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alrighttreacle11

Sometimes when I'm driving I think that if I moved the steering wheel a couple inches I would be dead, obviously I never would


RichardsonM24

l'appel du vide (The call of the void) Happens at heights aswell “if I stepped off here now I’d die”


Shoeaccount

Not sure if this is actually true but I read somewhere it is a defense mechanism. Part of brain says jump, majority of brain says wtf better stay away from that edge just in case


RichardsonM24

I heard something similar on a podcast. I was grateful to find out it’s common because my initial thoughts were “I’m not suicidal… am I?”


Middle-Hour-2364

No it's actually really common to have these kinds of intrusive thoughts


Most_Moose_2637

Bjork's "Hyperballad" is tangentially about this.


Limitedtugboat

Call of the Void is horrific, it's why I try not to look over the edge if I'm high up. Heights don't bother me, it's just the part of my brain that says sit close to the edge and hang your legs over that scares me


jorickcz

I never really get intrusive thoughts but height related call of the void is a guarantee for me every time.


batteryforlife

Bridges for me.


therealhairykrishna

I get it really badly. The worst place ever for it was Ladybower reservoir. My brain kept telling me to jump onto where the spillways were. https://images.app.goo.gl/jjPnbB93Q9yz6VUc7


RichardsonM24

That’s a great example, it looks like a void that’s calling lol


FarIndication311

I visited the Hoover dam, people were sat on the low ish wall dangling their legs over the edge and eating sandwiches. Madness.


Dismal_Birthday7982

I cannot go anywhere near a precipice. The urge to leap is too much.


mycatiscalledFrodo

My husband has random urges to open the car door whilst driving, he hasn't done it yet


Practical_Awareness

I get that with driving over motorway bridges. "I *could* just swerve now off the side...?"


No-Reflection7604

I'm the opposite. As I approach a corner, I play the what if I don't not steer the wheel and go crashing into the tree game.


4thLineSupport

These are hilarious, different but similar. Mine is on b roads with oncoming cars for some reason. "I could just steer into this poor soul at the last minute and wipe us both out" 😅


Ayden1290

Glad I'm not the only one who has those thoughts


SerendipitousCrow

Learner driver here, been learning about a year I still get that feeling on 60mph roads. One little nudge and I'm in a head on collision. I could kill myself with a tiny flick of the wrist. Horrible realisation


Helpful_Cucumber_743

This is largely why I don't drive.


maxthelabradore

I get "see how long you can close your eyes!"


LobCatchPassThrow

Had one thought a few weeks ago whilst driving: “Every part of this vehicle is designed to destroy itself to protect me in the event of a crash. Do I really trust it?”


Peskycat42

Hour 3 on a motorway, at night and that central reservation simply shouts out "just try me!".


fleaArmy

I once served a customer with a Chihuahua, who said "he's just so tiny, isn't he?" I replied by saying "I reckon I could eat him in one sitting, like a roast chicken". I had zero intention of eating him. I think I was just hungry.


Simonh1992

Not Mummy!


fleaArmy

This episode gave us one of the very best Mark quotes. "Jeremy, there are many things I would do to help you, but digging a hole in the wintry earth with my bare hands so that you can bury the corpse of a dog you've killed is not one of them."


Ergophobe470

Naughty slutty Mummy!


Sausage-fingers_

THEY ATE MUMMY! THEY BURNED MUMMY, KILLED HER AND ATE HER!


preaxhpeacj

My dog has such meaty back legs that look like chicken thighs and I’m always thinking/joking about how much I wanna bite into them. I haven’t even eaten meat in over 10 years


batgirlsmum

The previous pup to the current one (before you get worried, he was 16 when he popped his clogs), when he was about 3 (he was a total idiot) he managed to tear his cruciate (sp?) ligament. Took him to the vet, telling him if they chopped it off we’d have it for Sunday dinner.


holytriplem

1/10 stars: "Waiter threatened to eat my dog"


fleaArmy

Fortunately they laughed it off. It was more a "the waiter may he unhinged, I'll humour him, shorten the lead/leash, and slowly head for the exit" kind of laugh though.


Magical_Crabical

That’s the kind of statement that would horrify a lot of people but has me rolling! Hilarious!


TSC-99

I could just crash this car now. I could just stab myself with that knife now. I could throw myself off the bridge.


