How to take your mind off your thoughts. How to distract yourself from bad thoughts? Analyze your negative thoughts

A person may develop a condition in which false ideas and thoughts try to take over consciousness. They attack daily, becoming obsessive-compulsive disorder. This makes life very difficult, but there are ways to get rid of obsessive thoughts and fears. Without help, the condition will only get worse over time. It will become increasingly difficult to focus on really important things and find the strength to overcome problems in everyday life. Subsequently, depression sets in, bad thoughts, desires, and sometimes the disorder worsens to schizophrenia.

Why does obsessive-compulsive disorder occur?

The obsessive state of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) occurs in cases where the mind is unable to suppress impulses to take any action. At the same time, they crowd out all other thoughts, even though they are meaningless or groundless at the moment. The persistence of these impulses is so great that they cause fear. The development of obsessive-phobic manifestations and obsessive neurosis is influenced by biological and psychological factors with varying degrees.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder has different manifestations, but they all boil down to the main symptoms of this nature:

repetitive actions, rituals;
regular checks of your own actions;
cyclical thoughts;
fixation on thoughts about violence, religion or the intimate side of life;
an irresistible desire to count numbers or fear of them.

In children

OCD also occurs in children. As a rule, the causes of development are psychological trauma. Neurosis develops in a child against the background of fear or punishment; this condition can be provoked by unfair treatment of them by teachers or parents. Separation from father or mother has a strong impact on early age. The impetus for the obsessive state is a transfer to another school or a move. A number of factors in the field of family relationships that form a disorder in a child have been described:

Dissatisfaction with the gender of the child. In this case, qualities that are unusual for him are imposed on him, this causes high anxiety.
Late child. Doctors have discovered a connection between the age of the mother and the risk of developing psychosis in the child. If a woman is over 36 years old during pregnancy, then the risk of anxiety in the baby necessarily increases.
Conflicts within the family. Often the negativity from quarrels affects the child, and he feels guilty. According to statistics, in families where a man actively takes part in upbringing, neuroses in children occur much less frequently.
Single-parent family. The child lacks one half of the behavior model. The absence of a stereotype provokes the development of neurosis.

In adults

In the older generation, the occurrence of obsessive-compulsive disorder is influenced by biological and psychological reasons. The first appear, according to doctors, due to disturbances in the metabolism of the neurotransmitter serotonin. It is generally accepted that it regulates the level of anxiety by having a connection with receptors nerve cells. The influence of living conditions and ecology is also taken into account, but the connection has not yet been scientifically proven.

Psychological factors manifest themselves in certain life shocks and stressful situations. These cannot be called the causes of neurosis - rather, they become a trigger for those people who have a genetic predisposition to the development of obsessive thoughts and fears. It is impossible to identify such hereditary characteristics of a person in advance.

Obsessive states

People with certain personality accentuations or those who have suffered psychological trauma are predisposed to an obsessive state. They are subject to involuntary intrusion of feelings, images, actions, and are haunted by obsessive thoughts about death. A person understands the groundlessness of such phenomena, but cannot overcome and solve such problems on his own.

The clinical signs of this condition largely depend on what caused the cognitive-behavioral disorder to worsen and arise. At the moment, there are two main types of obsessive thoughts - intellectual and emotional manifestation. They provoke human phobias and panic fear, which sometimes completely disrupt people’s lives and habitual rhythm.

Intelligent

Obsessive states of the intellectual type are usually called obsessions or obsessions. In this type of disorder, the following common manifestations of obsession are distinguished:

"Mental gum." Unreasonable thoughts, doubts for any reason, and sometimes even without it.
Arrhythmomania (obsessive counting). A person counts everything around: people, birds, objects, steps, etc.
Obsessive doubts. Manifests itself in weakened recording of events. The man is not sure that he turned off the stove or iron.
Obsessive repetition. Phone numbers, names, dates, or titles are constantly replayed in the mind.
Obsessive ideas.
Intrusive memories. As a rule, indecent content.
Obsessive fears. They often appear in the area of work or sexual life. A person doubts that he is able to accomplish something.
Contrasting obsessive state. The person has thoughts that do not correspond to typical behavior. For example, in a girl who is good and not evil by nature, images of bloody murder emerge.

