How to get rid of manic thoughts. How to get rid of unnecessary thoughts and feelings. Internal or psychological symptoms

In the worst cases, obsessive thoughts can cause a lot of trouble. In simpler cases, they are physically and mentally exhausting. A negative thought that doesn’t let go poisons life and can lead to depression. A person, having lost vital energy, becomes a downtrodden creature with a hunted look.

How to get rid of obsessive thoughts and regain your joy in life?

Where do they even come from? Science cannot yet give an exact answer to this answer. Some talk about brain overload, some talk about incomprehensible processes in the subconscious, others blame mental instability. However, confirming or refuting any of these hypotheses will not help in any way to get rid of obsessive thoughts.
In the modern era, the brain is subjected to colossal loads: huge amounts of information that come from outside lead a person to stress. A night's rest doesn't always help. The same negative thought can swirl around in your head for months.

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Effective ways to get rid of obsessive thoughts

It’s not so easy to calm down a wild fantasy that goes against logic and common sense. To “reach out” to the subconscious and neutralize a negative attitude, you will need the help of an experienced psychologist, as well as work on yourself. However, few people who do not know how to get rid of obsessive thoughts go to a specialist with complaints of “mess in the head” and depression. If we are talking about deeply personal or intimate experiences for which you have to blush, there will be no visit to the doctor: it’s a shame to tell such a thing to a stranger.

You will have to do the main work yourself. For example, like this:

— set yourself up to be completely indifferent to negative thoughts. There is no point in fighting them, but you can live. Of course, they will return, but over time they will visit you less and less.

The main thing is patience. With the help of an experienced psychotherapist, you should have enough willpower to remain completely indifferent;

— get rid of negative language, replace them with positive statements;
- don’t try to fight obsessive thoughts: it’s useless. They can be neutralized by indifference. Try switching to active activity. Fill your consciousness only with positive emotions - and you will see how your life will be filled with bright colors, and there will simply be no room left for destructive obsessive thoughts!

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Obsessive thoughts do not allow one to live in peace, trapping a person in a kind of vicious circle, and it is quite difficult to get rid of them.

What are intrusive thoughts

Psychologists refer to obsessive thoughts as disturbing images or ideas that are difficult to control. As a result, the person is constantly depressed, obsessive thoughts about death and panic attacks. As a result of constant mental stress, people begin to take increasingly stronger sedatives and get used to antidepressants and tranquilizers.

The cause of obsessive thoughts is an increased emotional background, provoking a person to unmotivated fear of various situations that can certainly end tragically. For example, while traveling by car

Obsessive thoughts generator

Obsessive thoughts are generated by the perception of the surrounding reality and the interpretation of events happening around, which are passed by the brain through a kind of filter and sent to the subconscious. The occurrence of negativity is directly related to how your filter is configured - if the “settings” are negative, obsessive thoughts will visit you quite often. The filter is influenced by your baggage of memories, while the brain simply produces a “forecast” of a particular situation based on data from this baggage.

How to get rid of obsessive thoughts: option number 1

Few people know how to get rid of obsessive negative thoughts. First of all, it is necessary to accept them, since ignoring the problem will only complicate the problem and make it chronic. Suppressing negativity takes a lot more energy than acknowledging its existence in your head, and constantly fighting it only fixes the problem more firmly in your mind.

Investing energy in constantly generating obsessive thoughts makes them more powerful, and your ability to get rid of them becomes exhausted every day.

So how to get rid of bad thoughts once and for all? Listen to yourself and realize that the only source of obsessive thoughts in your head is you and only you. Perhaps with their help you are trying to drown out other thoughts that you stubbornly do not want to accept. Do exactly the opposite - accept all the thoughts that frighten you, think about them and try to solve the problem that causes them. If the problem does not exist, and your obsessive thoughts have no basis, realize the fact that negativity is a by-product, but a natural product of any psyche.

How to get rid of obsessive thoughts: option number 2

Another good method of getting rid of bad thoughts is observing them from the outside. Look at them through the eyes of an outsider and assess the scale of your problem. It is quite possible that compared to the real problems of many people, it is simply ridiculous. If you feel obsessive shame or guilt, understand that you are not to blame for anything and you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, since you have no right to judge yourself.

How to get rid of obsessive thoughts fueled by your interest? Yes, yes, your bad thoughts are nurtured by your interest in them - this is a kind of moral masochism when a person revels in negativity, replaying it in his head over and over again, like a favorite movie. Naturally, as a result, the obsessive thought grows to enormous proportions and eventually becomes a full-fledged phobia. Nothing will help here except changing your thinking to a more positive and positive one.

How to get rid of thoughts about a person

Have you been betrayed and abandoned? Has your loved one died and you can't stop thinking about them? How to get rid of thoughts about those who are no longer with you? The process of getting rid of it will take some time, but the result will be worth it. Try to gradually replace obsessive thoughts with joyful memories that will bring you only satisfaction and joy, and not melancholy and despair. Do not feed negative thoughts, drive them away, extinguish the impulse of negative thinking with willpower.

After leaving the apartment, you frantically begin to remember whether you closed the door, turned off the electrical appliances, did you put your wallet in your bag?

Strange negative thoughts, which psychologists call obsessive, can occur to anyone. Mostly people try not to pay attention to this, but there are also those who intrusive thoughts greatly interfere with life. Such conditions are especially common in women, due to their emotionality, rich imagination and impressionability. In themselves, these character traits are wonderful, but it is they that allow our psyche to be captured by obsessive thoughts and experiences, which can be very difficult to get rid of.

Today we will try to talk about how this can still be done, and quite easily and quickly, without resorting to the help of drugs and psychiatrists. Remember where they come from? intrusive thoughts, which are repeated day after day?

Very often these can be fears and apprehensions, completely unfounded, but tormenting and poisoning life. Well, think for yourself, if, for example, your friend’s husband left him for another woman, why should this certainly happen to you? This example is the simplest, but how many negative experiences arise simply “out of thin air”, like the well-known soap bubbles?

At first, a small fear may appear, a completely insignificant thought, but as soon as you immerse yourself in it, it grows like a snowball, emotions and experiences are added to it, and now we can no longer think about anything else, although we try with all our might to drive away obsessive states .

Do you remember how the so-called “white monkey effect” is described in psychology? If a person, or a group of people, were told to think about anything but a white monkey, what do you think they would think about? That's it.

Drive away intrusive thoughts useless - they need to be replaced with others, useful and positive. However, there are thoughts that are easier to deal with than others - these are negative thoughts about the future, worst expectations.