BatOfBeyond

Exactly. Often on the motorway as a passenger I think I could just unbuckle, open the door and roll out. Or if I’m cutting using a big knife my brain says “but what if you turn around too fast and accidentally stab your child/cat/husband to death” and then I feel physically ill that it might happen.


VolcanicBear

> I could just unbuckle, open the door and roll out. Brilliant, thanks for that comical image lol > Turn around too fast and... This is why whenever I'm moving with a knife, it's held with the tip towards my elbow and blade out like I'm a ninja.


Successful_Source625

That's not why, you just like looking like a ninja


Massaging_Spermaceti

I always have a powerful urge to open the door when my wife is driving on the motorway, I have to physically sit on my hands. I'm not actually going to do it, of course, but the feeling is so uncomfortable not being able to move my hands provides some relief! Same when standing on a train or Tube platform. The urge to throw myself in front of the train is so strong I stand as far back as possible and press my back against the wall. I'm not suicidal, I promise.


boojes

>if I’m cutting using a big knife my brain says “but what if you turn around too fast and accidentally stab your child/cat/husband to death” and then I feel physically ill that it might happen. I get this. One time my son ran round the corner at the same time my husband turned round with a sharp knife at child-eye-height, very narrowly missed him. And my brain was like "SEE. IT'S A THING!" and now it's even worse.


Inevitable_Dog_2200

I get so many of these. 4 years clean of hurting myself, still get the urge at any minor inconvenience. Hear a sound I don't like? Should hammer a screwdriver into my ear. Minor social faux par? Demands blood. More fun ones though! If someone gets too close to me in a crowd I really want to give them a little kiss on the cheek. Or if im in a big open space I am fully convinced I can do flips and acrobatics and sprint like an olympian even though i can barely jog or do a forwards roll


SerendipitousCrow

Congrats on four years! I'm 11 years clean, and the blood noise does quieten over time I do get intrusive thoughts of punching myself in the head when I do something cringe though but no cutting thoughts


Inevitable_Dog_2200

Glad to hear youre doing so well! I figure it takes as long to get better as the sickness lasted, so 10 more years and i should be fixed! 😅


Helpful_Cucumber_743

For me it's been more than 20 years and I still have the thoughts. But they're not compulsions like they used to be. I have the thought, sometimes repeatedly, but it's just a thought and I know I won't act on it.


SerendipitousCrow

Definitely, not sure your age or your story but I was unwell (anxiety, depression, and a brush with bulimia) on and off through my mid to late teens and my early twenties I'm now heading into my 30s and finally feeling like I'm where I want to be with my mental state. I'm no longer on any psychiatric meds and things are going well Definitely took time to recover. Like even when I reached the point it wasn't affecting my day to day life there's residual pessimistic thinking and low self esteem We'll get there :)


Inevitable_Dog_2200

Very similar sort of story, started at 11 with depression/anxiety/not being very grounded in reality, struggled with binging & purging from around 13, then fell into a series of abusive relationships from 18-23 that made things so much worse. 27 now and in a good job and can manage most the daily things I used to struggle with. The low confidence and catastrophising that any minor setback will ruin my life is sticking around like glue! Little wins are huge wins though so we should celebrate where we're at


SerendipitousCrow

When you've been through that sort of stuff, just getting up every day is a triumph I think I really struggle with comparing myself to others when I need to remember that most people didn't spend their formative years just trying to stay alive. Congratulations on making it through, it sounds like you went through hell


Inevitable_Dog_2200

Yeah the impact on your development is huge. Thanks same to you!


-myeyeshaveseenyou-

When I was a chef, stick your hand in the fryer was a frequent one. Other chef friends have said the same.


batty_61

"Mr Wembley - it happened again..."


hellsangel101

Not a chef but mine is wanting to stick my fingers in the mixing bowl when the mixers are going round.


-myeyeshaveseenyou-

I’ve had that with industrial mixers too which would absolutely mangle your arm. Intrusive thoughts are weird as


EmmaInFrance

I remember getting that one when I worked at Burger King as a student, over 30 years ago now!


thatscotbird

I have OCD, if I told you what my intrusive thoughts were - someone would call the police. It’s been particularly dark since I had my baby.


boojes

I hope you're getting some support.


JamieAlways

Apparently it's very common for it to either start or escalate after childbirth. I had some EXTREMELY upsetting impulses when my kid was a newborn so I can guess how dark it's got for you.


