Hello, dear readers! Getting rid of obsessive thoughts is, in fact, a very important process, because they take away a person’s energy, strength, time and health. Life should be protected and appreciated every minute, and not wasted. So today I will share with you the most effective methods, which will help you free yourself from heavy and unnecessary thoughts.
What it is?
Psychologists are inclined to believe that this neurotic disorder, most often arising from traumatic events. And it is not necessary to witness murders or unexpectedly lose loved ones. For some, the death of a pet may be decisive, as it will cause deep experiences with which the psyche, for some reason, is in this moment I couldn't cope. But don’t be afraid that you are now entitled to medication and hospital treatment.
Exist various techniques, thanks to which a person has the opportunity to independently cope with this complexity. IN as a last resort, you can enlist the support of loved ones, significant people for you, or consult a psychotherapist. The only thing is to be prepared to make efforts for healing and liberation.
Judge for yourself, obsession does not last a day or two, and if you decide to fight it, it means a long time has passed during which you decided to look for help. And the modern world is too overloaded with information and events that can distract you at any moment. And you won’t be cured just by completing a task; systematicity is needed here, if only to avoid falling into this exhausting state again in the future.
Top 10 technicians
1. Refusal to fight
The very first rule in the fight against negative thoughts- this is not to fight them. It’s paradoxical, but it’s true. They already take away energy, and if you consciously pay attention to them, exaggerating and immersing yourself in complex experiences, without finding any resource or way out in them, you will simply exhaust your body. You know the expression: “To avoid thinking about a white cat, think about a purple dog”? It exists in different variations, but it has the same meaning.
Imagine that there is a “delete” button in your head, press it and switch your attention to more pressing matters and pleasant experiences. For example, remember the most pleasant event from childhood, what most brings a smile to your face, serenity and touching? You won’t even notice how anxiety will subside, giving space to other feelings.
2.Creativity
A great way to cope with your feelings. Take a piece of paper and write about what torments you and haunts you. If you want, draw, and your artistic abilities do not play a role at all, so you should not try to draw it beautifully and correctly. You can simply mold it from scrap materials, ordinary paper, plasticine, clay is perfect. After expressing painful ideas in a convenient way, listen to yourself, did you really write or draw everything you wanted? If yes, then now is the time to get rid of this obsession. Do not regret it, but tear it into small pieces, throw it in the trash, or burn your creation.
3.Conversion
Changing tormenting fantasies and feelings into resources and new opportunities, the zone of proximal development. Yes, it can cause indignation, but think for yourself, if something bothers you for a long time, it means that your subconscious is trying to “break through” into your consciousness, and in such a not very pleasant and desirable way gives you a signal. What pops into your head most often? Alarm about the iron or gas not being turned off? Then start developing attention and memory. Then you will know exactly what you turned on or off, and what else you did.
Believe me, this skill will be very useful to you, both at work and in everyday life and relationships. And this article will help you.
4.Patterns
Try to pay attention to exactly at what moments anxious thoughts begin to bother you, maybe there is some kind of pattern? For example, before bed, or an exciting event? Often our subconscious is looking for ways to evade unwanted work, meetings and other things. Yes, at least from admitting to yourself that you are tired of something, that there is no desire to stay close to an already unloved person, to study in the specialty chosen by your parents and to do something out of habit.
5.Distraction
Have you noticed that while watching the fire, looking at the water, we think about what happy life and how good is it at the moment? As if everything around you is suspended, and it seems that there is only you and the elements? Do you know why this happens? Because the brain, switching attention to all sorts of dynamic processes, believes that the rest is not so important, so all the sticky and tormenting emotions go away, and that is why you feel relaxed, energized and inspired.
The more often the brain is busy, the less likely the occurrence of neurosis.
Therefore, I propose to adopt one technique as soon as you begin to feel that bad thoughts in your head, start doing:
- You need to sit comfortably, close your eyes and count each inhalation and exhalation. That is: “Inhale once, exhale twice.” When you count to 10, it counts as one cycle. You need to do at least three, if you notice that it is not enough, you can continue. It is only important to breathe slowly, fully concentrating on counting, the movements of your chest and sensations.
- Then, when you feel that you have relaxed enough, having gotten rid of tension in every part of your body, you imagine an image that is exhausting, and you give free rein to your imagination, destroying it in any way you can think of.
I also recommend reading the article about. The whole program is described there various methods for relaxation, you can use any one you like, adding a second part where you need to deal with the sticky obsession.
6.Physical activity
If you are mainly tormented by dissatisfaction with yourself, not being ideal and echoes of low self-esteem, for example, that you do not look the way you would like, that you have not achieved what you want due to your character, and the like, then this will help you exercise stress. In principle, it helps in any case when you just need to switch gears and give your brain a chance to rest.
Tired, exhausted - you simply won’t be able to torture yourself any longer, plus a clean apartment, a well-groomed garden, or a noticeably thinner and toned body will be a nice bonus.
As an option, sign up for courses and make your dream come true. For example, learn to sew elegant dresses or climb rocks, skate beautifully or dance tango. When you begin to turn into reality your desires, which you usually did not care about, you will feel happy, and then the level of control over your thoughts and, in general, claims to yourself will decrease.
7.Affirmations
The method of positive affirmations will help you get rid of so-called neurosis on your own. To do this, first try to unravel the meaning of the ideas that prevent you from living, constantly spinning in your head, and then transform them into positive statements that you will begin to consciously repeat to yourself several times a day. Well, if we return to the example with the iron not turned off, we can reformulate it like this: “I am attentive and notice all the details and nuances that surround me.”
