How to get rid of bad thoughts. A step by step guide on how to get rid of intrusive thoughts. Instructions for managing your thoughts and emotions

Each of us almost every day there are some useful ideas. But the human mind is so mobile that they are almost immediately replaced by new thoughts and irretrievably forgotten.

There is another case when the idea is good, but untimely. And in this case, it will most often also be safely forgotten.

But you can change the situation and decide not to miss a single idea anymore, even if at first glance it seems untimely, unworkable, or just strange. In the end, you can never say for sure which undertaking will be successful and which will not be very successful. Ideas then come to us so that we can use them and change our lives.

What are the main reasons we miss ideas? At the very least, they could be:

1. Didn't write down the idea

The circumstances of life can be dynamic and constantly changing. For example, very often ideas come while driving a car, when the brain is practically free. Music on the radio or something seen along the way can push to some thoughts. But writing in a car is inconvenient, and upon arrival at your destination, there is a high probability of completely or partially forgetting the idea. A change of scenery encourages forgetting.

But it's easy to buy a notebook, a pen and put it all in the car. And now, if an interesting idea is born along the way, you can always write it down on the go or by making a stop.

2. The value of the idea that came to mind is not clear

This is another big reason we miss out on good ideas. There are no completely useless ideas, there are only those whose benefits we still do not understand, and we just need to figure out how to apply them correctly.

Such ideas also need to be recorded. Someday they will acquire value, independent, or coupled with some other idea.

3. Abandoned an idea because it seemed stupid

Even if the idea seemed completely useless and stupid to you, it is still worth fixing. After some time, perhaps it will be more useful to you. So, you can, for example, once a month look through all the previously recorded ideas, and for sure among them there will be useful and necessary at the moment.

Write down your ideas

Experience shows that the best ones come suddenly, in the most unexpected places and situations, when they are not even related to what you are doing at that moment. This is completely normal. Just write down the idea, and you can analyze and use it later.

Train yourself to capture forward-looking thoughts.

Your subconscious is constantly working on the tasks that you set for yourself. But the form and timing of his answers to questions may be unexpected and incomprehensible at first glance.

Keeping such records will greatly increase your chances of success. In addition, you will always have entries with many ideas and perspectives in front of you, and this is a source of optimism and motivation.

Of course, not all ideas are good, and not all of them can be implemented. But remember famous inventors. Each of them had to come up with hundreds of unclaimed things at that time before they created something useful. They invented materials that at one time were not needed by anyone, and even by themselves. Their value became clear over time.

In addition, keeping records will allow you to become a more organized person. You will have to regularly analyze the written ideas, and plan their implementation.

I had already prepared this article for a long time, but still could not write it for the reason that I was not sure that I had a complete idea of how to get rid of intrusive thoughts.

Now I have experienced first hand how to deal with such thoughts and am fully prepared to tell you about it.

Perhaps some of my readers think that since I started creating this site, I have completely got rid of all personal problems. Indeed, I have already changed a lot by the time of the first entries in this blog, but my current state cannot be called complete freedom from negative emotions, prejudices and fears.

My position can be described as a struggle with myself, during which the experience and materials for these articles are born. Of course, in this confrontation between my true self and the primitive, instinctive, emotional self, the first gradually wins.

But this struggle continues: two steps back and four steps forward. Self-development stems from the awareness of one's shortcomings and work on them. If there is no struggle, then this does not speak of a final victory, but rather of surrender.

After all, self-development is an endless process. I keep running into some problems and struggling with them. Including intrusive thoughts.

Mind "gum"

These thoughts have always been with me. They could occupy my head and make me nervous, endlessly mentally referring to the same experiences. It was like mental gum.

I constantly chewed the same thoughts in my head, tried to resolve them, to untie some imaginary knot. But from my attempts to weaken it, on the contrary, it tied even more strongly.

I remember how, back in my early childhood, I could not stop thinking about some things that I could not think about at all. The habit of my brain endlessly “processing” some experiences and ideas must have been exacerbated during times of other psychological problems.

Recently, I realized that I learned to work with obsessive thoughts. Moreover, I am ready to formulate a method that allows me to get rid of them. I realized that this article might now finally appear.

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Obsessive thoughts come from emotions

This is the first thing you must understand. Obsessive thoughts are emotional, unconscious, irrational nature. They are connected with your fears, anxieties and complexes deprived of everything reasonable.

That is why they are obsessive. The emotions that form in you make you constantly think about something. They seem to signal “Problem! Problem! We need to find a solution!"

It's like a notification in Windows or something operating system, which appears as an icon and will irritate your eyes until you update some program, remove a virus, or install the correct driver.

We can say that obsessive thoughts have a positive function. They remind you of the problems you need to solve. And you can’t just take and turn off these “notifications”. It's hard to starve to death when your brain constantly reminds you to eat.

But, unfortunately, obsessive thoughts do not always tell us about some real problem. The mechanism of the emergence of these thoughts is quite subtle. And if, for some reason, the “standard settings” of this mechanism get lost, then natural human fears and worries can take an extreme form, manifesting themselves in the form of obsessive thoughts, which are very difficult to get rid of.