Often a person is afraid of what might happen, that he will learn about something bad, that unpleasant things, or even tragedies, may happen to him or his loved ones. Understand right away that fears and worst expectations tend to come true. If you are constantly afraid of something, with your whole being, then this may well happen, especially if you actively do not want it.

Therefore, you need to remove unreasonable fears from your life and abandon them. The nature of fear lies in the unknown and in the indecision of the person himself. Imagine how afraid the people of the Middle Ages were of the unknown and incomprehensible: as a result, all kinds of cults, sects, pseudo-religious movements arose, the study of which makes the blood run cold in modern people.

How to deal with fear? You need to not worry or be afraid, but start taking action. After all, we don’t know what could happen, but we’re already afraid. You need to find the strength to make sure whether there are any reasons to worry or not.

Perhaps there is still a problem - well, then you will know exactly what the reality is and begin to look for ways to solve the problem. It’s not for nothing that they say that the worst thing is the unknown. In addition, most psychologists argue that anxiety about any issue begins to dissipate only when the person himself begins to actively act, and not necessarily regarding the subject of this anxiety, but simply strives to improve his life - in any area.

Of course, this applies to expectations and thoughts related to the future, however, it can be more difficult to cope with grievances of the past, as well as present experiences - after all, negative events in this case have already happened, or are happening now. This is where you need to use one of the most effective techniques - directly replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.

First, let's try to analyze something else: typical situations that can cause the appearance of obsessive thoughts. Most often, two situations occur: the first is when you spend a lot of time at home, are not intellectually occupied with almost anything except children or housework, and the second is the opposite, when you are overloaded with work, tired, do not get enough sleep, and you have no time left for your family , and even more so - on yourself.

In the first situation, there is a lot of free time for thinking, since we do almost all household chores automatically, and the intellect, as a rule, “rests.” The brain does not need to solve any problems (except for everyday ones), develop and improve, and feelings and emotions do not sleep - the imagination draws all sorts of pictures of the expected development of events, and most often - negative ones. And if you, moreover, are accustomed to watching the news, or modern Russian TV series, where any plot simply cannot do without dramas and tragedies, then obsessive thoughts will not keep you waiting.

There is only one way out of this situation - to get down to real business: start learning a new profession, studying something that can benefit you and your family, or simply something that you have always been interested in, but did not have time for. Think about your hobby, after all.

The opposite situation, of course, presupposes a different approach, although here too you need to pay attention to yourself, your beloved and unique. Finally, understand that by working constantly, intensely and without rest, you will not make anyone happy - not yourself, much less your family. Stop and look around you: after all, even Mother Nature gives herself a break - she has winter and summer, day and night. Don’t argue with nature, and remember how you need to rest in order to later have the strength to work fruitfully and efficiently.

Plan your affairs so that you can be free for a couple of days, go to a place you have long wanted to visit, or just spend this time in nature. Dark thoughts will begin to dissipate and go away if you remember how you can enjoy every minute of life, and such familiar things as the blue sky and the bright sun.

However, in order get rid of obsessive thoughts For sure, it is recommended to use one very simple and effective technique. To some people this still seems stupid, but the results speak for themselves: those who took this technique seriously not only got rid of negative thoughts, but also completely changed their lives for the better.

It's about simply replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. The exercise below is very important.

Take a large sheet of paper and divide it into two parts. On the left, write your negative statements and obsessive thoughts, for example: “My husband stopped loving me,” and the like. And opposite each negative statement we write a positive one, like: “I know for sure that I am loved by my husband, and will always be loved by him!” In general, the meaning is clear.

Positive statements should be read every time negative thoughts return, and it is best to learn them by heart - this way they will become a defense against negativity. Thoughts will change, life will change - gradually disturbing and negative events around you will be replaced by bright and positive ones.

After all, everything that happens to us in life depends on our inner mood and state - today few would argue with this. Our consciousness is something that we can control if we want, so it is better to program ourselves for favorable events and situations.

These techniques seem too simple, but they work when we firmly know that we are the masters of our lives.

Gataulina Galina
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The quality of your thoughts also affects how your brain functions. Happy, favorable, positive thoughts improve brain function, and negative ones turn off certain nerve centers. Automatic negative thoughts can torment and torment you until you take concrete action to get rid of them.

We'll talk about the inner critic later, but for now, familiarize yourself with the concept of ants. Ant (English). - ant; For “automatic intrusive negative thoughts,” the abbreviation “ANTs” (automatic negative thoughts) is used. Or "cockroaches".

They are, as it were, the background of our thoughts. Involuntary negative thoughts come and go spontaneously, like bats flying in and out, bringing with them doubts and frustrations, we practically do not notice them in our daily lives.

For example, when you are late for the train, you think to yourself: “What a fool I am, I always do everything at the last moment,” or when in the store you try on clothes and look at yourself in the mirror: “Ugh, what a nightmare, it’s time to lose weight !

Negative intrusive automatic thoughts- this is an incessant voice that sounds in our head 24 hours a day: negative ideas, comments, negative thoughts about ourselves. They constantly drag us down, they are like footnotes that undermine our confidence and self-esteem. They are the “second wave” of thoughts that Beck noticed.

The first thing you must do is pay attention to these thoughts, learn to notice when they appear and when they leave your consciousness. Look at the picture of the glass: negative thoughts are foam on the surface. It fizzes and dissolves, revealing your thoughts or feelings that you feel at the moment.

They show the meaning we attach to what is happening around us. They also give us insight into how we perceive the world and what place we occupy in it. Automatic negative thoughts are a manifestation of what rises from the bottom of the glass, what bubbles to the surface from a deeper psychological level.

Automatic negative thoughts greatly suppress self-esteem, they are like endless nagging; Negative in nature, they will constantly make comments towards you, causing depression, giving everything you try to do or achieve a negative connotation.

Becoming aware of your negative thoughts can help you deal with your deeper emotional issues. Automatic negative thoughts weigh on you drop by drop, distorting your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Automatic intrusive negative thoughts:

they exist persistently in your mind

you just need to start noticing them;

they are aware

show how you think, they lie on the surface, this is not the subconscious;

they oppress

because they are inherently “bad”, they make you depressed and spoil your mood;

they are regulated

depend on the situation (for example, if you are walking down the street at night, you think: “I’m scared, now someone will attack me”);

they “seem to be true” - they are masks that we put on and believe them (for example: “I’m no good”, “I’m too fat in these jeans”, “I’ll never get my work done on time”, “I always choose not to”). this/wrong guy/girl”, “Nobody loves me”);

we conduct an internal dialogue with them

we can always convince ourselves of something or talk ourselves out of something: we put on masks and believe them;

they are constant, especially if your problems have long been embedded in your life, for example, if you have depression. Your NNMs constantly convince you that you are worthless, that no one loves you, that you are worthless, that you are helpless and alone.