You will find detailed instructions on how to compose and use them. Also, get rid of negative language, and generally avoid using the word “not” in your sentences. And for the success of this action, come up with a punishment, for example, 5 push-ups for each negative wording. You can make a bet with loved ones in order to increase motivation.
Any ways positive thinking will bring changes to your life, learn to notice the beautiful and pleasant in it, and then your consciousness will be rebuilt, ceasing to torment you with obsessive ideas.
8.Analysis of reasons
If you want to “look deeper” in order not just to get rid of the consequences, but to find out the root cause of your condition, I suggest trying a paradoxical technique, which consists of carefully and detailed analysis every thought. Take a piece of paper and do a so-called brainstorm, that is, write down absolutely everything that is swarming in your head at the moment. There’s no need to judge, just write until you feel like you’ve “zeroed out,” so to speak, and are a little exhausted, and you can stop there.
Re-read what you wrote, what feelings do you have about the text? Find scary phrases and “play” with them, writing down at least 5 points for each, answering the question: “What if?” Such exercises help to rationally approach the subject of tension and anxiety, since it often happens that emotions are so “overwhelming” that a person is not able to realize that he is sometimes worried about something that does not actually coincide with reality, and if you look more closely, then you can see it.
9.Reduction to absurdity
Laughter - best therapy and the opportunity to release accumulated energy and cope with anxiety, so why not resort to it? For example, you constantly replay in your head the situation that a girl won’t like you on the first date. Now imagine how much she grimaces at the sight of you and tries to run away, but falls, this makes her even more scared, and so on. Continue until you feel that the situation is truly fun for you.
This technique can be difficult for serious people who have forgotten what it is to play and have fun. But if you overcome your resistance, believe me, the result will not keep you waiting. I’m not calling you to be frivolous and irresponsible, it’s just that sometimes it’s important to add lightness to your life, and even more so, humor.
10. Postpone until later
Remember Scarlett O'Hara's immortal phrase: “I won't think about it now, I'll think about it tomorrow”? This is from the movie Gone with the Wind. So, this really works. We don't reject an idea, we just put off thinking about it until later. And then she ceases to be intrusive, because the mind is calm, you will definitely return to her, only later. And then, perhaps, the tension level will begin to fall, and other pressing matters will appear that require your attention. But in this method it is important to be honest with yourself, otherwise you will stop trusting yourself, so later be sure to take the time to realize exactly those fantasies that are poisoning your life.
- Prayer is suitable for believers, because even scientists have found that when a person prays, sound vibrations make the space harmonious and calm. And if you feel peace and quiet joy- then it will be best treatment not only for the soul, but also for the body.
- If you have completely different views on religion, you can try meditation. From previous articles, you may have noticed how often I recommend resorting to it, and for good reason, because these methods really work, both on the physical level and on the mental level. You can find out more.
- Start the fight with bad habits, especially those that destroy health and kill time. With their help, you will not get rid of obsession, but, on the contrary, will strengthen it, even to the point of protracted depression, affective disorders, insomnia and panic attacks.
Conclusion
By changing the way you think, you will attract other changes in your life. So why not make it high quality and rich? Time passes, and it is impossible to turn it back, and neuroses only speed up this process. So take care and appreciate every minute, take care of your health and everything will be fine with you! Subscribe to updates and join groups on social networks, the buttons are at the top right. And that’s all for today, dear readers! See you soon.
I had been preparing this article for a long time, but I still could not write it for the reason that I was not sure that I had a complete understanding of how to get rid of obsessive thoughts.
Now I have experienced first-hand how to deal with such thoughts and I am fully prepared to tell you about it.
Perhaps some of my readers think that since I started creating this site, I have completely gotten rid of all personal problems. Indeed, I had already changed a lot by the time of the first entries in this blog, but my current state cannot be called complete freedom from negative emotions, prejudices and fears.
My situation can be described as a struggle with myself, during which experience and materials for these articles are born. Of course, in this confrontation between my true Self and the primitive, instinctive, emotional Self, the former gradually wins.
But this struggle continues: two steps back and four steps forward. Self-development stems from awareness of one’s shortcomings and working on them. If there is no struggle, then this does not indicate final victory, but rather capitulation.
After all, self-development is an endless process. I continue to face some problems and struggle with them. Including obsessive thoughts.
Mental "chewing gum"
I've always had these thoughts. They could occupy my head and make me nervous, endlessly thinking about the same experiences. It was like mentally chewing gum.
I constantly chewed the same thoughts in my head, trying to resolve them, untie some imaginary knot. But from my attempts to loosen it, on the contrary, it became even tighter.
I remember how, back in my early childhood, I couldn’t stop thinking about some things that I didn’t have to think about at all. My brain’s habit of endlessly “processing” certain experiences and ideas must have worsened during times of other psychological problems.
I recently realized that I have learned how to deal with intrusive thoughts. Moreover, I am ready to formulate a method that allows me to get rid of them. I realized that this article can now finally appear.
Intrusive thoughts are emotions
This is the first thing you must understand. Obsessive thoughts are emotional, unconscious, irrational in nature. They are associated with your unreasonable fears, anxieties and complexes.
That's why they are obsessive. The emotions that form in you make you constantly think about something. They seem to signal “Problem! Problem! We must look for a solution!”
It's like a notification in Windows or another operating system that appears in the form of an icon and will annoy your eyes until you update some program, remove the virus, or install the necessary driver.
We can say that obsessive thoughts also have a positive function. They remind you of problems you need to solve. And you can’t just turn off these “notifications.” It's hard to die of hunger when your brain constantly reminds you of food.