Everyone knows how normal concern for one's health can turn into hypochondria, how a natural fear of danger threatens to turn into paranoia.

And now you become a regular visitor to medical forums, and thoughts about your health do not leave your head. Maybe you constantly think about danger while you are on the street. Or you can’t get out of your head the thought of what people think of you, although you yourself don’t see any point in thinking about it.

The conclusion I want to draw is that obsessive thoughts are based on emotions. Therefore, they do not have a rational nature. Therefore, they cannot be fought with logic.

This is a very important conclusion. I have watched myself a lot, trying to understand how these thoughts appear and how they disappear, how my mind tries to deceive and confuse me. Earlier, in the evening, when I was very tired, I could not stop some thoughts.

For example, I could start thinking something bad about myself, blaming myself. No matter how skillful the inner lawyer turned out to be, who, using logic and common sense, tried to convince me that everything was not so bad (although of course he did not rule out problems), the blaming side always prevailed, and everything became even more complicated. The more I tried to justify myself and get rid of annoying thoughts with the help of thoughts, the more I became confused and more these thoughts overcame me. This sport with oneself led to the fact that the invisible knot was tightened even more.

The next day, in the morning, with a fresh mind, I didn’t even want to think about this problem. If I started to think about yesterday's "dialogue" with myself, then I understood that the problem was there, but it was greatly inflated and exaggerated by my condition. I realized that the problem needs to be solved, not thought about. There is no point in these thoughts.

After a while, I realized what the deceit and deceit of these thoughts are. If you try to destroy them with logic, they will still prevail, as they are irrational and illogical and make you believe in absurd ideas that common sense is powerless to overcome.

You Can't Eliminate Intrusive Thoughts with Logic

If you are set on self-blame, then you will continue to blame yourself, even if you have nothing to blame yourself for. Because this is your mood and it is from it that these thoughts arise, and not because of some real situation! Even if you suddenly manage to convince yourself for a moment of the groundlessness of these thoughts, then after a while they will return again if you resist them and continue to logically rebuff them.

If you are in such a mood that you think that you are sick, that something bad will happen to your health, then no positive test results will convince you otherwise. “What if the tests turned out to be inaccurate?”, “What if I have something else?” you will think.

And you will not see the end of these thoughts, no matter how absurd from the standpoint of common sense they are.

It is useless to try to refute them. Because it is impossible. They will come back and attack you with new absurd arguments that you will believe in because you are in such an emotional state that gives rise to these thoughts about non-existent problems.

Remember the state when you are worried about something. No matter how you convince yourself that everything will be fine, that there is no reason to worry, your distorted nervous tension and the excitement of perception paints you a perspective in the darkest colors. Not because everything is really bad, but because you now perceive everything that way. If in this state you begin to think a lot and talk about the future, then your negative perception will attract your thoughts to the “negative” pole and it will be difficult to break out of this attraction.

How to get rid of obsessive thoughts

You will need common sense, but only at the very beginning.

First of all, you need to figure out if your obsessive thoughts are based on some real problem. It happens that mental chewing gum harasses you, exaggerating the problem. But an exaggerated problem does not mean the absence of one.

So think about what are the reasons for these thoughts. Getting rid of thoughts, you should not ignore the problem, if there is one. For example, it seems to you that you have some kind of illness and thoughts about it do not leave your mind.

Maybe these are really not groundless fears, and you have symptoms of some kind of disease. If so, go see a doctor. If you have already done this and you have not found anything - forget it.

Whether there is a problem or not, there is no point in thinking about it all the time! You either try to solve it if it exists, or you forget about everything if it does not exist.

This is the only moment in the fight against obsessive experiences in which you need to apply logic and common sense.

What to do?

Choose a moment in time when you are in the best morale, when you have more optimism and strength than usual. For example, in the morning, when you are full of energy, after exercise or after .

Convince yourself that it makes no sense to scroll through the same thoughts thousands of times in your head. That these thoughts are deception or exaggeration, the purpose of which is to confuse you.

Be well aware of the following things

• you will not come to a solution to a problem if you constantly think about it
• intrusive thoughts have no basis rational basis, and if they are connected with some kind of problem, then you will solve it, instead of constantly returning to it with thoughts
• you can’t get rid of mental gum with logical reasoning and thinking

Realize the absurdity of obsessive thoughts

Further, you can once again, with the help of a few logical theses, expose the absurdity of obsessive thoughts. For example: “I have nothing to fear, because the tests showed nothing”, “panic attacks do not die, I have read about this more than once”, “no one is trying to harm me”, “even if there really are things to be afraid of , do not think about them 1000 times a day, this will only lead to nervous exhaustion.

Your argument against obsessive thoughts should be clear and concise. You should not get involved in an argument with yourself. Remember, in a long dispute with obsessive thoughts, you are doomed to failure, in which emotions and fears will prevail over logic and mind, and negative perception itself will “pull” thoughts to the negative pole.

To destroy the force of this attraction, you need to think less. When you think about annoying thoughts, chew them endlessly, you only increase them.

Give yourself permission to ignore intrusive thoughts.

Tell yourself that you will no longer think about what you think about all day and what torments and torments you. Indeed, why constantly chew mental gum when it does not bring any sense?