Emotional

Emotional obsessive states include various phobias (fears), which have a specific direction. For example, a young mother experiences unreasonable anxiety that she will harm or kill her child. This type also includes everyday phobias - fear of the number 13, Orthodox churches, black cats, etc. There are many different types fears, which were given special names.

Human phobias

Oxyphobia. The problem manifests itself in fear of any sharp objects. The person worries that he may injure others or himself.
Agrophobia. An obsessive fear of open space, attacks are caused by squares and wide streets. People suffering from such neurosis appear on the street only when accompanied by another person.
Claustrophobia. An obsessive problem is the fear of small, enclosed spaces.
Acrophobia. With this obsessive state, a person is afraid to be at heights. There is dizziness and fear of falling.
Anthropophobia. The problem is the fear of large crowds of people. A person is afraid of fainting and being crushed by a crowd.
Misophobia. The patient constantly worries that he will get dirty.
Dysmorphophobia. The patient imagines that everyone around is paying attention to the ugly, abnormal development of the body.
Nosophobia. A person is constantly afraid of contracting a serious illness.
Nyctophobia. A type of fear of the dark.
Mythophobia. A person is afraid to tell a lie, so he avoids communicating with people.
Thanatophobia is a type of fear of death.
Monophobia. A person is afraid to be alone, which is associated with the idea of helplessness.
Pantophobia. Highest degree general fear as such. The patient is frightened by everything around him.

How to get rid of obsessive thoughts

The psychology of fear is designed in such a way that obsessive states cannot go away on their own. Living like this is extremely problematic, fighting on your own is difficult. In this case, loved ones should help, and for this you need to know how to get rid of obsessive thoughts and fear. Support can be provided by psychotherapeutic practices or independent work on the advice of psychologists.

Psychotherapeutic practices

If the disorders are clearly psychogenic in nature, it is necessary to conduct therapy with the patient based on the symptoms of the obsessive state. Apply psychological techniques individually for each patient. Treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder can be done individually or in a group. To cure a person they use such psychological types therapy:

Rational psychotherapy. During treatment, the specialist identifies the “trigger point” of the neurotic state and reveals the pathogenetic essence of the conflict. Tries to intensify positive aspects personality and corrects negative, inadequate human reactions. Therapy should normalize the system of emotional-volitional response.
Group psychotherapy. The solution to intrapersonal problems occurs through the development of defects in interpersonal interaction. Practical work focuses on the ultimate problem to resolve intrapersonal obsessions.

The degree of obsessive states can vary, so the presence of the latter is not a direct path to psychiatry. Sometimes people just need to figure out how to distract themselves from the bad thoughts that arise in the subconscious. To overcome obsessive fear and anxiety, you can use the following techniques:

There are a number of reasons that complicate the recovery process with obsessive fear. For some, this is due to lack of self-confidence and their strengths, others lack perseverance, and others completely expect that everything will go away on its own. There are a number of examples famous people who, on the path to success, managed to overcome their phobias and fears and dealt with internal problems. For this purpose they are used psychological techniques, helping a person remove obsessive fear from the path.

Psychological techniques

Fight negative thinking. This technique is called the “switch”, because the essence is to imagine your obsessive fears in the form of a switch as clearly as possible, in detail, and at the right moment simply turn it off. The main thing is to imagine everything in your imagination.
Correct breathing. Psychologists say: “Inhale courage, exhale fear.” Even inhalations with a slight delay, and then exhalations, normalize the physical condition during an attack of fear. This will help you calm down.
Action response to anxiety. A difficult practice when a person “looks fear in the eye.” If the patient is afraid to speak, then you need to put the patient in front of the public. You will be able to overcome fear through “drive”.
We play a role. The patient is asked to play the role of a confident person. If this state is practiced in the form of a theatrical game, then at some point the brain may respond to it, and the obsessive fear will pass.

Today we will talk about how to distract yourself from obsessive thoughts– the advice of psychologists given in the article will certainly help solve this problem and free your mind. Unfortunately, our life has both white and black stripes, and there is no escape from sad events, and it is against their background that negative thoughts are formed, which is quite natural for the human psyche.

However, they gradually recede into the background, and life events fill a person’s thoughts, and if natural replacement does not occur, and bad thoughts constantly haunt, then this is a cause for alarm. It is the constant presence of negative thoughts that causes depression and depression.

Where do negative thoughts come from?

