Everyone Gets Intrusive Thoughts, Not Just People With OCD

You are a reasonably sane person
So you can’t figure out why
Every now and then, you get certain thoughts
That shock/surprise/disgust you out of your mind
Did you know they are called intrusive thoughts?
And people with OCD get them very often?
But here’s the twist: no one’s immune, you get them too
Everyone gets them from time to time

They come as clear statements or worries in your mind
See if you can identify with some of them
Slice off your fingers with the knife
Is my friend not online these days because she was murdered?
Pinch that stranger’s butt
Why is my mom not picking up her phone? Has something bad happened to her?
Throw your baby out with the trash
Hurl obscenities at the friendly old neighbor

Overwhelming, isn’t it?
But it’s normal
And doesn’t make you a twisted person
You see, the things that frighten, scandalize or offend you the most
Are what show up as things you must do in your head
Don’t bother feeling guilty
They happen to the best of us
The best way to deal when a thought arrives
Is to let it arrive and not do anything
Until it floats away by itself like a cloud
Ain’t no need to worry
Unless their frequency increases
In which case, you gotta seek out Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
To fix the burden in your mind