An obsessive thought is the repetition of the same thought in different ways. You will not get any new and valuable information from it, you will not come to any decision.

Therefore, give yourself the installation not to get carried away by fruitless reflections. After you've said it to yourself, made a promise you won't break, draw an invisible line. After this trait, you no longer pay attention to intrusive thoughts.

Don't wait for thoughts to come back no more

They will return again and again. Tune in like this: "Let them come back, what's the difference, I realized that these thoughts are deception and do not relate to the real problem."

Thoughts will come back, sometimes you will again begin to untie this knot in your head. As soon as you notice that you are again carried away by this, smoothly divert your attention to the side. Do not argue with these thoughts, do not be upset that they have come (and they will come), ignore them, treat them with complete indifference.

If you suddenly need to remind yourself of the absurdity of these thoughts, do not go beyond short formulations: "nothing will happen to me, and that's it." Don't get involved in an argument you can never win. All the endless arguments that again make you afraid or nervous are lies and deceit.

Remember what I said in the article: if you are in such psychological state where you tend to worry about your health or your future or your loved ones, then your mind will focus on that fear, no matter how absurd that fear may be. Don't turn your mind against yourself.

You must know the puzzle toy, which is like a tube. If you stick the index fingers of different hands into both ends of this tube and try to release them with the help of physical effort, pulling your hands in different directions, then nothing will come of it, the tube will only squeeze your fingers tighter. And if you relax and do not pull, everything will work out.

The same applies to intrusive thoughts. No need to want to get out of them by all means. Relax, "kill", let them be.

Be indifferent!

Your indifference to intrusive thoughts will deprive intrusive thoughts of their emotional content, which fills them with such power that you sometimes cannot control. Over time, you will learn to manage your attention and notice those moments when you again began to think about what you should not.

Then thoughts will leave you forever.

But there is no need to look forward to when this will happen: “when will they leave!”, “I try not to pay attention to them, but they still do not go out of my head!”. Such thoughts are not necessary!

Arm yourself with salutary indifference: thoughts do not bother you - it's good, they returned - that's also normal. No need to turn thoughts about the appearance of obsessive thoughts into obsessive thoughts!

It's no big deal that repetitive thoughts keep coming to you. If you've stripped them of their emotional "charge" and try to ignore them, then they don't get on your nerves like they used to. In this case, they become just an annoying notification window (you may have seen such windows on your computer) that appears in your head from time to time.

And it's not so scary anymore. You can live with this. Thoughts appear occasionally, but they no longer grab your attention or confuse you. They are just short signals in the head that come and go.

When I began to relate to obsessive thoughts in this way, they left my head and I learned to deal with them. BUT fighting intrusive thoughts is not fighting, if we perceive the struggle as a violent resistance. Relax!

Conclusion

I have already said in other articles that mental illnesses: panic attacks, obsessive thoughts can either break you down or make you stronger (as in the statement of a famous philosopher).

Dealing with panic attacks can teach you. Working on getting rid of depression will help you find the source of happiness in yourself. And trying to control obsessive thoughts will teach you to control your attention and control your mind.

Arm yourself with patience and work on yourself, then you will not only get rid of your ailments, but also gain valuable and useful experience as a result of this, which will be useful in your life!

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Bad thoughts in the head appear for a variety of reasons. They can sit in the subconscious for a long time and interfere with a normal life. Therefore, they must be driven away. Learn how to get rid of bad thoughts in several ways.

The impact of bad thoughts on life

Negative thoughts are very difficult to control. They interfere with rest, do not give rest even in a comfortable environment. This can lead to a deterioration not only in mental health, but also in physical health. A person becomes irritable, absent-minded, suspicious, quick-tempered, he develops more and more new diseases.

Also, constant thinking about the bad takes too much time. Although it could be spent on really important things. A person gets stuck in his experiences and does not move forward. Thoughts are material. Negative thoughts only attract troubles and realize fears.

"Do not take the bad in your head and heavy in your hands," - so they say among the people, and for good reason. The head must be freed from pessimistic thoughts, and one should not overload oneself physical labor to keep your health. Yes and bad thoughts always have dire consequences. Therefore, it is imperative to get rid of the negative.

Causes of bad thoughts

Every anxiety has a source. It needs to be determined in order to understand how to proceed further. Very often, a negative story from the past interferes with life. A person experiences guilt (although it may be far-fetched) and constantly worries about it.

For other people, negativity becomes a character trait. They are also called complainers. They like to engage in self-digging and have been pessimists since childhood.

Negative personal qualities also poison life. It can be self-doubt, in which any event or decision becomes a test. In the same vein, suspiciousness can be considered. Anything can put anxiety in such a person’s head, from a news report to a conversation of random passers-by.

Of course, real problems that a person cannot solve can also become a source. Waiting for the outcome just makes you nervous, drawing not the most optimistic layouts in your head.

But religion in its own way explains why bad thoughts are constantly in the head. It is believed that the cause of obsessions and experiences is an unclean force, demons. They need to be fought in an unconventional way - prayer.