Before get rid of bad thoughts, it is necessary to understand the very root cause of their appearance, because sometimes negativity is formed even with a completely good course of life. It would seem that everything is fine in the family, at work too, the children are happy, and their health is excellent, but for no apparent reason negative thoughts begin to attack. Gradually they return more and more often, and very soon the individual simply does not know how to escape from the obsessive thoughts that completely occupy the consciousness. Why does this happen, and what is the reason for these thoughts?

The reason for the appearance of negative thoughts can be the presence of contradictions with oneself. Every day, each of us makes many decisions, and they can be both minor and quite responsible. When choosing which transport to take, what to eat for breakfast, or what coffee to order in a restaurant, we hardly think about it, focusing on momentary wishes. But when making important decisions, for example, regarding a change of place of residence, the birth of a child, a change in profession, and so on, contradictions often arise, and here negative thoughts begin to form. A person analyzes, weighs the pros and cons, doubts, fears making mistakes, and all this completely occupies the consciousness, which causes bad thoughts, insomnia, fatigue, and psychological stress.
Guilt for a bad decision. It’s not for nothing that they say that those who don’t make mistakes don’t do anything. Every person has made mistakes in life, more than once, but individuals react to their mistakes differently. For some, they become a storehouse of experience, lessons that people learn and continue to act differently, but for others, after taking the wrong step, they begin to be haunted by obsessive thoughts. A person can spend the whole day thinking about what would have happened differently if he had chosen a different path to resolve the issue, and gradually it becomes more and more difficult to distract himself from obsessive thoughts. Such people often fall under the influence of a manipulator, which leads to an even worse situation.
A hopeless situation. Unfortunately, we all find ourselves within certain limits, and some of them are easier to get used to than to fight. There are situations when circumstances develop in such a way that it is impossible to influence them in any way. A person begins to have negative thoughts that actually choke him. A problem that has no solution depresses even the strongest personalities, instilling constant apprehensions, fears, and uncertainty about the future into the mind.

In any of the above situations, individuals have a question about how to distract themselves from obsessive thoughts, because we sometimes underestimate the danger of such psychological stress. Depression develops, interest in life disappears, a person spends time in a state of panic, loses self-confidence - and the reason for this is bad thoughts that attack the psyche.

What do bad thoughts lead to?

In our country, people are not accustomed to turning to specialists with problems such as negative thoughts, apathy, dissatisfaction with life, believing that these manifestations, in principle, do not deserve attention if they do not affect their usual life. Although advice from psychologists can actually help initial stage development of an apathetic and depressive state, and avoid subsequent neuroses. In fact, neglected psychological stress, which is caused by bad thoughts that haunt a person, can lead to a psychiatric hospital, so leaving the problem unattended is really dangerous. Bad thoughts lead to a number of other problems, for example:

Difficulty performing one's duties and tasks. Bad thoughts occupy the individual’s consciousness so tightly that other events and circumstances practically crowd out. This leads to the fact that even work that previously seemed elementary becomes backbreaking work; a person gets confused, forgets important points, and finds it difficult to understand the essence of the task. Naturally, this state of affairs becomes an additional stimulant for the development of a depressive state.
Development of diseases. As already mentioned, obsessive thoughts destroy the psychological state of the individual, which causes a deterioration in well-being, the occurrence of mental syndromes, and, as a result, admission to specialized medical institutions. And all because the person could not distract himself from obsessive thoughts, he worked himself up, and did not want to change anything at the level of his subconscious.
Incorrect settings. It is not for nothing that they say that any thoughts are material, and if an individual really strongly desires something, then sooner or later he will receive it. But not only good plans and dreams are material, but also negative thoughts, so constant thinking about failures, illnesses, problems leads to the fact that there are only more of them in life, and existing ones only get worse.

If a person cannot get rid of bad thoughts on his own, he needs the help of a specialist, otherwise neuroses and nervous syndromes can lead to the worst consequences. But before this, the individual should himself determine the root cause of negative thoughts, only then a specialist will be able to correctly suggest how to get rid of bad thoughts. By the way, with the naked eye you can clearly recognize those who are haunted by negative thoughts; to do this, it is enough to have some information.