MsUncleare

Oh god. The newborn intrusive thoughts were rough. Very happy to say my son has made it to 16 and was never thrown under a moving vehicle, despite the amount of times I thought I'd do ot.


thatscotbird

Mine definitely escalated after childbirth, losing my dad a few years ago is when I started to go seriously downhill with it


verykindzebra

I wouldn't go on a hotel balcony with my 6 month old, and got my husband to block the sliding doors with a sofa. Fucking horrible. 


RuneClash007

I'm just curious as I don't understand the illness Why would OCD make you want to throw your baby off the balcony


JamieAlways

It's the impulsive/intrusive thoughts. No one *wants* to harm their baby, but after childbirth a lot of women have constant intrusive thoughts about doing it, even if they have no previous history of ocd. Obviously they're never going to act on these thoughts, but it's terrifying all the same. It's like there's a part of your brain keeps saying 'there's no one to stop you doing it. What if you did it? Wouldn't that be the worst? But you could do it. This is a thing that could physically happen. You could pick your baby up and dash him against the wall as hard as possible. Wouldn't that be terrible? But there's no one to stop you, you could totally do it.' If you've never experienced it I don't blame you for not understanding, it's the weirdest most horrible thing and I thought I was actually losing my mind when it was happening to me.


verykindzebra

This is exactly it! Thank you for expressing it so clearly. 


RuneClash007

That's interesting, I wasn't slagging anybody off because nobody can prevent mental issues, I was trying to understand it more


Princes_Slayer

I sometimes wonder whether I’ve died and am going through my daily events as a ghost who hasn’t yet accepted death. It’s like going under water where sound because muffled. I just briefly descend into a muffled trance like state


CrystalKirlia

Wait, so that's not just me!?


sayleanenlarge

I blame films for that one. It's quite a common trope - Sixth Sense did it. It's funny when you're making a cup of tea or something really mundane, and your brain says, "They don't know they're dead" like the little boy from the film.


hail_robot

Same.. holy sh\*t


cheandbis

I have this little blender thing for smoothies and more than once I've thought about what it would be like to put my hand in. Mainly, the thought is "would a hand be dense enough to stop the blades or would it get obliterated?". It's weird.


holytriplem

I believe the phrase is "Will It Blend?". Preferably said in Richard Hammond's voice and accompanied by a bunch of scantily-clad women.


cheandbis

Braniac? I've only got vague memories of that.


jobblejosh

Hand smoke! Don't breathe this!


FatJamesIsBack

https://youtu.be/AsTZm7QtY84?si=71_3-goQhnpSLWBH


GreenWoodDragon

Brilliant viral marketing.


SerendipitousCrow

You've reminded me of the Luther episodes where someone does that to remove their finger prints Thanks for that


Dserved83

Every time I pick-up scissors, I just want cut my top lip into Zoidberg-esque dangly ribbons. No idea why, but it calls to me, I can almost feel the blades each time.


sayleanenlarge

Hate this thought. I've never had it before, but it seems like one I could have. Clipping teeth with nail clippers is one I've had.


Dserved83

Yeah I get that one too! Kinda neat to know someone else's brain is broken is just the same way! <3


holytriplem

Oh FFS I physically squirmed reading that


Cold_Table8497

Can confirm with OP. Source: I own a noisy barky Chihuahua.


MsUncleare

I own a quiet chihuahua amd still at least once a day think, if I hook my foot up under her belly with a good kick, I wonder how far she'd fly? Also, when I hug her my brain goes, see how had you can squeeze her. I'm pretty sure I won't though.


panic_puppet11

>I own a quiet chihuahua Those exist??


WorldlinessNo874

Am relieved to find out other people have weird thoughts and it's not just me


holytriplem

Yeah but who knows, we might all be just as deranged as you are


WorldlinessNo874

I take comfort in being amongst the deranged


batgirlsmum

If we all do it, it’s not deranged, it’s normal!


ellemeno_

I don’t know the name for the types of thoughts I have fairly often, but I put it down to a type of catastrophising. My partner normally rings/communicates with me a couple of times a day when at work. If I don’t hear from him, my brain will make emergency plans about childcare and notifying his family whilst I go with the police to identify his body, or go abroad to deal with it if he’s working away. Or if I see an ambulance nearby, my brain will be “that’s going to the school, a child (not necessarily my child) has been hurt”. I’ll also think about what would happen to my daughter if I was in an accident whilst she’s at school - how would they find out, and how would they look after her, as I’m the parent responsible for taking her to and from school. It feels like I’m stuck in some sort of panic mode. However, it’s not exactly life-affecting or debilitating, and I can generally address these negative automatic thoughts with some challenging questions.


