Why does anxiety cause intrusive thoughts

PTSD is a condition that develops following a traumatic event. People with PTSD may become hyperaroused and experience flashbacks to a traumatic situation.

They might also experience intrusive thoughts that relate to the trauma. Cognitive behavioral therapy CBT can help a person change how they think and react to these thoughts. They can take 8—12 weeks to begin working for intrusive thoughts. The ADAA offer some tips for dealing with intrusive thoughts. These include:. A doctor will ask questions about the nature of these thoughts and their frequency.

They will also ask whether there is a family history of mental health conditions. A doctor may refer the person to a mental health specialist, who will check for symptoms of a mental health disorder in case that is causing the thoughts. For example, they may ask about compulsive behaviors that indicate OCD. It is possible to treat some causes of intrusive thoughts.

Others may continue to experience symptoms but be able to manage them through treatment. For some people, intrusive thoughts may persist for a long time. It is possible to learn to live with these thoughts and not let them affect daily life. Many people will experience some unwanted and sudden thoughts, and it is usually not necessary to see a doctor or therapist.

However, anyone who experiences intrusive thoughts that cause regular or severe distress should see a doctor or therapist. These professionals can help the person understand what is causing the thoughts and how to treat them.

This can cause even more anxiety. This is a common issue for postpartum women. Terrified of thinking something so awful about their child, these women may be frightened to be alone with their children or feel extreme guilt. In reality, Psychology Today reports that new moms often have these scary thoughts because parents are wired to look out for threats to their child. But obviously, for new mothers it can be disturbing and isolating. While some women can immediately dismiss these thoughts and move on, others will fixate on them, just like I do.

Sometimes, this is a sign of postpartum depression, which affects millions of women each year. Now, when my brain produces an unsettling, disturbing thought, more often than not I will make a note of it and come up with a plan for what to do.

Oftentimes, I find myself taking a seat and really grounding my feet on the floor and my hands on the chair arms or on my legs. Feeling the weight of my body in the chair allows me to recenter and observe the thought move away.

You can try using a variety of techniques aimed to help change the way you react to intrusive thoughts and cope better. Another strategy is to accept and allow the thought to be present while you try to continue whatever it is you were doing previously. Acknowledge the thought as intrusive and as something that may come back. At the same time, avoid habits that can feed the thought. The ADAA explains that engaging with the thought and trying to figure out what it means, or attempting to push the thought from your mind, will likely have a negative effect.

Observing the thought as it passes while not engaging it is key here. But if you struggle with a thought, it will start repeating, and that makes it seem even more important. Another factor is what we call stickiness of the mind. There are biological factors at work here, making some people genetically more predisposed to obsessive thinking.

These people may also have other anxiety symptoms like excessive worry or panic attacks or signs of OCD — or they may not. Periods of stress in one's life or normal experiences like fatigue, illness or anticipated conflict can make any mind more sticky temporarily.

Knowing what tends to make your mind more or less sticky can help alert you to times when you should strive to be unentangled and unfazed by your own thoughts. Unwanted intrusive thoughts come in many forms.

There are straightforward ways to overcome unwanted intrusive thoughts. They are the opposite of what most people try first. Desperate efforts to reassure oneself by mental checking or by asking others is common. However, the key lies in accepting and allowing the thoughts to occur rather than struggling with them. Intrusive thoughts can become a serious issue, and are not limited to the examples above. The biggest question you need to ask yourself is whether or not these thoughts happen significantly enough and cause enough distress to be considered a problem.

If they are, then you need treatment. Many cognitive behavioral therapists are trained to teach people how to control their intrusive thoughts. There are also methods you can employ at home that will improve your ability to stay calm when these thoughts occur.

In the long term, you'll need to discover ways to control your anxiety directly, because your anxiety is what causes these intrusive thoughts in the first place. Your first choice should be therapy or medication, as these empirically validated approaches are effective at reducing or helping you manage your anxiety. You can ask your doctor for a referral to a psychologist or other mental health professional who uses relaxation techniques to help patients.

Not all psychologists or other mental health professionals are knowledgeable about these techniques, though. Training varies by the type of technique that they use. Some people also buy CDs and DVDs on progressive muscle relaxation and allow the audio to guide them through the process. Anxiety may occur inside of your mind, but it often leads to a host of reactions that can cause anxiety Alterations in movement can be prominent when suffering from anxiety.

Anxiety is associated with fear. It's not exactly the type of condition people associate with anger. The stereotype of anxiety