• Becoming more aware and accepting of negative thoughts or feelings can help to reduce the frequency of intrusive thoughts, as well as making them feel less distressing.
• Engage in constructive distractions. When an intrusive thought arises, finding a constructive distraction is healthier than ruminating on it. Find something that requires almost all of your attention, such as reading, chatting to a friend, going for a run, painting or watching a film.
• If you find yourself ruminating on negative thoughts, try to replace them with positive ones.

Can you imagine a pink elephant? Is it big or small? Hot pink or pastel pink Give your pink elephant as much detail as you can. Now that you have got your pink elephant clear in your head, it is time to stop thinking about it. Think about any other topic for 30 seconds, and observe where your...