Intrusive thoughts are thoughts that consistently enter your mind against your will. They're considered intrusive because you simply cannot get them out of your mind, and they often pop up at unusual moments. Intrusive thoughts may also occur in flashes, and often cause significant anxiety when they enter your mind.

Who isn't stressed right now?

Having depression or a mental illness can cause countless negative thoughts to invade your mind. The world we live in today has made our lives harder in more ways than we thought possible. Stuck at home, away from social gatherings, and losing loved ones takes a toll on all of us. All of these factors culminate into a sense of dread that can weigh on us every single day we stay dormant in this new version of normal.

Whether you are worried about yourself or others, it can slowly begin to eat away at your brain until it is the only thing left. Despite these hardships, we as human beings must stay vigilant towards a better and brighter future for those who are working tirelessly to treat and protect others from the chaos of a virus, the hatred of democracy, and the brutality amongst minorities and asylum seekers.

Here are a few mindful tips to bring more light and peace into your mind that may be clouded by darkness and negative and intrusive thoughts.

1. Creativity is Key

I know you may see this on every guidance counselor's wall at school, but it has truth in those words. Finding an artistic or creative way to remove oneself from their stress can be through reading a book or even finding a show/movie to watch. It can provide an escape to a fantasy of wonder while we all ignore the headache that awaits us outside. 

Writing is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal. Having trouble processing your thoughts? Want to be more in touch with your emotions and feelings? This idea is the first step towards that process. 

A researcher from the University of Texas "found that when we translate an experience into language by writing it down, we essentially make the experience graspable" (Grate). According to a study published by Cambridge University Press, writing daily for 20 minutes over a 4 month period helped patients lower their blood pressure and improve their liver functions. 

2. Consistent Anxiety Can Be Controlled

Escaping reality can be fun; however, if the symptoms you feel are mainly of a repetitive nature, you should NOT avoid them. According to Dr. Winston and Dr. Seif, experts in treating anxiety disorders, unwanted thoughts are only "reinforced by getting tangled with them, worrying about them, struggling against them, [or] trying to reason them away."

Below, is a guide to handling these thoughts when they stick to your brain:

• Label them as "intrusive"
• Remember that they come without a warrant and appear automatically 
• Allow them in without trying to push them out or away
• Work on letting these feelings come as time passes
• Remind yourself to have patience because there is no urgency to them
• Prepare yourself knowing that they may reoccur
• Continue doing your task prior to these thoughts allowing the anxiety to be present

The key lies in leaving these intrusive thoughts alone. Allowing them to come and go without engaging directly will make the stress decrease over time desensitizing yourself to them. With this in mind, you should be able to tackle these thoughts whenever they come to mind. 

3. Take Action To Remove Negativity

Lastly, if you aren't satisfied with the personal way of handling these stressful thoughts, decide what type of action you want to take. There are a variety of ways to get involved without putting yourself at risk. Knowing what type of message you wish to spread can be the first step in this process. Websites such as powerof.org allow people to select the issues they care about and narrow them down by their current home. This process gives people better access to issues in their own community that needs more attention and shows what opportunities are available in that area. 

Another website called zooniverse.org has multiple projects that allow anyone to research topics that need to study data, solidify information, and gain better awareness on topics. To begin, browse the projects posted, and find one that interests you. With over 500 million volunteers already contributing to this platform, the Zooniverse is an amazing tool that brings people together towards a goal that they care about. Not only is this website a great tool for communities to work on topics of importance, you learn and research topics that need more eyes for the data to get published sooner. 

Overall...

Stress and unwanted thoughts plague everyone from time-to-time. There are always actions that you can take to find more peace of mind. Work towards what makes you feel better and check on others who might need to take a break from their mind's battleground.