It Doesn't Take Much to Give Bad Thoughts Wings

Notes on intrusive thoughts.

The human mind is a marvellous thing, capable of soaring flights of imagination, dizzying leaps of logic, and stunning feats of creativity. But let's be honest: it's also a breeding ground for terrible ideas that can spread faster than a drunken rumour at a frat party.

You know how it goes. One minute, you're minding your own business, maybe daydreaming about what you'll have for lunch, and suddenly—BAM!—a bad thought dives into your brain like a deranged pigeon.

Maybe it's a flash of irrational jealousy or a mean-spirited judgement about a coworker's new haircut. Whatever it is, before you know it, that winged little monster is flapping around your head, pooping all over your peace of mind.

The problem is that bad thoughts are incredibly easy to come by. They don't require any special skills or qualifications—just a human brain and a pulse.

You don't need to go to Bad Thought University or earn a PhD in Negativity to have them. They're the mental equivalent of fast food—cheap, ubiquitous, and not particularly good for you.

But here's where it gets tricky. Just like a bird can travel far and wide once it takes flight, a bad thought can quickly gain altitude in your mind if you're not careful. All it takes is a little bit of attention, a dash of dwelling, and maybe a pinch of self-pity, and suddenly, that pesky thought has migrated from a fleeting notion to a full-blown fixation.

So, what's the solution? Well, short of performing a brainectomy on yourself (which I do not recommend), the best thing you can do is to develop a mental catch-and-release programme for your bad thoughts. When one of those little buggers flutters into your mind, acknowledge it, maybe even tip your hat to it, but then gently shoo it away. Don't give it a nest to roost in or birdseed to snack on.

Just let it fly by like the transient pest it is.

Remember, your mind is your aviary, and you get to decide which thoughts you want to keep as pets and which ones you want to set free. So the next time a bad thought tries to take wing in your brain, just smile, wave, and send it on its merry way. After all, you've got better things to do than play host to a bunch of mental pigeons.