive thoughts will also go away.
9-Apply this little exercise
Here's a simple exercise that can help you ward off obsessive thinking. To do this, you must be very attentive. When an obsessive thought appears, pay attention to identify it clearly.
Think of your mind as a train with many carriages, where each carriage is a thought.
When you have the obsessive thought well identified, for example "obsession to review the work hundreds of times", then imagine the wagon of that thought and visualize the train as if you were seeing it from afar: you watch the train move away and take the wagon away of your obsessive thinking.
Obsessive thoughts can interfere with your life and make you feel bad. Apply these tips so that they don't torment you, and if you can't do it alone, then don't hesitate to seek professional help.