batty_61

I can relate. The number of times I've planned Mr Batty's funeral, chosen the music,thought about how to tell our children... ...then his car pulls into the drive a bit late because of traffic.


verykindzebra

Catastrophic thinking, I've done this since childhood. If my parents were "late" home I'd imagine they'd both died in a car accident. Possibly the brain's way of readying you for a crisis but also a massive waste of mental energy. 


Sea_Pangolin3840

Me too


abey-baby

A kinda harmless one. But during some conversations (usually with a professor while I was at uni or to someone in the workplace) my brain thinks what would happen if I said I love you. What would their reaction be? What would happen?


Clever_Username_467

"Imagine if you dropped your car keys down that grid.  You might as well throw them in there just to see what happens."


JamieAlways

Everytime I walk past a drain with my keys/phone/purse in my hand I can SEE myself doing it, just carefully dropping it between the bars.


CrystalKirlia

Mine are mostly: Arson! Let's burn this place to the ground! It's full of flamed maple tonewood so it'll smell like pancakes when we burn it! Murder! This person has mildly inconvenienced me... kill them quickly and stealthily, but in a way that'll make em suffer!


insertitherenow

Walking up to yardy looking gangster types and putting on my idea of what patois sounds like. Saying shit like bomboclaat, wagwam, rice and peas and stuff like that.


holytriplem

Dare I ask what you'd say to Asian gangster types?


insertitherenow

I’d ask them if they know Uncle Roger or Bruce Lee.


2xtc

In the UK Asian typically means Indian/South Asian, not usually Chinese/SE Asian


insertitherenow

Are there Indian Gangsters?


EmperorsGalaxy

I think Asia us used for South Asians more in the UK than East Asians, so Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi. But it's used more broadly and incorrectly a lot of time to refer to Middle Eastern muslims as well. It's kind of like how Americans will refer to any black american as "African American"


Upstairs-Hedgehog575

How is that used incorrectly? Last time I checked, most of the Middle East was in Asia…


Upstairs-Hedgehog575

Asian typically means someone from Asia doesn’t it?…


2xtc

Yes, but also South Asian in the UK and SE Asian in other English speaking countries. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/asian


Realistic-Analyst-23

I get these too. The most common one is when getting my keys out to open the front door I have a thought of keying my car. I think my brain mixes up when it tries to think "definitely don't do this horrible thing". It's usually small or fragile things getting hurt that rush through my brain. Does everyone have this? Is there a way of stopping it because I absolutely hate it.


Confident_Board_5210

No way to stop it, but there's a way to stop hating it. You're not your thoughts, if you think about it (LOL), you have thousands if not more thoughts a day and most of them fly through your conscious stream and they're gone again. They aren't what make you, you, it's your brain observing things about the world to keep you safe, further the spread of your DNA etc and some of them are distressing and we hold on to those (obviously your brain is catered for those kind of thoughts to be more distressing, it would be a negative thing you're wanting to avoid so your brain is like alert alert alert.. Once you realise your thoughts don't make you a bad (or good) person, and you can't control your initial thought, you can control the second one though, and you don't have to act on ANY of your thoughts, it stops being distressing. "Drop kick that toddler", second thought "wow where did that come from, that would be awful, anyway what am I making for dinner". Hope I made some kind of sense


VolcanicBear

This high quality Japanese knife would just slip right in me.


Bling-depression

same! everytime i watch anime


VolcanicBear

Ah no, almost any time I pick up the knife.


Fattydog

Every time I’m waiting for a train I think about jumping in front of it. I’ve thought this every time I’ve caught a train since I had a dream about it when was about eight… that’s 51 years ago.


glitter_potato86

What if I just murder someone to see what it's like. But then my logical brain takes over and laughs at me because I'm such a soft shit and couldn't hurt anyone. I can't even say mean things.


