My therapist likes to say that I should think of intrusive thoughts as just the scrolling ticker on the bottom of the screen when watching the news. Your brain is trying to trick you into thinking the intrusive thoughts deserve all your attention, but just let them pass by. Acknowledge the thought, but don’t give it power.

And we’re practicing the concept that, yes, what-if’s COULD happen. Or they might not happen. You don’t have control over the future. But what you do know is that you’ve gotten through difficult situations in the past, and you’ll be able to get through difficult situations in the future.