Obsessive thoughts and fears bordering on phobias worry many people. In a state of constant anxiety, it is difficult to pack up and tune in a positive mood. Negative mood reduces the ability to deal with the problem, blinding and disorienting the person. There are different ways to deal with this problem, but first you need to understand the cause of the bad thoughts.
Why do obsessive thoughts arise?
The reasons for the appearance of obsessive thoughts of a negative nature may be different, but their understanding and correct interpretation are the key factors in solving the problem. Often, the very fact of understanding what led to bad thoughts already helps to get rid of them. It is no accident that the first question that psychologists ask people who come to them with such a problem is: “Can you remember when it all started?”
To stop thinking from a negative point of view, you need to remember when she began to dominate the positive, and find the reason for the thoughts that interfere with life.
So, the causes of negative thoughts may be:
- Character Features. Most people are divided into optimists and pessimists, and it is not surprising that the latter have been dominated by negative judgment since childhood. Passing into adulthood, such people look everywhere for minuses and prepare for the worst consequences, so they take everything to heart and constantly lose bad events in their heads;
- Low self-esteem. The self-doubt caused by flaws in thinking, appearance, behavior, physical and psychological problems, life circumstances, can lead to fixation on defects. In such a situation, it’s hard to relax and take yourself for the better. It happens that outwardly attractive, successful people suffer from low self-esteem due to reproaches and convictions that linger in memory for a long time;
- Negative experience. A number of unpleasant incidents, unsuccessful attempts to do something important can affect the psyche. As a result, there is an obsessive fear that this will happen again. The most affected are people affected by violence;
- Suspiciousness. This is a character trait that provokes constant fear and a wary attitude to all manifestations of life. Suspicious people everywhere look for negative subtext and often suffer from the persecution mania, which is heated by books, news, films and people's conversations;
- Inability to make decisions. Doubts in the choice, even in the smallest detail, prevent some from not only deciding on some actions, but even understanding their desires and determining their path;
- Environment. Some people are very dependent on the opinions of others that society imposes on them. Nearby there may be people who convince that life is full of darkness and negativity, criticizing and creating complexes and fears of the future;
- Loneliness. Few can find advantages in it and, left alone, suffer from a lack of love, attention, care, a warm relationship. Especially suffer from this woman.Left without male support, they shoulder all responsibility and set themselves a bad attitude: now there is no place to wait for help and everything needs to be decided by itself;
- Hard situation, event. If in previous cases negative thinking can be stopped by understanding the peculiarity of your character and changing your attitude to life, then when something very bad happens to a person, the psyche that is subject to negativity can not stand it. A strong quarrel with a loved one, a divorce, an accident, a financial collapse or a shaky health - thoughts begin to scroll through this head, and if the situation is not completed, the unknown will provoke fear and anxiety for your future. In this case, being locked in yourself, you can fall into a severe depression.
If understanding the cause is the first step to solving the problem, then the second step to getting rid of obsessive thoughts is to let go of the situation and stop thinking about it. There are various ways to do this.
10 ways to get rid of annoying thoughts
There are universal ways to get rid of obsessive thoughts. These methods work for almost all the causes of the problem, so if one of them did not help, you can easily switch to the other. 3-4 tried methods often help, if not completely get rid, then significantly minimize the impact of anxiety on life.
Experiences and stresses are natural for each individual. But in order not to slide into despondency and depression, it is necessary to learn to get rid of the manifestation of obsessive thoughts.
- Solution. A key factor in this method is a correct understanding of the cause. When a person is obsessed with anxious thoughts, first of all, psychologists recommend getting rid of their source. The most effective and fastest way to get rid of negative thoughts is to solve the problem that causes them. Quit stressful work, end a destructive relationship, and leave your comfort zone. This is not always possible and often causes fear, but it is necessary and works without fail.
- Ignore negative thoughts when their source is a vague problem. The source of negativity can be rhetoric or philosophy: thoughts of death, fear of crisis, any situation that does not have adequate and visible premises. Thoughts about death that do not allow life to rejoice, despite the fact that they do not have a sound basis, must be ignored. We need to learn how to live today, stop thinking about tomorrow and concentrate on what is happening right now. Fill the mind with bright thoughts, ignore unreasonable anxiety and look at things from a realistic point of view.
- Engage in self-development. It is logical that self-development involves the study of new topics and engaging in new hobbies. This helps to turn thoughts in the other direction and develop interest in life. New interests are charged with vivacity, positive thoughts and joy from the expectation of something new. By devoting your free time to a new hobby, you will not only get rid of obsessive thoughts, but also get undeniable benefits.
