Intrusive Thoughts Keep Going in Circles – What to Do?

The Problem: Obsessive Thoughts That Won't Leave You Alone

You're tired of what's going on inside your head. The endless monologue drains your energy and keeps you from doing anything interesting. You can't fall asleep at night. Willpower alone can't stop the stream of intrusive thoughts. You repeat the same thing to yourself dozens of times, and the long-awaited peace remains out of reach.

The Solution: Release Your Thoughts Outward

You can get rid of the carousel of unstoppable words if you say out loud everything that's stuck in your brain. The psyche works by the same principles as the body. When your stomach can't digest food, you feel nausea and heaviness – vomiting helps. It's the same with your head. You need to bring the inner chaos out, from darkness into the light. And relief will come, along with clarity.

Verbal Expression of Thoughts

To do this, find a place where no one will disturb you. Turn on a voice recorder. You can hold the phone to your ear, as if you're talking with someone very close and understanding. Start the conversation. Say out loud everything that comes into your head. Try to do it expressively, add feeling. If it's resentment – speak resentfully, complain, demand that the situation be fixed, demand respect for yourself. If it's irritation or anger – add aggression to your voice, you can use profanity – it brings relief faster. Talk, talk, switch off the censorship and self-criticism. No one can hear you, you're allowed to think and say anything. If you manage to release outward the words and feelings you've been holding inside, the jumble in your head will disappear, the carousel will stop, and you'll switch to other thoughts.

Written Expression of Thoughts

When you have no chance to be alone, you can do the exercise in writing. You untangle the disorder in your thoughts, and the chaos turns into an order of words and sentences.

Physical Activity While Expressing Yourself

You can enhance the effect if, while talking, you walk briskly, do squats, or do some monotonous work with your hands – for example, washing dishes, scrubbing the kitchen tiles, or throwing stones.

The relief after you've spoken or written out your thoughts doesn't come immediately. Somewhere around half an hour later, you'll notice that your head has cleared and you're thinking about other things – or that you're falling asleep.

Spot the Recurring Themes

Take note of the themes that stick to you most often. They point to problems that have been hanging in the air for a long time, like the stench around a slop bucket. They will keep coming back again and again until you find a way out and resolve the complications. So we pour the slop into the ditch, wash out the bucket, and fill it with clean water.

Keep Your Thoughts Clean

It's important to take care of cleanliness! And not only of your body and your home. Your head needs sanitation work too. Good luck!