Have you ever had a thought pop into your mind that immediately made you feel anxious or unsettled?
Perhaps you found yourself wondering.
Why did I think that?
Where did that come from?
And if you've experienced this,
You're certainly not alone.
Intrusive thoughts are thoughts,
Images or doubts.
That could seem to appear out of nowhere.
They can be about almost anything.
And sometimes they can feel completely out of character.
But there's something important to understand.
Our minds produce all sorts of thoughts.
Many of which we never choose to have.
A thought appearing in your mind doesn't mean you agree with it,
Want it.
Or that it says something about the kind of person that you are.
So often,
The difficulty just isn't the thought itself.
It's what happens afterwards.
Because the thought feels disturbing.
You might find yourself going over it again and again.
Trying to work out why it appears.
You might analyze it.
Check how you feel about it.
Or search for reassurance that it doesn't mean anything.
And before you know it.
You're caught in the cycle of thinking,
Questioning.
And trying to find certainty.
The more attention we give to a thought in an attempt to resolve it.
The more we can become caught up in it.
Not necessarily because the thought is important or meaningful.
But because our mind has treated it as something that needs to be worked out.
So what can we do differently?
One approach is to begin changing our relationship with these thoughts.
Rather than immediately getting pulled into the story.
See if you can pause for a moment and recognise what's happening.
And noticing an intrusive thought.
Not trying to prove it wrong.
And not trying to push it away.
And not needing to work out why it appears.
Simply recognizing it as a thought.
You might imagine allowing it to be there without feeling that you have to respond to it.
This is part of what mindfulness helps us practice.
Noticing our thoughts without automatically getting caught up in them.
We begin to create a little space between having a thought and feeling that we need to do something about it.
And this doesn't mean the thought will always disappear,
Or that you'll never feel anxious when one arises.
It means learning that a thought can be present without needing to become the centre of your attention.
You can notice it.
Allow the discomfort to be there.
And gently bring your attention back to what you're doing in the present moment.
This is a skill that develops with practice.
And there's no need to get it perfect.
And if intrusive thoughts are something you struggle with.
You might find it helpful to explore mindfulness practices that support you in noticing thoughts,
Allowing uncertainty,
And responding to yourself with a little more kindness.
Remember you can't control thoughts that enter into your head.
Sometimes you can simply notice them.
Let them be.
And allow yourself to return to the life that's happening right here,
Right now.
Thank you.