Consider a few techniques that psychologists advise using when bad thoughts appear.

calculation

The first step to solving a problem is to understand what is causing the concern. The reasons can be very deep, so it is better to visit a psychologist. But you can try to cope on your own. To do this, on a piece of paper you need to write in two columns all your fears: real and fictional, and then opposite each one - his decision, that is, what needs to be done so that anxiety does not come true.

For example, how to get rid of bad thoughts about an open window or an open stove? Double-check this action before leaving the house every time.

Solution

Often, negative thoughts come from unresolved issues. If you can find a way out of the situation, then you need to act. Bad thoughts about the problem will go away as soon as it is solved. But, unfortunately, many are often accustomed to complaining and doing nothing to change the situation. If you are reading this article, then this is not about you. You are definitely ready to act, and you will succeed. You just need to identify the source of the anxiety.

Adoption

Not all problems are solvable, sometimes nothing depends on the person. For example, a relative or friend is in the hospital and is fighting for his life. In such a situation, it is perfectly normal to be worried. The way out is to accept negative thoughts. You need to realize what you are really experiencing, and this is not unusual.

Bad thoughts creep into your head? Accept them and live with them. But you do not need to give them free rein, otherwise they will master the behavior. It is better, as it were, to observe negative messages from the outside, without a subsequent reaction to them. The essence of this technique is action, not savoring thoughts. So do what you can and leave the rest to chance.

Removal and replacement

For this method, you need a little awareness and understanding of your emotions. As soon as you feel that negativity appears in your head, then immediately remove it, as if throwing garbage into a bucket. You need to try not to get hung up on thoughts, not to develop this topic, but try to forget about it. The best assistant in this matter will be substitution. The point is that you need to start thinking about something pleasant, positive or at least neutral.

With this technique, there is no need to figure out how to get rid of bad thoughts. They are not fed, but replaced by other events. Each time it will get easier and better. And after some time, consciousness will begin to use this method automatically.

Postponement

No wonder they say that the morning is wiser than the evening. Sometimes it's best to postpone your thoughts until later. For example, if you can't sleep because of bad thoughts, promise yourself that you will definitely think about it tomorrow. If the problem is not particularly serious, then the brain will easily agree with this proposal. FROM highly likely in the morning, the negative will no longer worry and will even resolve itself.

This is a very simple but effective technique. It can be applied in many situations. It makes no sense to think about what will become insignificant in the future. Realizing this, it is much easier to throw the negative out of your head. For serious problems, this method is not suitable. It is better for them to find solutions.

suppression

Imperceptibly, bad thoughts appeared in my head, what to do then? It is necessary to suppress the desire to be upset as quickly as possible in order not to develop an unpleasant topic. To do this, you need to put aside all your affairs, count to thirty and take five deep exhalations and inhalations. The brain needs time to comprehend the subject of thought, so as not to draw irrational conclusions and unreasonable actions.

If the anxiety is still not gone, then repeat all the steps. If possible, get out of the room and take a short walk. This will allow you to put your thoughts in order and even distract from the negative.

Bringing to the point of absurdity

You can try the exact opposite technique. On the contrary, you need to completely immerse yourself in bad thoughts and consider what such a bad thing can happen as a result. It is most effective to represent the most Connect the imagination, use exaggeration, make thoughts vivid.

For example, you need to pass an important interview. It is clear that many at such moments are visited by bad thoughts. Imagine in colors what kind of failure can expect. The head of the personnel department, as soon as he sees your resume, starts shouting loudly and throwing tomatoes. You decide to escape from such a shame and run out of the office. But then the cleaner throws a wet rag at you, because you trampled the entire floor. From surprise, you fall, get up and run again. And then you are abducted by aliens and taken to another planet.

Absurd, isn't it? But it is precisely this exaggeration that robs negative thoughts of power. One has only to try to be convinced of the effectiveness of the technique.

Formulation on paper

Psychologists also recommend putting all your bad thoughts on paper. You need to write them down in detail, in all colors and details. The more often we formulate experiences, the less often we return to them. So, they will worry less and less. Bad thoughts put on paper should be considered a passed stage, so the sheet can be torn or burned.

Sometimes it's more efficient not to destroy records. In some situations, it is better to fill in two columns on the sheet - negative and positive thoughts, in order to compare them later. The first is negative experiences. And in the second - pleasant. It can also be some positive attitude. For example, "I'm smart", "I'm good at my job", "I'm a great wife" and so on.

You can only write down your own good qualities and place it in a conspicuous place (on the desktop or in the bathroom). As soon as bad thoughts appear, immediately look at this list to remind yourself of the good.

Positive social circle

Pay attention to the people around you. Think about whether there are those among acquaintances and friends that cause negative thoughts. If you count even a few such people, then you should not blame yourself and upset yourself even more. Whatever the true cause of the behavior, relationships with these people are detrimental to mental health. Experts recommend temporarily avoiding these personalities. If during this period your mood and well-being improved, then it would be better to end the relationship with them.

You should not hold on to people who constantly insult, ridicule, do not respect your hobbies and time. Let it be better for you to have one friend, but a positive one, and you don’t have to think about how to remove bad thoughts. Cheerful people always bring back good memories, cheer up and charge with positive energy.