How to understand that an individual is haunted by negative thoughts

Even in a crowd a person who has encountered this kind of psychological problem, will be clearly expressed against the background of the surrounding people. To identify a person whose mind is haunted by bad thoughts, it is necessary to rely on the following facts:

Negative thoughts cause panic fear of developing any disease or contracting diseases. A person begins to constantly clean, wash, and almost constantly try to protect himself from environment, disinfect all things and objects that are around him, and uses the strongest chemicals for this;
A person is constantly tense emotional level, because attacks and dangers await from everywhere. Negative thoughts can force him to return home from the other end of the city in order to once again double-check whether he forgot to close the door, turn off the equipment or turn off the appliances;
The desire to perform all tasks perfectly is off the charts, the individual is afraid of sinning somewhere, doing something wrong, violating cleanliness, order, quality, and so on. At the same time, the slightest disorder will be enough for the development of a depressive state;
Bad thoughts constantly return an individual to the past, so they try to preserve as much as possible about him as much as possible, be it notes from the institute, drawings from kindergarten, or shoes that have been stored for more than one year. The disappearance of an old thing can be a severe psychological blow to a person;
Such a person always sees the worst in everything: a relative is late at work or stuck in a traffic jam, and he already draws pictures of a traffic accident in his subconscious, and a banal call from an unfamiliar number causes panic.

An individual who is tormented by bad thoughts not only suffers from this himself, but also brings many problems to his loved ones, relatives and friends, so it is necessary to get rid of the problem.

How to distract yourself from obsessive thoughts

In order to get rid of bad thoughts, it is necessary to highlight the reason that became the impetus for the development of the problem. The individual needs to remain alone with himself, in silence, and carefully consider at what point negative thoughts began to attack his consciousness, and what exactly happened then. Next, we will consider some advice from psychologists that are aimed at providing psychological assistance for those who suffer from negative emotional background:

Negative emotions must be minimized. Many people themselves do not notice how much negative emotions experienced while watching the news, listening to radio programs, or even while chatting and gossiping with work colleagues. Against this background, obsessive thoughts only progress, so you should switch your consciousness to positive sensations. Instead of watching the news - a walk in the park, instead of the aggressive press - interesting book, and on a day off you can do what you love, for example, go to the country, go boating, and so on. In addition, you should minimize communication with envious people, gossipers, those who like to complain and show aggression - your social circle is cheerful, positive people.
To distract yourself from obsessive thoughts, try to write down on a piece of paper all the main factors that stimulate their appearance, and try to find positive aspects even in the biggest problem. If you were fired from work, this means that it’s time to conquer new heights; your car breaks down - it’s time to go in for sports and walk to work, and so on. This way you can gradually replace bad thoughts with positive thoughts.
Some advice from psychologists suggests that to get rid of a problem, you need to visualize its destruction. It is necessary to make a list of experiences that stimulate negative thoughts and destroy it, for example, finely tear up the sheet of paper with this list, permanently delete the document on the computer, or burn the sheet. In the process of destroying the list, you should imagine that not only the records themselves disappear, but also the problems that haunt you.
Stimulating self-confidence. To escape from obsessive thoughts, a person needs to take the reins of his life into his own hands, to realize that it depends entirely on how the individual behaves. A small goal, its gradual achievement, and subsequent encouragement will allow you to drive away bad thoughts and believe in yourself again.
Working with imagination. If obsessive thoughts attack, you can independently, with the help of your imagination, force them out of your head, for example, imagining a house, forest or other landscape, and trying to examine it in detail. For bad thoughts there simply won't be time or space left.
Nutrition. There is no need to spend money on expensive medications called antidepressants, which are of very questionable effectiveness; it is enough to eat right. Eating bananas, raisins, celery, chocolate, and sea fish will help you overcome bad thoughts.

Or maybe meditate?

Experts say that it is possible to drive away obsessive thoughts with the help of, during which the individual concentrates his attention and goes to the subconscious level. This is the way you can drive away negative thoughts, but this is only effective if a person carefully studies the technique itself and the basics of meditation. The procedure should begin with setting yourself up in a positive mood, and it is at this positive moment that you should move on to meditation. Some are sure that this technique does not work at all, but, in fact, it all depends on how correctly a person uses it.

