OCD Intrusive Thoughts
What Are Intrusive Thoughts?
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted and distressing, often becoming the centre of attention for the sufferer, leading to obsession and hypervigilance. Most people experience them, but when combined with anxiety, they can cause the individual to fixate, often living in fear caused by irrational thinking. Intrusive thoughts like this are a symptom of OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder).
Stop giving them power
These thoughts can be terrifying, especially when they involve harm to loved ones or things you care about. Intrusive thoughts are a part of OCD. They don’t reflect your desires, intentions, or reality; they’re just a symptom. The key to overcoming them is to stop giving them power.
When we engage with intrusive thoughts, it can feel as though we are in control or being pre-warned, as if we can avoid certain scenarios, pain, and suffering. But they are simply lies rooted in fear.
These thoughts act as a strange form of protection. OCD forces the brain to shift focus, making us fixate on ‘what ifs’ as a way to avoid confronting deeper distress and emotions that truly need our attention.
Recognise the pattern
Sometimes, after stress or trauma, OCD becomes more apparent. You may notice a flare-up, a new intrusive thought, or a new theme. Perhaps you thought you had resolved the trauma and left it in the past, but instead, you just went straight into an OCD spiral, where it replaced the trauma, became the new distraction, and became a new source of pain.
When we can recognise this pattern, we can start examining the source of our pain, trauma, and stress. Even if OCD is part of you, I guarantee that certain life situations have added fuel to the fire. To begin recovery, we must first address everything keeping us trapped in the OCD loop. This is just one of many steps on the path to recovery, and one of many insights needed to regain control, and live a life where OCD is no longer in the driving seat.
Self-awareness is a crucial step toward healing. Take time to learn about yourself. Accept what you cannot change, and focus on what you can control, your responses and choices, especially when dealing with stress. If you can’t change things, at the very least, change how you react.
Ask Yourself the Following Today:
- What trauma have you experienced?
- What are the stressors in your life?
- What made you feel out of control?
- What pain have you been avoiding?
- What purpose are these thoughts really serving?
- What are you distracting yourself from?
- How can you deal with things differently?
Stay tuned for more OCD insights, where I’ll explore why intrusive thoughts feel so real, how to rationalise them, and how to recognise patterns you may not even be aware of. Having overcome OCD myself, I want to share the insights, tools, and practical steps that helped me, so you can take back control of your own life.
Leave a Reply