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Hello dear readers! Getting rid of obsessive thoughts is, in fact, a very important process, because they take away energy, strength, time and health of a person. Life should be cherished and appreciated every minute, and not wasted. Therefore, today I will share with you the most effective methods that will help you free yourself from heavy and unnecessary thoughts.
What it is?
Psychologists are inclined to believe that this is a neurotic disorder, most often arising on the basis of traumatic events. And it is not necessary to witness murders or unexpectedly lose loved ones. For some, the death of a pet can be decisive, as it will cause deep feelings that the psyche, for some reason, was not able to cope with at the moment. But do not be afraid that now you are supposed to receive medical and inpatient treatment.
There are various techniques, thanks to which a person has the opportunity to independently cope with this complexity. In extreme cases, you can enlist the support of loved ones, people who are significant to you or contact a psychotherapist. The only thing is to be willing to make an effort to heal and deliver.
Judge for yourself, obsession does not last a day or two, and if you decide to fight it, it means that a long time has passed during which you decided to look for help. And the modern world is too overloaded with information and events that can distract at any moment. And for one performance of the task you will not be cured, systematicity is needed here, at least in order not to fall into this exhausting state again in the future.
Top 10 technicians
1. Refusal to fight
The very first rule in dealing with negative thoughts is not to fight them. Paradoxical, but true. They already take away energy, and if you consciously pay attention to them, exaggerating and immersing yourself in complex experiences, not finding any resource and way out in them, you will simply deplete your body. Do you know the expression: «To not think of a white cat, think of a purple dog»? It exists in different variations, but the meaning is the same.
Imagine that there is a “delete” button in your head, press it and switch your attention to more pressing matters and pleasant experiences. For example, remember the most pleasant event from childhood, what most of all causes a smile on your face, serenity and touching? You will not even notice how the anxiety will recede, giving space to other feelings.
2. Creativity
A great way to deal with your feelings. Take a sheet and write about what torments you and does not give you peace. If you want, draw, and your artistic abilities do not play a role at all, so you should not try to arrange it beautifully and correctly. You can simply mold from improvised materials, ordinary paper, plasticine, clay is perfect. After expressing the painful ideas in a convenient way, listen to yourself, did you write or draw exactly what you wanted? If so, now is the time to get rid of this obsession. Do not regret, but tear it into small pieces, throw it in the trash, or burn your creation.
3.Conversion
Changing tormenting fantasies and feelings into resources and new opportunities, a zone of proximal development. Yes, it can cause indignation, but think for yourself, if something bothers you for a long time, it means that your subconscious mind is trying to “break through” into your consciousness, and in such a not very pleasant and desirable way gives you a signal. What comes up most often in your head? Alarm about not turning off the iron or gas? Then start developing attention and memory. Then you will know exactly what you turned on or off, and what else you did.
Believe me, this skill will be very useful to you, both at work and in everyday life, relationships. And this article will help you.
4.Regularities
Try to pay attention to exactly at what moments disturbing thoughts begin to bother you, maybe there is some kind of pattern? For example, before going to bed, or an exciting event? Often our subconscious mind is looking for ways to get out of unwanted work, meetings and other things. Yes, at least from admitting to oneself that something is tired, that there is no desire to stay close to an already unloved person, to study in the specialty chosen by the parents and do something out of habit.
5.Distraction
Have you noticed that watching the fire, looking at the water, we think about what a happy life is and how good it is at the moment? As if everything is suspended around, and it seems that there is only you and the elements? Do you know why this happens? Because the brain, switching attention to all sorts of dynamic processes, believes that the rest is not so significant, so all sorts of sticky and tormenting emotions go away, and that is why you feel relaxed, energized and inspired.
The more often the brain is occupied, the less the likelihood of neurosis.
Therefore, I propose to adopt one technique, as soon as you begin to feel that bad thoughts appear in your head, proceed with the implementation:
- You need to sit comfortably, close your eyes and count each inhalation and exhalation. That is: «Inhale-one, exhale-two.» When you count to 10, it counts as one cycle. It is necessary to do at least three, if you notice that it is not enough, you can continue. It is only important to breathe slowly, fully concentrating on the count, the movements of your chest and sensations.
- Then, when you feel that you have relaxed enough, getting rid of tension in every part of your body, imagine an image that is exhausting, and give free rein to your imagination, destroying it by any invented means.
I also recommend reading an article about the basics of breathing techniques. There is a whole program of different methods for relaxation described, you can use any you like, adding a second part where you need to deal with a sticky obsession.