There are also universal ways that perfectly help to cope with bad thoughts. Psychologists also recommend actively using them. They bring feelings into balance with mild anxiety, and in more difficult cases only enhance the effect of the above techniques. Their main mechanism is distraction. Perhaps, these methods will be familiar to many from personal practice.

positive music

Scientific research has proven that you can drown out bad thoughts with the help of a pleasant melody. Therefore, determine for yourself the best music channel or wave on the radio, and also create a playlist of positive songs in your gadget. As soon as you feel that disturbing thoughts penetrate your mind, turn on loud music and cheer yourself up.

A favorite hobby or some business will help to distract from fears and anxieties. It can be any activity that brings pleasure (dancing, singing, cycling, needlework, reading books, growing flowers, and more).

Some get rid of stupid thoughts with dirty work - cleaning the house. They start washing dishes, floors, dusting, cleaning cupboards and so on. Unloved business will brighten up, of course, positive music. So bad thoughts will receive a double blow and disappear in one moment.

Physical exercise

Sport is a great way to get rid of bad thoughts. Physical activity relieves adrenaline, unloads nervous system so it's a good stress reliever. In addition, with regular exercises, a beautiful toned body will be a pleasant bonus. Such psychological relief, combined with the awareness of one's attractiveness, increases self-confidence and reduces the number of reasons for concern. Just don't overload yourself too much. Do not forget about moderation and good rest to leave no room for negative experiences.

Proper nutrition

It is drink and food that give us the resources and strength to exist. An unbalanced diet, hunger or lack of fluids deplete the body and lead to fatigue. It is she who creates the conditions for experiences even on a minor occasion. Therefore, it is important to eat healthy food and consume healthy drinks(fruit drinks, freshly squeezed juices, compotes, green tea and clean water). In moments of sadness, it is worth pampering yourself with food antidepressants: chocolate, raisins, bananas, hazelnuts and what you yourself love. Psychologists say that delicious food also drives away bad thoughts.

Appeal to God

Prayer helps religious people get rid of bad thoughts. Only sincere conversion will become a powerful weapon in the fight against impure forces. Prayer will establish an energetic connection with the deity and drive away internal demons. Only here the moment of humility with what is happening is important, if certain circumstances do not suit you. If despair or despondency has become a problem, then higher powers should be addressed with gratitude. If you are offended or angry at another person, you should forgive him yourself and mention his pardon in prayer.

It is not necessary to know well-known texts in order to receive help from higher powers. It is enough to sincerely turn and express everything in your own words, then you will definitely be heard.

Now you know how to get rid of bad thoughts if they visit you. You can use psychological techniques, universal techniques or prayer if you are a religious person.

The most difficult thing for a person is to convince himself of something. And no matter what it is: an obsessive thought or a bad habit, fears, anxieties, low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, weak willpower get in the way. We may think that our brain can only be trained: to study sciences, languages, solve logical problems. And what about our mental sphere? After all, it also needs to be trained, to carefully monitor your emotional health. A constant sounding song does not give rest in the head, or annoying thoughts keep spinning and ruining life. Either you worry because of the fear that the kettle was not turned off or the apartment was forgotten to be closed, the light was left on or the fear of getting into a car accident. All these thoughts do not allow you to calmly and sensibly reflect on situations, solve problems and achieve success in life.

What are intrusive thoughts?

As the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle says: Fear makes people think. And this is true as soon as our thin strings of the soul and subconsciousness capture a strong emotional overstrain, which bites into our brain so much that various phobias arise. We become afraid of doing something wrong, of being ridiculed or punished for our actions. Entire carriages of thoughts come to mind, sometimes it is very difficult to control this flow, and sometimes it is impossible. It seems that it is not subject to our will, bad thoughts completely surround and lead us astray from the right path of reflection. Think for yourself how many times, when you can’t complete a task or solve a problem, you scroll through the dialogue with yourself, mentally reproach yourself for your inferiority, ignorance, underdevelopment, get angry, afraid to do it wrong. Such thoughts only lead your thoughts to a false path, do not allow you to see the rational grain in the situation, and anger grows more and more, time is running out. And then, comes disappointment with oneself and the desire to find out where these unpleasant and such annoying obsessive thoughts come from? And most importantly: how to get rid of obsessive thoughts.

Psychologists believe that obsessive thoughts are a neurotic disorder - a neurosis or a syndrome of obsessive thoughts. This disorder is characterized by obsessive states, thoughts - obsessions and corresponding behavior - compulsions. In fact, many people quickly and painlessly cope with such a misunderstanding between a person and the psyche, while others require the help of a psychotherapist. Obsessive thoughts can be associated with diseases, disasters, death, dirt, not ideality. Coping with the slightest obsessive thought is sometimes difficult, but possible. Before you scourge yourself and go to a psychiatric clinic for help, pull yourself together and try to figure out on your own how to get rid of obsessive thoughts, and we will help you with this.

A developed system, a step-by-step guide to cope with the flow of obsessive thoughts and remove yourself from their influence.

