I have intrusive thoughts. Or rather I used to. One med and an herb have helped me with them. Every once in a while, one will sneak through, but I just acknowledge them and let them go. Before, they bombarded me every minute of the day.

I thought the intrusive thoughts would be with me forever, but I was put on Zyprexa and started to take Gingko Biloba (the herb). Adding the herb made a big difference in clarity and peace of mind.

So, how do you define intrusive thoughts? Unwanted and unexpected, intrusive thoughts can appear out of nowhere—disturbing images, ideas, or scenarios you didn’t invite. They’re often repetitive, unsettling, and hard to shake. Whether violent, inappropriate, or simply disturbing, these thoughts have a way of holding on.

“Thoughts are only thoughts. They are not you. You do belong to yourself, even when your thoughts don’t.”— John Green, Turtles All the Way Down

What triggers intrusive thoughts?

Intrusive thoughts can pop up unexpectedly, often without a clear reason. But certain triggers tend to set them off, such as:

Stress and Anxiety: Feeling stressed or anxious? It’s no surprise your mind might flood with intrusive thoughts. When life feels overwhelming, your brain can react by throwing random or unsettling ideas your way—it’s just how it copes.
Trauma or Past Experiences: Trauma can have a lasting impact, often bringing intrusive thoughts that resurface unexpectedly, especially in conditions like PTSD.
Mental Health Conditions: Conditions like OCD, generalized anxiety disorder, and depression can turn intrusive thoughts into a constant, distressing battle.
Triggers in the Environment: Certain situations, objects, or memories can unexpectedly trigger intrusive thoughts, bringing distressing feelings back to the surface.
Perfectionism or High Self-Expectations: So, those who tend to be self-critical or perfectionists often battle intrusive thoughts, fueled by a deep fear of failure or making mistakes.

Intrusive thoughts symptoms

Intrusive thoughts themselves are not a condition but rather a symptom that can occur in various mental health contexts. Here are some common symptoms or characteristics associated with intrusive thoughts:

Unwanted and Distressing Nature

The thoughts are involuntary and often feel disturbing or upsetting.
They may conflict with your personal values or beliefs, causing guilt or shame.

Repetitive and Persistent

Intrusive thoughts can occur repeatedly, making it hard to ignore or dismiss them.
They may feel “stuck” in your mind, even when you try to focus on other things.

Themes of Fear or Harm

Common themes include fears of harming yourself or others, or catastrophic fears (e.g., something bad happening to loved ones).

Emotional Distress

These thoughts often provoke strong emotions like anxiety, fear, guilt, or disgust.
The emotional response can feel disproportionate to the thought itself.

Fear of Acting on the Thoughts

Many people worry that having intrusive thoughts means they might act on them, even though this is rarely the case. This fear can amplify distress.

“Sometimes my thoughts were hard to digest. Sometimes my brain would get stuck on a concept that troubled me and would create endless rabbit holes in my head.”— J. Aleong, A Most Important Year

Common intrusive thoughts list

Harmful Thoughts
- Worrying about accidentally or intentionally harming yourself or others (e.g., “What if I push someone off a ledge?” or “What if I lose control and hurt someone?”).
Religious or Moral Doubts
- Intrusive thoughts questioning your faith, morality, or spiritual beliefs (e.g., “What if I’ve committed an unforgivable sin?” or “What if I’m a bad person?”).
Fear of Contamination
- Obsessive worries about germs, dirt, or being “contaminated” by something harmful (e.g., “What if I touched something toxic and didn’t realize it?”).
Catastrophic Thoughts
- Fears of something terrible happening, often to loved ones (e.g., “What if my family gets into an accident?” or “What if my house catches fire?”).

Distinction of intrusive thoughts

Normal intrusive thoughts

What is normal about intrusive thoughts? If you have ever had intrusive thoughts, nothing is normal about them. Sometimes, I have experienced thoughts that pop into my head that don’t make sense.

It could be a word or phrase that has nothing to do with whatever I’m doing. I guess you could call that a normal intrusive thought. It’s not harmful, but an annoyance. I’ve been lucky for a while, I haven’t had any.

Aggressive thoughts

You have to watch out for aggressive thoughts, they may want you to harm yourself or someone else. These thoughts brought me down so low on that fateful day I almost died.

I swore to myself that I was never going to let myself get that low again. I’ve held true to that promise. Accordingly, aggressive thoughts are only out to take you out and not let you live life on your terms.

Intrusive thoughts PTSD

Basically, intrusive thoughts from PTSD are all too common. Veterans are all too familiar with these thoughts of being in combat. I have PTSD of a trauma I experienced in childhood. I keep experiencing that trauma over and over in my mind.

It set up the president of my struggles with mental illnesses. Therefore, Ii took me fifty years to come to terms with it. I reflect on it now, and realize all the things that happened in my past (terrible or not) have made me the person I am proud of today.

“Rule your mind or it will rule you.”— Horace

Anxiety disorder intrusive thoughts

For me, intrusive thoughts with anxiety often happen before, during, and after a panic attack. Although, they come through when I’m stressed. I call those the normal intrusive thoughts.