But, unfortunately, obsessive thoughts do not always tell us about some real problem. The mechanism for the appearance of these thoughts is quite subtle. And if, for some reason, " standard settings If this mechanism goes astray, then natural human fears and concerns can take an extreme form, manifesting themselves in the form of obsessive thoughts, which are very difficult to get rid of.
Everyone knows how normal concern for one's health can develop into hypochondria, how natural fear of danger threatens to turn into paranoia.
And so you become a regular visitor to medical forums, and thoughts about your health do not leave your head. Maybe you constantly think about danger while you're outside. Or you can’t get out of your head the thought of what people think about you, although you yourself don’t see any point in thinking about it.
The point I want to make is that intrusive thoughts are based on emotions. Therefore, they do not have a rational nature. Therefore, they cannot be fought with logic.
This is a very important conclusion. I watched myself a lot, tried to understand how these thoughts appear and how they disappear, how my mind tries to deceive and confuse me. Previously, in the evening, when I was very tired, I could not stop some thoughts.
For example, I could start to think something bad about myself, blame myself. No matter how skillful the internal lawyer may be, who, using logic and common sense tried to convince me that everything was not so bad (although of course he did not rule out the problem), the blaming side always prevailed, and everything became even more confusing. The more I tried to justify myself and get rid of annoying thoughts with the help of thoughts, the more confused I became and the more these thoughts overpowered me. This sport with oneself led to the fact that the invisible knot was tightened even more tightly.
The next day, in the morning, with a fresh head, I didn’t even want to think about this problem. If I began to reflect on yesterday’s “dialogue” with myself, then I understood that there was a problem, but it was greatly inflated and exaggerated by my condition. I realized that the problem needed to be solved, not thought about. There is no point in these thoughts.
After some time, I realized the deception and insidiousness of these thoughts. If you try to destroy them with logic, they will still prevail, because they are irrational and illogical and make you believe in absurd ideas that common sense is powerless against.
You can't eliminate obsessive thoughts with logic
If you are in a self-blame mindset, you will continue to blame yourself even when you have nothing to blame yourself for. Because this is your mood and it is from this that these thoughts stem, and not because of some real situation! Even if you suddenly manage to convince yourself for a minute that these thoughts are groundless, after some time they will return again if you resist them and continue to logically resist them.
If you are in a mood in which you think that you are sick, that something bad will happen to your health, then no positive results tests will not convince you otherwise. “What if the tests turned out to be inaccurate?”, “What if I have something else?” - you will think.
And you will not see the end of these thoughts, no matter how absurd from the standpoint of common sense they may be.
It is useless to try to refute them. Because it is impossible. They will come back and attack you with new absurd arguments, which you will believe because you are in such a state. emotional state, which gives rise to these thoughts about non-existent problems.
Remember the state when you are worried about something. No matter how much you convince yourself that everything will be fine, that there is no reason to worry, your perception, distorted by nervous tension and excitement, paints your prospects in the darkest colors. Not because everything is really bad, but because that’s how you perceive everything now. If in such a state you begin to think and talk a lot about the future, then your negative perception will attract your thoughts to the “negative” pole and it is difficult to break out of this attraction.
Method for getting rid of obsessive thoughts
You will need common sense, but only at the very beginning.
First of all, you need to figure out whether your obsessive thoughts are based on some real problem. It happens that mental chewing gum torments you, exaggerating the problem. But an exaggerated problem does not mean its absence.
So think about what reasons there are for these thoughts. When getting rid of thoughts, you should not ignore the problem, if there is one. For example, it seems to you that you have some kind of illness and thoughts about it do not leave your mind.
Maybe these are really not groundless fears, and you have symptoms of some disease. If this is the case, go to the doctor. If you have already done this and have not found anything, forget it.
Regardless of whether there is a problem or not, there is no point in constantly thinking about it! You either try to solve it if it exists, or forget about everything if it does not exist.
This is the only moment in the fight against obsessive experiences in which you need to apply logic and common sense.
What to do?
Choose a moment in time when you are in the best moral state, when you have more optimism and strength than usual. For example, in the morning, when you are full of energy, after physical exercise or after .
Convince yourself that there is no point in replaying the same thoughts in your head thousands of times. That these thoughts are deception or exaggeration designed to confuse you.
Understand the following things well
- you will not come to a solution to a problem if you constantly think about it
- obsessive thoughts have no rational basis, and if they are related to some problem, then you will solve it, instead of constantly returning to it with thoughts
- you cannot get rid of mental gum with logical argumentation and reflection
Realize the absurdity of obsessive thoughts
Next, you can once again, with the help of several logical theses, expose the absurdity of obsessive thoughts. For example: “I have nothing to be afraid of, because the tests showed nothing”, “people don’t die from panic attacks, I’ve read about this more than once”, “no one is trying to harm me”, “even if there really are things to be afraid of” , you don’t need to think about them 1000 times a day, this will only lead to nervous exhaustion.”
Your argument against obsessive thoughts should be clear and concise. You should not get carried away by arguing with yourself. Remember, in a long-term argument with obsessive thoughts, you are doomed to failure, in which emotions and fears will prevail over logic and reason, and negative perception itself will “pull” thoughts to the negative pole.
To destroy the force of this attraction you need to think less. When you think about annoying thoughts and chew on them endlessly, you only make them stronger.
Give yourself the mindset to ignore intrusive thoughts.
Tell yourself that you will no longer think about what you think about all day long. and what plagues and torments you. Indeed, why constantly chew mental gum when it brings no benefit?
An obsessive thought is a repetition of the same thought in different ways. You will not get any new and valuable information from it, you will not come to any decision.
