Exercises to overcome obsessive thoughts

by with No Comment Mental health

Concerns and fears are swirling around everywhere in your head. If this sounds like you, then you must know the power of obsessive thoughts. That kind of thoughts that affect us so much due to a pandemic that seems like it is never going to end. However, it is not healthy to live tied to them, now more than ever, we must overcome obsessive thoughts.

Although most of us may experience obsessive thoughts, the problem is that when we consider battling against them, the first idea might be to suppress or eliminate them. This is counterproductive and will not work as well as you hope. They will end up coming back, stronger than they were in the beginning.

 

How do I deal with my obsessive thoughts?

 

To overcome obsessive thoughts effectively, it is better to apply some potential methods to fight them. Social psychologist Daniel Wegner studied and published several tools for this purpose in American Psychologist, which we will talk about below.

Focused distraction

We start with a simple exercise to overcome obsessive thoughts, focused distraction. This consists of disconnecting your mind from the source of concerns by focusing on something else that distracts you. Your mind can select from millions of topics that will help you relieve yourself.

You can also choose to wander and get lost in your sea of thoughts, which is not recommended because it is considered unproductive. The best thing to do then is to focus on doing a household chore, watching an educational TV show, listening to a music, etc. The main idea is to give the mind a goal because minds without goals are often associated with unhappiness.

Postpone for later

A method that remains just as intuitive is to postpone the thought for later. Many studies have proven that suppressing thoughts only causes them to return with more intensity. However, postponing them can be a relief for the mind.

It works like this: set aside a time of the day to give free rein to your obsessive thoughts. This time cannot exceed 30 minutes, but the rest of the day you will need to save all those worries for that limited time. With practice, you will see how this becomes a habit, and you will be able to get rid of the obsessive thoughts whenever you want to do so.

Writing on paper

Writing about anything in your life as a method of liberation gives wonderful results. Therefore, one of the exercises is directly related to fighting against obsessive thoughts and writing.

How does it work? Write openly about your obsessive thoughts, about all those thoughts you have. Include also your deepest feelings, and write, in general, anything you wish to say about the subject.

Getting rid of all that negativity on paper and transporting the thoughts inside your head to reality, to something tangible, will help you feel better. It might even help you not think about them for the rest of the day.

Self-affirmation

We all have good and bad things about us as the imperfect human beings that we are. However, it is a habit for some people to prioritize talking only about the bad things. No one knows our imperfections or weaknesses better than we do, but as an exercise for our well-being, it is advisable to use self-affirmation to overcome obsessive thoughts.

Meditate more often on your positive traits and features. It is something that will help you have better self-control and social confidence. The next time you remember how worried you are about your job, change that thought to a more grateful and optimistic one.

 

More alternatives to know

 

Dwelling on obsessive thoughts can still be fought with other techniques that I consider to be very efficient. The best thing about them is that they are accessible and simple to put into practice with little effort. These are some of my favorites:

  • Christian Meditation: Christian meditation is about focusing on the thought of God and His Word. By meditating, we are expressing a type of prayer, and not only that, but understanding the power behind its lessons. We also learn about the importance of a compassionate and merciful attitude towards our neighbors. “Who do I have in heaven but you? If I am with you, I want nothing more on earth. My body and my spirit may fail, but God strengthens my heart; he is my eternal inheritance” – Psalm 73:25-26.
  • Exercise: When you feel exhausted from so many obsessive thoughts, I suggest you go for a long walk or exercise in whatever way you like. You will be doing your body good, but beyond that, going outdoors will help you appreciate the nuances of life, the beauty of nature, the small miracles that we are not able to see in our routines because we are more focused on negative thoughts.
  • Talk to a friend: We all need to be listened to and having someone close to us listening to our concerns will help both unburden their worries and to get advice from a more objective point of view. We will then be able to organize our ideas in a better way and have a more realistic view of our life.

 

When is it time to seek professional help?

 

As common as obsessive thoughts can be, they may be part of the symptoms of certain mental disorders such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

In this particular case, people feel overwhelmed by their thoughts. They have no control over them and the way they relieve themselves is through compulsive actions. For example, washing their hands, counting, cleaning, etc. Obsession and compulsion are related, obviously, but the person will not be able to break it.

Likewise, these thoughts, especially those related to the past and extreme pessimism about the future, are characteristic of Major Depression. There are other disorders are generalized anxiety and post-traumatic stress. Therefore, if one suspects the presence of any of these, the wisest thing to do is to seek professional help.