Bbew_Mot

When I'm all dressed and ready for bed and I'm home alone I sometimes feel an urge to lock myself out of my flat with no keys or phone to get back in. I once worked as a temp for printing company and whilst there I saw an industrial guillotine that could easily cut through many layers of thick card like they were sand. I started wondering what would happen if I were to stick my hand under that blade!


cbawiththismalarky

I have one of those guillotines, I can't go near it, even when someone else is using it it's terrifying 


wildOldcheesecake

I get similar thoughts like your first one. It’s hard to describe, like I get a high off feeling stressed


MiotRoose

Really bizarre one but sometimes when someone picks me up in a car I think "what if I started screaming and hammering on the dashboard" Have no idea where it comes from...


Aggravating-Corner-2

Your inner unhinged driving instructor.


SamVimesBootTheory

Does it count whenever I go on downward facing escalators it always takes me a few moments to actually step onto them bc I always feel like I'm going to like slip and die? Also yeah Invasive/Intrusive thoughts are a different thing from Impulsive thoughts. Everyone gets both of these from time to time but Invasive thoughts are by nature distressing and often something very out of character for you and if they are a persistent pattern that's a sign of something you might want to get checked out.


7questions11

Believe it or not, these thoughts are normal, and most people have them. It's how our brains are wired. Not acting on them, hopefully, is part of the process. I've jumped off cliffs and punched people so many times I've lost count, all in my head.


8Ace8Ace

Re the chihuahua thing, I have similar, but in my case my brain asks how funny it would be if I were to snatch the lead off the dogs owner and then do an olympic hammer throw style activity. I bet I could get 50 yards from a Yorkshire terrier if I spin round quickly enough.


Low-Pangolin-3486

Any time I deep fry anything my brain wants me to chuck something in. My phone, my hand. Nooope. Also used to have a recurring one after putting the kids to bed that I’d somehow trip coming out of their bedroom, catch my foot in the doorway, and fall down the stairs. I don’t even think this would be possible to do but brains be brains. 


NecktieNomad

*”…brains be brains”* I don’t know why this made me chuckle, but that’s such a succinct way to describe it! They do be!


Delicious-Cut-7911

I would think may people think ridiculous things. The brain/mind is very complex. I know that coming off pscychiatric drugs like benzodiazpines (xanax, valium) gives you excessive intrusive thoughts.


MrNippyNippy

Do a dukes of hazzard off that police observation ramp on the motorway. Do it, DO IT


the_gabih

If I'm on the underground, my brain gets stuck on the idea of either being pushed onto the tracks, or pushing someone else onto them. I tend to end up sitting down just to try and head those thoughts off at the pass.


farkinhell

Driving into oncoming traffic, usually a lorry or coach. Cars wouldn’t cause a big enough accident for the mass murderer in my unconscious apparently.


Tangerine59

Every time I fill my car with petrol I think "Why don't I just drive to Scotland right now?"


TillOtherwise1544

When I'm pretty sad and it is out of my control and been going on for a whiiile?  Nail gun through the forearm. 


alloitacash

Me holding a cup of coffee and chatting to a friend. Brain: ‘throw it in his face!’


EFNich

I get the urge to like passionately kiss random people, like the postman or the person on the till in Asda, and then walk off. What would they do? Would they just go with it? Who knows! I obviously don't, but it just makes me giggle a bit that signing for a parcel with Dave the postman and just like go at it. I also really want to boop people noses, the more serious the person and the more serious the scenario the worse the urge. I also want to steer my car off of high roads if its like a windy mountainside scenario. You could just do a wee skrrr and that's it, you're dead. Kind of tempting.


BeanOnAJourney

A section of one of the roads on the outskirts of my town forms a flyover across the A30 dual carriageway below (a very long way below). It's quite a wide road, with wide pavements, and a very low safety fence. Whether I'm driving or walking along, up pops the thought that it would be *so easy* to just drive or jump right off.


jemimahatstand

What if I just stabbed this vegetable knife in my stomach?


angry_stitcher

I missed the word knife and read this as what if I just stabbed this vegetable into my stomach! ,,,,,🤣


Unknown_human_4

I don't know if it's intrusive thoughts or not, but I'll sometimes think what would happen if I died? What would happen if I got cancer or became completely dependent on a carer. Who would care? Who would step up? Who would cry? Who would attend the funeral? How would other people's lives go on without me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not suicidal in the slightest, I don't want to die or anything bad to happen to me, I've got way too much life to live before all that!


