Obsessive thoughts can be a real nightmare, because they deprive of strength, do not allow to live normally. However, you can get rid of them, it’s enough to go to a psychologist, and also try to solve the problem yourself.
What are obsessive thoughts?
Psychologists are inclined to believe that obsessive thoughts are a neurotic disorder that most often occurs against the background of negative events. It is not necessary to be a witness to the murder or unexpected loss of loved ones. For some, even the death of a pet can be a decisive factor; it will cause deep feelings that the psyche, for whatever reason, is currently unable to cope with.
There are diverse techniques, thanks to which a person can get rid of obsessive thoughts. You also need to enlist the support of close and important people for you, you can still contact a psychotherapist.
It is important to be prepared to make an effort to solve this problem. Judge for yourself if obsession lasts so long that you decide to fight it, it means that a lot of time has passed, during which you decided that you need help.
The modern world is overloaded with information, events that can distract at any time. Therefore, in one day and in one completed task it will not be possible to recover. There can not do without systematic. Therapy will allow at least not to drown in this exhausting state in the future.
Treatment
There is a certain algorithm of actions of specialists, which help to stop the symptoms in time, leading to anxiety disorders and panic attacks.
Drug treatment
In severe cases, it is necessary to use drugs. Most often prescribed medication for neurosis. This is a common method of eliminating the physiological symptoms of a mental disorder. However, we must remember that no drugs can replace psychotherapy, that is, a conversation with a specialist.
Antidepressants will help get rid of obsessive thoughts through good sleep and improved functioning. However, we must remember that their reception disorder is not treated, but only drowned out. It is also important to remember that the doctor should prescribe the drugs and their dosage.
Psychotherapy
A psychotherapist and a psychologist at an individual admission will help to distract from obsessive thoughts. However, to overcome such a condition, it is necessary to turn to a professional specialist who has knowledge of various psychological schools. Often a person gets used to the observance of rituals, for example, to think about the events of the day before bedtime. In this case, the specialist focuses on the awareness of responsibility for their thoughts. As a result of therapy, the patient has a constructive reaction when such thoughts and ideas appear.
Family Psychotherapy
Most often, a person with similar disorders has other people in his environment, lives in a family. At the same time, everyone knows that our environment greatly influences us. Ideally, work with a psychologist will occur in the family of the patient. Often, obsessive-compulsive disorder occurs due to problems in relationships with loved ones. The task of the psychologist in this case is to understand the patient’s relationships with people from his environment and help them harmonize.
Self therapy
If obsessive thoughts are the result of the habit of repeating everything, scrolling in your head, then at this stage you can help yourself. There are some guidelines for this that need to be followed.
Refusal to fight
The first rule of dealing with negative thoughts is to refuse to deal with them. No matter how paradoxical it may sound, but it is so. Bad thoughts take energy away, but if you consciously give them attention, dive into complex experiences without finding a way out of them, you will simply begin to deplete your body. Imagine having a "delete" button in your head. Press it, switch attention to more pressing and important matters, pleasant experiences. Try to remember the most joyful event from childhood or any other that makes you smile, serenity. This will let go of the alarm, give space to more pleasant feelings.
Creation
A great option to cope with the experience is creativity. Take a sheet and write on it what torments you, does not give rest. If artistic abilities allow, you can draw things that disturb you, and artistic abilities do not play any role.
You can also simply make an image of your problem from the materials at hand: paper, plasticine, clay. When you reproduce your ideas in the most convenient way, ask yourself if you have drawn exactly what you wanted.
If you managed to creatively display the thoughts that are of concern to you, now you need to get rid of them - tear the paper into small pieces, discard the craft.
Transformation
Try to change the fantasies and feelings that torment you to new opportunities. It often happens that if a person is worried about something for a long time, then his consciousness gives some kind of signal. For example, if you are constantly worried about the fact that you may not have turned off the iron or gas, then try to develop your attention and memory. In this case, you will know for sure what you turned on, what you turned off and what you have done. In addition, these skills are very useful in work, at home, in relationships.