Did you know that when a thought occurs, the brain releases chemicals? This is amazing. The thought came, substances were released, electrical signals ran through the brain, and you realized what you were thinking. In this sense, thoughts are material and have a direct impact on feelings and behavior.

Anger, dissatisfaction, sadness or frustration release negative chemicals that activate the limbic system and reduce physical well-being. Remember how you felt the last time you were angry? Most people's muscles tense, their heart beats faster, and their hands begin to sweat.

The body reacts to every negative thought. Mark George, MD, proved this with an elegant brain study at the National Institute of Mental Health. He examined 10 women on a tomograph and asked them to alternately think about something neutral, something happy and something sad.

During neutral reflections, nothing changed in the functioning of the brain. Joyful thoughts were accompanied by a calming of the limbic system. When they had sad thoughts, the subjects' limbic system became highly active. This is compelling proof that your thoughts matter.

Every time you think about something positive, joyful, pleasant and kind, you contribute to the release of neurotransmitters in the brain that calm the limbic system and improve physical well-being. Remember how you felt when you were happy. Most people relax, their heart rate slows down, and their hands remain dry. They breathe deeper and calmer. That is, the body also reacts to good thoughts.

What is the limbic system? This is the most ancient section of the brain, which is located in its very depths, more precisely in the center to the bottom. What is she responsible for:

sets emotional tone

filters external and internal experience (distinguishes between what we ourselves thought and what is actually happening)

designates internal events as important

stores emotional memory

modulates motivation (what we want and do what is required of us)

controls appetite and sleep cycle

makes emotional connections with other people.

processes odors

regulates libido

If you worry every day, namely, deliberately think about what bad things can happen to you and your family in the future, and at the same time you have a hereditary history of anxiety disorders and even have an adverse childhood experience, then it is likely that your limbic system is very active condition.

It’s quite interesting that the limbic system is stronger than the cortex, including the frontal cortex, which is aware and controls everything. So if a charge of activity hits from the limbic, the cortex cannot always cope. Moreover, the main blow does not hit the bark directly, but in a roundabout way. The impulse is sent to the hypothalamus, and it instructs the pituitary gland to release hormones. And the hormones themselves trigger this or that behavior.

When the limbic is calm (low-active mode), we experience positive emotions, have hopes, feel included in society and loved. We sleep well and have a normal appetite. When she is overexcited, the emotions are generally negative. The limbic system is responsible for translating feelings into a physical state of relaxation and tension. If a person has not done what he was asked to do, his body will remain relaxed.

I explain that bad thoughts are like an infestation of ants in your head. If you are sad, melancholy and anxious, then you are attacked by automatic negative thoughts - “ants”. This means you need to call on the big, strong inner anteater to get rid of them. Children love this metaphor.

Every time you notice “ants” in your head, crush them before they have time to ruin your relationship and undermine your self-esteem.

One way to deal with such “ants” is to write them down on a piece of paper and discuss them. You should not accept every thought that comes to your consciousness as the ultimate truth. You need to decide which “ants” are visiting you and deal with them before they take away your power. I have identified 9 types of “ants” (automatic negative thoughts) that show situations worse than they really are. By identifying the type of ant, you will gain power over it. I classify some of these “ants” as red, that is, especially harmful.

9 Types of Automatic Negative Thoughts

1. Generalization: accompanied by the words “always”, “never”, “nobody”, “every”, “every time”, “everyone”.

2. Focus on the negative: noting only the bad moments in each situation.

3. Prediction: In everything, only a negative outcome is seen.

4. Mind Reading: the confidence that you know what the other person is thinking, even when he hasn't said it.

5. Mixing thoughts with feelings: in Believe in negative feelings without a doubt.

6. Guilt Punishment: accompanied by the ideas “must”, “obliged”, “necessary”.

7. Labeling: assigning negative labels to oneself or others.

8. Personalization: taking any neutral events personally.

9. Accusations: the tendency to blame others for one's troubles.

Negative Thought Type 1: GENERALIZING

These “ants” come crawling when you use words like “always”, “never”, “constantly”, “every”. For example, if someone in church annoys you, you will think to yourself, “People in church are always picking on me” or “Only hypocrites go to church.”

Although these thoughts are obviously wrong, they have incredible power, for example, they can scare you away from church forever. Negative thoughts with generalizations are almost always wrong.

Here’s another example: if a child doesn’t listen, an “ant” may crawl into his head: “He always doesn’t listen to me and doesn’t do what I ask,” although most of the time the child behaves quite obediently. However, the very thought “He always disobeys me” is so negative that it makes you angry and upset, activates the limbic system and leads to a negative reaction.

Here are more examples of “ant” generalizations:

• “She’s always gossiping”;
• “At work, no one cares about me”;
• “You never listen to me”;
• “Everyone is trying to take advantage of me”;
• “I get interrupted all the time”;
• “I never get a chance to rest.”

Type 2 of negative thoughts: EMPHASIS ON NEGATIVITY

In this case, you see only the negative aspect of the situation, although there are positive sides to almost everything. These “ants” detract from positive experiences, good relationships, and work interactions. For example, you want to help your neighbor. You have the ability to do this, and you know what needs to be done.

But, as you are about to offer help, you suddenly remember how your neighbor once offended you. And although at other times you communicated with him in a friendly manner, your thoughts begin to revolve around the unpleasant incident. Negative thoughts discourage the desire to help someone. Or imagine you're on a great date. Everything is going well, the girl is beautiful, smart, good, but she was 10 minutes late.

If you focus on her being late, you could ruin a potentially wonderful relationship. Or you came to a new church or synagogue for the first time. This is a very important experience. But someone noisy distracts you from the service. If you focus on the interference, the impressions will be spoiled.

Type 3 of negative thoughts: BAD PREDICTIONS

These “ants” crawl when we foresee something bad in the future. “Ants” predictors suffer from anxiety disorders and panic attacks. Predicting the worst causes an immediate increase in heart rate and breathing. I call these expectations red “ants” because by anticipating negativity, you are causing it. For example, you think it's going to be a bad day at work.

The first hint of failure strengthens this belief, and for the rest of the day you are depressed. Negative predictions disturb peace of mind. Of course, you should plan and prepare for different scenarios, but you can’t focus only on the negative.

Type of negative thoughts 4: IMAGINAL READING OF OTHER THOUGHTS

This is when you feel like you know other people's thoughts even though they haven't told you about them. This is a common cause of conflict between people.