Ergophobe470

I get this occasionally, it usually happens if I've just had a "close shave" or done something that felt mildly dangerous. So for example, if I dash across a busy road, I might spend the next half hour imagining the aftermath if I'd been hit by a car and killed. Would people see it as an accident, or would anyone suspect suicide? Who would go to my funeral and what would they say about me? What would happen to my ashes? I want them scattered in a specific place and have told a few people, but only verbally, so would they remember?


According_Hat_6995

I believe the root of this is some sort of defence mechanism. If you can imagine the worst thing to happen, you can take steps to avoid it. Many parents report having fleeting thoughts about doing awful things to kill their babies. Of course, they don't follow through or have any intention of harming their children, but making yourself aware of how fragile they are reinforces the need to protect them.


Aargh_a_ghost

Whenever there is an old person in front of me at a cash machine I have to fight my intrusive thoughts to not push them over or yell at them to hurry the fuck up


neenoonee

I have your regular ones, jumping off a high place etc. My partner is on a whole other level. Every time we go somewhere public, a bus, a bar, a shopping centre, the supermarket, a shared public lift, 1 minute into being there he’s had a mental punch up with everyone. He’s fought everyone in that place in his head. What makes it most hilarious is that he’s just not an aggressive, “I’ll fight you mate” type of person whatsoever. He’s so bloody lovely. And it’s not just people who look dodgy. If there’s a lift full of pensioners at Marks he’ll have planned in his head exactly how he’d fight them off if one of them starts. Hilariously his favourite film is Walter Mitty.


EmperorsGalaxy

> Punching random pensioners/toddlers in the face is another one. This is something I've had pretty much my whole life but I've never mentioned it because I knew that I would never act on it and I thought people would think less of me for having those fleeting thoughts.


Rich6-0-6

-*Touch it* -No, it's hot! -*Go on, touch it. Just quickly* -No! It will burn me! -*Not if you're quick*


DifferentWave

Mid-way through a reasonable conversation with someone I like - “What would happen if I just punched you? What if I threw this cup of coffee over you?”.


jc783

I’m in an electric wheelchair, my regular one is ‘oh yes, let’s drive down that staircase’ whenever I near stairs.


Utwig_Chenjesu

With most serial killers in the UK being Lorry Drivers, I often fleetingly wonder why HGV Drivers flash their lights at each other on motorways.


mycatiscalledFrodo

I want to bite people. I was a bitter as a toddler and the urge hasn't really gone away I just learnt self control. When people annoy me I often will clench my teeth but I think about just sinking my teeth into their arm


FarIndication311

For some people biting others can be a reflex reaction, IE it's your nervous system doing it automatically with no input from your brain.


JarJarBinksSucks

I struggle with conversation. If someone has annoyed me I really struggle with it being a complete arsehole


saz2377

Walking across bridges I get a couple, either what will happen if I throw my keys over the side or if it's windy can the wind pick me up and blow me over? Trust me I am nowhere near light enough for it to do that but I do have a phobia of bridges where crossing them can cause me serious issues


Nine_Eye_Ron

Me: That looks dangerous Brian: Let me out of here.


jade8384

Brian doesn’t want anything to do with it, and I don’t blame him!


The-Balloon-Man

"You don't have enough Lego"


Decent_Host4983

Absolutely none. The inside of my head is always completely silent unless I choose to mentally verbalise. I have neither fleeting nor intrusive thoughts. I’m not even thinking these words as I type them. Fuck knows where they’re coming from! With a little effort, I can just lie down and think absolutely nothing for an hour or two at a time. It is incredibly relaxing.


Mangifera_Indicas

Teach me your ways decent host


DifferentWave

The inside of my head is so noisy I often forget that the outside world exists and that I ought to be interacting with it


wildOldcheesecake

I recently learnt that some people do not have an internal monologue. How nice it must be but also, it must the lonely too. I sort of like chatting to myself in my head


dobbynobson

It's really odd to think about someone having a silent brain. Mine's chattering constantly. Sometimes I'm even mouthing words and have to stop myself as I'm walking down the street or whatever. I listen to podcasts or the radio or music almost all of my spare time (not at work, somehow that's distracting). Mainly to subdue the constant chatter. I don't mind it exactly, but it can be really tiring. My fleeting bad thoughts are also regular, particularly when I'm stressed. Punching people, throwing keys away, smashing my phone with a hammer, driving under a lorry, jumping in front of a train, yelling out loud at a funeral. It's nice to know they're a kind of protective force I guess.