Therefore, give yourself the mindset not to get carried away by fruitless thoughts. After you've told yourself this, made a promise that you won't break, draw an invisible line. After this trait, you no longer pay attention to intrusive thoughts.
Don't expect the thoughts to never come back
They will come back more than once. Tune in like this: “Let them come back, what difference does it make, I realized that these thoughts are deception and do not relate to the real problem.”
Thoughts will come back, sometimes you will again begin to untie this knot in your head. As soon as you notice that you are carried away by this again, smoothly move your attention to the side. Don't argue with these thoughts, don't be upset that they come (and they will come), ignore them, treat them with complete indifference.
If you suddenly need to remind yourself of the absurdity of these thoughts, do not go beyond short formulations: “nothing will happen to me, and that’s all.” Don't get involved in an argument you will never win. All the endless arguments that again make you afraid or nervous are lies and deception.
Remember what I said in the article: if you are in such psychological state, in which you tend to worry about your health or about your future or about your loved ones, then your mind will focus on this fear, no matter how absurd this fear may be. Don't turn your mind against yourself.
You must know the puzzle toy, which is like a tube. If you insert into both ends of this tube index fingers different hands and try to free them with physical effort, pulling your hands into different sides, then nothing will come of it, the tube will only squeeze your fingers tighter. And if you relax and don’t procrastinate, everything will work out.
The same applies to intrusive thoughts. There is no need to want to get out of them at any cost. Relax, “kill it”, let them be.
Be indifferent!
Your indifference towards intrusive thoughts will deprive intrusive thoughts of their emotional content, which fills them with such power that you sometimes cannot control. Over time, you will learn to manage your attention and notice those moments when you again begin to think about what you shouldn’t.
Then thoughts will leave you forever.
But there is no need to wait impatiently for this to happen: “when will they leave!”, “I try not to pay attention to them, but they still don’t get out of my head!” There is no need for such thoughts!
Arm yourself with saving indifference: thoughts don’t bother you – good, they’re back – that’s also normal. There is no need to turn thoughts about the appearance of obsessive thoughts into obsessive thoughts!
It's no big deal if repetitive thoughts keep coming to you. If you deprive them of their emotional “charge” and try to ignore them, then they don’t get on your nerves like they used to. In this case, they simply become an annoying notification window (the kind you might have seen on your computer) that pops up in your head from time to time.
And this is no longer so scary. You can live with this. Thoughts appear sometimes, but they no longer capture your attention or confuse you. These are just short signals in the head that appear and disappear.
When I began to treat obsessive thoughts this way, they left my head and I learned to fight them. A fighting obsessive thoughts is not fighting, if we perceive the struggle as fierce resistance. Relax!
Conclusion
I have already said in other articles that mental illnesses: panic attacks, obsessive thoughts can either break you or make you stronger (as in the statement of the famous philosopher).
Fight with panic attacks can teach you. Working to overcome depression will help you find the source of happiness within yourself. And trying to control obsessive thoughts will teach you to manage your attention and control your mind.
Arm yourself with patience and work on yourself, then you will not only get rid of your ailments, but as a result you will also gain valuable and useful experience that will be useful in your life!
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Obsessive thoughts during VSD are a widespread symptom that brings a lot of problems to a person. Feeling sudden loss control over your own thoughts when inner voice encourages a number of actions and can plunge a person into real shock. Even intelligent adults easily follow obsessive thoughts, completely surrendering to their power.
What are intrusive thoughts
Obsessive thoughts, fears and VSD are interconnected concepts, because every person with such a pathology is a type of hypochondriac, suspiciousness and flights of fancy that have no boundaries. Moreover, close people do not see the full depth of the experiences of dystonics and cannot always provide support, considering such thoughts to be a lie. In fact, people who live in life cannot independently fight the flow of annoying thoughts, which can lead to fear of the surrounding reality and complications vegetative-vascular dystonia mental disorders.
If a person has dystonia, the system responsible for relaxation does not fully perform its functions, which leads to constant tension and expectation of something obviously bad.
Obsessive thoughts in patients with VSD are formed in this way:
- even in childhood, such people are characterized by strong concerns about their own health;
in adulthood there is loosening mental state, provoking the development of a number of phobias, among which the dominant position is occupied by the fear of death; - during another panic attack, a person imagines terrifying pictures own death or the death of one of the people close to him;
- forbidding himself to think about death or illness, the warrior constantly carries such thoughts in his mind. own head, straining even more.
Obsessive compulsive disorder
People experiencing obsessive disorders can distort everything so much that it is simply impossible to believe them. A similar condition that occurs with vegetative-vascular dystonia is commonly called obsessive-compulsive disorder. For each person, these conditions can have different manifestations, for some they manifest themselves to the maximum, for others they manifest themselves only a little.
Anxiety, depression, irritation - all these feelings are constantly in the head of a sick person. These people can't be distracted by positive thoughts, they begin to associate and look for something bad in every gesture, sign or symbol.
This type of disorder can have different manifestations:
- doubts about his own actions: a person worries whether he actually turned off the iron or stove before leaving home, he does not believe his own eyes and sometimes take photos of empty sockets so that, by looking at them, he can calm down a little and level out the feeling of anxiety;
- actions are amulets that can save a life: thus, a person can return home if something, in his opinion, has gone wrong. There, he performs some kind of ritual (for example, looking in the mirror or combing his hair) that saves his life. The situation can reach the point where a person creates rituals for himself that contradict one another, which puts him in a real dead end, the body’s reaction to which can be completely inadequate;
- constant scenarios of death, both one’s own and those of loved ones: images of death can regularly haunt a person, and at the same time he will fear that with such thoughts he himself will provoke the development of such scenarios.
