Confused on thought management

[Joewest439]

Hi all,

So I'm not in a great way at the moment. Over the past few months, I've become pretty solid at letting intrusive thoughts just be there. I've been able to let obsessions go that never felt like they'd ever leave me.

Unfortunately, that familiar feeling of unspecified dread returned a few weeks ago and I haven't quite been able to shake it yet.

I read an article saying that we must not avoid and suppress intrusive thoughts. Typically, I now find myself scrutinizing how I manage every intrusive thought I get.

I know I usually do the right thing and simply don't react, but there are one or two past obsessions that almost effectively killed me, so when they pop up, I understandably feel great anxiety and stop myself from thinking about the topic.

I feel this is a justifiable action, but can't for the life of me decide wether I'm foolishly suppressing the thoughts, or heroically not letting myself dwell upon them.

I don't tend to try and avoid them as soon as they pop into my head, more like after a few moments, which suggests I'm simply stopping myself from obsessive speculation.

I just find it difficult to identify wether I'm experiencing an involuntary intrusive thought, or wether I'm voluntarily dwelling on that intrusive thought. So consequently, I can't tell wether allowing such thoughts to be there is actually allowing myself to dwell and speculate over them. On the flip side, I keep thinking avoiding dwelling on them is actually suppressing them. You know?

Surely it is wise to change the subject on such sensitive topics, the alternative being to speculate over them once again.

[PolarBear]

Stop trying to manage your thoughts. Your post above is the result of rumination. You're analyzing your thoughts, trying to figure them out. That's the wrong way to go.

Leave them alone and let them be. They're just thoughts.