Processing Obsessive Thoughts – Three Strategies

Processing obsessive thoughts is not easy. It takes a lot of willpower and discipline. It is a constant battle against your own mental faculties, which you are not always aware of. And only someone who is a victim of these thoughts knows how hard it is to escape from them. Part of you wants to get out of the cage, and another part struggles fiercely to keep everything the same.

The first step in processing an obsessive thought is to understand what the thought is. The thoughts we call obsessive are the intrusive ideas that often tend to get stuck in your head. In many cases, they keep appearing all the time. They appear in a way that you experience as involuntary. They come out of nowhere, cut off other thoughts and you can’t shake them off. Usually they deal with very intense things, such as disasters and damage. They cause fear.

There can be many unresolved problems behind such obsessive thoughts. And they are almost always related to an unconscious or unconventional feeling of guilt. The recurring thought is a kind of punishment for something you may have done that you think is terrible. But it avoids your conscious mind. And while that is the case, you can still process an obsessive thought and let it go. Here are three strategies to help you do this.

1. Processing Obsessive Thoughts Using the Quicksand Metaphor

You can process obsessive thoughts by seeing them as a kind of quicksand, a trap. Imagine that you find yourself in a well. Your instincts will make you want to leave as soon as possible. But if you try to go forward or up with your legs, you will only sink further down.

It’s the same with obsessive thoughts. You can only get out of the quicksand when you calm down and accept that you are in a place where you have to think about every move. If you try to lie on your back and allow yourself to float gently, you will likely drift closer and closer to the edge.

And again, it’s the same with obsessive thoughts. You shouldn’t fight them directly. There’s no point in resisting. Give your obsessive thought fifteen to twenty minutes of your time. Let it stay there, observe it, look for all the details. After that time, try doing something else for 15 to 20 minutes. Then repeat this cycle until you feel better.

2. Processing Obsessive Thoughts by Holding on to Your Emotions

To properly process your obsessive thoughts, try to hold on to your emotions. Accept that you will experience some emotional discomfort for a while. If you allow yourself to feel those emotions – especially fear – they will disappear little by little.

Let them flow until they fade on their own. These kinds of emotions fade if you leave them alone. To be clear, it’s like having a pimple or mosquito bite that really bothers you. You can feel it, but you decide not to scratch. Sure, it’s very annoying, but you know it will eventually go away.

The discomfort will reach a certain point and then decrease. The key is not to try to calm yourself by scratching. You should do the same with anxiety or any other negative emotion associated with an obsessive thought.

3. Processing Obsessive Thoughts With Some Good Exercises

Keep in mind that your goal is to process the obsessive thoughts, not prevent them. You can’t control obsessions with your mind, it’s just that. They require a much deeper and longer process, usually through psychotherapy. That said, there are also some good exercises you can do to help you with these thoughts:

• Talk out loud about your obsession for a minute. Don’t talk to your obsession, talk about it. You have to talk faster than you can keep up. It doesn’t matter if you feel like it, that’s really the least important thing. In fact, you can even say just one or two words. For example, if you’re obsessed with the idea that you’re going to be burgled, repeat “there-there-is-breaking-in-there-is-breaking-in quickly and without interruptions for a minute.

• Sing about your obsession. Look for a melody you like and try to put some new lyrics on it about your obsession. Whenever these intrusive ideas pop into your head, you start singing. Change the lyrics whenever you want.
• Draw your obsessions. Shape your obsessions. Even create characters if you need to. Don’t just put some scribbles on paper, do your best to make a nice drawing. Fill the drawing with beautiful colors, details and anything that comes to mind.

As we said at the beginning, processing obsessive thoughts is not easy. But if you are consistent in using these strategies to achieve that, you will eventually lessen the effect and frequency of these intrusive thoughts. To forever show them the door, you need therapeutic help. Don’t hesitate to look for this if you need it.