Fear is not at all in danger, it is in ourselves - said Stendhal, French writer. To understand the causes of fear, take one day to complete the guide and everything will work out. The main reason for the appearance of annoying thoughts is fear: before people, society, mom, dad, one's soul, death. We are afraid to give ourselves discomfort, and when we experience it, our thoughts are increasingly trying to “secure” it from it. Say NO to intrusive thoughts and start the fight.

Instructions for managing your thoughts and emotions

1. Change the strategy of perceiving these thoughts - to the all-in method. Turn not your back to the annoying murmur and fear, but your face, take them for granted, as one step on the path to improvement. Believe me, when the attitude towards these thoughts changes, it will become much easier for you to find a way to get rid of it. As soon as a thought comes to mind, like: Did I turn off the iron? I can't do it because I can't. Find the positive aspects in them: if I think about it, then it is this quality that is worth developing: attentiveness or the ability to analyze, memory. Say "thank you" to yourself for the tip. Thus, learn from each such thought. For such an analysis, set aside a day, and write down the lessons learned on paper.
2. The next step is as soon as a sticky thought arises that you cannot get rid of, calm down, take a comfortable position, take a pen and a piece of paper. Close your eyes and let your thoughts flow without forcing or fighting them. Then, quietly opening your eyes, write them down on paper. These can be arguments or internal dialogue, censures or thoughts like: what if ... When the sheet is filled, turn on slow soothing music and read what you wrote. It will not seem as scary and terrible, hopeless as it really is. We read it, we learned a lesson: we ourselves inflate the situation. Now you can defiantly tear, burn or throw away this paper and thought at the same time.
3. Rummage in your memory and determine which picture in front of your eyes causes a storm of only positive emotions, tenderness and cheer up. Found? Now, with every flash of obsessive thoughts, turn on sleep mode and scroll through this picture or situation, so you are distracted and you can just forget what you thought about before.
4. When unwanted and annoying thoughts swarm in the brain, think about whether this is a reaction to a hidden meaning. For example, one should learn English language, words or constructions, grammar exercises. And the reluctance to do this causes other thoughts, there are beliefs that a person will not be able to complete the task or learn the words. The hidden meaning is in plain sight, find it and use point 1 - change your attitude and believe in yourself.

Tips for those who need to be able to control their thoughts

• Find the true cause of such thoughts, what you are really afraid of: death, pain, fire. Try to live with it, fighting will only make things worse. To rise above fear is your task.
• At the first analysis of your thoughts, you will feel unpleasant, feel ashamed, uncomfortable. But this is all temporary, as soon as you find reasons to get rid of them, you will feel relieved.
• Be ready for a new attack of obsessive thoughts, do not be afraid and do everything from the beginning, be ready to fight back.

OBJECTS]

45. The second method of concentrating the mind, namely, without the use of objects, consists of three steps: instant expulsion of a thought at the very moment when it appears like a flash; leaving unfinished any thought that has arisen; bringing the mind to its natural state [absolute rest, not disturbed by thought processes (2).

(2) Briefly, the essence of these methods is to immediately block the thought, allow thoughts to arise freely without limiting them, and bring the mind to a state of complete rest.

[STOPPING THOUGHT]

46. ​​The eradication of thought at the very moment when it arises like a flash is carried out as follows.

While meditating in the manner described above, the meditator finds that thoughts continually arise because the mind reacts to stimuli. Knowing that even one thought should not be allowed to arise, one must exercise vigilant control and try to block this continuous emergence of thoughts. And as soon as a thought arises, you need to uproot it entirely and continue to meditate.

47. When the meditator devotes a longer time to efforts to prevent the arising of thoughts, he finds that thoughts follow each other on the heels, and it seems to him that their number is infinite. This is the knowledge of the nature of thoughts, which is the recognition of the enemy (1). This is called the "first resting place". The first stage of calmness of mind is reached, and the yogi, with an equanimous mind, observes the uninterrupted stream of thoughts as if he were resting serenely on the bank of a river, watching its course (2).

The enemy of a long yogi is uncontrolled thoughts.

To convey the meaning of this phrase, I had to resort to a free extended translation of it. Literally, it could be translated as follows: "This is called the" place of the first rest, "like the bank of a river, past which water flows." In other words, if the yogi has acted successfully up to this point, he will be freed from the tyranny of the thought process and will be ready to perform even greater tasks awaiting him on the Path to Nirvana.

48. As soon as the mind comes to a calm state, even if only for a moment (3), it notices the arising and disappearing of thoughts. This will give the impression that there are more and more thoughts. But in fact, thoughts always arise, and there is no increase or decrease in them. Thoughts are born instantly. That which is aloof from the arising of thoughts and is able to immediately stop this arising is Reality (4).

Indian yogis define this shortest unit of time (which they can record) as the length of time between cutting the first and second of three hundred banana leaves stacked on top of each other and cut with a single blow of the sword.

Tib. pierce, what-nyid. Reality is not the human mind, which knows the continuous flow of thoughts. Reality is comprehended only in the True State, and the yogi, being in it, if he has merged with Reality, with this Noumenal Source, can prevent the emergence of thoughts, just as a person who knows how to use a switch can turn on and off the electric current.

