Intrusive thoughts are out of control. Coping mechanisms?

[Anxioisme]

I’m due to start therapy soon but been on a waiting list. I have severe intrusive thoughts that make me ask multiple questions to check things, I get anxious if I feel like someone has lied to me.

At the moment I wake up with a pounding heart and feel a bit dizzy until I calm down. Just hoping anyone might have some coping mechanisms at least before therapy starts

He started on it when he was 10 and it really helped him (he was able to stay in his bed all night for ex because less anxious). As a side note antidepressants are not given to young children for depression, only for severe OCD so if I were you I would definitely try it. Then after puberty it got worse again. But he refuses therapy so there is nothing I can do. It's manageable during day time but anxiety increases rapidly in the evening so he's given a dose of Cyamemazine* *in the evening. We're waiting for him to turn 17 when they can try out alternative methods (electroconvulsive treatment). It's hard to live with so I have a lot of compassion for you.💐

Sertraline

I've had intrusive thoughts since a child and have learnt to try and rationalise them or let them play out. Over the summer I had a bit of a breakdown, and after weeks of that constant fight or flight panic and regular heart palpitations started on medication whilst waiting for therapy.
I wish I'd been given medication years ago, the first 2 weeks were rough with side effects however it's been 4 months now and I've never felt so calm and settled. My dose was doubled after 6 weeks as I still felt like I was teetering on a cliff edge and honestly it's been life changing.

Yes get the meds too! Don't be scared on them, they will block the thoughts out. I'm on them

I used to suffer with these - a worry grew like a tree trunk then would branch off and off again until my head was full.of tenuously linked catastrophic thoughts.

As i identified the tree growing I would say "Stop" and make my brain imagine a tree trunk being axed and stopped from growing. This distracted my mind from.where it had been going.

It was hard to do at times, especially when very anxious, but it did work.

Good luck.

Hey, I have OCD and struggle with intrusive thoughts and have done since I was little. I'm also a mental health nurse. The most important part is breaking the cycle and not giving into whatever the compulsion is. For example, when I was pregnant, the thoughts for me were around birth complications/still birth, and I'd spend my time reading still birth stories (which was the compulsion). Do not feed your intrusive thoughts like that. Do anything to avoid it. Go for a walk, bake, scream into a pillow, anything.

Otherwise, distraction. Anything that requires thought and will keep your mind concentrated and occupied.

Finally, reframe things. I get intrusive thoughts about serial killers/being a psychopath, which I get very distressed by. I try and reframe it as I'm actually terrified of these things or hurting anyone, which is why my brain obsesses over them sometimes.

Sertraline is also a decent drug for treating OCD. Don't be scared of it. Most people tolerate it very well, and if you get the common side effects (tummy issues, head fog) they fade for the vast majority of people after a couple of weeks.

I was having intrusive thoughts and went on citalopram and they disappeared, it was incredible.

Try giving it a mark out of ten- right now now I feel 7/10 anxious acknowledge it without trying g to understand it and then do something to distract your self , ice cold drink, colouring book, Headspace app, singing, counting backwards , if I’m in public counting how many brown shoes etc…as well as the mantra …this too shall pass… then give it another mark out if 10 a while later., you’ll slowly come down. Have you been to the dr for perimenopause? Waking up with panic attacks was one of my first symptoms

Exercise

Talking to people

Ashwaghanda supplement

Keeping you mind occupied with a hobby

Keeping a "to do" book.

I find filling my head with something absorbing helps push the thoughts away. For me that's art or reading. If I'm in bed I listen to quizzes - my brain is occupied with thinking of the answers - or try creating lists in my head eg 26 names beginning with the letter A, then B and so on. I have tried various apps for meditation or mindfulness but haven't really found one that's right for me.

You can calm your nervous system by extending the exhale of your breath- breathe into your diaphragm (if it’s possible, lie down on your back to do this because it’s easier to breathe with the diaphragm in that position) for a comfortable count, say 3 or 4, then exhale for the same count, and repeat; on each repetition add a beat to the exhale, until you get to the longest comfortable exhale you can make. Do stay comfortable, don’t breathe out for so long that you’re gasping for the next inhale!

Meditation has proven to be effective in calming the system but it’s hard to just start doing. Yoga can help. If it’s possible, see if you can find a yoga teacher you like, or a yoga therapist, or a meditation teacher who can guide you safely to start controlling where you put your attention.

I've found when this happens I say out loud 'intrusive thoughts go away'. I'm admitting I don't want to think this and acknowledge it and shout out, or when at work think it. Xx

Lots of great tips here but I'll add looking in the mirror and smiling at yourself. I look entirely normal and it's very calming to wave at myself and remind myself I haven't changed.

Also, spraying perfume on my wrist. Immediate grounding.

Medication is the only thing that helps me. Unfortunately it dulls all of my emotions, makes me tired all the time and makes it hard to concentrate, but on balance it’s worth it. That’s how awful the intrusive thoughts feel so really I just want to say I really empathise and hope you find something that gives you relief.

You should look up grounding techniques, and I think you'd find CBT incredibly valuable.

Gosh this resonates so much with me. I've had intrusive thoughts most of my life. But like another poster said I can't always trust my gut to act or ignore. So I'm terrified of getting a serious illness and dying. If an advertisement or some sort of campaign comes on tv or on Facebook etc about that subject I'll immediately switch off. Then I have the thought that I should watch it as it might give me more signs to look for that I've now missed not taking notice of it and I will get that illness and I will die. That's just one example. It's exhausting. When my girls were little it was things to do with them. My brain is very rarely rested and those days it is I know the dark cloud will come back again one day so I can't enjoy it!! I've been on sertraline for 17 years now and it really has helped. I know my triggers and sometimes I just give in and let my mind torment me. Is this the same thing? I've had a lot of abuse and heartache in my life so I've always been in fight or flight mode. I just wish I could enjoy life x

I have this too