 

Do you feel you need professional assistance? Call 407 618 0212

How can I manage my obsessive thoughts?

by with No Comment Mental health

Obsessive thoughts or automatic negative thoughts are often associated with anxiety disorders as well as major depression. But they are not exclusive to those conditions.

Do you feel like you cannot let go of certain thoughts in these past months? The current global context, high stress rates and an uncertain future are compelling reasons to explain everything that is happening with these kinds of thoughts.

If you do not know how to deal with obsessive thoughts, I will ask you not to be too hard on yourself. Sometimes, even if the effort to eliminate them is a great one, it is not enough. This is a situation that will only serve to generate worry and despair.

Why can’t I ever find peace of mind? Why can’t I make them stop? Is there something wrong with me? I wish to deepen on these doubts together.

 

What are obsessive thoughts?

 

A simple way to understand what an obsessive thought is, is as a mental content of a threatening, automatic and unwanted nature. Obsessive thoughts can be represented as images or words.

People dealing with obsessive thoughts might also focus on events in the future or re-experience the past. What makes these kinds of thoughts so exhausting is that they are accompanied by very complicated and intense emotions, which sooner or later will end up exhausting your resources.

When your brain is facing threats, physiological fear responses are common. However, the stimulus that provokes this fear is not actually there, it wanders back and forth in your head, which is what gives it that exhausting persistence.

In fact, your sympathetic nervous system, which is part of the autonomic nervous system, will interpret this as a direct experience. It activates all the necessary resources for fight or flight. This is where anxiety will appear.

 

How to manage obsessive thoughts

 

Obsessive thoughts are difficult to manage. You will need willpower, discipline, and a lot of faith. Trying to manage our feelings will make us fight against our own mental resources, those that we often do not even know exist.

God supports us even when we believe that He is not, that He has forgotten us and that we will be unable to overcome adversity.

I know that you are worried about the future. I know that the past has hurt you. However, I want you to understand that the first step to battling obsessive thoughts is to not be afraid. Instead, you need to learn what they are about, why they are there and what those unresolved conflicts you have inside are.

Do you find yourself trapped in them? You are not alone, COVID-19 has taken us to extremes we were not able to predict or expect. The health risk, the restrictions in our daily routine and the anxiety about the future may keep you awake at night, and it is understandable.

How can I control it? Here are some lessons that I hope will help you.

Obsessive thoughts are like quicksand

Metaphors help us to internalize concepts that we are not yet able to fully understand. The same happens with obsessive thoughts. So, I want you to look at them as if they were a quicksand trap. It is a comparison that speaks for itself.

When you fall into quicksand, your survival instinct will make you move desperately, trying to get out of it. However, you will not succeed, you will only sink deeper. The same happens with the dreaded obsessive thoughts. The only successful way to get out of them will be to calm down, accept that you are in a dangerous zone, and measure your every move in order to escape.

Fighting a negative thought directly will not be a win. First, you must accept that you have the thought and analyze it for about 20 minutes. When the time is up, concentrate on another activity, and then spend the same amount of time on your obsessive thought. Little by little, you will find a way out of it and relieve yourself.

Letting your emotions flow will give you calm

We talk a lot about emotions, how they affect us and identify us as the human beings we are. However, something you need to know is that, in order to manage obsessive thoughts properly, you must strive to let your emotions flow.

Accept that you feel bad, let this feeling flow, even if it brings a tear or two to your eyes. At some point, you will realize that these types of emotions wear off, and the pain will go away. For example, if you get bitten by a mosquito on your neck, you will want to scratch it, but by not doing so you will protect your skin and avoid aggravating the situation.

We need to embrace our emotions more, not silence them or pretend to make them stop because we do not like how weak they make us feel. Not being strong 365 days a year is not a weakness or a sin.

God is our refuge

In times of uncertainty such as these, remembering our Lord’s presence will help ease the burdens we have upon us. Do not forget that He is in control of everything, and that He is always protecting us.

“God is our refuge and our strength, our sure help in times of trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth crumble and the mountains sink to the bottom of the sea.” – Psalm 46:1-2.

When an obsessive thought threatens you again, try to distract your mind by reading the Holy Scriptures. Take refuge in the lessons and wisdom they offer. As you find the calm you have been searching for, you can share your reflections with your family and friends, so that together you can understand how great God’s mercy is.

If it is not enough for you, apply what you have learned. Do not wait for solutions to come and take control of your life. Look for more activities through which you can give back the mercy of our Lord.

Don’t know how to start managing your obsessive thoughts yet? You can call 407 618 0212 for more answers.