Which only stimulates bad thoughts

If an individual begins to independently rid himself of problems negative thinking, he should study the list of those factors that will become his worst enemies in this fight. These include:

Showing pity and severity towards one’s own personality. An individual, faced with problems, troubles and failures, often begins to feel sorry for himself, gradually cultivating it, justifying himself, and setting a bad attitude. For example, having lost a job, a person faces problems: lack of money, lack of stability, the need to find an alternative job, and so on. But, if you look at the situation differently, then this situation forces friends and family to reassure, support, and help. And on a subconscious level, a person understands that he can wait to look for a new job, because his parents will be happy to feed him, and his friends will pay for a trip to the cinema for an unemployed person, and so on. But at the same time, the person is internally nervous, because this will not help solve the problem at the root, and this is regularly felt on a subconscious level.
Fear of bad consequences. Obsessive thoughts about what bad results this or that business may end in, or what consequences the individual’s actions have already had, completely stops him. At a subconscious level, a person gives himself negative attitudes, for example, when speaking at a conference, he is confident in advance of a bad report, difficulties, problems with equipment, although the material was prepared perfectly, and the best equipment was chosen. This results in stuttering, confused speech, and trembling in the voice. You need to give yourself the mindset that you are in a comfortable environment, everything is working perfectly, and the prepared report is superior to all previously submitted work.

And finally, one more piece of advice. The sponsor of obsessive thoughts is often idleness and too much free time. A busy person has no time to delve into his subconscious, looking for reasons to be nervous, setting himself up for negativity, reveling in self-pity.

“Stop whining”, “Pull yourself together”, “Smile”, “Many people are much less fortunate than you”, “Just forget about it”, “Keep it simple”... All these countless phrases are uttered by the people around you, seemingly with the most friendly intentions. It’s as if depression and anxious ideas will leave your head with the wave of a magic wand. As if these phrases will solve all problems. Some people who advise how to escape from bad thoughts often have false ideas about the recipients of their parting words. They tend to consider depression a common whim.

Are there any chances of winning the fight against negative thinking?

If everything were as simple as these advisers think, then pessimists would not exist in principle - after all, who is capable of consciously choosing suffering for themselves? Even if this happens, then, most likely, such a person simply wants to get rid of even more fear and pain.

Nowadays, almost everyone has heard about the importance of techniques such as meditation, physical exercise, relaxation and staying in the “here and now”. The catch is this: all of these practices are a challenge that is almost impossible to take on when you are anxious or depressed.

However, there are ways that once again prove a simple truth. People who often suffer from negative thoughts must have much greater willpower compared to those who are simply generous with " useful tips" After all, fighting depression requires a lot of self-control. The basis for the use of these methods is the skill of switching attention and concentrating it on a certain type of mental activity.

Evolutionary functions of the brain

To understand how focusing on solving, for example, logarithmic equations can help overcome depression, it is necessary to dwell a little on the structure of the human brain. The fact is that, according to one of the theories belonging to the American researcher Paul MacLean, it has three sections. They differ in the time of formation and perform different functions.

The oldest part of the human brain has been figuratively called the “reptile brain.” Its function is to implement a program of behavior in a life- or health-threatening situation. This reaction, as in all living organisms, can be of two types: to flee or to fight.

The next part that was formed during evolution is called the “mammal brain.” She is responsible for emotions and feelings, as well as for receiving pleasure.

And finally, the pinnacle of evolution is the neocortex - the part that, in fact, distinguishes humans from animals. This part of the brain is responsible for logical analysis, abstract thinking and performing other operations unique to Homo Sapiens.

The Human Brain and Anxiety

All three of these brains are equally necessary for a person - it cannot be said, for example, that the reptile brain is less important than the human brain. After all, if he did not fulfill his function, a person would not be afraid of obvious threats to life and would not take the necessary measures in a truly emergency situation. But the fact is that over millions of years of evolution, the reptile’s brain is so accustomed to reacting in a stereotyped manner, within the framework of the “fight or flight” instruction, that it often cannot distinguish fiction from reality. The more pronounced the state of anxiety or aggression, the stronger the influence of the “reptile brain” on a person.

To figure out how to get rid of bad thoughts in your head, you must first understand the mechanism of action of different parts of the brain. Having arisen at different times, they correspond to different levels of development of living beings. In order not to turn into an animal limited in its consciousness, it is necessary to use such a tool as distraction.

Distraction methods

How can this be done? Let's look at several ways that will help, in times of anxiety or worry, to transfer the “reins of power” from the reptilian brain to the conscious and thinking part that every person possesses.

