How to get rid of obsessive thoughts?
Why obsessive thoughts get in the way
Any thought evokes emotions. If emotions are positive, then the state is excellent, but negative ones lead to a low background of mood, a decline in strength, an unwillingness to do anything and a feeling that everything is bad in life.
And if a person’s thoughts are constantly spinning in his head, causing negative emotions, it is clear what his state of health will be. Naturally, this makes it difficult to enjoy life, make rational decisions, and build harmonious relationships with other people.
Where do obsessive thoughts come from?
The appearance of obsessive thoughts can be associated with:
- Difficult life situations
- Psychological trauma
- Features of personality and thinking, due to which a person perceives reality in a negative way
- Mental disorders
You have to understand that the situation in our country is not easy, and the information background is very difficult, constantly some kind of negative happens. Therefore, it is very easy for a person to jump into negativity, succumb to fears, some depressing thoughts.
Are obsessive thoughts a pathology?
The fundamental difference between obsessive thoughts and severe mental pathology is that a person retains criticism. He perceives these thoughts as unnecessary, as annoying. Like what he gets tired of. A person does not want these thoughts to be in his head.
Therefore, obsessive thoughts can be an independent phenomenon. But often they signal a mental disorder, for example:
- Depression
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Post-traumatic anxiety disorder
- Phobias
You need to understand that any thought that arises in the head is a neural connection. And it becomes stronger the more often we think about something. Therefore, the longer we scroll some thoughts in our head, the more difficult it is to get rid of them, the more difficult it is to break this neural connection. And over time, obsessive thoughts can cause a mental disorder that will require long-term treatment.
As a rule, obsessive thoughts arise after the experience of fear and stress. With such emotions, the body releases adrenaline, which is necessary to mobilize strength. These thoughts themselves then create a state of anxiety, which triggers the release of the hormone. It turns out to be a vicious circle: our consciousness creates anxiety in order to receive adrenaline. This creates addiction, which makes it even more difficult to get rid of obsessive thoughts.
How to get rid of obsessive thoughts
Unfortunately, an attempt to deal with obsessive thoughts, usually on the contrary, leads to the fact that a person is fixated on them even more. So, if we are asked not to think about the pink elephant for a minute, we will definitely start thinking about it, although without this request, such thoughts would not have occurred to us.
Therefore, if some relaxation techniques do not help you, if you cannot switch to interesting activities that fill you with positive emotions, then you need to go to a psychiatrist.
The doctor will test you, examine you. If there is a pathology, he will prescribe treatment, if not, he will recommend psychotherapy. The psychotherapist will teach you to notice a destructive thought in time and prevent the “whirlpool” of negative experiences that it can cause. Family therapy may be required if obsessive thoughts arise from conflicts with relatives.
You will not be registered, especially because of obsessive thoughts. But they will help you return to normal life, when you can enjoy rest, interesting activities, communication and work, from everything you do. Disorders of thinking and psyche are amenable to correction, the main thing is to reach a specialist.