Keep in mind, however, that this is a temporary way to lessen your obsessive thoughts, but it is not a long-term or meaningful solution.
A diary is also a good way to get a sense of what triggers your mental preoccupation. This is important for when it comes time to deal with overcoming your obsessive thoughts. Keep in mind, however, that simply writing down your thoughts can encourage rumination, or that negative “broken record loop” of repeating the same thought. It’s important to reflect on your thoughts by asking what caused them, what you were doing when they happened, and how you think you can make changes. If you find yourself ruminating in your journal, too, try to catch yourself. Instead of repeating the same thoughts, start reflecting on where they came from and why you keep circling the same idea or thought. Challenge negative thoughts when you catch them. If you are preoccupied with the thought that no one likes you, examine the evidence for an against this thought. Evidence “for” might be “I asked out that cute guy at the coffee shop and he said no. " Evidence against might be, “I know my friends and family like me and think I’m great. Last week a stranger asked me for my number at the bus stop. I dated my last boyfriend for two years and he really cared about me. “[2] X Research source
Checking. For example, checking to make sure that all your rope is locked away in the garage so that you can’t act out your intrusive unwanted thought. Avoidance. For example, avoiding your pet entirely so you have no chance of acting out your unwanted thought. Seeking reassurance. For example, you might take your pet to the vet more often than necessary to make sure that it’s okay and you haven’t accidentally harmed it.
You must first identify the triggers that bring about your obsessive thoughts. Continuing with the pet example, is it seeing your pet? Hearing your pet? Being in a certain room? If you find yourself having difficulty refraining from using short-term strategies such as checking or avoidance, tell yourself you will just delay using them for thirty seconds. You might find that after thirty seconds, you’re willing to tell yourself you can delay another thirty seconds and so on until you are actually refraining from their usage.
Eat healthy foods, such as lean means, fruits, veggies, and above all, consume things in moderation and have a balanced diet. Get a good night’s sleep. Get a sense of how many hours a night of sleep you need to feel fully rested the next day, and aim to get that amount every night. Seek social support and reach out to them often. Reduce your intake of caffeine and other stimulants, as they can cause or worsen anxiety. Avoid alcohol and drugs as a coping response to deal with anxiety or your obsessive thoughts. This will more often than not backfire. At the very least it won’t help you solve your problems in any meaningful, long-lasting way. Try stress-relieving exercise, such as yoga or aerobic exercise like running.
Keep in mind that you only hear in the news about planes that crash, you don’t hear about planes that land successfully. This can throw off how probable you view crashes to be.
Another important aspect of mindfulness meditation involves paying attention to your breathing. Take a deep breath in and hold for a few seconds and then exhale over a few seconds. Gently observe your breath going in and out while remaining calm.
As you take a deep breath in, apply tension to a specific muscle group or part of your body by flexing or tightening the area. As you exhale, slowly reduce the tension by reducing how hard you are squeezing/flexing the muscles. The muscles will become looser at this point if done correctly. Repeat the process with different muscle groups until you feel more relaxed and your obsessive thinking has subsided.
Try experimenting by changing the time of day you schedule worry-time for yourself. You may find that this technique is most effective at a particular time of day, for example, either at night or in the morning.
You can find a local psychologist using this website: http://locator. apa. org/ You can find a local qualified mental health professional using the site: https://iocdf. org/find-help/
It can help just to know that you are not alone in dealing with your problem.
Typical treatments for obsessive thoughts include: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), anxiety medication, or antidepressants. If you are in doubt, get a second opinion from another therapist.