Here are examples of such automatic negative thoughts:

• "He does not like me...";
• “They talked about me”;
• “They think I’m good for nothing”;
• “He was angry with me.”

I explain to patients that if someone looks at them darkly, then perhaps that person is just experiencing stomach pain. You cannot know his true thoughts. Even in a close relationship, you will not be able to read your partner's thoughts. When in doubt, speak frankly and refrain from biased mind reading. These “ants” are contagious and sow hostility.

Negative Thought Type 5: MIXING THOUGHTS WITH FEELINGS

These “ants” arise when you begin to trust your feelings without doubt. Feelings are very complex and are usually based on memories from the past. However, they often lie. Feelings are not necessarily true, they are just feelings. But many people believe that their emotions always tell the truth.

The appearance of such “ants” is usually marked by the phrase: “I feel that...”. For example: “I feel like you don’t love me,” “I feel stupid,” “I feel like a failure,” “I feel like no one believes in me.” When you start to “feel” something, double-check whether you have evidence? Are there true reasons for such emotions?

Negative Thought Type 6: PUNISHMENT WITH GUILT

Excessive guilt is rarely a healthy emotion, especially for the deep limbic system. It usually causes you to make mistakes. Punishment with guilt occurs when the words “must”, “must”, “should”, “necessary” pop up in the head.

Here are some examples:

• “I need to spend more time at home”; “I should communicate more with children”; “You need to have sex more often”; “My office should be organized.”

The feeling of guilt is often exploited by religious organizations: live this way, otherwise something terrible will happen to you. Unfortunately, when people think they have to do something (no matter what), they don't want to do it. Therefore, all typical phrases that appeal to feelings of guilt should be replaced with: “I want to do this and that. This aligns with my life goals."

For example:

• “I want to spend more time at home”;
• “I want to communicate more with children”;
• “I want to please my husband by improving our love life.”
• life, because it’s important to me”;
• “I intend to organize life in my office.”

Of course, there are things you shouldn't do, but feeling guilty isn't always productive.

Negative Thought Type 7: LABELING

Every time you put a negative label on yourself or someone else, you prevent yourself from seeing the situation clearly. Negative labels are very damaging because by calling someone a jerk, uncommitted, irresponsible, or opinionated, you equate them with every jerk and irresponsible person you've ever met, and you lose the ability to communicate productively with them.

Negative Thought Type 8: PERSONALIZATION

These “ants” force you to take any innocent event personally. “The boss didn’t talk to me this morning, he’s probably angry.” Sometimes it seems to a person that he is responsible for all the troubles. “My son was in a car accident, I should have spent more time teaching him how to drive, it’s my fault.” There are many explanations for any trouble, but the overactive limbic system chooses only those that concern you. The boss may not talk because he is busy, upset, or in a hurry. You are not free to know why people do what they do. Don't try to take their behavior personally.

Type 9 of negative thoughts (the most poisonous red “ants”!): ACCUSATIONS

Blaming is very harmful because by blaming someone else for your problems, you become a victim and are unable to do anything to change the situation. A huge number of personal relationships collapsed because people blamed their partners for all the troubles and did not take responsibility for themselves. If something went wrong at home or at work, they withdrew and looked for someone to blame.

“Ant” accusations usually sound like this:

• “It’s not my fault that...”;
• “This wouldn’t have happened if you...”;
• “How could I know”;
• “It’s all your fault that...”

“Ants” - accusations always find someone to blame. Every time you blame someone for your problems, you are actually assuming that you are powerless to change anything. This attitude erodes your sense of personal strength and will. Refrain from blaming and take responsibility for your life.

In order for the brain to function properly, you need to manage your thoughts and emotions. Having noticed an “ant” crawling into your consciousness, recognize it and write down its essence. By writing down your automatic negative thoughts (ANT), you question them and reclaim the power they steal from you. Kill the internal "ants" and feed them to your "anteater".

Your thoughts are extremely important because they calm or fire up the limbic system. Leaving the “ants” unattended will infect your entire body. Challenge automatic negative thoughts every time you notice them.

Automatic negative thoughts rely on irrational logic. If you take them out into the light and look at them under a microscope, you will see how ridiculous they are and how much harm they cause. Take control of your life without leaving your fate to the will of an overactive limbic system.

Sometimes people have a hard time challenging negative thoughts because they feel like they will be deceiving themselves. But to know what is true and what is not, you need to be aware of your thoughts. Most “ants” crawl unnoticed; they are chosen not by you, but by your poorly tuned brain. To find the truth, you need to doubt.

I often ask patients about automatic negative thoughts: are there many of them or few? To keep your limbic system healthy, you need to keep the ants under control.

What to do?

0. Develop awareness. Developed awareness is the best way to treat and prevent negative thoughts.

1. Monitoring negative thoughts. Learn to see them. Negative thoughts are part of a vicious circle. The limbic gives a signal - it causes bad thoughts - bad thoughts cause activation of the amygdala (the main guard of the brain) - the amygdala partially releases the excitement into the limbic - the limbic is even more activated.

2. See them as just thoughts - unreal formations. Don't give them any importance. They should not be actively pushed out either. Feed your anteater. Maintain the habit of identifying negative thoughts and reframing them. Praise yourself for this in every possible way.

3. Have doubts. Sometimes people have a hard time challenging negative thoughts because they feel like they will be deceiving themselves. But to know what is true and what is not, you need to be aware of your thoughts. Most “ants” crawl unnoticed; they are chosen not by you, but by your poorly tuned brain. To find the truth, you need to doubt. I often ask patients about automatic negative thoughts: are there many of them or few? To keep your limbic system healthy, you need to keep the ants under control.

4. Seek external confirmation. Attract more people who give you positive feedback. Good connections calm the limbic system, which also creates a feeling of gratitude. Focus on the positive, designate it. Positive thoughts are not only good for you personally, they also help your brain function better. Every day, write down five things you are grateful for that day.

5. Teach people around you to build strong emotional connections with you.(express your feelings, show the importance of the people around you, refresh relationships, strengthen intimacy, etc.). Reduce stress levels with the power of oxytocin. I will write more about this.

6. Act in spite of fear.

Can Positive Behavior Change the Brain? Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, assessed the relationship between brain function and behavior in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People with OCD were randomly divided into two groups. One was treated with drugs and the other with behavioral therapy.

The researchers performed PET imaging (similar to SPECT) before and after therapy. The medication group, which was treated with an antidepressant, showed calming activity in the basal ganglia, which is implicated in dwelling on negativity. The behavioral therapy group showed the same results.

Behavioral therapy involved placing patients in a stressful situation and demonstrating that nothing bad was happening to them. This therapy aims to reduce sensitivity to feared objects and situations.