Regularity
Pay attention to in what moments of life anxious thoughts start to bother you, is there any regularity? For example, you constantly drive away the thought in your head before going to bed or before some event. Often in this way, our subconscious mind is looking for methods to avoid undesirable work or a meeting. This happens when we do not want to admit to ourselves that we are tired of something in our life: meeting with a person, studying in a chosen specialty, unloved work, and so on.
Distraction
Have you noticed that when you watch fire or water, positive thoughts are most often present in your head. This is because the brain, switching attention to dynamic processes, postpones all other emotions until later, considering them not so significant. That is why at such moments unpleasant emotions go away, a person feels relaxation, inspiration.
Sit comfortably, close your eyes, count each inhale and exhale, count to 10. Do this at least three times. But if you feel that this is not enough, then you can continue to count. It is important to breathe slowly, fully concentrating on the score, the movement of your chest, the sensations received. When you feel that you have relaxed and got rid of tension, imagine the image that is exhausting you. Unleash your fantasy and destroy it by any means. In addition, you can equip yourself with the practice of breathing techniques for relaxation.
Exercise stress
If you are mostly tormented by dissatisfaction with yourself, low self-esteem, for example, you think that you are not looking the way you would like, you have not achieved the desired result because of your character - physical exertion will help you. In principle, it is always necessary if you need to switch and give the brain a rest. A tired and exhausted person simply does not have the strength to torment himself further. Alternatively, you can sign up for a climbing, dancing course. When you begin to translate into reality your desires, to which you did not reach your hands before, you will feel happy again.
Affirmation
The method of positive affirmations will allow yourself to get rid of neurosis. To do this, first try to solve the message of ideas that prevent you from living and are constantly spinning in your head. Transform them into a positive statement and repeat them consciously several times a day. If you go back to the example with the iron turned off, the wording should be: “I am attentive, I notice all the details that surround me”. Also try to get rid of negative formulations and the use of the “not” particle in sentences.
And for a successful outcome, think up a punishment for yourself, for example, five push-ups for each negative wording. Make a bet with loved ones to increase motivation. Any ways of positive thinking will bring positive changes in your life, teach you to notice the beautiful and the pleasant.
Disassembly reasons
If you want to look deeper, not only to get rid of the consequences, but also to find out the root cause of the condition, then you need to carefully and thoroughly analyze each of your thoughts. Take a sheet and brainstorm. Write on it absolutely everything that is currently in your head. Try not to give any assessment, but simply write until you feel that the thoughts are over. Read the writing and evaluate your feelings.
If you are frightened by any phrases, you can write at least 5 arguments for each phrase, answering the question: "What if? ..." This exercise will help you rationally approach the subject of tension, anxiety. After all, it often happens that emotions are so overwhelming that a person is not able to realize that his experiences do not coincide with reality.
Bringing to the point of absurdity
Laughter is the best therapy and opportunity to dump the accumulated energy, cope with it. For example, a young man constantly scrolls a situation in his head that a girl on a date will not like him. In this case, he just has to imagine that she will be even more afraid at the sight of him, will try to escape, slip. It should continue to fantasize until you feel that this situation makes you happy. Yes, this technique can be hard for serious people who have forgotten about games and laughter. But if you overcome your resistance, the result will not keep you waiting. It does not say that this method calls for irresponsibility, it is just necessary sometimes to add lightness and humor to your life.
Set aside for later
Scarlett O'Hara said: "I will not think about it now, I will think about it tomorrow." This tactic really works. No need to reject any idea, you just need to postpone it for later. In this case, it will cease to be intrusive, because you will definitely return to it, but only a little later. Due to this, the voltage level may begin to fall, there will be other pressing issues that need attention.
However, in this method it is important to be honest with yourself, otherwise it may happen that you stop trusting yourself. Therefore, in the future, be sure to take some time to think about all the thoughts that bring trouble into your life.
