“Sticky Thoughts”

When I treat OCD in my work, I talk a lot about “sticky thoughts”. They are the thoughts, often intrusive and worrisome, that our brain gets caught up in. Many thoughts in a day go by in our head like thoughts about the weather, thoughts about what to have for dinner or thoughts about Taylor Swift’s new album. They come in, stay for a moment and then go when we are off to a new thing. However, “sticky thoughts” do not follow that pattern. They get stuck for longer periods of time. We can get lost in them, distracted or preoccupied and they cause distress. During my treatment, I teach my clients how to disengage from these thoughts. This is not the same as distraction or pushing thoughts away. This is just noticing them, letting them float by and not getting “stuck”. The idea of thought disengagement in rooted in mindfulness. Try this: Notice, Label, Disengage and Continue on. Notice the thought as a thought. Label it as a thought. Do not engage with it. Do not get stuck in the “sticky” web of thoughts. Move forward with your day and other thoughts. But if it’s about the Taylor Swift Album, you will catch me spending more time on those thoughts. I mean did you listen to So Long, London?