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For example, people who had an obsessive fear of “dirt”, seeing it everywhere, were asked to touch a potentially “dirty” object (say, a table) and, with the help of a therapist, refrain from immediately washing their hands.

Gradually people moved on to more and more “scary” objects. Eventually their fears diminished and disappeared completely. Behavioral therapy also included other techniques: eliminating obsessive thoughts (people were asked to stop thinking about bad things), distraction (advice to switch to something else). published

Usually people consider thought to be something unimportant,

therefore they are very little picky when accepting thoughts.

But from accepted correct thoughts all good things are born,

All evil is born from accepted false thoughts.

Thought is like a ship's rudder: from a small rudder,

from this insignificant plank trailing behind the ship,

depends on the direction and, for the most part, fate

the whole huge machine.

St. Ignatiy Brianchaninov,

Bishop of the Caucasus and Black Sea

During crisis periods in life, almost everyone suffers from an invasion of obsessive thoughts. More precisely, obsessive thoughts are the form in which false ideas come to us and try to take power over us. Every day, our consciousness is subject to their active attacks. This prevents us from soberly assessing the situation, making plans and believing in their implementation; because of these thoughts, it is difficult for us to concentrate and find reserves to overcome problems; these thoughts are exhausting, and often lead to despair.

Here are some thoughts that arise during a breakup:

· I won't have anyone else. Nobody needs me (nobody needs me)

· He was the best and I won’t find anything like him again

· I can’t live without him (her)

· Everything that happened is entirely my fault

· I won't be able to build relationships with anyone because I no longer respect myself

· There will be no joy in the future. Real life is over, and now there will only be survival

· It is better not to live at all than to live like this. I don't see the point in such a life. I don't see any sense or hope

· I can't trust anyone now

· How will I tell my parents about this?

· Everyone is judging me now.

· I can't do anything. I won't be able to become normal and respected.

And similar thoughts. They permeate our consciousness. They don't let us go for a second. They make us suffer much more than the events themselves that caused the crisis.

There are a number of mental illnesses (depression of organic origin, schizophrenia, etc.) in which obsessive thoughts are present in the complex of symptoms. For such diseases, we know of only one possibility of help - pharmacotherapy. In this case, you need to contact a psychiatrist to prescribe treatment.

However, most people who suffer from intrusive thoughts during a crisis do not have psychopathological disorders. With the help of our advice, they will be able to successfully get rid of these thoughts and get out of the crisis state.

What is the nature of obsessive thoughts?

From the point of view of science, obsessive thoughts (obsessions) are the incessant repetition of unwanted ideas and drives, doubts, desires, memories, fears, actions, ideas, etc., which cannot be gotten rid of through willpower. The real problem in these thoughts is exaggerated, enlarged, and distorted. As a rule, there are several of these thoughts, they line up in a vicious circle that we cannot break. And we run in circles like squirrels in a wheel.

The more we try to get rid of them, the more they appear. And then a feeling of their violence appears. Very often (but not always), obsessive states are accompanied by depressive emotions, painful thoughts, and also feelings of anxiety.

To overcome this problem, we need to answer the questions:

· What is the nature of obsessive thoughts? Where do they come from?

· How to deal with obsessive thoughts?

And then it turns out that psychology does not have an exact answer to this question.

Many psychologists, speculatively and without evidence, have tried to explain the cause of obsessive thoughts. Different schools of psychology are still at war with each other on this issue, but the majority still associate obsessive thoughts with fears. True, this does not clarify how to deal with them. We tried to find at least some method that would effectively deal with them, but in the last century they found only a method of pharmacotherapy that can temporarily help cope with fear, and, accordingly, with obsessive thoughts. The only bad thing is that it is not always effective. The cause remains, and pharmacotherapy only temporarily relieves the symptom. Accordingly, in the vast majority of cases, pharmacotherapy is ineffective as a method of combating obsessive thoughts.

There is another old method that creates the illusion of solving the problem, but only seriously aggravates it. Despite this, this method is often resorted to. We are talking about alcohol, drugs, crazy entertainment, extreme activities, etc.

Yes, for a very short time you can disconnect from obsessive thoughts, but then they will still “turn on”, and with increased force. We will not dwell on explaining the ineffectiveness of such methods. Everyone already knows this from their own experience.

Classical psychology does not provide recipes for effectively combating obsessive thoughts because it does not see the nature of these thoughts. To put it simply, it is quite difficult to fight an enemy if you cannot see him and it is not even clear who he is. Schools of classical psychology, having arrogantly crossed out the vast experience of spiritual struggle accumulated by previous generations, began to re-build certain concepts. These concepts are different for all schools, but the main thing is that the cause of everything is sought either in the faceless and incomprehensible unconscious of the person himself, or in some physical and chemical interactions of dendrites, axons and neurons, or in frustrated needs for self-realization, etc. P. At the same time, there are no clear explanations of what obsessive thoughts are, the mechanism of their influence, or the laws of their occurrence.

Meanwhile, answers to questions and successful solutions to problems have been known for thousands of years. There is an effective way to combat obsessive thoughts in a mentally healthy person!

We all know that the strength of obsessive thoughts is that they can influence our consciousness without our will, and our weakness is that we have almost no influence on obsessive thoughts. That is, behind these thoughts there is an independent will, different from ours. The very name “obsessive thoughts” already suggests that they are “imposed” by someone from the outside.

We are often surprised by the paradoxical content of these thoughts. That is, logically we understand that the content of these thoughts is not entirely justified, not logical, not dictated by a sufficient number of real external circumstances, or even simply absurd and devoid of any common sense, but, nevertheless, we cannot resist these thoughts. Also, often when such thoughts arise, we ask ourselves the question: “How did I come up with this?”, “Where did this thought come from?”, “Did this thought get into my head?” We cannot find the answer to this, but for some reason we still consider it ours. At the same time, an obsessive thought has a huge impact on us. Everyone knows that a person haunted by obsessions retains a critical attitude towards them, understanding all their absurdity and alienness to his mind. When he tries to stop them by force of will, it does not bring results. This means that we are dealing with an independent mind, different from ours.

Whose mind and will is it that is directed against us?

The Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church say that a person in such situations is dealing with an attack by demons. I want to clarify right away that none of them perceived demons as primitively as those who have not thought about their nature perceive them. These are not those funny hairy ones with horns and hooves! They have no visible appearance at all, which allows them to act unnoticed. They can be called differently: energies, spirits of evil, essences. There is no point in talking about their appearance, but we know their main weapon is lies.

