Identifying intrusive thoughts
There are some signs to look for:
- The thought is unusual for you. An intrusive thought is usually very different from your typical thoughts.
- The thought is bothersome, something you want to push out of your mind.
- The thought feels hard to control. Intrusive thoughts are often repetitive and won’t go away.
When these thoughts emerge, try taking the following steps:
- Identify the thought as intrusive.
- Don’t fight with it. When you have an intrusive thought, just accept it.
- Don’t judge yourself. Know that having a strange or disturbing thought doesn’t indicate that something is wrong with you.
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