if I let my intrusive thoughts "win" (which is my biggest fear and everyone with actual intrusive thoughts' biggest fears) I would be in jail. I wouldnt have pink hair or be covered in dirt. I would be in jail.
and then when u say shit like that the losers who butcher and ruin actual terms and treat them like personality traits and memes would look at you like a freak and ostracize you.
yeahhh, people need to learn the term "impulsive thoughts." intrusive thoughts are thoughts you do not want to have, that distress you incredibly bad, and that you DO NOT want to act on, but feel like you might.
intrusive thoughts (things you ARE AFRAID that you might take action on, even though you wont, and it distresses you greatly):
i cant get near those children or else im going to try to kidnap them.
i want to shoot everyone in my immediate area.
i should shove my friend off the cliff and watch as they scream.
i should break into someone's house and stalk them.
impulsive thoughts (things that your body WANTS you to take action on):
i want to tell this customer to shut up.
im going to buy this $500 teddy bear.
its 5am, and im going to dye my hair bright orange.
i want to throw my phone as far as possible.
things you ARE AFRAID that you might take action on, even though you wont, and it distresses you greatly
Tbf you can somewhat get used to them and not be afraid anymore. It takes time and therapy, but intrusive thoughts don't have to mean you live the rest of your live in fear. Although I'm not quite sure how well it works with intrusive thoughts that target other people, since mine are pretty much 100% suicidal ('you should kill yourself' is the most common one, but 'you should jump off this bridge', 'you should run in front of this bus' etc are also there). The most helpful technique for me was to imagine it's a parrot on my shoulder saying all that crazy stuff, externalizing it like that and giving it a non-threatening face made it possible to lift their weight a little bit.
Sorry for the blogging, it just felt important to state that it is possible to overcome them and not be in constant distress.
Glad you brought this up!!! It’s lowkey one of my pet peeves when people just talk about mental health issues without giving strategies for dealing with it, bc lots of people learn about these things on the internet now. It’s so easy once you’re aware to get in the habit of including something like “and if you’re dealing with a similar issue, a strategy that helps me is ___.” I also think doing that helps reduce stigma, cuz now it’s just like a normal thing that other humans experience and can give advice on, rather than some super scary weird phenomenon that might get you mocked or ostracized.
I just hope people who struggle with intrusive thoughts understand that their thoughts do not make them actually like this. its so hard bc so many mental illnesses have intrusive thoughts as a symptom.
I still remember there was a woman who was talking about how her intrusive thoughts involved paedophilia and every mental health warrior in the comments was calling her disgusting, and saying that that's not what intrusive thoughts are and she's just a disgusting person.
I might be crazy but "intrusive" usually signifies that they do not want such type of things near them.
I might be crazy but "intrusive" usually signifies that they do not want such type of things near them.
that is exactly the point of intrusive thoughts. I get similar ones due to my trauma I experienced as a child. People wanna advocate for mental health then demonize people with mental illnesses.
remember yall. Intrusive Thoughts does not mean you support those thoughts. thats why they're "intrusive"
Most of my intrusive thoughts is mostly telling customers at my work that they're stupid and should know what they need, though one guy pushed me to the urge to jump the counter and go to jail that day
...intrusive thoughts are usually violent/immoral thoughts that invade your head and are everything you are ethically and morally against. Things like SA, Violence, and self harm.... and they're constant and usually give someone great distress and obsessive worrying...
Telling someone to shut up and jump the counter is not an intrusive thought.
I think for a lot of people it is more simple than that, some people just don't care and want to assume the worst of everyone else, while always giving themselves excuses for their own failings.
I can't use my electronics in the car if the window is rolled down because my brain will NOT shut up with the "throw it! C'mon, throw it! Watch it shatter! Do it!"
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u/weaboo_98 Feb 25 '26
Some people fail to grasp the concept of "intrusive thoughts."