Hi Nicolette, welcome to Psych Central. How do I deal with intrusive thoughts? Well it depends on how emotionally charged they are. A little pesky thought, not much worry about it, dismiss it. A hateful angry thought, grab the steering wheel and start counting my breaths silently, 1 with the inhale, 2 with the exhale, continuing up to 10 then start at 1 again.

Well the massive thought attack, I run for the nearest bathroom and start doing everything I know to just be quiet and NOT fight them. Fighting thoughts makes me a battleground. Some call it practicing mindfulness.

The other thing I do is logon to Psych Central and reading and replying to others posts. Just a few minutes here makes me be thankful I am only dealing with my problems.

Many people who are actively involved in Psych Central find it helps take them out of their own problems to develop empathy for others. And their problems though still there are more manageable.

There are lots of compassionate people here that can make the load lighter by sharing and caring. Feel free to participate actively at Psych Central. Some people find the forums give them the compassion and empathy they seek. http://forums.psychcentral.com

Please feel free to private message me or any of the Community Liaisons by left clicking on the name in blue to the left of their post) for questions or just to share.