thinking too much..bad things

[presenttense]

What should I do to stop thinking bad things?
everyday...I think my mind is sick.

[lmp]

Hi,

bad things as in imagining fearful things or bad things as in thinking about hurting others, or something entirely different?

[presenttense]

Imagining bad things will happen to me.. imagining people do not like me...do not respect me. Sometimes i think it is real and only after months or years I can see that it was only my imagination. But due to the anxiety I talk a lot of things I should not talk...i feel a lot of confused feelings and it is hurting me.

[lmp]

Yes it hurts, the negative thoughts and feelings we have, I agree. We don't know what other people might think or imagine or respect, do we? What might be the truer purpose of being able to imagine things? , most likely it is not in order to make us feel bad. As far as I can tell most people get caught somehow in negative imagination. As kids we are encouraged to use our imagination, as a good thing, but as we grow up a bit it seems to backfire, we have become too good at imagining things, what we desire, what we fear. Perhaps if we can see the true purpose of imagination, then we can use it mostly in that direction and not where it hurts. Do you think it is because we are misusing it that it makes us hurt?

[ashley72]

You're dealing with intrusive thoughts.... which can become obsessive because they're so disturbing they frighten the shit out of you.

Read this Wikipedia article to get some general knowledge on the condition.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrusive_thought

Because it is uncomfortable to experience bad thoughts and urges, shame, doubt or fear, the initial reaction is usually to do something to make the feelings diminish. By engaging in a ritual or compulsion to diminish the anxiety or bad feeling, the action is strengthened via a process called negative reinforcement—the mind learns that the way to avoid the bad feeling is by engaging in a ritual or compulsions. When OCD becomes severe, this leads to more interference in life and continues the frequency and severity of the thoughts the person sought to avoid.

I experienced troubling intrusive thoughts myself and overcame their obsession by exposure therapy. My condition was due to acute anxiety I was experiencing at the time.

It may take you a week or so for intrusive thoughts to subside once you start exposure therapy.

Do the following.... stop avoiding any fear triggers, Allow the intrusive thought to arise and fully feel the fear response. It may help to say out loud to yourself, "these intrusive thoughts have no real power...it works the same way a scary movie can scare people even though no present danger or harm exists... It's merely the fear response which gives it power. If I stay with these thoughts & feelings until they subside it will become less powerful each time I expose myself in this way"

[DavidB]

What should I do to stop thinking bad things?
everyday...I think my mind is sick.

Never mind.

Don't worry about thinking, that's the first step.

Don't mind what thoughts arise, that's the second step.

Nothing you think is who you are, is the final step.

Thoughts arise on their own. You do not create your thoughts. You become aware of the thought after it has arisen, not before. We all make the common error of claiming ownership of what we think. Thinking happens, in the same way breathing happens, and blood circulation happens.

Relax and be at peace no matter what the mind attempts to manifest in order to create tension. Be the eye in the storm, so to speak.

[presenttense]

Hi Imp and thank you.
Maybe we are (i am) misusing it...but i do not know how to control it. It just happens.

[presenttense]

Hi ashley,
in my case..the problem would be my actions while I wait these thoughts subside...

[presenttense]

Hi DavidB,
I am trying to relax..sometimes I feel ok..but after some hours, for example, if I dont get what i am expecting...the feelings start to hurt again...imagining negative situations..

[DavidB]

Hi DavidB,
I am trying to relax..sometimes I feel ok..but after some hours, for example, if I dont get what i am expecting...the feelings start to hurt again...imagining negative situations..

Eckhart says, "if you cannot accept what is, then accept how you feel about it". If you cannot be present in the moment and instead you feel overwhelmed by emotion, then accept that you cannot be at peace in this situation, and simply accept how you feel. The acceptance of how you feel may not make you feel better but it will at least help you maintain some clarity. Often we don't feel as good as we might like, but that's fine, because how we feel is what ever is manifest in that moment and is therefore an aspect of the now.

Being at peace long term and consistently takes practice, so don't be too hard on yourself. Simply appreciate the fact that you have identified within yourself a new way of living and you are working towards that new state of existence. You will encounter turbulent waters along the way, simply know that these are opportunities for unconsciousness to be exposed and opportunities to know yourself better. It's all win/win really, you cannot lose.