We’ve all had intrusive thoughts: those odd, unexpected ideas or disturbing images that pop into our heads or the fear of doing something embarrassing. Regardless of their type or when they strike, they always seem to come out of nowhere, linger, and stir up worry or shame.
According to a 2014 study, about 94% of people deal with unwanted intrusive thoughts. This common experience is often linked to anxiety and depression and is more frequent among individuals with disorders like PTSD or OCD.
Unfortunately, trying to push these thoughts away can make them stick around longer. Explore coping skills for intrusive thoughts, from recognizing them to using helpful tools and techniques.
What are Intrusive Thoughts?
An intrusive thought is any mental image or impulse that is unwanted. While the content of these thoughts varies, they are generally negative, undesirable, disturbing, or at odds with your values or personality.
Intrusive thoughts can occur randomly, but certain factors and situations can trigger them. These include stress, anxiety, fatigue, hormonal changes, and lack of sleep. More intense triggers can include trauma, significant life changes, substance use, and disorders like OCD, PTSD, or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
These thoughts come in different types and categories. Examples include:
- Violent intrusive thoughts. Unwanted thoughts about hurting others or oneself, violent or harmful imagery, aggressive impulses.
- Sexual intrusive thoughts. Unwanted urges, inappropriate or disturbing thoughts about sex, or socially unacceptable sexual activities.
- Social and professional intrusive thoughts. Excessive fear about saying or doing something inappropriate, anxious thinking over being judged or embarrassed, fear of being fired.
- Religious intrusive thoughts. Excessive concern about sinning, beliefs of being morally impure, and blasphemous thoughts.
- Intrusive thoughts about illnesses. Excessive fears or concerns about dirt, germs, infections, or contaminations, belief of being sick without evidence.
- Symmetry and order. Intrusive thoughts about symmetry, exactness, object alignment, the feeling of things being “just right.” This type of intrusive thoughts is primarily associated with OCD.
- Existential intrusive thoughts. Unwanted or excessive questioning about life, existence, reality, and the meaning of your purpose in the universe.
How Do Intrusive Thoughts Affect My Mental Health and Daily Life?
Even an occasional intrusive thought can be an unpleasant and negative experience. Intrusive thoughts challenge your self-perception and can cause distress, impacting your mental health and making daily activities more difficult in the following ways:
- General emotional distress. Many intrusive thoughts are disturbing and can create intense feelings of guilt, shame, sadness, or worry.
- Increased anxiety. Intrusive thoughts can increase anxiety and make you worry that they might reveal your true desires, personality, or actions.
- Compulsive behavior. Intrusive thoughts can cause you to engage in compulsive behavior to manage or cope with these thoughts. For example, people with intrusive thoughts about germs may compulsively wash their hands.
- Social isolation. Experiencing intrusive thoughts can generate fear of being judged or misunderstood, potentially causing you to withdraw from social interactions. The isolation can exacerbate feelings of loneliness.
- Impaired daily life. Repeated intrusive thoughts can make it more challenging for you to concentrate on work, studies, hobbies, and other activities. They can also degrade sleep quality, potentially worsening existing feelings of anxiety.
When to Take Control
For most people, intrusive thoughts are an occasional unpleasant part of life. However, if you frequently experience them or start affecting your health or daily routine, taking steps to regain control may be necessary.
You may need to act now if:
- Your distress is persistent. For example, if intrusive thoughts cause recurring or ongoing feelings of distress, fear, or anxiety or if you anticipate the next intrusive thoughts.
- You don’t get enough sleep. Difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting sleep of sufficient quality due to intrusive thoughts can create or exacerbate many other health issues.
- Your coping mechanisms disrupt your daily life. Intrusive thoughts can induce coping mechanisms or compulsive responses that can disrupt your ability to complete daily activities, work, or enjoy social relationships.
- You experience physical symptoms. In more extreme cases, intrusive thoughts can cause physical problems, such as headaches, muscular tension, or stomachaches.
Self-Assessment Checklist: Are Intrusive Thoughts Interfering With My Daily Life?
If you’re uncertain whether your intrusive thoughts are affecting your daily life or simply occasional occurrences, refer to the checklist below:
- Do you feel anxiety, fear, or distress often or every day due to intrusive thoughts?
- Do intrusive thoughts make it harder for you to focus on work, daily tasks, or your favorite activities?
- Do you repeatedly perform certain tasks to cope with intrusive thoughts, such as checking that a door is locked or rearranging furniture and objects?
- Have you started avoiding social situations out of fear of being judged for your intrusive thoughts or compulsive behavior?
- Do you feel concern, guilt, shame, or self-doubt over the intrusive thoughts?
- Do intrusive thoughts disrupt your sleep or make it more difficult to stay asleep?
- Do friends and family comment on compulsive behavior often?
- Are you experiencing pain, headaches, stomachaches, or other physical problems from the stress and anxiety these intrusive thoughts cause?
How to Take Control Over Intrusive Thoughts
If you responded “Yes” to any of the questions in the self-assessment, consider taking steps to learn healthy coping skills for your intrusive thoughts and regain control of your thinking patterns. Here are some solutions to try and what you can expect from each:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a well-established and efficient form of psychotherapy designed to help you identify and challenge intrusive thoughts and other negative thinking patterns.
CBT teaches techniques and healthy coping skills for your intrusive thoughts, including:
- Thought records. Writing a journal and documenting your intrusive thoughts as they happen helps you identify, recognize, and isolate them. They can help you challenge cognitive distortions, false notions, and catastrophic thinking. For example, if an intrusive thought suggests a sentence like “I always mess up at work,” writing it down is an opportunity to analyze the statement and balance it against evidence, such as cases where you performed well.
