What Are Intrusive Thoughts?
Intrusive thoughts are thoughts that invade your mind time and time again. They appear at any time, day or night. Sometimes, they are relentless. They can be negative or positive, but they often behave like a bully. It can feel like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and sometimes, it is OCD.
What Comes First, the Thought or the Feeling?
Have you ever felt your heart beating faster and your breath quicken because a tirade of thoughts has invaded your head? Maybe you have the thoughts first and then the feelings. They can be so acute you may need to go to the toilet. You can feel nauseous, start shaking, feel dizzy, and even go into a panic attack.
In the summer, I had an intrusive thought that lasted for weeks. Even with all my training and knowledge, it just wouldn’t budge. I realise now that this thought needed to stay around to be analysed and worked through. Eventually, it faded and then disappeared. I learned a lot from that experience and will share the positive actions I took to overcome the thought.
Why Do I Have Intrusive Thoughts All the Time?
We are more likely to have intrusive thoughts when we are stressed, anxious, or depressed. When our lives are running more smoothly, we get fewer of them, so it is vital to do what you can to keep your stress levels down. What is causing the stress? Not getting your emotional needs met in balance.
I did a short post about emotional needs with a form you can use to check your stress levels. The blog can be found here, or you can download the form here.
Best ADHD Coping Strategies for Intrusive Thoughts
I specialise in working with neurodivergent clients, and ADHD people struggle so much with intrusive thoughts. This can be because of the hyperactive nature of ADHD. The hyper part might not manifest as a physical trait. It can be much more about internalising and intrusive thoughts.
ADHD Medication
ADHD medication works well for many people, but not all, to reduce intrusive thoughts and calm/focus the mind. Unfortunately, in the UK, there are increasingly long waiting times and big issues with shared agreements. It is important to speak with your GP if you are thinking of getting an ADHD assessment and perhaps want to try medication.
Here are some articles via ADHD UK about the ADHD challenges in the UK right now.
Counselling for Intrusive Thoughts with ADHD
Being ADHD can be complex. Your mental health will play a big part in the challenges you might have, especially around intrusive thoughts and anxiety. More and more counsellors and coaches now provide services to support people, and at the top of the list will always be overcoming intrusive thoughts.
Counselling and coaching are not regulated professions in the UK, so it is important that when you search for support, you research the provider’s qualifications, membership bodies, insurance, privacy credentials, and how long they have been practising.
At the end of the day, a counsellor may have degrees and many years’ worth of experience, but you might not ‘click’ with them, so check if they offer a phone consultation in the first instance to ensure you will be able to work together.
Six Ways to Manage Intrusive Thoughts
Intrusive thoughts are like a bully. What do you do with bullies? You stand up to them. Imagine a person who you really don’t like. It can often be a celebrity or politician. Close your eyes, and in your mind, imagine that this person is miniature and is looking straight at you with a glare just by your shoulder. Now, using your most creative profanity, tell the caricature to …… off! Takes a bit of practice and works a treat.
Distract yourself. Give yourself a collection of ways to distract yourself, depending on how intrusive the thought is at any given time. Maybe you can make a cup of tea or coffee or have a big glass of water. Be mindful about making the beverage or drinking down that cool, clear, fresh water. A walk might be in order, perhaps listening to music or a podcast at the same time to get the thought out of your head. A shower, some jumping jacks, or putting on some heavy metal and headbanging in your lounge—anything that you can manage is all good.
Be a bit kinder to yourself. Remember, this is a bully thought, and it’s taking over your mind. You don’t deserve this. You are worth more, and anyway, this thought might be totally illogical or just not true. Rather than get into a big fight with the thought, you can face it and say, “Look, I can see you, I know you want to bother me. I’ll come back and deal with you later, but right now, I’m busy,” and then you get on with another task.
Intrusive thoughts often arrive when you are in a void moment. This is a space in time when nothing is happening and your mind is clear. When you are not stressed, you might watch TV, read, or just chill, but when stressed, this is the time the intrusive thought loves to annoy. Try and avoid the void times as best you can.
This time will pass. The intrusive thought normally has a time span. It will fade and disappear when it’s ready. You will look back at this time and this thought and wonder what it was all about. Think back to another time when a particular thought was plaguing you. How did it eventually go? Being aware of things like this is really helpful so you can plan your actions for next time and maybe even avoid intrusive thoughts altogether.
Look for the evidence. Is this thought really true? Is it possible that you are perceiving something instead of it being a hard fact? Have a look at some of my other blogs about RSD – Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria. You can challenge your intrusive thoughts in a healthy way to take the strength out of them.
Intrusive thoughts are a pain in the butt. Some of us are more prone to them than others. Nevertheless, we can do things to lessen their impact.
Therapy for Intrusive Thoughts
If you are experiencing intrusive thoughts and are looking for help, please fill out a contact form here so we can organise a phone consultation.
I want to hear about your challenges, and you might find me to be the right therapist to support you in banishing those pesky bullies.