Firstly, it can be performing simple mathematical operations in the mind: for example, multiplying the first two numbers that catch your eye. You can distract yourself by remembering your friends’ birthdays or the brands of their cars;
Next, you can list five professions starting with the same letter. It could also be a listing of five flowers or plants, favorite foods, fruits. Try to remember five luminous objects, or five things with a soft surface. By the time you do several of these exercises in a row, the negative ones will have lost most of their power;
Try to take a good photo. It could be something from your surroundings, or even a selfie. Not only will the act of taking a photo help you take your mind off things, but the photo itself can have a calming effect.

This is not to say that using these methods will be easy for everyone. Most likely, doing them will be one of the last things you want to do while negative thoughts are overwhelming. However, once you overcome this emotional barrier and show due diligence, you will soon be able to enjoy the realization of power over all the negative thoughts that attack you.

How to distract yourself from unpleasant thoughts if they have taken away all your physical and moral strength?

You're doing well. You smile and communicate with people, have good results at work, friends, family. But as soon as you are left alone with yourself, they appear - overwhelming and destructive thoughts. Previously, we told you how to get rid of obsessive thoughts. And today we will offer 100 practical exercises that will help you switch your attention to more interesting processes and take your mind off your thoughts.

“Bad thoughts are suicide of the soul.”
Victor Hugo

70 ways to take your mind off your thoughts while sitting in your room

Some of these activities will seem trivial, some you won’t want to waste time on, others you will dismiss because they are “not for you.” It's completely your choice whether to try it or not. But, believe me, many of them are able to really direct your thoughts from negative to useful. Yes, and what do you have to lose?

Clean up your house
Stop lying on the couch and sit at the table
Call your parents
Clean a stain on the wall that has been annoying you for several years
Carry out an audit of your wardrobe and the drawer in your closet with the “essentials”
Learn a poem
Prepare a dish that requires a lot of time
Take a test in Russian or physics
Knit a scarf
Build a travel route
Make or family tree
Go serious psychological test and find out more about yourself
Plan it step by step
Bake an intricate cake
Get up and do exercises for at least 30 minutes
Take a contrast shower
Turn on unfamiliar music and listen to the lyrics
Get started on work tasks you've been putting off
Write a summary. Yes, just like at school
Play logic games
: Imagine your ideal day or a day in the future
Take up meditation
Start writing a story or autobiography
Do some physical labor: wash the windows, water the flowers on the windows, clean the pots
Take care of your body: make masks, wraps, warm up
Learn 50 new words in another language and practice using them
Take a video of yourself for your parents or friends
Do
Start germinating seeds
Sort out your old memories and indulge in nostalgia
Order anonymously to a loved one flower delivery
Write a letter to your future self(s)
Assemble the puzzle
Arrange yourself a photo shoot using the delayed start function on your camera
Buy a coupon on the aggregator website for your favorite entertainment
Watch the training course
Paint a picture with watercolors
Look at different vacancies on websites
Read author's blogs on topics that interest you
Stretch, try doing the splits
Write 100 facts about yourself
Sing along to video karaoke (no one can see you anyway)
Solve a crossword, sudoku or other puzzle
Read different words vice versa
Design your portfolio and finalize your resume
Make repairs
Make a detailed diet plan for the next 2 weeks
Learn a few tricks
Create a quest for friends
Do a self-massage
Watch the documentary
Clean your phone and computer from clutter
Make soap
Edit your photo in Photoshop
Chat on social networks with old acquaintances, while initiating a conversation
Have a romantic evening
Listen to an audiobook
Binge watch a few episodes of “Friends”
Identify 5 must-attend events for the week
Express your accumulated emotions out loud by saying each
Rearrange the furniture
Try to fall asleep to calm music
Decorate your wall with your favorite photos
Tell your wish
Read poetry expressively
Make your own wish-list
List the 10 most significant accomplishments of the previous year for you.
Create an optimal budget for the month
Play attention games
Go online

Don't leave the room

don't make a mistake?

How to distract yourself from bad thoughts by going outside

If you still decide to get out of the room, then even the exit itself is a way of getting rid of bad thoughts. And then everything is even simpler and more effective!

