So, you’re going about your day, having a great pop in your step, and you see something that triggers your brain to connect neurons in a pattern that results in DETRIMENTAL THINKING. What happened? You were just fine, juuuust fiiiiine, and then all of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, your mental narrator goes off the book on tape and starts reciting something from Eeyore’s Diary.
What happened, really? You were good, you saw something, then this parasite of a thought just flooded your brain with negativity. Why? What? How?
Enter the intrusive thought.
Intrusive thoughts are
An intrusive thought is an unwelcome involuntary thought, image, or unpleasant idea that may become an obsession, is upsetting or distressing, and can feel difficult to manage or eliminate- Wikipedia (I know, wiki source, but it’s the best concise definition)
Most of us get them… all of us get them! Our brains spit-fire neuronal triggers daily and who knows, some thoughts may appear without our need for them.
For me, many of these intrusive thoughts are akin to the deadly… debilitating…. destructive… doubts.
If we could all keep it simple like Homer that would be grrrraaaaaaayyyyyyyyyttttte.
How to cope with the lurking, silent spider creeping into your bathroom in the middle of the night? Do you stay or do you go with this immediate preponderance? How can you decipher if it’s a worthy thought that deserves attention, or just a random neuronal firing?
Well, GIVE it some attention! Hear what your brain is saying. Rationalize: is this really worth my time and energy deliberating about this thought, or is it just some… kind of… CHALLENGE? If we view the world as a game… a literal GAME… we tend to restructure life’s borders and impositions to make it more conducive to sheer enjoyment of the moments. An intrusive thought is just a test to see how firm you are in your self, or how easy it is to become derailed from your self-made plan. Let the thought come and go as it pleases… BAH HAHAHA! I say! Play this game and learn the rules. Then, learn how to break them!