[NON-RESPONDING TO THOUGHT]

49. At the next stage, which is leaving unformed any thought that has arisen, the method consists in an indifferent attitude towards it, allowing it to act independently, without falling under its influence and without making attempts to stop it (2). Let the mind behave like its shepherd [or watchman], and you continue to meditate. Then thoughts will cease to arise, and the mind will be in a passive calm state, focused on one thing.

This method is diametrically opposed to the method described in paragraphs 46-48. However, for one who has mastered the preparatory exercises of yoga, there is no discrepancy between them, since both methods are mainly a means of disciplining the mind, in a certain sense fulfilling the same role as Latin language for the student studying it. Through the first method, the yogi begins to realize that the formation of thoughts is as natural as breathing, and when the organism is biologically functioning normally and the mind is active, the latter is as difficult to calm down as any other process inherent in embodied existence. The second method, considered here, leads to the true goal, when the Knower, having reached superconsciousness, observes from the side and dispassionately the spontaneous flow of thoughts.

50. Again thoughts are going to rush like a meteor [rushing through the sky for one instant, but in an uninterrupted way] (3).

(3) In the original, khyur-khyur. An onomatopoeic word that means movement in relation to a meteor flying in the sky, an arrow cutting through the air, or a puff of smoke blown away by a light wind.

51. If you meditate as before, the state of peace will continue. This is called the "middle state of calm," likened [in its serenity] to the calm flow of a river.

52. Keeping the mind in this inactive state leads to the formation of sediment in the mind (1).

(1) Sediment is thoughts, as the following saying will make clear.

53. Expert in the Teachings (2) said:

If the mind is inactive, it becomes calm. When the water settles, it becomes clear.

(2) The text does not give the name of this sage. But it was Gampopa or Dzongkapa, who were the illustrious apostles of the White Dynasty Guru who transmitted, as stated in the homage formula, this treatise (see Book 1, introduction: the author of the book and his fellow student).

54. And the great teacher of yogis [Milarepa] instructed:

When the mind is in the original immutable

state, Knowledge is born.

When this state, which can be likened to the calm flow of a river, is maintained, the fullness of Knowledge is attained.

O yogi, stop directing and formulating thoughts,

Keep your mind calm all the time.

55. The great Saraha summarized in the following verses the essence of the teachings about this double method applied during meditation:

When the mind is bound [unrelaxed], it strives

wander in each of the ten directions.

When it is free, it is firm and immovable.

And I understand now that he is as stubborn as a camel.

[WAY TO RETURN THE MIND TO A NATURAL STATE]

56. The third way, which is bringing the mind to its natural state, consists of four steps.

[THE DEGREE SIMILAR TO THE SPINNING OF THE BRAHMIN CORD]

57. The first stage is to keep the mind in a balanced state with the same diligence with which the Brahmin thread (1) is spun, since it must be spun evenly. It should neither be too tight nor too loose. Likewise, when meditating, one should not strain the mind too much, otherwise thoughts will get out of control (2).

(1) The cord of a Brahmin, which a Brahmin wears as a sign of his caste, must, according to tradition, be spun by a virgin and with the greatest care, for if it breaks while spinning, misfortune will follow. Saraha (see books 2 - INTRODUCTION: 1. On the origin of the teachings of the great symbol) was a brahmin by birth, which explains the appeal to this analogy.

(2) Thoughts must be under the control of the consciousness, which, like a shepherd, guards them.

58. If you relax too much, laziness arises. So one should meditate with the same energy.

59. At first, the meditator uses the method of instantly cutting off thoughts (3) and therefore strains. But when fatigue appears, one must relax, allowing thoughts to wander spontaneously (4).

(3) See No. 46.

(4) See No. 49.

60. This method of alternating tension and relaxation, used in our school, has now been considered. Tension and relaxation of the mind, which can be likened to increasing and decreasing the tension of threads while spinning a Brahmin thread, is called "keeping the mind in a state similar to spinning a Brahmin thread."

[DEGREE SUITABLE TO DISCONNECTING THE STRAW HARNESS]

61. At the second stage, called "the separation of the mind from thoughts is like separating a straw bundle into parts by pulling out a part," necessary condition is to make an unwavering decision to remain vigilant, for previous attempts at blocking thoughts have created thoughts (1).

(1) The efforts hitherto made to keep thoughts from arising, to control them or not, inevitably lead to the formation of other thoughts. Now the goal is to achieve a higher level of peace of mind. It is necessary to stop the continuous thought process, just as a bundle of straw is divided into parts, in which each stalk of straw serves as an analogy for some separate thought, and the bundle symbolizes the continuity of the thought process.

62. The methods of blocking thoughts described above involved the ability to know, leading to the formation of new thoughts, and this made meditation difficult (2).

(2) The Yogi must now realize (and be reminded of this) that he has not done much yet. The goal is still far away. But at the same time, he begins to realize that his yoga classes are necessary for his further development, as those who are preparing to become an athlete need exercises that develop muscles.

63. Switching off from the ability to know and from the knower and keeping the mind in an inactive calm state is called the way of freeing the mind from all mental activity and effort, and this way of switching off can be likened to breaking a straw bundle.

[DEGREE SUITABLE TO A CHILD'S PERCEPTION]

64. The third stage is called "the state of mind of a child looking at the frescoes in the temple [and completely absorbed in this occupation]".

