Intrusive thoughts

While I generally think the internet is the worst thing to happen to the world, I recognize that it’s also the best. I mean, you can find solace and community, no matter your opinion. Not only that, you can find “articles” that say whatever you want them to – often shrouded as the proof of so many diverse beliefs.

One thing the internet helped me realize was that intrusive thoughts are something most people experience. These are thoughts that often reflect things that you would never do – most of the time it’s frustrating to even think them. The treatment – acknowledge the thoughts, tell the thoughts to leave your head. Easy peasey. Feeling anxious? Tell yourself to stop. Self talk certainly does work in a lot of circumstances, but the oversimplification of things can be destructive for people when those “strategies” don’t work. But wait! Maybe it’s a sign that you’re a sociopath or you might be nearing a psychotic break! The internet can tell you that, too. Yes, yes, yes the internet is a tool and our minds must distinguish between reality and fantasy, but as people get used to being spoon fed information, they’re less likely to question the validity of it. I digress.

Back to intrusive thoughts – for me, they mostly surround my children and different crazy, unlikely scenarios. I do wonder – does the internet and the constant feed of unwanted (in many cases) information aid in these? An alert on my phone came up the other day – Father accidentally shoots 4 year old WHILE trying to shoot 17 year old. WHAT!? I don’t necessarily want to stick my head in the sand, but I’m sure that’s something I could have done without knowing. The salaciousness of it keeps it circulating – no doubt as I’m now telling you five people, but it’s just horrendous.

So what’s the point here? Not sure. Intrusive thoughts are normal, concerning, and overall disruptive. Likely my kids aren’t going to stack up all the patio furniture and push each other off the deck. 😩

Signed,

Musings of an amusing mom 🤣