People Are Sharing Invasive Thoughts That Pop Into Their Heads
We've all been there...
Warning: Detailed descriptions
Sometimes a thought shows up that makes you wonder why anyone lets you out of the house.
Redditor u/black_eyed_bees says, you know they're "abnormal and dangerous, and once you think through it, wouldn't actually act them out." But the weirdo ideas still come around!
So they asked Reddit: "What nonsensical, invasive thoughts do you have that pop up from time to time that make you question your sanity?"
Here are some of the most interesting responses:
1. "Lick it."
"No, brain, I will not lick the soap. Nor the cat. No, I'm not gonna lick the wall. Shut up, brain." —u/SwordTaster
2. "What if I just leaned in and kissed them right now?"
"When I’m with any person at any point in time... What if I just leaned in and kissed them right now? I could be with my BROTHERS and think this. It’s not that I want to kiss them. It’s just a nonsense intrusive thought." —u/gmaxwell9918
3. "What if this is just a dream and I'm actually in a coma?"
"I was hit by a car seven years ago, ended up with terrible migraines that happen far too often. One thought I have often is, What if this is just a dream and I'm actually in a coma?" —u/Sea_Maybe
4. "What if one of these people can read my mind?"
"Walking a crowded hallway and then wondering, What if one of these people can read my mind? And then stopping thinking anything at all." —u/McDarion48
5. "You are a complete fraud."
"It's only a matter of time before your employer realizes you are a complete fraud who has no business in the position you are in and unceremoniously fires you.
Thanks brain!" —u/Big_Requirement_3540
6. "Am I pregnant?"
"Haven't had sex in months... Am I sure I'm not pregnant? Have an IUD and using condoms... Am I sure I'm not pregnant? Had my period and it seemed normal but women's bodies are mysterious so...am I sure I'm not pregnant?" —u/derbarkbark
7. "What if I screamed as loud as I could in this person's face?"
"Sometimes it's just like, What if I just screamed as loud as I could in this person's face? and other times it is, You know, I bet I could uppercut this guy into next week for no reason." —u/AndHereWeAre_
8. "Just drop your phone down the sewer grates."
"Just drop your Samsung down the sewer grates.
Why?
Just do it.
Then I have to fight the urge to just slot it through.
It would fit so nice." —u/Itburnsburnsburns80
9. "Stop pretending to be human."
"You really need to stop pretending to be human. Everyone knows you don't belong here." —u/DrakanKlaive
10. "Just cut everyone off."
"Sometimes I think like, What if i just cut everyone off and never tell anybody where I went? It happens more often if I’m in a bad mood." —u/Principle_This
11. "I want to go home. When I'm already home."
"Honestly just, I want to go home, at various points in time. Especially when I am tired and doing something unpleasant. Often when I am already home." —u/wyrdsister42
12. "Throw someone I just met down on the couch and f*ck them."
"The invasive thoughts are too many to list completely. I think about...talking to people I've just met and imagining them naked and throwing them on the couch and fucking them." —u/very_large_ears
13. "What the hell am I doing here...at my apartment?"
"I regularly wake up in my apartment and think, What the hell am I doing here, how the hell did I ever become adult enough to be renting my own place to live??" —u/ThadisJones
14. "How many people in this Walmart are _____?"
"Right now, how many of the people in the Walmart are ____ and insert some crazy, stupid, kinky, immoral, or the most downright depraved and illegal thing imaginable." —u/GusterBrown11
15. "Wouldn't it be easy to just sucker punch this man?"
"Occasionally when I’m talking to someone, I get intrusive thoughts that usually begin with, How easy would it be to... Like, I’ll be talking to my brother-in-law and I’ll think, Wouldn’t it be easy to just sucker punch this man and knock out a tooth? And I’ll be just, No, brain we want these people to like us."
16. "Isn't now a great time to slam my face into a wall?"
"Hey, isn't now a great time to slam my face into a wall? I never do it, but it happens often when I'm getting snacks at 4 a.m." —u/haleighd1212
17. "I'm having a heart attack."
"That every time I have the slightest twinge of pain anywhere in my upper body I’m having a heart attack or if I have a slight headache, I’m having a brain aneurysm. Getting older is so much fun..." —u/dick-nipples
18. "Kill my cats."
"My cats love and trust me so much that I could easily kill them. I don't know why I have this thought occasionally. I love my cats. I would be devastated if anything happened to them." —u/Lookimjust
19. "Do a swan dive."
"Every time I am at the top of a long set of stairs to descend, my brain always has a brief thought of, Do a swan dive. Then I go, No brain. That's not healthy, and walk carefully down the stairs. —u/black_eyed_bees (post originator)
20. "Grab their ankles so they fall."
"Mine is to grab the ankles of people walking up stairs ahead of me, so that they fall forward. I would never do it, but my brain sure does like to horrify me with this plan." —u/Raspberry_Sweaty
21. "Wow, this sucks."
"When I'm doing something fun, sometimes I'll just think, Wow, this sucks, to troll myself." —u/fxhvmyvriiw
Note: Some answers have been lightly edited for length/clarity.
Personally, I sometimes think about chewing off my fingers. Got anything that makes you say, "No, brain, no!"? Leave it in the comments!
If your invasive thoughts are causing you harm or concern, please consider these resources:
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is reachable at 1-888-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org. The Trevor Project, which provides help and suicide-prevention resources for LGBTQ youth, is reachable at 1-866-488-7386. You can also text TALK to 741741 for free, anonymous 24/7 crisis support in the US and UK from the Crisis Text Line.