So, it is evil spirits, according to the holy fathers, who are the cause of these thoughts that we accept as our own. Habits are hard to break. And we are so accustomed to considering all our thoughts, all our internal dialogues and even internal battles as ours and only ours. But to win these battles, you need to take your side in them, against the enemy. And for this we need to understand that these thoughts are not ours, they are imposed on us from the outside by a force hostile to us. Demons act like banal viruses, while trying to remain unnoticed and unrecognized. Moreover, these entities act regardless of whether you believe in them or not.

Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) wrote about the nature of these thoughts: “The spirits of evil wage war against a person with such cunning that the thoughts and dreams they bring to the soul seem to be born in itself, and not from an evil spirit alien to it, acting and trying together.” take cover."

The criterion for determining the true source of our thoughts is very simple. If a thought deprives us of peace, it is from demons. “If, from any movement of the heart, you immediately experience confusion, oppression of the spirit, then this is no longer from above, but from the opposite side - from the evil spirit,” said Righteous John of Kronstadt. But isn’t this the effect of obsessive thoughts that torment us in a crisis situation?

True, we are not always able to correctly assess our condition. Famous modern psychologist V.K. Nevyarovich in the book “Soul Therapy” writes about this: “The lack of constant internal work on self-control, spiritual sobriety and conscious management of one’s thoughts, described in detail in ascetic patristic literature, also affects this. One can also believe, with a greater or lesser degree of obviousness, that some thoughts, which, by the way, are always almost felt as alien and even forced, violent, actually have a nature alien to humans, being demonic. According to patristic teaching, a person is often unable to discern the true source of his thoughts, and the soul is permeable to the demonic elements. Only experienced ascetics of holiness and piety, with a bright soul already purified by prayer and fasting, are able to detect the approach of darkness. Souls covered with sinful darkness often do not feel or see this, because in the dark the dark is poorly distinguished.”

It is the thoughts “from the evil one” that support all our addictions (alcoholism, gambling addiction, painful neurotic dependence on certain people, etc.). Thoughts that we mistakenly mistake for our own push people to suicide, despair, resentment, unforgiveness, envy, passions, indulge pride, and reluctance to admit their mistakes. They obsessively suggest to us, disguised as our thoughts, to do very bad things towards others, and not to work on correcting ourselves. These thoughts prevent us from taking the path of spiritual development, instill in us a feeling of superiority over others, etc. Such thoughts are these “spiritual viruses.”

It is the spiritual nature of such thought-viruses that is confirmed by the fact that, for example, it is often difficult for us to do a godly deed, pray, or go to church. We feel internal resistance, we make great efforts to resist seemingly our own thoughts, which find a huge number of excuses for us not to do this. Although, it seems, what’s so difficult about getting up early in the morning and going to church? But no, we will quickly get up early anywhere, but to go to the temple it will be difficult for us to get up. According to the Russian proverb: “Even though the church is close, walking is slimy; But the tavern is far away, but I walk slowly.” It’s also easy for us to sit in front of the TV, but it’s much more difficult to force ourselves to pray for the same amount of time. These are just some examples. In fact, our whole life consists of a constant choice between good and evil. And by analyzing the choices we make, everyone can see the effects of these “viruses” every day.

This is how spiritually experienced people viewed the nature of obsessive thoughts. And their advice for overcoming these thoughts worked flawlessly! The criterion of experience clearly indicates that the church’s understanding of this issue is correct.

How to overcome obsessive thoughts?

How, in accordance with this correct understanding, can one overcome obsessive thoughts?

The first steps are:

1. Acknowledge that you have obsessive thoughts and the need to get rid of them!

Make a firm decision to get rid of this slavery in order to continue building your life without these viruses.

2. Take responsibility

I would like to note that if we accept these obsessive thoughts from the outside and perform certain actions under their influence, then it is we who are responsible for these actions and the consequences of these actions. It is impossible to shift responsibility to obsessive thoughts, because we accepted them and acted in accordance with them. It was not thoughts that acted, but ourselves.

Let me explain with an example: if an assistant tries to manipulate a manager, then if he succeeds, and the manager makes an erroneous decision because of this, it is the manager, and not his assistant, who will be held responsible for this decision.

3. Muscle relaxation

All available means of combating obsessive thoughts, if they are caused by fears and anxieties, is muscle relaxation. The fact is that when we can completely relax our body, relieve muscle tension, then at the same time anxiety decreases and fears recede, and, accordingly, in most cases the intensity of obsessive thoughts decreases. The exercise is quite simple to do:

Lie down or sit down. Relax your body as much as possible. Start by relaxing the muscles of the face, then the muscles of the neck, shoulders, torso, arms, legs, ending with the fingers and toes. Try to feel that you do not have the slightest tension in any muscle of your body. Feel it. If you were unable to relax any area or group of muscles, then first tense this area as much as possible, and then relax. Do this several times and that area or muscle group will definitely relax. You need to be in a state of complete relaxation for 15 to 30 minutes. It’s good to imagine yourself in a comfortable place in nature.

Don't worry about how successfully you achieve relaxation, don't suffer or strain - let relaxation arise at your own pace. If you feel that extraneous thoughts are visiting you during the exercise, try to remove extraneous thoughts from your consciousness, switching your attention from them to visualizing a place in nature.

Do this exercise several times throughout the day. This will help you significantly reduce anxiety and fears

4. Switch your attention!

It is better to shift your attention to what helps effectively fight these obsessive entities. You can switch your attention to helping people, creative activities, social activities, and housework. Our ancestors believed that it was very good to engage in useful physical work to drive out obsessive thoughts.

5. Do not engage in self-hypnosis by repeating these thoughts to yourself!

Everyone is well aware of the power of self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis can sometimes help in very severe cases. Self-hypnosis can relieve pain, treat psychosomatic disorders, and significantly improve psychological state. Due to its ease of use and pronounced effectiveness, it has been used in psychotherapy for a long time.

Unfortunately, self-hypnosis of negative statements is often observed. A person who finds himself in a crisis situation constantly unconsciously utters statements to himself and out loud that not only do not help to get out of the crisis, but also worsen the condition. For example, a person constantly complains to friends or makes a statement to himself:

I was left alone.

I won't have anyone else.

I don't want to live.

I won't be able to return her, etc.

Thus, the mechanism of self-hypnosis is activated, which actually leads a person to certain feelings of helplessness, melancholy, despair, illness, and mental disorders.

It turns out that the more often a person repeats these negative attitudes, the more negatively they affect the thoughts, feelings, sensations, emotions, and ideas of this person. There is no need to repeat this endlessly. By doing this, you not only do not help yourself, but also drive yourself deeper into the crisis swamp. What to do?