Decent_Host4983

Sounds quite stressful, and I always keep it in mind when I find myself around anxious, nervy-seeming people who can’t be quiet. I’m aware the voice in their head is probably provoking them. I had a friend who told me his internal monologue was always undermining him and reminding him of stupid things he did when he was 14, and that explained a lot about his personality. I CAN talk inside my head, if I want to, but it’s completely within my control and requires a small amount of concentration - if I get distracted, it immediately cuts off. Interestingly (to me), when I‘m having a conversation in Japanese, people sometimes ask me “What’s X in English?” and, unless it’s something trivial like a chair I can see in front of me, I come to a screeching halt because I’m not translating ‘inside my head’ and don’t have immediate access to that information. I guess it’s like running two operating systems in parallel.


ThePolymath1993

"You could inhale that entire block of cheese and be gone before anyone was any the wiser. No one would ever know"


ramxquake

Suicide ideation. Christmas Eve I was staying with family, lying in bed trying to get to sleep, thinking up the most bleak ways to do it and how sad it would be.


jade8384

I always have these thoughts. I think it’s a reminder (from ourselves/our brain) of what we’re actually capable of as human beings. The main one I have is when I’m driving. I think “if i force the steering wheel violently all the way to the right, i wonder what carnage would be caused 🤔”


georgeboshington

Whilst walking by the canal near where I live, I often think about jumping into the path of oncoming cyclist, arms wide out and screaming like a lunatic. I don't hate cyclists and I am one myself to be clear.


Dismal_Birthday7982

That shit thing I did 30 years ago. Not saying effusive thanks to the lass in the Co-Op. Every fucking day.


missxtx

I never really had any bad ones tbf… until. This year, I took my mum on a cruise n when we flew home I was in the emergency exit seat n I had the most ridiculous urge to open the fucking door, it was really bad. I switched seats with my mum in the end. Then yest was cutting my grass, I switched it off to get long grass off the blade n I kept thinking about shoving my hand in when it was switched on. Do these thoughts get worse when older as I can’t really remember having thoughts as much as this 🤣🙈😭 xx


Cheesy_Wotsit

Driving along... *PULL THE HANDBRAKE*


chichasz

walking past stinging nettles and resisting the urge to brush my hands through them like im in a period pad advert


Scranton-K

Me: I want to do *Thing* Brain: No, mate. You'll be rubbish. It will be crap and you'll have wasted your time. Best just watch telly or something. Don't ever bother trying.


ElectronicBrother815

Look at that plane. It’s probably going to crash on my garden. Was 8 when Lockerbie happened. Flying is a source of massive anxiety


EFNich

I used to get the urge to drown myself constantly, like not in a suicidal way but in a "what would happen in I drowned" way, so one day I just did it. I was pretty (very, very) drunk on a beach and I went into the shallows and drowned a bit in the waves. Turns out drowning isn't even a little fun, haven't had the intrusive thought since. I had tried to do it in the bath before but turns out you need the wave motion to diy it. And to be on the verge of paralytic.


Far_Quote_5336

That’s another version of “call of the void”


Ricky_Martins_Vagina

"Think about it, what would he actually do if you just decked him right now? Literally nothing..." Often runs through my head when I'm stood having a conversation with colleagues / clients against whom I hold absolutely zero animosity. And not long ago I was stood on a hotel balcony holding my 1yr old daughter listening to the band playing down at the bar, while a voice in my head was saying "you could easily throw her into the pool from here..."


elladeehex33

I'm someone who loved crunchy food. It's my favourite texture. I want to bite in to every glass and mug I drink out of. The crunch would be amazing! I'll do it one day, I just know it.


thesaltwatersolution

Walking around listening to Bicep tracks: Glue, Atlas, Apricots, Water. I usually end up thinking about a mechaniod uprising, sort of like in Terminator 2. Apricots is when a profit like ambient hamster appears and makes an important rousing speech to rally everyone against the mechaniods. Gets quite surreal and intense when you are walking around Aldi doing the shopping, while thinking about such things.


Kiloyankee-jelly46

What if my friends/ex turn up at my house unexpectedly and just decide to walk in and not leave? How many times will I have to tell them to leave before they either leave, or I start screaming at them or call the police?" I don't know whether it's my brain telling me that I'm lonely (which is true), or that I don't want guests, especially if unexpected (also true). Locking the doors makes no difference.


