Weekly Prompt #39: How do intrusive thoughts impact your daily routines and activities?
Hello all and welcome back to another discussion,
A couple of weeks ago, we discussed: What are some things you've learned about yourself through experiencing anxiety? Thank you to all who participated and shared your thoughts with us. I appreciate you all. I hope all who may read it find it relatable too. If anyone hasn't shared yet, please share them here and I look forward to reading and discussing them with you.
This week's prompt: How do intrusive thoughts impact your daily routines and activities?
Intrusive thoughts are unwelcome, involuntary thoughts, images, or ideas that pop into your head unexpectedly. They can be disturbing, upsetting, or even frightening. But please know
- You are not alone as many people experience intrusive thoughts.
- They don't define you because they don't reflect your character or desires.
- Seeking help is okay because support is good.
Let us know your experiences and challenges with intrusive thoughts. I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences!
@ASilentObserver
Thank you for this initiative Observer :).
Intrusive thoughts come unexpectedly when you are doing a task or going somewhere. For example when I'm at a family gathering, thoughts about "Do I have to say something", "will they find what I say dumb" "will they laugh at me" intrude. I try to find someone in my relatives that I know better than others and I stick with them.
@TU100OT It seems like these intrusive thoughts cause distress during social situations, making it difficult for you to connect with others. Wanting to feel comfortable around your relatives is understandable. How do these thoughts influence your interactions with them?
@ASilentObserver
It is not very pleasant. It is so difficult to connect even with my cousins, nephews, nieces in family gatherings, whom I do not know well, especially paternal, I'm okay with my maternal ones. I just feel like not going ever again. The thing is, one of them always comes up to me, supports me or accepts me as I am or they start talking to me, I feel good. Otherwise, it is just like I am putting in efforts, and there is no effort from the other side, they are just being them. Now, I do not know whether it is my thoughts or it is them, so either I stick to familiar people or people whom I feel comfortable with, or corner myself out. I do not know how to get past this, so many embarrassing moments
@ASilentObserver
Intrusive thoughts come unexpectedly when I am doing a task or going somewhere, even if it is a familiar place. With social anxiety and OCD going to family gatherings has become impossible, the thoughts are too powerful. Other times the thoughts invade and I can't focus on anything else. It is a constant daily battle to stay focus and let the thought go.
I have intrusive thoughts as well sometimes, and even though they don’t really affect me, they are still annoying. I won’t say what they are though, because I don’t wanna talk about it. But to anyone else that does, just know that I’m here to talk.
@TJItalia It feels like these intrusive thoughts have been making it difficult for you to engage in everyday activities and even attend family events due to feeling overwhelmed by them. It is frustrating for you. Can you please share more about what kinds of things you try to do to push them away?
Intrusive thoughts suck for sure and are horrid, annoying and bothersome, among other things.
When they turn into a belief they can pack a destructive punch beyond because they make me think I can't get or find help and make me waste time and energy and lose my patience.
Changing a thought is hard enough but changing a belief...it's the difference between taming one small wild and feral animal and a stampede of massive, frothing ones.
@communicativePond1728 It feels like you are experiencing difficult emotions related to intrusive thoughts turning into beliefs that affect your daily life. Beliefs can indeed have a significant impact on our experiences. Can you tell me more about how these beliefs show up for you?
@ASilentObserver @Catechism nails it
Intrusive thought in tandem with slight anger problems doesn't make for a great combination as it usually results in me want to "force" it out of my head due to the constant irritation that comes with it. That usually resulted in me banging on something nearby or yelling out loud multiple times in succession. This issue has been drastically reduced over the last year, but it was also not that bad several years ago. So it increased in frequency and severity only to be brought back down again. I'm not entirely sure what I did to cause that to happen, but I'm just glad that it's mostly over with again.
@Catechism I hear you that you have made progress in managing your intrusive thoughts and anger issues, which is wonderful. What factors do you think contributed to the increase in frequency and severity a few years ago?
@ASilentObserver As far as I can guess, it had to do with an extremely large increase in stress which originated from a barrage of both existing and unexpectedly new life obstacles that I had to deal with roughly at the same time. My circumstances have become much more stable now, so I would think this was the main driving force behind it.
Unexpected new life obstacles can really throw things off❤️
@ASilentObserver
Intrusive thoughts can make my head feel very triggered and as though my head is going around in circles which then makes me begin to have anxious feelings. 😟 I often find to step out of this cycle is good for me to keep in touch with my close network of friends, therapist and keep myself very busy and distracted. It's not easy but thankfully doesn't happen everyday.
@bouncyCandy4246 It feels like you have found some strategies that help you cope when these thoughts arise. What do you think might happen if you couldn't reach out to friends or access your therapist?
@bouncyCandy4246
Have a close group of friends and a therapist sounds like a powerful support team.
@ASilentObserver Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I get intrusive thoughts and they really bother me so I end up going on my phone to try to distract myself from those thoughts or acting on them. It just ends up with me staying up late and having a bad sleep schedule haha.
@Whelve1 It seems like these intrusive thoughts have been disrupting your ability to rest well. That can be frustrating. What kinds of things do these thoughts typically concern?
@ASilentObserver Ever since I read "If your nervous system finds out that you have eyes, it will rip them out" or something along those lines haha I've been worried about if I end up ripping my eyes off at night.
@ASilentObserver um trigger warning - death and past memories
July is always the hardest month for me😥 with my sons birthday today, the whole month I remember struggle with bad thoughts, voices and terrible flashbacks. I managed to not spiral into deep depression this year, and I haven't long came back inside, I say by his cross in the garden all day, but it's 27 degrees and now I'm feeling a bit rough, trying to block out bad thoughts now, as try to relax for the evening
@ASilentObserver They take up a lot of time I could better spend being productive
My biggest problem with intrusive thoughts currently comes when riding in the car. When we start going over 55mph I begin to panic, certain that we'll get into a catastrophic accident. I've started to have panic attacks while riding in the car (I can no longer drive) from the intrusive thoughts that every time we get on the freeway, we'll crash and die.
@august45 That sounds frightening. It is distressing for you to experience such intense fear while driving. How has this impacted your daily routine?
@ASilentObserver
I have two types of intrusive thoughts. The first comes when I am in a stressful situation. During these times, my PTSD kicks in and I freeze. The second is when I'm outside and I see something- a park, families walking down the street, happy faces, etc. Then I try to think back to when I used to have those feelings- happiness, companionship, contentment; and then I get depressed.