If you find yourself repeating these spells often, then do the following:

Change the setting to the exact opposite and repeat it many times more often.

For example, if you constantly think and say that life ended in divorce, then carefully and clearly say 100 times that life goes on and will get better and better every day. It is better to make such suggestions several times a day. And you will really feel the effect very quickly. When writing positive statements, avoid the prefix “not.” Example: not “I won’t be lonely in the future,” but “I will still be with my loved one in the future.” This is a very important rule for writing statements. Pay attention to this. It is important. Don't make statements about things that aren't achievable or ethical. You should not give yourself instructions to raise your self-esteem.

6. Try to find hidden benefits from the state you are in! Skip these benefits!

Paradoxical as it may seem, a person who is constantly attacked by heavy, exhausting obsessive thoughts very often finds imaginary benefits for himself in their presence. Most often, a person cannot and does not want to admit these benefits even to himself, because the very idea that he has a benefit from the source of suffering seems blasphemous to him. In psychology, this concept is called “secondary benefit.” In this case, secondary benefit is a side gain in a given situation from existing torment and suffering, exceeding the gain from solving the problem and further well-being. It is impossible to list all the possible benefits that a person receives from his own suffering. Here are some of the most common ones.

1. “He was the best and I won’t find anything like him again.” »

Benefit: no need to change yourself. Why strive for anything? Why look for mistakes in relationships? There will be nothing more anyway! Why seek God's help? It's all over anyway!

If you agree with this idea, then you can do nothing and receive the sympathy of others. And if a person is actively involved in the struggle for happiness, then he will no longer receive such compassion for himself

2. “There will be no joy in the future. Real life is over, and now there will only be survival."

Benefit: you don’t have to think about how to get out of the situation (life is over), you don’t have to think too much, you don’t have to work hard. Self-pity appears, the severity of the situation (imagined) justifies all mistakes and wrong actions. Pleasant sympathy from others and attention to yourself from friends and relatives appears

3. “It’s better not to live at all than to live like this. I don't see the point in such a life. I don’t see any meaning or hope.”

If there is hope, then it seems like we need to take steps. But I don’t want to do this. Therefore, the easiest way is to come to terms with this thought, but not try anything. Sit and feel sorry for yourself, accepting the role of the victim.

4. “Everything that happened is only my fault”

Benefit: you don’t need to think about real mistakes, look for ways to recover, and think objectively about the reasons that led to such an ending. Just give up, but don’t think, don’t admit that you built illusions towards this person (taking the blame on yourself, you don’t have to think about it).

Such obsessive thoughts are replaced by similar ones: “I have always been unlucky / unlucky, I was born under an unlucky star”... I.e. It’s more profitable to shift responsibility for your own life to circumstances or events, and persuade yourself not to do anything to improve the situation and its solution, because the excuse appears again.

5. “I won’t be able to build relationships with anyone because I no longer respect myself. I can't do anything. I won’t be able to become normal and respected.”

Benefit: you don’t have to think about what you need to do to be respected. Self-pity and complacency give reason to do nothing about it.

In this case, agreeing with the idea that we are unworthy or defective, we give ourselves the opportunity not to strive for anything, treating others with consumerism, looking only for sympathy or praise.

7. “Everyone is judging me now.”

Everyone cannot be judged. But if you agree with this idea, then this is an excellent reason to feel sorry for yourself and not seek help from people. And again passively go with the flow, without remaking yourself

8. “I won’t be able to trust anyone anymore.”

Benefit: no need to understand the reasons for betrayal, no need to find reasons, no need to try to correct yourself and get out. There is no need to learn to select friends based on deeds, not words. There is no need to change the communication environment to a better one, in which there is room for trust. Because if you don’t change yourself, then your social circle remains the same, therefore, the circle closes and there is no way out.

9. “I can’t live without him (her)” or “How will I be alone now?”

It is difficult to realize our own dependence on a particular person and the infantile or, conversely, overprotective position we occupy in relationships. These thoughts arise when personal space has been completely subordinated to the Idol (idol). (It’s not for nothing that many of these idolaters write the pronouns denoting the Idol with a capital letter: He, She or even HE, SHE.) It is beneficial in this situation not to become an adult, changing your own attitudes, remaining immature, and not accepting responsibility for your life. With an overprotective position, it is beneficial to realize one’s importance and “know-it-all” about what is best for someone, without taking into account the opinion of this person.

10. “How will I tell my parents about this?”

We must learn to cope with false shame. Humble yourself too. Learn to be an adult and take responsibility. But this is exactly what I don’t want! Yes, and thereby delaying the final resolution of the issue. It is difficult to admit to yourself that everything is over in a relationship. It's hard to put an end to it.

Think about what “benefits” you might have by agreeing with these thoughts. Don't find anything positive in them. Typical thoughts are listed at the beginning of the article. Formulate more precisely what you mean. If you want to justify yourself, feel sorry for yourself, not take some steps, not take responsibility for your decisions, then in this case obsessive thoughts will always offer their services to you and justify all your actions. But we must remember that for these “services” of obsessive thoughts you will have to pay with them by further dependence on them.

When looking for “benefits”, everything that is “exposed” looks very unattractive, and a person ceases to be the way he WANTS to see himself. This process is very painful, however, if the secondary “benefit” is found and realized, you will be able to find both other ways to implement it and eradicate this “benefit”, as well as find a successful solution from your own difficult situation.

Once again I want to note that all secondary “benefits” are hidden from consciousness. You can't see them now. You can understand and reveal them only by impartial analysis of your actions, thoughts and desires.

Pay attention to the contradiction between your interests, your logic and those thoughts that are trying to take over you! Evaluate their paradoxicality, inappropriateness, and logical inconsistency. Assess the consequences and disadvantages of the actions that following these thoughts may lead to. Ponder this. Think about whether you see in these thoughts a direct discrepancy with what your consciousness tells you. Surely you will find many inconsistencies between obsessive thoughts and your consciousness.

Recognize that these thoughts are not yours, that they are the result of an external attack of other entities on you. As long as you consider obsessive thoughts to be your own, you will not be able to oppose them with anything and take measures to neutralize them. It is impossible to neutralize yourself!

8. Don’t try to overcome obsessive thoughts by arguing with them!

Obsessive thoughts have one feature: the more you resist them, the more forcefully they attack.

Psychology describes the “White Monkey” phenomenon, which proves the difficulty of fighting external influences within the mind. The essence of the phenomenon is this: When one person says to another “Don’t think about the white monkey,” then it is the white monkey that he begins to think about. Actively combating obsessive thoughts also leads to this result. The more you tell yourself that you can handle it, the less you can handle it.