Obsessive compulsive disorder should not be mistaken for schizophrenia. These two pathologies differ, because the obsessive thoughts of the perpetrator have some features:
- Awareness of all the negative power of one’s own thoughts: a person does not like their appearance, they cause him horror. Such a patient does not have as his goal self-destruction or harm to others.
- Understanding the delusional nature of your own thoughts, realizing the clear difference between fantasies and reality.
- The desire to get rid of such thoughts, to clear your head of them.
Traditional treatment
To rid a person of obsessive thoughts, experts prescribe strong sedatives and tranquilizers, for example Anaprilin.
In general, in such a situation, the following groups of drugs are prescribed:
- antidepressants;
- sedatives;
- anxiolytics.
These medicines will help the patient calm down, eliminate high degree anxiety and pay less attention to experiences.
Constantly taking this type of medication has its negative sides:
- the need to constantly spend considerable sums of money for their acquisition;
- the presence of restrictions that do not allow you to fully enjoy life;
- probability of occurrence adverse reactions from the body;
- resumption of obsessive thoughts after drug withdrawal;
- There is a small chance that even constant use of high-quality medications will help you get rid of obsessive thoughts.
Psychocorrection of obsessions
Obsessive experiences torment a person physically and mentally, not allowing him to rest, keeping him in constant tension. Psychocorrection of this behavior allows one to gradually achieve complete relief from these unpleasant manifestations of VSD.
Patients with severe obsessive thoughts may well return to full life, if a competent specialist works with them.
Anxiety is relieved by using the following techniques:
- finding out the root of the problem: the patient and the doctor discuss what can happen if you don’t follow your own thoughts;
- reducing susceptibility to thought provoking factors: done through hypnosis;
Finding tools to relieve anxiety on your own.
According to numerous studies, this technique gives excellent results. After several sessions, patients gain the skills necessary to self-soothe.
Important! The technique of psychocorrection of obsessions gives results and is used only if the patient agrees to it of his own free will.
How to get rid of obsessive thoughts on your own
To get rid of obsessive thoughts that are the cause of your suffering, internal problems, and delusions, it is important to constantly work on yourself.
To eliminate obsessive feelings, you can use the following techniques:
- Meditation: despite the large time investment, it allows you to learn self-soothing.
- Switching your own attention: distract yourself from experiences by including each of your senses in the work. This method is easy to use, but gives only a short-term effect.
Add activity to your own life: start playing tennis, walk in nature more often, don’t overeat before bed, do what you love with loved ones. - Get rid of physical tension: muscles that are in constant tone cause a response from the psyche, expressed in the appearance of obsessive thoughts.
- That’s why it’s so important to be able to relax your body with modern techniques on relaxation.
- Don’t forget about communication: meet more often interesting people, expand your own circle of acquaintances, discuss only positive news with friends.
- Minimize TV viewing to a certain time and social networks, full of messages about tragedies and disasters: you should not give your brain food to create obsessive thoughts about death.
- Read less about vegetative-vascular dystonia on special forums where the same people share their own feelings and symptoms: there is a high probability that a person may even find signs of the disease that he did not have before.
- Don't try to keep your own thoughts under control: if a person tries with all his might not to think about something, he will most likely think about it incessantly.
- Treat not so much own body, as much as your soul: high spirits, optimism in your outlook on the future - this is the path to getting rid of obsessive anxiety.
When embarking on the path of combating obsessive thoughts that so often appear in the presence of vegetative-vascular dystonia, one should remember that it is impossible to control all the processes occurring on earth. It is unlikely that a disaster will occur if a person does not turn around three times before leaving home or chooses socks of the wrong color as required. A person cannot control his own thinking, just as thinking should not completely control him.
Unpleasant, frightening and particularly intrusive thoughts come into every head.
From simple doubts and worries to senseless phobias. How to get rid of fears?
Moderate and justified fear is an emotion important for self-preservation. This is the main rule of species survival. If we are afraid of getting poisoned, we will not eat expired yogurt. If we don’t want our finger to be bitten off, we won’t put our hand in the leopard’s cage.
But there is a category of manic fears that are unfounded and useless, and they are extremely harmful. Obsessive thoughts interfere with self-development and moving forward, they limit us, and deprive many of their usual happy moments.
What are intrusive thoughts
Anyone has faced the situation: a nice dinner, an evening movie, you want to rest, relax, but negative thoughts persistently creep into your head. Instead of driving them away and living in peace, people begin to grind them over many times, becoming more and more convinced of the validity of their fears.
Moreover, the sufferers do not come to any conclusion, decision or plan of action, but simply go into panic.
An example of such an obsessive thought that is not easy to get rid of: “I will definitely be fired.” One day your boss looked at you askance, a colleague announced an upcoming layoff, and the office manager hinted that they were unhappy with you...
And so, here we go! goes off scale, you reluctantly remember all the moments that supposedly confirm the theory of dismissal. You start going to work with tremors in your hands, flinch at the boss’s voice, and in the evenings you experience obsessive fears again and again. How to drive them away?
Where do fears and obsessive thoughts come from?
We are terribly afraid of losing what we especially value. Parents and children, health and life, work, friends, money, real estate.
There are also unexpected fears, they can be called “professional”: a virtuoso pianist or a famous surgeon is shaking for his valuable fingers, a composer is afraid of losing his hearing, and a brilliant scientist is panicky afraid of diseases associated with clouding of reason and memory loss.