65. In order to keep the vital currents in the channels, one binds the mind to cognitive ability and the knower (1), like an elephant to a post.

(1) It was said above that the mind has the property of a stubborn camel. Now he is compared to a clumsy and clumsy elephant. There is a vital force (Skt. prana) in the body, which is divided into ten vital currents (Skt. vayu). "Vayu" comes from the root "va" - to breathe or blow, meaning the driving force of prana. These vayus, composed of negative prana, govern the vital processes of the body, and therefore each of them has its own location and is in charge of certain functions. The normal health necessary for a yogi depends on the preservation of each vital current in its normal state, that is, in the channel it must occupy (see The Tibetan Book of the Dead, p. 346).

66. As a result of this practice, forms similar to those woven from smoke, or ethereal, arise, and the yogi experiences the bliss of ecstasy, being on the verge of fainting (2).

(2) This is due to the fact that the vital currents penetrate the median nerve (Skt. sushumna-nadi), which is the main channel for the psychic forces moving with the help of their carriers - vayu. In addition to this psychophysical factor, a spiritual factor operates in parallel, namely the first faint glimpses of the knowledge of the mind, not affected by thought processes. In the West, this ecstatic state is called "illumination." This is the first fruit of perfection in meditation. In this state, the mind of the yogi embraces the deepest peace that arises from the direct sensation of oneness with Nature and Its Source. The human nature of a yogi who has reached the True State gives way to the divine. Now he is faced with the task of entering this state at will and remaining in it for ever longer periods of time. His final goal is to enter this state forever at the time of death, or to choose the Highest Bodhisattva Path and give up this Freedom in order to help others achieve Liberation.

67. The visions that arise in this inactive state of body and mind, when it seems that you are floating in the air, must be perceived with indifference - without sympathy and antipathy, that is, not to be attached to them and not to turn away from them. Therefore, when there is neither attachment nor aversion to any vision that arises, such perception is called "the state of mind of a child contemplating [the frescoes] in a temple [and wholly absorbed in this occupation]" (1).

(1) The child, looking first at one fresco, then at another, does not feel attracted to one of them, but at the same time his attention is entirely focused on looking at the frescoes, since he does not know what else he will see. And such mental concentration, based on expectation, but without attachment, must be maintained by the yogi at this stage of mental training.

68. The fourth stage is the preservation of the mind in such a state of indifference, with which the elephant receives pricks from thorns (2).

(2) At this stage, the "Knower" must be completely indifferent to such stimuli as constantly changing thoughts, just as an elephant, due to its thick skin, is insensitive to the pricks of thorns.

69. When thoughts arise in a calm state of mind, they are realized simultaneously with their occurrence. When the "preventing" [i.e., the mind accustomed by yoga to the vigilant vigilance mentioned above for the purpose of controlling thoughts] and that which is to be prevented [i.e., the process of forming thoughts] meet each other, the arising thought is deprived of the ability to give rise to a new thought (3).

(3) When calmness of mind is attained, apperception or grasping of it arises simultaneously with the appearance of thought, which then occurs unconsciously or automatically, like the beating of the heart. As a result, the development of thought stops, and it loses the ability to transmute into a new thought.

70. Since the "Preventing" is himself, and it is not necessary to look for him, this state is called "the state in which the uninterrupted stream of consciousness operates automatically."

71. The ability to keep the mind in such a state in which thoughts are not interfered with and not reacted to when they are noticed, is compared with the indifference of an elephant, not sensitive to the pricks of thorns, and hence it is so called (1).

(1) This yogic faculty may be classified as the highest form of indifference to physical and mental reactions to stimuli. This is one of the black steps on which the illusions of samsara are neutralized, and this path leads to the True State. However, this is not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to realize that samsara (i.e. the created world) and nirvana (i.e. the uncreated world) are an inseparable unity, comprehended at the final stage of analysis by the Mind illuminated by the Light of Bodhi. Other elephants, the state in which thoughts arise, and the state in which thoughts do not arise, are two opposites, which, when mastering the yoga of the Great Symbol, will be perceived not as duality, but as unity.

[HIGHEST STATE OF REST]

72. This [state] is called the highest state of rest and is compared with the ocean, on the surface of which there are no waves.

73. Although in such a calm state the movement of thoughts, their arising and disappearance is registered by the mind, it is called "the state in which the line between movement and rest disappears", because the mind has reached calm and is indifferent to movement (2).

74. Thus, concentration of the mind on one thing is achieved.

75. That by which the "moving" and "immovable" [that is, movement and rest in inseparable unity] is known, is called, if It is rightly understood, the "All-discriminating Wisdom, or the Supermundane Reason" (3).

The human mind is inseparable from the One Mind. The purpose of yoga is to bring about this union of the human and divine aspects of the mind. This will happen only when the mind is freed from the illusions of samsaric existence and knows itself. All-distinguishing Wisdom is the Wisdom of the Bodhic (Supermundane) Consciousness (or Mind) in the state of nirvana, endowing with the ability to cognize each thing separately and all things in their unity.

76. As the "Graceful Sutra" (1) says:

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