Understand that this condition cannot be overcome by willpower. You cannot resist this attack on equal terms. This situation can be likened to how a very drunk person pesters physically weaker passers-by. Moreover, the more they pay attention to him, call him to order, ask him not to pester him, the more he does this and even begins to behave aggressively. What is the best thing to do for the weak in this case? Walk by without paying attention. In our case, we need, without entering into conflict with these thoughts, to simply switch our attention from them to something else (more pleasant). As soon as we switch our attention and ignore obsessions, they lose their power for a while. The more often we ignore them immediately after they appear, the less they annoy us.

This is what the holy fathers say about this: “You are used to talking to yourself and think about arguing with your thoughts, but they are reflected by the Jesus Prayer and silence in your thoughts” (Reverend Anthony of Optina). “A crowd of tempting thoughts becomes more persistent if you allow them to slow down in the soul, and even more so if you also enter into negotiations with them. But if they are pushed away the first time by strong tension of will, rejection and turning to God, then they will immediately withdraw and leave the atmosphere of the soul pure” (St. Theophan the Recluse). “A thought, like a thief, comes to you - and you open the door for him, bring him into the house, start a conversation with him, and then he robs you. Is it possible to start conversations with the enemy? They not only avoid conversations with him, but also lock the door tightly so that he does not enter” (Elder Paisiy Svyatogorets).

9. The most powerful weapon against obsessive thoughts-

World-famous physician, Nobel Prize winner in physiology or medicine for his work on vascular suture and transplantation of blood vessels and organs, Dr. Alexis Carrel said: “Prayer is the most powerful form of energy emitted by man. It is as real a force as gravity. As a physician, I have seen patients who did not respond to any therapeutic treatment. They were able to recover from illness and melancholy only thanks to the calming effect of prayer... When we pray, we connect ourselves with the inexhaustible life force that sets the entire Universe in motion. We pray that at least some of this power will come to us. By turning to God in sincere prayer, we improve and heal our soul and body. It is impossible for any man or woman to fail to have a single moment of prayer without a positive result.”

The spiritual explanation for the help of prayer in this problem is very simple. God is stronger than Satan, and our prayerful appeal to Him for help drives out evil spirits who “sing” their deceitful, monotonous songs into our ears. Everyone can verify this, and very quickly. You don't need to be a monk to do this.

In a difficult moment of life

Is there sadness in the heart:

One wonderful prayer

I repeat it by heart.

There is a power of grace

In the consonance of living words,

And an incomprehensible one breathes

Holy beauty in them.

From the soul, as a burden rolls away,

Doubt is far away

And I believe and cry,

And so easy, easy...

(Mikhail Lermontov).

Like any good deed, prayer must be undertaken with reasoning and effort.

We must consider the enemy, what he inspires in us, and direct the weapon of prayer towards him. That is, the word of prayer should be the opposite of the obsessive thoughts that are instilled in us. “Make it a law for yourself, every time trouble happens, that is, an attack from the enemy in the form of a bad thought or feeling, not to be content with just reflection and disagreement, but to add prayer to this until opposing feelings and thoughts form in the soul,” says Saint Theophan.

For example, if the essence of obsessive thoughts is grumbling, pride, unwillingness to accept the circumstances in which we find ourselves, then the essence of the prayer should be humility: ““God’s will be done!”

If the essence of obsessive thoughts is despondency, despair (and this is an inevitable consequence of pride and grumbling), a grateful prayer will help here - “Glory to God for everything!”

If the memory of a person torments us, let’s simply pray for him: “Lord, bless him!” Why will this prayer help you? Because he will benefit from your prayer for this person, and evil spirits do not wish good for anyone. Therefore, seeing that good comes from their work, they will stop tormenting you with images of this person. One woman who took advantage of this advice said that prayer helped a lot, and she literally felt next to her the powerlessness and annoyance of the evil spirits that had overcome her before.

Naturally, we can be overcome by different thoughts at the same time (there is nothing faster than thought), so the words of different prayers can be combined: “Lord, have mercy on this person! Glory to You for everything!”

You need to pray continuously, until victory, until the invasion of thoughts stops, and peace and joy reign in your soul. Read more about how to pray on our website.

10. Sacraments of the Church

Another way to get rid of these entities is the Sacraments of the Church. First of all, this is, of course, confession. It is at confession, contritely repenting of our sins, that we seem to wash away all the dirt that has stuck to us, including obsessive thoughts.

It would seem, what are we to blame for?

Spiritual laws say unequivocally: if we feel bad, it means we have sinned. Because only sin torments. Those very grumblings about the situation (and this is nothing more than grumbling against God or resentment towards Him), despondency, resentment towards a person - all these are sins that poison our souls.

By confessing, we do two very useful things for our soul. First, we take responsibility for our condition and tell ourselves and God that we will try to change it. Secondly, we call evil evil, and evil spirits do not like reproof most of all - they prefer to act on the sly. In response to our deeds, God, at the moment the priest reads the prayer of permission, does His work - He forgives us our sins and drives out the evil spirits that besiege us.

Another powerful tool in the fight for our soul is the sacrament. By partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, we receive the grace-filled power to fight the evil within ourselves. “This Blood removes and drives demons far away from us and calls Angels to us. Demons flee from where they see the Sovereign Blood, and Angels flock there. Shed on the Cross, this Blood washed the entire universe. This Blood is the salvation of our souls. The soul is washed by it,” says St. John Chrysostom.

“The Most Sacred Body of Christ, when well received, is a weapon for those who are at war, a return for those who move away from God, strengthens the weak, cheers the healthy, cures illnesses, preserves health, thanks to it we are more easily corrected, in labor and sorrow we become more patient, in love - more ardent, more refined in knowledge, more ready in obedience, more receptive to the actions of grace” - St. Gregory the Theologian.

I cannot assume the mechanism of this deliverance, but I know for sure that dozens of people I know, including my patients, got rid of obsessive thoughts precisely after the Sacraments.

In general, hundreds of millions of people felt grace after the Sacraments. It is they, their experience, that tells us that we should not ignore the help of God and His Church with these entities. I would like to note that after the Sacraments some people got rid of obsessions not forever, but for a while. This is natural, since this struggle is long and difficult.

11. Take care of yourself!

Idleness, self-pity, apathy, despair, depression are the most nutritious substrates for the cultivation and multiplication of obsessive thoughts. That is why try to constantly be in the right place, be physically active, pray, monitor your physical condition, get enough sleep, do not maintain these states in yourself, do not look for benefits in them.

Mikhail Khasminsky, crisis psychologist)