Take a ride on public transport
Go to the cinema or theater
Visit your parents
Go for a run
Buy a ticket for the nearest train in any direction
Offer help to a passerby or grandmother on the street
Get a haircut or change your look
Go to the doctor
Go travel along the constructed route
Go to the zoo
Feed the ducks in the park
Pass
Go to a classical music concert
Head to the pool
Set a goal, for example, to visit 3 museums a day, and achieve it
Take a city tour
Have breakfast outdoors or in a café on the terrace
Read a book in the park
Go to the dacha and water the beds
Play board games(even with strangers)
Ride a Ferris wheel while eating kettle corn
Go to a church, cathedral or chapel
Walk down the street with some bread for the pigeons
Fireworks
Take a trial tango class
Become a volunteer for at least a day
Go on a blind date
Go to the bathhouse or sauna
Go to football, hockey, volleyball

It's an endless list. And you can make it even more effective for yourself personally. Its essence is that it is not so difficult to distract yourself from thoughts that are corroding your mood and psychological state. You just need to start doing something. What exactly to do is up to you to decide.

Reading time 6 minutes

Negative thoughts, how to distract yourself? A person is what he thinks. In this article we will talk about how to distract yourself from negative thoughts. Here you will find the most effective ways to cope with obsessive thoughts that poison our lives.

Every person has periods in life when he is sucked into the abyss of negative thoughts, which sometimes turn into obsessive ones. We replay them in our heads over and over again. This poisons our lives, our mood deteriorates, we fall into depression and despair. Life becomes unbearable, devoid of joy.

An obsessive thought, like a projection of your fantasy.

We all know that thought is material. What always happens to us is what we think about, what we fear most. And when we get stuck in negative thoughts, life turns completely black.

Before we talk about how to overcome such thoughts, let's first understand why this happens to us. Why do we get hung up on bad thoughts and can't just let it go?

Intrusive negative thoughts are a kind of bad habit. A person understands that it is harmful to his health, but cannot get rid of it. Obsessive thoughts can bother a person for several days, and sometimes months. These may be certain fears, grievances, experiences, painful memories.

But what’s most interesting is that when time passes and these thoughts disappear, the person realizes that these thoughts did not pose any threat to him. Often, after a while a person realizes that the thoughts that poisoned his life long time, this is generally dust and you shouldn’t even think about them.

Negative obsessive thoughts arise in a person’s mind involuntarily, against his will. A person is aware of pain, these thoughts are accompanied by depression and anxiety.

Causes of obsessive thoughts:

Most often, the cause of obsessive thoughts is stress. No matter how a person tries to forget a difficult situation, it is still reproduced in the memory again and again.
Obsessive thoughts can arise as a consequence of psychological trauma.
The cause may be severe fatigue and exhaustion of the nervous system.

Negative thoughts: how to distract yourself?

“You need not to get rid of thoughts, but to direct your attention to them: what they are about, immerse yourself in them and find the reason from which they come. Perhaps this is some event in your life that gives rise to fear in you... You need to figure out the reason. And then the “bad thoughts” will go away on their own.”
D. Krok Freeskiing