6. Physical activity
If you are mainly tormented by dissatisfaction with yourself, not ideality and echoes of low self-esteem, for example, that you don’t look the way you would like, didn’t achieve what you wanted because of your character, and the like, then physical activity will help you. In principle, it helps in any cases when it is simply necessary to switch and give the brain a chance to rest.
Tired, exhausted — you simply won’t be able to torture yourself further, plus a clean apartment, a well-kept garden or a noticeably thinner and toned body will be a nice bonus.
As an option — enroll in courses, making your dream come true. For example, learn how to sew elegant dresses or climb rocks, skate beautifully or dance tango. When you begin to turn your desires into reality, which you usually didn’t care about, you will feel happy, and then the level of control of thoughts and, in general, claims to yourself will decrease.
7. Affirmations
To get rid of the so-called neurosis on your own, the method of positive affirmations will help you. To do this, first try to unravel the meaning of the ideas that prevent you from living, constantly spinning in your head, and then transform them into positive statements that you will begin to consciously repeat to yourself several times a day. Well, if we return to the example with the iron not turned off, it can be reformulated as follows: “I am attentive and notice all the details and nuances that surround me.”
Detailed instructions on how to create and use them can be found here. And also get rid of negative wording, and generally from using the particle “not” in your sentences. And for the success of this action, come up with a punishment, for example, 5 push-ups for each negative wording. You can make a bet with loved ones in order to increase motivation.
Any ways of positive thinking will bring changes to your life, learn to notice the beautiful and pleasant in it, and then your consciousness will be rebuilt, ceasing to torment you with obsessive ideas.
8. Analysis of the reasons
If you want to “look deeper” in order not only to get rid of the consequences, but to find out the root cause of your condition, I suggest trying a paradoxical technique, which consists in a thorough and detailed analysis of each thought. Take a sheet and arrange the so-called brainstorming, that is, write down absolutely everything that is swarming in your head at the moment. It’s not worth giving an assessment, just write until you feel that, so to speak, «zeroed out» and dried up a little, and you can stop there.
Reread what you have written, what feelings do you have about the text? Find scary phrases, and “play” with them, writing down at least 5 points for each, answering the question: “What if?”. Such exercises help to rationally approach the subject of tension and anxiety, since it often happens that emotions are so “overwhelming”, and a person is not able to realize that he is sometimes worried about something that does not really coincide with reality, and if you look more closely, then you can see it.
9. Bringing to the point of absurdity
Laughter is the best therapy and an opportunity to relieve accumulated energy, cope with anxiety, so why not resort to it? Here, for example, you constantly scroll through the situation in your head that the girl will not like you on the first date. Now imagine how much she grimaces at the sight of you and tries to run away, but falls, this scares her even more, and so on. Continue until you feel that this situation is really fun for you.
This technique can be hard for serious people who have forgotten what it is to play and have fun. But if you overcome your resistance, believe me, the result will not be long in coming. I do not call you to frivolity and irresponsibility, it’s just sometimes important to add lightness to your being, and even more so, humor.
10. Save for later
Remember Scarlett O’Hara’s immortal phrase: «I won’t think about it now, I’ll think about it tomorrow»? It’s from the movie Gone with the Wind. So, this really works. We do not reject any idea, we simply postpone its consideration until later. And then it ceases to be intrusive, because the mind is calm, you will definitely return to it, only later. And then, perhaps, the level of tension will begin to fall, other pressing matters will appear that require your attention. But in this method, it is important to be honest with yourself, otherwise you will no longer trust yourself, so be sure to take time later to realize exactly those fantasies that poison your life.
Recommendations
- Prayer is suitable for believers, because even scientists have found that when a person prays, sound vibrations make the space harmonious, calm. And if you feel peace and quiet joy, then this will be the best treatment not only for the soul, but also for the body.
- If you have very different views on religion, you can try meditation. In previous articles, you may have noticed how often I recommend using it, and for good reason, because these methods really work, both on a physical level and on a mental one. You can read more here.
- Start fighting bad habits, especially those that destroy health and kill time. With their help, you will not get rid of obsession, but on the contrary, strengthen it, up to the onset of prolonged depression, affective disorders, insomnia and panic attacks.
Conclusion
By changing the way you think, you will attract other changes into your life. So why not make it high quality and rich? Time passes, and it is impossible to return it, and neuroses only accelerate this process. So take care and appreciate every minute, take care of your health and everything will be fine with you! Subscribe to updates and join groups in social networks, the buttons are at the top right. And that’s all for today, dear readers! See you soon.