There are also ordinary, everyday fears: for example, anxiety that a fire or robbery will happen in the house in your absence.
Phobias stem from our core desires, ambitions and strengths. We dream of being good fathers, valuable employees, popular, healthy, rich people.
Those who are distinguished by increased responsibility are most afraid of making mistakes and letting others down. Those who are used to controlling everything are terribly afraid of getting into a situation where nothing depends on them.
A pregnant woman can shake for hours from an unreasonable fear of losing her baby (after all, she has read horror stories on women's forums). Stranger's Witness terrible disease involuntarily begins to look for symptoms in himself (and, of course, finds a dozen or two).
A mother who gave a stubborn toddler a slap on the head is worried about what happened to her bad parent, and she will not be able to properly raise her offspring. The child is afraid that his parents will quarrel, divorce and he will be left alone.
How to get rid of phobias and negative thoughts 
Obsessive fears lead to protracted health problems, mental disorders, and a nervous breakdown.
It all starts with simple experiences, but then more serious symptoms are added to them: nausea, dizziness, migraine, vomiting, weakness, fast fatiguability, apathy.
TO obsessive fears Common phobias can also be included: fear of spiders, closed spaces, heights, snakes, germs, diseases, crowded places, intimate relationships, darkness.
It is difficult not to cope with such stories that poison life on your own and it is better to turn to an experienced psychologist.
But in mild, not advanced cases it helps rational approach. So, how to get rid of obsessive fears?
Step 1
Where does fear grow its legs?
Soberly weigh (or better yet, write down in a notebook) all your reasons for a phobia. Most likely, already at this first step you realize that there are no real reasons for fear - only someone’s gossip, words and speculations of your suspicious person.
It is worth looking for deep problems within yourself. Perhaps the subconscious reasons for your anxieties will appear, from a total desire to control everything to a craving for self-accusation.
Step 2
Talk to a responsible or informed person 
The second step is to consult with a professional in the field of your thoughts, someone who can give an accurate answer.
For example, a pregnant woman will ask everything exciting questions a gynecologist and geneticist, will undergo an ultrasound, undergo tests and receive a certificate stating that she is completely healthy and is afraid in vain. Official documents and conclusions are a great thing for convincing yourself to your loved one.
Step 3
Take Action
Any conclusions, decisions and activities will benefit the fight against obsessive thoughts.
Anyone who is afraid of being fired will directly ask the boss: “Are you satisfied with me as an employee? Perhaps I should gain additional competencies, attend some courses in order to cope with my job even better?
Step 4
Laugh at yourself 
A sense of humor is a great thing that can global problem turn it into a joke. Turn on the irony and think about your fear in a satirical context.
Isn't it really funny to be afraid that a brick will fall on your head? In addition to humor, quality relaxation and positive thinking help in the fight against obsessive thoughts.
Step 5
Unreasonable fear is a meaningless emotion
Thoughts that depress the nervous system do not make anyone feel better. They are useless because they lead nowhere: fear is unproductive!
Think about whether you can do something real to protect yourself from what you are afraid of? Get a full examination at medical center, sign a contract with the best maternity hospital in the city, play sports, drink vitamins, set an alarm in the apartment?
Resist unreasonable worries with all your might, solving only real problems and only in effective ways. Remember, obsessive thoughts and fears worsen the quality of life and prevent you from enjoying it!
How to get rid of obsessive thoughts and anxiety? It would seem that there is nothing terrible about the thoughts that invariably arise in the head, distracting from current events. However, this position is fundamentally wrong, since obsessive thoughts deplete a person, haunting him, they take energy, take up time and have a destructive effect on health, preventing him from enjoying his own existence. Life is fleeting, so every minute should be appreciated and not wasted. Obsessive thoughts can greatly complicate daily life. Psychology calls intrusive thoughts obsessive-compulsive disorder and offers many methods for getting rid of them.
Modern information abundance, which a person has to process every day, provides individuals with the necessary knowledge, but at the same time often leads to an incorrect perception of this information. Pesky ideas visit everyone, but in some individuals they “settle” for a long time and greatly complicate existence, often acquiring the scale of mental deviation, especially if they are caused by mental trauma in the present or are associated with past shocks. There are many varieties of similar psycho-emotional deviations. In most situations, you can get rid of obsessive thoughts and fears yourself with the help of simple ways and special exercises.
Frequent causes of anxious moods and intrusive thoughts about impending horrors or failures that may happen are emotional blows that have occurred previously.
They may be based on the fear of a repetition of an undesirable situation and a lack of understanding of how to get out of it. At the same time, similar thoughts may appear without any basis. As worries accumulate, they provoke nervous tension, leading, first of all, to dysfunction of the digestive tract. The most common disorder resulting from an imbalance of the emotional background is a stomach ulcer, followed by a disorder of the myocardium.
In addition, constant exposure to stressors and obsessive thoughts give rise to the following problems:
– various dependencies, for example, food, alcohol;
– excess weight, which is a consequence of overeating or excessive production of the hormone cortisol (during emotional shock, cortisol is released into the bloodstream in order to help the body overcome difficulties, but with prolonged stress, this hormone inhibits metabolism);
– diseases of the reproductive system due to hormonal surges (failures in hormonal cycle, disturbance of the microflora of the genital organs, neoplasms often appear, decreased potency, deterioration in sperm quality);
– weakening of the immune system, as a result of which the body becomes easily susceptible to various infections;
– are observed psychical deviations, generated by depressive attitudes (suicidal tendencies, complexes, phobias, mental illnesses).