The thoughts have more to do with the anxiousness that you feel. If your mind is racing, they will inject into those thoughts with feelings of despair and more anxiousness. It’s like fuel to the fire.

To put out that fire, you need to ask yourself whether these thoughts are valid. If not (most likely), you can dismiss them. They serve no purpose in your life and are only there to harm you and bring you down.

Anxiety intrusive thoughts examples

Intrusive thoughts related to anxiety can vary widely, but they often involve irrational fears, worst-case scenarios, or distressing “what if” questions. Here are some examples:

Health Anxiety:
- “What if this headache is a brain tumor?”
- “What if I stop breathing in my sleep?”
Social Anxiety:
- “What if I embarrass myself in front of everyone?”
- “What if they secretly hate me?”
Generalized Anxiety:
- “What if I lose my job tomorrow?”
- “What if something bad happens to my family?”
Relationship Anxiety:
- “What if my partner stops loving me?”
- “What if I said something wrong and ruined everything?”
Existential Anxiety:
- “What if I never find my purpose in life?”
- “What if everything I do is meaningless?”
Catastrophic Thinking:
- “What if this plane crashes?”
- “What if I lose control and hurt someone?”

These thoughts can be overwhelming and hard to control, but they don’t define reality or your true intentions.

“You cannot find peace by avoiding life.”— Virginia Woolf

Fighting intrusive thoughts

Acknowledge and Observe, Don’t Fight

Acceptance

Intrusive thoughts are common, and it’s okay to have them. Trying to suppress them can actually make them worse. Just accept them for what they are and move on. Don’t give them any merit, because they will grow stronger.

Non-Judgmental Observation

In general, this is probably one of the most difficult positions to be in. It’s hard not to be judmental. Notice the thought without getting caught up in its content. Treat it as a passing thought, like a cloud in the sky.

Labeling

This works really well. You can label intrusive thoughts as “just a thought” or “an intrusive thought” to create distance and reduce their power. Therefore, once you reduce their power, they become less harmful and occupy your mind less.

Shift Focus to the Present Moment

Grounding Techniques

Focus on your senses to anchor yourself in the present. Try identifying five things you can see, four you can touch, etc. I also try the tree roots coming out of the bottom of your feet, going into the dirt of the earth.

Deep Breathing

Practice deep breathing exercises, like belly breathing, to calm your nervous system. Or you can try The “3-3-3 breathing technique” involves inhaling for 3 seconds, holding for 3 seconds, and exhaling for 3 seconds.

Mindfulness

Engage in mindfulness practices, such as meditation or paying attention to your breath, to train your mind to stay present. Meditation has helped me so much. It has calmed my anxiety.

Sensory Activities

Engage your senses with activities like cooking, playing music, or taking a walk outside. I like taking walks on the bike trails through the forest near me. It has helped me clear my mind and to see and listen to the animals and nature.

Distraction and Rescheduling

Engage in Activities

When intrusive thoughts arise, redirect your attention to a hobby, a conversation, or a task that requires your focus. Don’t play into the intrusive thoughts in a demeaning manner. I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t fought my way back.

Reschedule the Thought

If you find yourself stuck on an intrusive thought, try rescheduling it to a specific time later, giving yourself permission to think about it then. This has worked for me many times. It sounds silly, but it works.

Seek Professional Help

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT can help you identify and challenge negative thought patterns and develop coping mechanisms. It is based on the idea that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all interconnected. By changing our thoughts, we can change how we feel and behave.

Using CBT techniques, you will learn how to recognize automatic negative thoughts and replace them with more realistic and positive ones.

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

For those with OCD, ERP can help you gradually expose yourself to triggers and resist compulsive behaviors. Exposure therapy has helped me not only with intrusive thoughts, but also with my social anxiety.

“The thoughts keep coming, but I tell myself they’re just thoughts. They’re not true. They don’t mean anything.”— Sarah Grunder Ruiz, Last Call at the Local

Meds for intrusive thoughts

Medications for intrusive thoughts are typically prescribed as part of a treatment plan f underlying conditions like anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or depression. Here are some common types of medications that may help:

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)

Commonly prescribed for OCD, anxiety, and depression.
Examples:
- Fluoxetine (Prozac)
- Sertraline (Zoloft)
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)
- Paroxetine (Paxil)
- Citalopram (Celexa)

Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs)

Used for anxiety and depression.
Examples:
- Venlafaxine (Effexor XR)
- Duloxetine (Cymbalta)

Benzodiazepines

Used for acute anxiety but not typically recommended for long-term treatment due to dependency risks.
Examples:
- Lorazepam (Ativan)
- Clonazepam (Klonopin)
- Alprazolam (Xanax)

Sum It All Up

Intrusive thoughts can be annoying, but dangerous if they’re aggressive. Normal intrusive thoughts are annoying, because they don’t coincide with what you are experiencing.

Aggressive intrusive thoughts (like the ones I experienced) can have a negative and damaging health threat. They are malicious and can send you into chaos. Distraction is what helped me through these thoughts most everytime.

I was able to focus on something else, and the thoughts would wither away. They went back to the dark corner they came from. I still get normal ones every now and then, but nothing like before. Now I have peace of mind, and you can too. Peace and love. Until next time…