Can You Get Rid of Intrusive Thoughts?

HealthyPlace Mental Health Newsletter

Here's what's happening on the HealthyPlace site this week:

• Can You Get Rid of Intrusive Thoughts?
• From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
• Video: Involuntary Commitment for Mental Illness is Scary
• Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
• Mental Health Quote

Can You Get Rid of Intrusive Thoughts?

Intrusive thoughts are unpleasant thoughts that invade our mind and interfere in what we’re thinking, feeling, and doing at the moment. They can be upsetting; thoughts of watching someone suffer, for example, can alarm us and cause anxiety. Can you get rid of them? After all, they’re part of being human and nearly everyone experiences them from time to time. Beyond this, intrusive thoughts are the “obsessive” component of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Whether you have minor intrusive thoughts or experience them as OCD, you can stop them from hindering your life. To deal with intrusive thoughts,

• Recognize the thought. Be aware of it without judging it.
• Rather than fighting with it (that just makes the thought stronger), distance yourself by merely stating, “I’m having the thought that…”
• Remind yourself that the thought is nothing more than a thought. It doesn’t represent you, and you don’t have to act on it.
• Tell yourself the truth: You aren’t purposefully thinking the thought. Therefore, it isn’t who you are.

This process allows you to separate yourself from the intrusive thought rather than ruminating over it. As you continue, the intrusive thoughts diminish because you’re not thinking about them. You can indeed get rid of the power and intensity of your intrusive thoughts.

Related Articles Dealing with Intrusive Thoughts

• Binge Eating Disorder’s Intrusive Thoughts
• Bipolar Disorder Thought Types
• What to Do About the Obsessions Part of OCD
• OCD Diagnosis: OCD Criteria and Characteristics in the DSM-5

Your Thoughts

Today's Question: Do you experience intrusive or bothersome thoughts? How do they affect you and how do you deal with them? We invite you to participate by sharing your thoughts, knowledge, and experiences on theHealthyPlace Facebook page and on the HealthyPlace Google+ page.

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From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

• Ways to Live with Grief When You Have a Mental Illness
• Start to Live Your Purpose — Choose Your Destiny Now
• Childhood Mental Disorders Are Not Always the Parents’ Fault
• Discussing Mental Health Stigma With Children Is Important
• A Don’t Let Toxic Thinking Patterns Rule Your Life
• A Benefit of Going to Therapy Is Defeating Indecision

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

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From HealthyPlace YouTube Channel

Involuntary Commitment for Mental Illness is Scary

Have you heard the term, involuntary commitment for mental illness? It's when you are sent to a psychiatric hospital or facility against your will.

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Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans

Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:

1. Things Verbal Abusers Say and Do
2. Ten Tools That Help Relieve Panic Attacks
3. Stop Minimizing Mental Illness: Worst Things to Say

If you're not already, I hope you'll join us/like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

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Mental Health Quote

"I miss the person I used to be."

Read more depression quotes.

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That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. You can also share the newsletter on any social network (like facebook, stumbleupon, or google+) you belong to by clicking the links below. For updates throughout the week, circle HealthyPlace on Google+, follow HealthyPlace on Twitter or become a fan of HealthyPlace on Facebook. Also, check out HealthyPlace on Pinterest and share your mental health pins on our Share Your Mental Health Experiences board.

back to: HealthyPlace.com Mental-Health Newsletter Index