First of all, in order to eliminate anxiety and obsessive thoughts on your own, it is recommended to allow positivity to settle in your soul. It is necessary to try to control the flow of thoughts, avoiding negative assessments of reality, thoughts with a minus sign. If a bad thought, an unpleasant association, or a bad image arises, you should immediately switch your attention to any pleasant event or memory. You can also indulge in joyful dreams or rosy planning for tomorrow's existence. It is necessary to remember life events when a person felt the happiest, most successful, loved, lucky, and remember these emotions in order to be able to turn to them when apathy sets in and sad thoughts and depressive thoughts begin to overcome.
People plunge into their own world, filled with despondency and indifference to what is happening when they lack positive emotions. This often leads to depressive moods, and sometimes can give rise to real depression.
If it is difficult to switch to pleasant thoughts or memories, then it is recommended to acquire an interesting hobby or other activity to your liking. For example, you can start going to the pool, water has the property of eliminating negativity, and enroll in a sports section, because sport contributes to the production of the happiness hormone. In addition to the beneficial effect of physical education on a person’s mental state, sport also occupies free time, which leaves no opportunity to indulge in sadness or succumb to the influence of obsessive thoughts and anxiety.
It is necessary to introduce small breaks into the habit, diluting active daily life. A person is a living, functioning organism, and he needs regular rest. A common cause of obsessive thoughts and anxiety is simple overwork.
It is also recommended to allow yourself to “laze around” a little during the day, for example, watch an interesting movie or read a novel. This will eliminate anxiety. 
When obsessive thoughts are a consequence of the habit of “grinding” daily events, reproducing them over and over again in the head, it is quite easy to cope with them on your own. First of all, it should be recognized that not all thoughts are logical, smart and true. After all, thoughts constantly reproduced by the brain are not necessarily part of the surrounding reality. Often obsessions are illogical and completely inadequate. You should know that thought is only a reflection of the living conditions of individuals, their mood, moral guidelines, values, mood, life circumstances, outlook, imagination, erudition and worldview. The confusion and intricacies of all the listed components in the brain often give rise to the emergence of obsessions.
Resisting internal conversation, as well as ignoring it, is not only pointless, but often dangerous. Because a person with such behavior independently drives his own person into a trap where panic and anxiety reign. Therefore, it is recommended to recognize the presence of obsessive thoughts and acknowledge the very fact of their presence. After which you should try to become an outside observer, looking at the ongoing “dance” of thoughts from the outside. At the same time, even the slightest attempt to analyze them must be avoided. Questions like “why do these thoughts appear”, “what led to them” will drive you back into the trap.
It must be remembered that annoying internal dialogue is just a stream of thoughts, in which it is not at all necessary to believe. Here it is more important to listen to your own feelings that arise as a result of annoying thoughts. Perhaps the person experiences anger, irritation, joy, sadness, or is overcome by denial. These emotions should not be feared, they must be accepted and lived. This process will lead to transformations in the psyche. The consequence of this will be the attenuation of the described sensations and the restoration of mental comfort.
However, you should not expect instant relief from obsessive thoughts and anxiety. You need to prepare yourself for the fact that the process of freeing yourself from the yoke of annoying thoughts is quite long. Therefore, you should become thoroughly familiar with relaxation techniques. After all, the brain also needs rest and constantly unnerving thoughts will drain it. Various breathing practices, self-hypnosis, and auto-training can help you relax and eliminate unnecessary tension.
It is also recommended not to avoid social contacts. Since friendly interaction helps to distract from obsessive thoughts and sets the mood for positivity. And consciously protecting yourself from society will only aggravate the condition and intensify the symptoms.
Methods for getting rid of obsessive thoughts
Most psychologists agree that obsessive-compulsive disorders often arise from traumatic events. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to witness a tragedy or experience the sudden death of a loved one. For some people, the death of a pet can become a trigger, since it will give rise to deep emotional experiences that the human psyche is unable to overcome on its own due to some reason.
Before embarking on the path of combating obsessive thoughts, you need to understand the following:
– the situation will not resolve itself if you constantly think about it;
– any annoying thought is devoid of a rational foundation, and if it is caused by a specific problem, then this particular problem must be solved, there is no point in constantly thinking about it;
– eliminating annoying internal dialogues will not be possible through reflection and finding logical argumentation.
Today, many methods have been developed to cope with annoying internal dialogue on your own.
Below are several ways to get rid of obsessive thoughts in your head on your own.
As already written above, first of all, you need to stop fighting annoying thoughts, since this battle is a losing one. Obsessive thoughts already take away a person’s strength and energy, and if an individual also consciously begins to pay attention to them, plunging deeper into negative experiences, then he will simply weaken his own body. One well-known expression can be applied here: “In order not to remember the black cat, you need to remember the purple dog.” This statement can be found in various variations, but the meaning remains the same.
When obsessive thoughts begin to overcome, it is recommended to mentally imagine that there is a “delete” button in the brain that should be pressed, and switch your attention to topical activities or more pleasant things. 
Creativity is one of the most effective ways to get rid of neurosis-like conditions. It is necessary to write on a piece of paper about everything that torments, causes inconvenience, that interferes with a comfortable existence.
You can draw problems. It doesn’t matter at all whether you have artistic abilities. The beauty and clarity of the lines is not important here, the main thing is to give freedom to your own imagination.
You can sculpt a disturbing problem from clay or plasticine, or cut it out of colored cardboard. The main thing is to allow yourself to do whatever your soul wants at the moment, to express painful ideas in the most convenient way. After the work has been done, you need to carefully listen to the sensations inside. If you don’t want to write, draw or sculpt anything anymore, then it’s time to get rid of obsessive thoughts and anxiety on your own. You can tear it into tiny pieces, burn it, throw it away, launch it into the distance as an airplane, crush it, crush your own “creation.”