- Exposure exercises. These exercises are a subset of CBT known as exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy. They safely expose you to intrusive thought triggers, helping you become desensitized and encouraging the reduction of compulsive and avoidant responses.
- Cognitive reframing. Reframing techniques help you isolate what an intrusive thought means and reframe it more constructively, especially when it feels opposed to your values.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), the contents of an intrusive thought often indicate the person thinking them is the opposite, such as violent thoughts in gentle individuals. Reframing techniques can help ground you and combat the fear that these intrusive thoughts define you or represent the “real” you.
Medication Options
Certain medications can help you manage intrusive thoughts and associated symptoms, especially if you have been diagnosed with a condition such as an anxiety disorder, depression, OCD, or PTSD. Consult with a medical professional to determine if any of these medications are a good fit for you:
- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). An SSRI is a category of antidepressant medications prescribed to manage anxiety and OCD. SSRIs increase serotonin levels in your brain, a chemical that helps regulate mood and promote balanced, stable thoughts. Commonly prescribed SSRIs include fluoxetine, sertraline, and paroxetine.
- Tricyclic Antidepressants. A tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) is an older type of medication used before SSRIs to treat intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and OCD. TCAs increase serotonin and norepinephrine levels to regulate mood.
- Benzodiazepines. A benzodiazepine is a category of potent medications designed to treat severe anxiety. Examples include diazepam, lorazepam, and alprazolam. While efficient for immediate relief from intrusive thoughts and associated anxiety, they are generally prescribed in severe cases and for short-term periods only. This is because benzodiazepines have a higher potential for dependency.
Mindfulness Exercises
Mindfulness exercises, such as meditation, are wellness practices designed to help you focus on the present moment. The objective of mindfulness is to become aware of your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment.
Mindfulness exercises such as guided meditation, mindful breathing exercises, and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) can provide relief from intrusive thoughts:
- Guided meditation. In this exercise, an instructor or audio guide provides prompts and directions to help you focus and meditate. Their guidance prevents your mind from focusing on intrusive thoughts, helping you stay grounded and concentrate on the present moment.
- Mindful breathing. This exercise involves breathing in and out calmly while paying close attention to your breathing and sensations. It helps your mind focus on a simple, relaxing bodily sensation, calming your nervous system and reducing stress and intrusive thoughts.
- Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR). A PMR exercise can help you manage intrusive thoughts with a combination of physical and mental tools. In a typical PMR session, you will tense and relax different muscle groups one after the other, releasing physical tension. This has a calming effect and helps shift your attention away from intrusive thoughts or the anxiety and distress they cause.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapeutic process aimed at treating distress from traumatic memories. It is a commonly recommended method to manage intrusive thoughts related to trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
EMDR exercises are done under a therapist’s guidance. They involve identifying and targeting specific memories and then performing guided eye movements to help desensitize you to the traumatic experience. The therapist will then help you reprocess them, instilling positive beliefs to replace the negative ones and helping you gain closure on the events.
Exercise and Physical Activity
In addition to the physical benefits, incorporating regular physical activity into your daily or weekly routine is a proven method for reducing stress and anxiety. Activities like walking, jogging, weightlifting, or participating in sports can help you manage or decrease the occurrence of intrusive thoughts by:
- Endorphins. Exercising prompts your body to release endorphins, known as “feel-good” hormones. These hormones elevate mood, alleviate pain, and lower cortisol levels (the anxiety hormone). This improves overall well-being and can contribute to reducing intrusive thoughts.
- Better sleep. Regular exercise can help you sleep better and for longer periods by regulating your circadian rhythms. Deep sleep can restore your prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain that regulates emotions, helping you manage intrusive thoughts.
- Better self-esteem. Intrusive thoughts often impact your sense of self-worth. Regularly exercising, practicing sports, and achieving fitness goals can help improve your self-esteem, give you a sense of accomplishment, and counter the negative effects of intrusive thoughts.
Diet Adjustments for Mood Control
Making dietary adjustments can help manage your mood, reduce anxiety and stress, and combat intrusive thoughts. Coping skills related to nutrition include:
- Regular meals. Eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner at regular hours is essential to managing your blood sugar levels. Stable blood sugar can help regulate your mood, combating irritability, anxiety, and concentration issues that can cause intrusive thoughts.
- Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are a fatty acid commonly found in fatty fish, flaxseeds, walnuts, edamame, and many types of fish oil. Adequate omega-3s in your diet help improve brain health and mood regulation, reducing the impact of intrusive thoughts.
- Reducing caffeine. High caffeine intake, such as from coffee and energy drinks, can cause restlessness and increase feelings of anxiety, which can lead to intrusive thoughts. Consider cutting back on coffee or any other source of caffeine to promote a calmer state of mind.
- Limiting alcohol. Drinking alcohol disrupts your brain’s ability to process serotonin and dopamine, leading to increased anxiety, mood swings, and more frequent or intense intrusive thoughts. Cutting back on alcohol can improve long-term mood regulation.
Get the Support You Need with the Mind Health Group
If you are dealing with severe anxiety, depression, OCD, or PTSD, developing the right coping skills for intrusive thoughts can help you manage them. These techniques can help you regain control over your thoughts, foster a healthier mind, and boost wellness.
However, while integrating the right techniques in your daily life can be beneficial, the best way to manage intrusive thoughts is with the help of a mental healthcare professional.
At the Mind Health Group, we are committed to providing help and support to anyone who struggles with intrusive thoughts, anxiety, depression, and associated conditions. Book an online consultation today and get the support you need.