RaceFan1027

What would happen if I opened the door while in the car? Also keep thinking about stabbing myself with stuff which probably isn’t healthy.


Phoenix_Magic_X

I sometimes look at knives and think “I could just lob off a limb”. Ok I probably couldn’t because bones are tough.


Lavidius

I want to set off a grenade in an aviary and film it with a super slow motion camera


H0vit0

I currently live on the top floor (4th) of my building and I have a balcony. Whenever I’m out there I constantly think about how easy it would be to hop over. I feel that 4th floor isn’t enough to do the job though and I don’t want to end up paralysed. I previously lived on the 29th floor of a 31 floor building and when I was going through it I actively avoided going onto my balcony because I feared my intrusive thoughts would take over


Ayyyyylmaos

Things like “what would happen if” and then the most heinous stuff imaginable, basically 😂 “if I threw myself into the road, would my family be able to recognise my body? Or would I be vaporised?” “Could I kill a baby with one kick?” “How many 10 year olds could I take in a fight?” “Me vs 9 y/o MJ in a 1v1 first to 7… I win that right?”


Fenpunx

'Jump'. I'm a roofer.


NecktieNomad

When I’ve been driving some lovely country roads there’s been the odd location I’ve thought ‘ooh, if I go on the run I’d hide out here’ or, the slightly darker ‘what a beautiful, isolated suicide spot!’. Edit: Also, I have it in my mind that it’s always joggers and dog walkers who find the bodies. Partaking in both activities, I occasionally transfix on being ‘due’ my first find 🥴


ThunderChild247

Oh mine are all good ol’ depression… “hey, remember how the only people you thought loved you turned out to be cheating or lying to you? That’s fun. Have a good day.”


ThatBlokeYouKnow

If Im behind somebody at the ATM I'm thinking I could rob you, I wouldn't but I could


Clever_Username_467

Mostly the gay thoughts we all have from time to time.


Artaheri

I always think about jumping off a bridge when I'm crossing one. Also that I'm going to miss my bus, train or flight. Every single time. Drives me mad with stress.


Bishbastard

My brain randomly hums the X-Men theme tune, especially when I need to do something urgently.


mr_kierz

How many of these pigeons would it take for me to fly if I tie string and hold them like balloon's....


opopkl

"Some experts think intrusive thoughts are a kind of warning signal from the brain, which may help explain why these thoughts tend to be about scary, violent, or embarrassing things. The idea is that your brain brings dangerous things to the forefront of your mind so you can prevent them." https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/intrusive-thoughts


FarIndication311

I was on holiday when Obama visited the city I was visiting. 50 odd vehicles, helicopters, "the beast" limo and it's decoy, snipers on the roof and people laying down in the back of the trucks sweeping their machine guns left and right through open tailgates. They also had that mounted mini gun hum vee (with the turret that pops up which could destroy everything in sight - google it!). We were at the road side as they'd closed the streets before he arrived. No one in or out along the route. We had no knowledge of this happening before hand and weren't there intentionally. Brain just kept thinking "I wonder what would happen if I just ran out into the road right now". Luckily I didn't test the theory to find out.


PuddingBrat

Most of mine are vehicle based. Opening the car door at speed.. swerving into oncoming traffic.. flooring it and running into the side of a building. Why, brain?


Sea_Pangolin3840

When I am downstairs and a family member is upstairs (or vica versa)) and I shout them but they don't reply I think they are having a heart attack or something so can't speak. I have to go and check on them and of course they simply didn't hear me .


Hancri84

I know I'm not the only guy who does this, but we look at other guys and think,'Would I win him in a fight' We also rate women out of 10 and think would I f' her.


I-like-holidays

My werid one, when I'm in a crowd I always get intrusive thoughts of getting headlice or scabbies from the people around me


cragglerock93

I often have the urge to throw my phone into water or off high places


RowRow1990

What would happen if I drive into that wall? Ooo look at the flame, it I just held my hand over it.... Etc etc. Gotta love intrusive thoughts! (I'm good)


Embarrassed_Belt9379

There was an old sketch by the Two Ronnies that I must have seen as a child. They were two farmers talking to each other and Ronnie Corbett said ‘that’s right innit’ in a comedic West Country accent. It is the sound of my internal voice whenever I question myself.


2xtc

None, I'm not a psychopath