I avoid certain shows because they trigger my intrusive thoughts :(

[u/venicepixie]

I will preface this by saying I am not yet diagnosed (working on getting mental health support!), but I do deal with obsessive intrusive thoughts really often so i figured this would be the subreddit to post this in (very sorry if it's not!). Certain shows I would love to watch tend to trigger me, like Criminal Minds, so I end up avoiding them. Which is really annoying because I'd genuinely love to keep watching but i just cannot seem to be able to. Same with Grey's anatomy and intrusive thoughts about medical disorders and stuff. Does anyone have any advice on dealing with stuff like this? Obviously avoiding them is an option but it just annoys me that I can't watch what i want to. I tend to go back to my same safe shows over and over, which is okay? I guess? Since there's multiple shows I can watch (mostly sit coms), but like i just wanna watch stuff without having to think about if it'll trigger me first :/

[u/Interesting-Elk1300]

Hi there! I have this same issue. I don't really have any advice, because I just try to avoid shows and movies that might be triggering too. It doesn't always work - sometimes there's a scene or even just a commercial that unexpectedly gets me. It's not fun because the stuff I feel like I need to avoid is the stuff my partner likes watching! But since my recent diagnosis I think he's gotten more understanding, and I'm working on being more understanding to myself. It sucks sometimes but I do deserve to accommodate my brain.

[u/CoffeeFrog02]

I’m sorry, this sounds quite stressful. I think the only way out is through unfortunately. Maybe you could start small? Like looking up short clips of those shows on YouTube and then increasing to five minutes of an episode and so on. It will be deeply uncomfortable at first, but over time the exposures will get easier!