Give yourself compliments, praise yourself. As soon as a negative thought comes to you, start saying the phrase in your head: “Shut up immediately.” Then start complimenting yourself. This is the method of psychologist V.K. Nevyarovich, who described this method in the book “Soul Therapy”.
Having the right attitude will help you distract yourself from negative thoughts. Always say confidently: I can! I can do it!
Relaxation will help you take your mind off bad thoughts. You need to relax your body and have fun. Our body immediately reacts to negative thoughts. Wrinkles appear, the corners of our lips droop, we look 5 years older. Go for a massage, take a bath with aromatic oils, visit a beauty salon, go to the pool, get some sleep. Yoga and meditation will help you with this.
You can get rid of bad thoughts if you throw them out. Don't hold back your emotions, cry, shout out, or talk to a person you trust. In the process of talking through the problem, many things become clear and resolve themselves.
You can write down all your negative thoughts on paper and burn them. This is a kind of ritual of cleansing and letting go of the situation.
Imagine your thoughts very small. Squeeze them in your fist so hard that they crumble and scatter them in the wind.
The nature of the problem needs to be established. Analyze when problems with negative and obsessive thoughts began. You must clearly understand what is happening to you. Hopeless situations does not happen and your emotional state can be changed. Some people have been haunted by negative thoughts since childhood, this develops in them a common negative attitude to yourself and the world around you.
To get rid of negative thoughts, you need to recognize your fears. Often your fears are instilled in you by your parents or others. You may have often been told: “You are a failure, you are poor, you have no talent, etc.” Such phrases sit in a person’s head, he begins to believe and feel in them and behave accordingly. To get rid of this kind of thoughts, you need to write down all your achievements and joys, even the smallest ones. This will show you what you really are and distract you from the bad thoughts in your head.
The main cause of obsessive thoughts is anxiety. People worry all the time about everything. These thoughts are exhausting, although often there is no real reason for concern. In this case, it is necessary to control the obsession, this means not talking about it, not allowing yourself to think about bad things. You can distract yourself from negative obsessive thoughts by doing something important matter, start singing or repeating the multiplication table in your head.
The main reason for negative thoughts is the inability to be in the present moment. We can only worry when we think about the future and we are only upset by what has already happened, that is, the past. Therefore, in order to distract yourself from bad, restless thoughts, you need to not think about the future. Believing in yourself and having a positive attitude will help you take your mind off any negative thoughts.
Controlling your thoughts will help you not only to distract yourself from them, but also to get rid of them forever. You must understand that only you can help yourself. Write down on paper your greatest fear and what will happen if it comes true. For example, I won't be able to pay off my loan. What will happen? They will start calling and threatening. What will I do? I'll contact a specialist. Which will restructure the loan. What if they go to court? In this case, they will break the loan into parts, and it will be easier for me to repay it. Any problem can be analyzed and analyzed this way. Then it won’t seem so scary, because there is a way out of any situation.
Repeat the phrase in your head: “Everything passes and this will pass.”
Learn to correctly understand life priorities. There is nothing more important and valuable than your life. Everything else is dust that will dissipate and be forgotten.
Never compare yourself to others! You have your own life and your own life mission. You can gain experience by example. successful people, but don’t try on their life. Envy is a source of obsessive dark thoughts.
Don't get stuck in the past! You must love and forgive yourself. It is no longer possible to change what happened, so why torture yourself. There is no need to remember failures. Concentrate better on what you can do.
Learn to control your emotions. You need to accept the situation in a neutral way, then any thought is perceived simply as food for thought. You yourself color situations with your emotions.
Learn to forgive yourself and your loved ones. If you received negative attitudes from their parents, then they must understand that they simply did not know how to live differently.
To distract yourself from bad thoughts, keep yourself busy interesting project. You can draw pictures, start writing a book, develop a business plan. When a person is busy with something interesting, he does not have time to think about bad things.
Write plans for the future. Write down point by point what you want to do a month in advance. Planning will help you get rid of constant worry and take your mind off negative thoughts.
Psychologists recommend punishing yourself every time a bad thought comes to you. For example, put a rubber band on your hand and when a bad thought appears, pull it back and hit yourself with the rubber band on your hand. It sounds crazy, but our brain begins to understand that a negative thought will be punished, and such thoughts will be reduced less and less often.
Accepting a thought means ceasing to fight it. Learn not to drive away thoughts, but to find the positive aspects of your problem.
When negative thoughts overwhelm you, remember a time when you were happy. Keep this picture in your head and reproduce it every time a bad thought appears.
Think about it, maybe you have a secondary benefit from obsessive thoughts. For example, by constantly thinking about one situation, you avoid thinking about something else. Perhaps there are problems that are more important to you, but you are afraid to think about them. We need to recognize this disguise.
Very often, obsessive negative thoughts are the reason to consider yourself unhappy and this relieves you of some responsibilities. For example, a person believes that he cannot find a job until he gets rid of obsessive thoughts. This is a secondary benefit. Intrusive thoughts are an excuse. In fact, a person simply does not want to look for a job.
Obsessive thoughts cause a lot of stress, so to cope with them, you need to learn to relax with every cell of your body. Relaxation meditation will help you best.
If you believe in God, prayer for protection from bad thoughts will help you cope with bad mood, will relieve despondency. Take good care of your soul. Take care of spiritual purity, because any thought is material and it is the first step on the path to the abyss. Words of prayer have enormous healing power. Whenever you feel a negative thought overpowering you, pray.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many ways to work through, get rid of, or distract yourself from negative thoughts. The most important thing is to have desire and faith in yourself. If you cannot distract yourself from negative thoughts on your own, visit a psychotherapist.