Current:Home > ScamsEveryone experiences intrusive thoughts. Here's how to deal with them. -Insightful Finance Hub
Everyone experiences intrusive thoughts. Here's how to deal with them.
View
Date:2025-04-14 07:55:02
One's mind is a powerful and complex thing. So powerful, in fact, that despite being the organ of the body most studied, neuroscientists are still making new discoveries about brain function, learning, response, memory retention, processing and capabilities. Indeed, one Stanford Medicine paper concluded that despite centuries of cerebral mapping and research, we still "know very little about the brain."
Among the lesser-known elements of brain function and response are intrusive thoughts − something Siggie Cohen, PhD, a child development specialist and popular parenting coach, says affects "everyone" from time to time.
What are intrusive thoughts?
Cohen calls intrusive thoughts a form of "mind babbling" or "random, involuntary and unintentional thinking" that can be both relentless and difficult to quiet down. "While not all the 'babble' is harmful or negative," she explains, "much of it can trigger fear, shame, guilt, worry, remorse, anger, revenge and more."
Jesse Bracamonte, MD, DO, a family medicine physician at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, agrees that such unwelcome mental words, images, ideas and internal messaging are often distressing enough that many people experiencing them can find it very difficult to think of anything else.
That's especially true because, while some such thoughts can be singular and easier to ignore, other intrusive thoughts are constant, repetitive or come as a "steady stream that floods our consciousness without our intention or initial control," explains Lalah Delia, a wellness educator and author of meditation and self-care book, "Vibrate Higher Daily."
What causes intrusive thoughts?
Though much is still not understood about what causes intrusive thoughts, experiencing such thinking is often connected to certain mental health conditions or as a symptom of anxiety or depression. Some research has also found an association between intrusive thoughts and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Tourette syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and body dysmorphic disorder.
It's also sometimes thought to be a learned behavior or connected to heredity or chemical reactions. "Intrusive thoughts can be caused by biological factors related to genetics as well as chemical factors that cause the brain to function and think in such a way," says Bracamonte.
Sometimes, the thinking can also be rooted in "an overload of mental and energetic stimuli such as unprocessed emotions, fears, attachments, or traumas that linger within our minds and body," explains Delia. "They may also arise from external triggers or stressful situations that disturb our inner peace, clarity, and sense of safety, stability and normalcy," she adds.
How to get rid of intrusive thoughts
The good news is that even though no one can get rid of unwanted thoughts completely, "you can make a difference in the level of their intensity, the force of which they are felt, and the supportive tools you have to deal with them," says Cohen.
Delia suggests practicing mindfulness or meditation to better gain control of one's thoughts and feelings. "Mindfulness is bringing awareness to the present moment and compassionately taking care of ourselves and our thoughts," she says; adding that such practices "help us take our power back and transmute intrusive thinking."
She also recommends:
- deep breathing techniques to find "stability and peace" amid troubled thoughts
- reciting mantras "to interrupt and redirect" unwanted images and thinking
- engaging other senses such as sounds, tastes, smells and touch "to restore our connection to the here and now"
- or getting to the root of what's causing the problem by seeking to understand where the distress may be coming from.
That can sometimes be achieved on one's own, but working with a mental health advisor may also be helpful. "Intrusive thoughts can lead to obsessive thoughts which can cause disorder in one’s life," explains Bracamonte. When that happens and frequent disruption occurs, he says "it is important to seek professional help."
Cohen says that talking with a friend, writing in a journal, engaging in physical fitness or finding a spiritual outlet could help one feel more "productive, connected, and purposeful" − opposites of the disconnected and aimless worries that are sometimes central to intrusive thinking. And when one strategy doesn't work, she recommends trying something else. "Every person deals with intrusive thoughts differently," she says.
What is mindfulness meditation?How to get started and the health benefits you should know
veryGood! (41791)
Related
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Is Kristin Cavallari Dating Singer Morgan Wallen? See Her Bashful Reaction
- Sweden’s figurehead king celebrates 50 years on the throne
- Luxury cruise ship pulled free days after getting stuck off Greenland's coast
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- How close is Earth to becoming unlivable? Humans push planet to brink, study warns.
- Woman found guilty of throwing sons into Louisiana lake
- Man gets DUI for allegedly riding horse while drunk with open container of alcohol
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- Appeals court denies Trump's attempt to stay E. Jean Carroll's 2019 lawsuit
Ranking
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- Botulism outbreak tied to sardines served in Bordeaux leaves 1 person dead and several hospitalized
- Fire at paper mill property in northern Michigan closes roads, prompts warning to avoid area
- Hailey and Justin Bieber's 5th Anniversary Tributes Are Sweeter Than Peaches
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- Ice Spice latte hits Dunkin Donuts menus in munchkin-fueled collab with Ben Affleck
- Keep Up With Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny’s Latest Date Night in NYC
- Adam Sandler announces I Missed You Tour dates: Where to see the standup show
Recommendation
Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
Vanderpump Rules' Tom Sandoval Shares Update on His Love Life After Ariana Madix Breakup
Alex Jones spent over $93,000 in July. Sandy Hook families who sued him have yet to see a dime
The Constitution's disqualification clause and how it's being used to try to prevent Trump from running for president
Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
Palestinian leader Abbas draws sharp rebuke for reprehensible Holocaust remarks, but colleagues back him
Brian Austin Green Shares How Tough Tori Spelling Is Doing Amid Difficult Chapter
Liev Schreiber Welcomes Third Baby, His First With Girlfriend Taylor Neisen