Struggling with unwanted, worrisome thoughts? You are not alone! Read more about these thought patterns and how you can use visualization to stop intrusive thoughts.
Our thoughts can be weird, varied, sporadic, and sometimes distressing. An anxious person knows this all too well. Even if you don’t live with anxiety, you know what it feels like to have unwanted thoughts. Visualizations can be an effective way to stop these intrusive thoughts.
What Are Intrusive Thoughts?
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted thoughts or images that cause distress. They distract us from more productive thinking and can impact our ability to concentrate. At times, it feels like they come out of nowhere, and sometimes they become repetitive.
Often, intrusive thoughts begin with “what if?” They can be past, present, or future-oriented. Here are a few examples.
What if I made a mistake?
What if my comment was offensive?
What if something happens to the kids?
What if I’m not doing enough?
What if I cut myself with this knife?
What if I get stuck in this elevator?
What if there’s an accident?
What if I get fired?
What if I never find someone to love me?
What if I lose control and embarrass myself?
I could go on, and on.
When Intrusive Thoughts Become Problematic
If you’ve ever had an intrusive thought, congratulations. You’re a human. “Welcome to the party,” as my therapist would say.
Intrusive thoughts are universal. We all have them. Thus, the good news is there’s nothing wrong with you.
The trouble occurs when we struggle to dismiss an intrusive thought. Then, these thoughts can become repetitive and escalate our level of discomfort. This can turn into obsession, worry, and anxiety.
It seems like the more we focus on them, the stronger they get. Yet, the more we try to dismiss or ignore them, the stronger they get. So, if focusing on them makes them worse and trying to not focus on them makes them worse, what’s a person to do?
Using Visualization to Stop Intrusive Thoughts
One technique for stopping these intrusive thoughts is to use visualization. This involves creating a mental image that represents the unwanted thought and imagining it going away or being dismissed.
Visualization can work because despite all our best efforts to be multi-taskers, we really suck at it. Our brains are wired to focus on one thing at a time. This is known as selective attention, which I discussed here.
Selective attention is our friend when it comes to intrusive thoughts. When we put our attention towards a mental visualization, it becomes impossible to also give attention to our intrusive thought. We interrupt the thought, even if just for a few seconds.
Here are three of my favorite visualizations.
“A Blue Sky” Visualization to Stop Intrusive Thoughts
I find this visualization particularly helpful when my thoughts are causing me to feel stressed. It’s simple. Once you’ve practiced this visualization a few times, it can be done with just a single breath. This is particularly helpful when you have less than five minutes and are stopping common, repetitive thoughts.
- Close your eyes (or look down and soften your focus).
- Picture a blue sky covered with wispy clouds. Your mind is the blue sky, and the unwanted thoughts are the clouds.
- Inhale slowly through your nose, filling the bottom of your lungs and forcing your belly to rise (rather than breathing up into your chest).
- As you exhale through your nose, picture the clouds dispersing as the sun breaks through. Each gentle exhale clears the sky even more, as your thoughts are carried away.
- Continue the visualization for five slow, deep breaths. At the end of five breaths, you are left with a deep blue sky, shining sun, and no clouds in sight.
“Filling Balloons” Visualization to Stop Intrusive Thoughts
This visualization is useful when you have a lot on your plate. In other words, when you become bogged down with numerous responsibilities this is a good exercise to try. It acknowledges that each of your concerns need to be addressed in the future, but they can’t have your attention in the current moment.
- Close your eyes (or look down and soften your focus).
- Picture yourself sitting outside in the grass on a comfortable day. In your hand are a few empty balloons.
- Take a deep breath through your nose, filling the bottom of your lungs and forcing your belly to rise (rather than breathing up into your chest).
- Exhale slowly through your mouth, with pursed lips, as if exhaling through a straw. As you exhale, visualize yourself blowing up one of the balloons. The balloon expands easily and is labeled with one word that represents your intrusive thought or worry. Tie a knot in the balloon and set it down next to you in the grass. You will come back to it another time, but for now, it is labeled and contained and doesn’t need any more attention.
- Repeat the visualization for all the thoughts or worries that keep popping up in your mind. Once your balloons are filled, imagine yourself sitting in the grass next to your balloons. You feel relaxed. Breathe in a relaxed fashion through your nose for a few more breaths before opening your eyes.
“A Rising River” Visualization to Stop Intrusive Thoughts
I like to use this visualization when I have a few more minutes to spare. This technique involves a mental body scan, so it can be used as a simple relaxation technique as well. I don’t recommend it for anyone who has a fear of water.
- Close your eyes (or look down and soften your focus).
- Imagine you are standing in the middle of a shallow river in the forest. The water is ankle-deep, moving downstream, and a comfortable temperature.
- Take a deep breath through your nose, filling the bottom of your lungs and forcing your belly to rise (rather than breathing up into your chest).
- With each inhale, picture the water rising a few inches. As you exhale, visualize the water carrying your thoughts away without pulling you with them. You feel sturdy and grounded in the river. The water cleanses the stress from your body, gently pulling negative energy away. Each inhale brings the water to a higher location on your body, while each exhale relaxes that part of the body.
- Continue the visualization until your inhale brings the water over your head and your last remaining tensions and intrusive thoughts are carried away. Exhale as you visualize the water retreating back down your body. Each exhale moves the water lower and lower until you find yourself back where you started, in ankle-deep water. Take a few more breaths savoring the way it feels to be completely rid of your worries and tensions.
A Few Pointers
Here are a few pointers to help you effectively use visualization for dismissing intrusive thoughts.
- Practice your visualization when you are in a safe, comfortable setting. Do this first before using the visualization during a stressed, anxious moment. This allows you to build the habit. Once you’ve practiced, you are ready to try it under more stressful conditions.
- Feel free to make any of these visualizations your own. Add personal elements and details that make the visualization more real and meaningful to you.
- Keep in mind it might take you a few times to get the most impact from the visualization. If it feels awkward the first time, stick with it. It gets easier. You are building a new habit, and you don’t have to be good at it at first.
- For best results, practice your visualization daily. This builds the habit and conditions your mind. The better you get at recognizing an intrusive thought and immediately transferring your attention to a visualization, the less strength that thought will get.
- Each time you interrupt an intrusive thought you are building a skill. Don’t get discouraged when you continue to have intrusive thoughts. You are a human after all. Even if you are only able to dismiss the thought for a second, that is a success.
- These visualizations are helpful because they pair slow, deep breathing with a calm visualization. It’s a two-for-one: breathing practice and thought stopping. It helps you learn to use use your breath to calm anxiety and worry. However, if you find deep breathing difficult or anxiety-provoking, you can simply practice the visualizations without pairing breath work.
These are just three of my favorite ways of using visualization to stop intrusive thoughts. The possibilities are endless. Give one of these a try this week. Let me know how it goes!
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