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Original poster

Does anyone else suffer from horrible intrusive thoughts?

28 replies

Ohnotanothernamechange · 20/06/2019 18:48

Ive suffered with them for years, they usually involve awful things happening to those close to me and I think are probably linked with my anxiety. Recently my anxiety has been at its lowest levels in ages and life is really good. Then all of a sudden and totally out of the blue this evening I get a really horrible image in my head. It's completley knocked me off kilter and now I can feel my panic levels rising.

It's stupid and ridiculous and I know they are not real and just my mind playing tricks on me. But they are so upsetting and once I get them I struggle to get them out of my head for ages. I feel like my stupid brain is broken, and can't let me feel calm for whatever reason.

Does anyone have any advice for dealing with this? Is there a way I can stop them.

OP posts:
Squiff70 · 20/06/2019 18:59

I think most people get horribly intrusive throughts at times so you're definitely not on your own. I certainly get them! If they're becoming a real problem, you may benefit from counselling or something like CBT to help put these thoughts into perspective. Look after yourself!

Nishky · 20/06/2019 19:00

Yes. I had CBT. Improved my quality of life massively

Tableclothing · 20/06/2019 19:02

See your doctor.

Mishtry · 20/06/2019 19:04

Yup. I saw a psychologist for anxiety. Really helped. Still have intrusive thoughts but not as overwhelming. Get help!

Original poster
Ohnotanothernamechange · 20/06/2019 19:07

Would I get CBT on the NHS? Not sure I could afford to go private.

OP posts:
shivermetimbers77 · 20/06/2019 19:13

Hi OP, yes you can get CBT on the NHS - either visit your GP or google your local IAPT service. A type of CBT called ACT may be particularly helpful.. ACT helps you to learn ways of coping with intrusive thoughts by trying not to push them away (as pushing then away actually makes them worse:sort of a rebound effect), but by accepting that they happen, and noticing then come and go in your mind, which tends to make them less troublesome.

gamerwidow · 20/06/2019 19:13

Would I get CBT on the NHS?
Possibly, I had CBT 8 years ago via a NHS referral to MIND.
You need to see your GP and find out what is available locally.

HonniBee · 20/06/2019 19:15

I was going to say similar to shivermetimbers. I have horrible intrusive thoughts and, with counselling, have learnt to notice them and remind myself how silly they really are, then move on. The more you try to ignore them, the more insistent they are.

Original poster
Ohnotanothernamechange · 20/06/2019 19:16

Honestly I don't know where this horrible image came form, was totally out of the blue and ive not had one in ages. Can't think of anything that's triggered it either?

OP posts:
JesusInTheCabbageVan · 20/06/2019 19:25

Yes, definitely. Always me doing something terrible. I used to get very stressed about it, but it's got easier as I got older, and a lot easier when I found out it wasn't just me!

I remember watching a stand up (Greg Davies, I think) and he said something about driving his family home after a nice day out and 'Do you ever just think - I only have to do this ' and a lot of people in the audience clearly knew what he meant. It was a real eye opener.

ShinyRuby · 20/06/2019 19:26

I could've written your post. It really is very common, most people have the thoughts but some people can just dismiss them. Others dwell on them or blame themselves for thinking such terrible things (as I did)I first had intrusive thoughts 25 years ago & I thought I was going mad. Life was good & I didn't know what was wrong with me.I had counselling which really really helped & I would really recommend this. Talking about it takes away the 'hugeness' of it inside your head if that makes any sense. It is 100% linked to anxiety. Over time I've managed to talk myself down from the panic the thoughts can cause. I still have the odd bad moment especially if I'm tired or not looking after myself. Definitely see your GP as a first step who can hopefully refer you to a therapist who can help. Good luck.

AlunWynsKnee · 20/06/2019 19:29

You can get it on the NHS at least in some areas but waiting lists are very, very long.
Try not to panic about the intrusive thoughts. They do happen to lots of people but they don't over think it and the thoughts don't get traction.

Aquamarine1029 · 20/06/2019 19:30

How old are you, op?

Tableclothing · 20/06/2019 19:35

90% of the population (i. e. the vast majority of people who don't have any ongoing mental health issues) report experiencing intrusive thoughts.

Common topics of intrusive thoughts include harm to the self, thoughts of harm to others (including family and friends), sexual intrusive thoughts. They can (obviously) be distressing.

They're really, really common, it's just that most people don't talk about them. Having a thought doesn't make someone a bad or dangerous person. Thinking about something doesn't make it more likely to happen.

Intrusive thoughts can be (but by no means are always) linked to anxieties - e. g. Images of the house burning down if a person is worried they might have left the straighteners on. Sometimes they're pretty random though.

If your thoughts are bothering you, it's definitely worth getting help, whether that's via GP or IAPT.

Original poster
Ohnotanothernamechange · 20/06/2019 19:40

Im 36 Aquamarine.

OP posts:
Georgiemcgeorgeface · 20/06/2019 19:45

I have. I suffered a period of bad anxiety last year and found the intrusive racing thoughts really hard to manage. I started practicing yoga and mindfulness which really truly helped. Meditation and breathing exercises took some practice and I had to force myself to stick to doing it at least once a day until I got used to it. There are some great apps like headspace that can help you learn. I also made sure I went for regular walks and ate well and I managed to recover myself without medication or counselling as my experience with GP was poor. They offered very little help or signposting.

Cuppa12345 · 20/06/2019 19:46

I also got CBT on the NHS and it was quite quick but was about 6 years ago. It worked for me and I don't have them so frequently now

DontDribbleOnTheCarpet · 20/06/2019 19:57

You can get online CBT through the NHS- my facebook feed is littered with adverts for it.

RosieposiePuddingandPi · 20/06/2019 20:03

I get this too OP, especially when my anxiety is rumbling around.
Someone showed me a coping mechanism once, just to try and get the thought away which I use quite a lot.
You picture the thought in your head, visualise drawing a rectangle around it, join up the ends and then kind of swipe it up and out of your line of sight. I don't know why it works so well but it instantly removes the image at least from my head and stops me panicking or dwelling on it.

PhillipeFellope · 21/06/2019 06:08

Yes. CBT helped. I suffered with OCD for a time due to it. I still have them but with less frequently and less focused. I am able to dismiss them more but some I really struggle with still.

Danceswithlightning · 21/06/2019 06:15

I do and I'm waiting for cbt through the NHS. I have OCD (not the cleaning kind) and have intrusive thoughts about death all the time as well as getting very stressed about my children and the state of my house.

AliceAbsolum · 21/06/2019 07:41

It sounds like ocd, refer yourself to iapt x

toastfiend · 21/06/2019 08:36

Yes, it's worse when my anxiety is bad. I had CBT through IAPT. It was free and very helpful.

user1497863568 · 21/06/2019 11:02

Yes, I had to go on medication for it.

Original poster
Ohnotanothernamechange · 21/06/2019 16:03

I really don't want to go back on ADs as they made feel very detached and spaced out.

OP posts:
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