- Live and let go. There can be many negative thoughts, and, experiencing them, the brain is constantly looking for ways to solve the whole problem at once. However, in order to stop thinking about all the negative ideas, it is necessary to scroll through each one in turn, having lived through all the emotions and each situation separately. This practice reduces the fear of the future and restores the ability to think positively. Moreover, it is necessary to worry not only the current situation, but also all kinds of negative scenarios.
- Read books. One of the most effective methods of cleansing the mind is to fill it with something new. Psychologists recommend paying attention to quality literature: world classics, humorous works, books about personal growth. Literature that provokes positive thinking contributes to a change in life for the better.
- Workout. Exercise provokes the growth of endorphin (the hormone of happiness), and a healthy lifestyle, clean air and physical activity make it difficult to think about bad things. The very first step to emotional cleansing is morning exercises. And having signed up for a gym or martial arts, you can not only improve your body and spirit, but also meet new people and get new emotions.
- Focus on the present. This can be done by reading books about liberating the spirit and watching films on similar topics. The problem with many people is that they think too much about the future, preparing for negative consequences, even if there are no prerequisites for them. Work on yourself and the ability to enjoy today helps to get rid of anxieties.
- Do the cleaning, make a reshuffle. Some people are fans of cleaning because it acts as a sedative on them. General cleaning is not only a way to clean the external environment, but also to change the environment, having tuned in a new way. This method is extremely simple, but very effective.
- Get adrenaline. A portion of adrenaline (fear mixed with enthusiasm) acts on the mental system, like a reboot. Parachute jump, paragliding, diving, horror quest or other extraordinary act affects the state of mind, like cold water on a hot body - throws out the unnecessary and activates the thirst for life.
- Just relax. Many people dismiss and take offense when others in unison say that they just need to relax properly. Someone thinks that rest will not solve anything, because returning to familiar life will be even harder, and someone knows that he will not be able to get rid of the idea that soon everything will start again. However, psychologists recommend resting for a reason. Stress and tension can unsettle anyone, and it is necessary to relax in such a situation. You should get out for a weekend in the country, to deserted places, turn off the phone and try not to think about anything. Or vice versa, think about everything, live and throw it out of your head.
These ways to get rid of bad thoughts are simple and accessible to almost everyone. Nothing prevents you from trying them all. It definitely won’t be worse, but better, as practice shows, it will become mandatory.
Additional psychologist tips and exercises
Among the exercises recommended by psychologists to effectively get rid of bad thoughts, the following are popular:
- Let go of problems. You can get rid of bad thoughts in your head by visualizing the process. Usually, with the words “get rid of the negative,” people imagine a long process of working on themselves. However, there is a different approach to this situation, simple but effective. Write out all the fears, all the negativity on a piece of paper. Burn it and develop ashes in the wind. Or write everything on a piece of paper, put it in a balloon, pump it with helium and release it into the sky. Another option is to write each problem on a strip of paper, fold the stars out of them, go up the hill and drop them from a great height. Such an exercise will help to get a sense of liberation and visualize the process, consolidating the positive effect.
- Another exercise that helps get rid of the thoughts that torment you is to keep a negative diary and a positive diary. The first is to write in a quick confusing handwriting all the bad that comes to mind, and in the second to carefully write down all the good, decorating and painting in every possible way. Gradually, you should come to the point of completely getting rid of the first diary.
- Psychologists for a reason recommend pronounce oneselfbut this should be done wisely. It is good if there is a person nearby who will listen and support, but such people are also not iron, and often we know what they will tell us.It’s best to find someone unfamiliar, which is easy to do in the age of information technology (anonymous chat, social network or blog service), and express everything as in spirit, and then forget the person and what was said.
- Start writing. Transfer your problems to fictional characters - write poems or start a novel where the protagonist will experience and overcome every negative event in your life. While you are writing this story, you will not only help yourself to get rid of obsessive fears, but, quite possibly, you will find new ways to solve the problem using the hero’s example.
Psychologists recommend these simple exercises not only when negative thoughts appear, but also when everything is relatively good - to prevent positive thinking.
Each person builds his own thinking. Someone is trying to get rid of bad thoughts on their own, someone is turning to psychologists, and someone is trying to ignore the problem and look for ways to distract. And if getting rid of annoying thoughts is completely difficult, then distracting from them is simple.
Being distracted does not mean forgetting or ignoring, but it helps to relax and find new strengths in order to ignore them. The methods may be different:
- Meetings with friends, going to the cinema, theater, joint events;
- Cooking, baking, learning new recipes;
- City walks, bike rides;
- New acquaintances;
- Shopping, buying new books, stationery, clothes, goodies;
- Writing poems and stories.
In addition to these methods, you can come up with your own. Do anything, the main thing is that it completely entertains you, leaving no time to think about the bad. And we should not forget that if you do not eradicate the problem that caused negative thoughts, you will not be able to get rid of them to the end.