Exciting fantasies, ideas and feelings can be transformed into new opportunities, a resource, a zone of development. For example, if you are constantly haunted by the thought of an iron not turned off or an unlocked door, then you need to start developing your own attention and memory. In addition to the fact that this will help you remember exactly when the iron is turned off, these skills will also contribute to labor activity and will make everyday life much easier.
In order to get rid of obsessive thoughts and anxiety, it is recommended to try to identify the patterns of their occurrence. For example, disturbing thoughts begin to overcome in the evening or early in the morning. Maybe they arise only because a person’s subconscious wants to help a person - to evade an unwanted task, work, call. Intrusive thoughts can be a kind of bell signaling the need to look back at your own life: maybe you are tired of boring work or tormented by everyday life. When obsessions appear, it is important to understand what was the trigger.
The method of distraction has proven to be no less effective in getting rid of obsessions. After all, sometimes a person needs so little to feel happy - to hear the sound of the sea, see the sunset, enjoy the singing of spring birds. 
Sometimes you can stare at the fire and forget about all the situations disturbing your soul, as if time has stopped and everything has stood still. This happens because the brain, distracted by various dynamic processes, believes that everything else is not so significant, and therefore any sticky and debilitating thoughts, emotions, images go away, as a result of which the individual feels relaxed, feels a surge of strength, and is also illuminated by inspiration . Therefore, the more often you occupy your brain with various tasks, the lower the likelihood of neurosis.
It is also necessary to realize that when an individual accepts obsessive thoughts from the outside and commits certain actions as a result of their influence, then he must take responsibility for these actions, as well as their consequences. You should not shift responsibility to haunting thoughts. Since a person acted in accordance with them, therefore, it was he who accepted them. In addition, it was not thoughts that produced actions, but the individual himself.
In order to get rid of obsessions, it is recommended to stop tirelessly reproducing thoughts and practice. Because it is self-hypnosis that has enormous power. Thanks to it you can eliminate painful sensations, cure a psychosomatic disorder or improve your mental state. The method of self-hypnosis is widely used in psychotherapy.
Finding himself in a crisis situation, an individual unconsciously begins to utter statements that can only worsen the condition. Self-hypnosis comes into play, leading to a feeling of complete powerlessness, despair, melancholy, various disorders and ailments. If a person begins to notice that he is constantly repeating a negative attitude, then it is recommended to replace it with the opposite, trying to repeat it more often.
Also, to independently get rid of obsessive thoughts and anxiety, you should consciously abandon hidden interests and benefits. No matter how unnatural it may seem, an individual, overwhelmed by exhausting, annoying thoughts, often looks for an imaginary benefit for himself in their presence. However, they do not admit this to themselves. Psychologists call this phenomenon “secondary gain.”
When it seems that the benefits of suffering outweigh the benefits of mental comfort. However, this is only self-deception, so you should try to find and comprehend the “secondary benefit”. Only after this will the individual be able to eradicate obsession and find a way out of the current situation.
People suffering from haunting obsessive thoughts should realize the absurdity of these thoughts. Several coherent, reasonable theses help expose the absurdity of the thoughts tormenting them. It is important that the arguments are clear, clear and concise. It is better not to enter into a long argument with your own obsessive thoughts. Because such behavior is doomed to failure in advance. Such a dialogue will end with emotions prevailing over reason. 
There is a certain group of annoying thoughts that are easier to overcome than other obsessive thoughts. They are characterized by a connection with certain actions, the future, which is in the hands of people. The described group includes fear of the future, consequences, and loneliness. This also includes the popular question of how to get rid of obsessive thoughts about a person.
The basis of these fears is banal indecision. You need to stop worrying and start taking action. You have to face your own fears head on. After all, it is not known in advance whether they are justified or not; it is not known whether tomorrow will be as it seems or otherwise. The only possibility to find out is to test experimentally what will happen next. Fears will dissipate on their own when a person is convinced that the reasons for worry simply do not exist. You need to concentrate your own will in a fist and follow in the forward direction.
It should also be understood that the problem is best solved comprehensively. Before you start implementing the above methods, you need to review your own routine and daily diet. It is recommended to minimize the consumption of psychostimulants. Better to replace herbal infusions with an emphasis on sedative herbs and the usual caffeinated drinks and teas. A collection consisting of St. John's wort, valerian officinalis and mint will be effective. The effect of this drink can be increased with buckwheat honey.
As mentioned above, to get rid of obsessive states, it is necessary to diversify your own leisure time so as not to leave even the minimum opportunity for annoying thoughts to take over the individual’s consciousness. Idleness must be eliminated from daily life. Therefore, the day should be planned literally minute by minute. You cannot leave even a second for destructive thoughts.
In addition to the above, it is necessary to carry out psychological work with yourself daily. This work should be aimed at eliminating tormenting thoughts from the head. It is easier to do this when there is an understanding that every thought is only a tiny part of the person himself, which is determined by his environment, upbringing, environment and much more. Therefore, you should not identify yourself with obsessive thoughts. Only after this postulate is accepted by the individual and assimilated can one proceed to the next steps.
Obsessions are difficult to resist and almost impossible to destroy. This statement It’s worth admitting in order to move on. Destructive thoughts must be ignored without engaging in “demagoguery” with them.
There is no need to immerse yourself in your own inner world, giving complete power over yourself to obsessive thoughts. It is better to pay attention to the riot of colors and variety of events in the real world.
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