Intrusive thoughts can also be a symptom of some mental health conditions, such as:

Natural brain activity

Unresolved emotions or stress

Traumatic experiences

Hormonal shifts

Loneliness and isolation

Fatigue or lack of sleep

Practice thought labelling

Engage in activities

Try a grounding technique

Acknowledge and accept the thoughts 

Practise self-care

Speak with a psychologist

Speak with someone you trust

Connect with others

Dealing with distressing thoughts can be difficult, but learning how to handle them can make a big difference to how you feel.

Explains why intrusive, repetitive, and distressing thoughts happen as well as short and long-term strategies you can use to manage them.

Understand why intrusive, repetitive, and distressing thoughts happen

Learn practical things you can do to feel better right now

Learn long-term strategies that can be used to manage your thought patterns.

Dealing with intrusive thoughts can be difficult, but learning how to handle them can make a big difference to how you feel.

Managing intrusive thoughts

What is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)?

The negative spiral

Challenging core beliefs

Exposure therapy

Behavioural experiments

What are the benefits and limitations of CBT?

Benefits of CBT

Limitations of CBT

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a popular treatment option for a range of mental health conditions or those looking for evidence-based coping strategies.

Explains what CBT is and how it can be used as a treatment option for a range of mental health conditions or those looking for evidence-based coping strategies.

Understand what cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is and how to get started

Learn how CBT can be used to learn coping strategies and improve your wellbeing

Learn how CBT can be used as a treatment option for a range of mental health conditions.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a popular treatment option for a range of mental health conditions or those looking for coping strategies.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

What is loneliness?

Why is it important to have good social connections?

Joining a social club

Reconnecting with a friend or relative you don’t see often

Volunteering in your community

 Joining a gym or sports team

Joining local Facebook group

Taking your dog to the park and meeting other owners

Attending community events or group meetings

We are social creatures, so having strong social connections is one of the most important factors in our mental health. Learn how to form new social connections. 

Explains the importance of having strong social connections, what a healthy social connection looks like, and ways you can start building new connections.

Understand the importance of having strong social connections

Get clear on what a healthy social connection looks like

Learn ways you can start building new connections.

We are social creatures so having strong social connections is one of the most important factors in our mental health. 

Building social connections

I have a box full of things that make me feel better, such as a soft toy or a note from a friend. I also have things that help me if I'm feeling frustrated, angry or depressed.


Reflect on what makes you feel good

Consider what's important to you in life

Personalise and make it your own

Embrace change and flexibility

Books or journals

Tea or comforting beverages

Preferred snacks

Photos

Exercise equipment

Favourite song lyrics

Affirmation notes

Nice cards or mementos

Reminders of holidays or moments you enjoyed

Jewellery or something of value

Favourite calming YouTube channels or music playlists

Easier self-care and feeling better

Calming effect

Chance to step away from daily pressures 

Create space for stress reduction and quieting thoughts

Increase self-awareness

Highlight and remind you of important things

Boost creativity

It’s important to make time for activities that nourish and recharge you, especially if you're feeling stressed or down. Learn how making a self-care box can help.

Explains why having a self-care box filled with nourishing things can help you cope during difficult times as well as ideas of what to put in your own self-care box.

Understand what self-care is and why it’s important for our wellbeing

Learn why making a self-care box can help you cope during difficult times

Discover self-care ideas and things you can include in your own box.

Self-care can help you cope with challenging times by ensuring your needs are being met. Learn how a self-care box can be a valuable mental health support tool.

Creating a self-care box

Writing down my feelings helped me to deconstruct and understand how I felt about certain things. 

If you can name it, you can tame it

Spot patterns and gain insight

I’ve recently turned to journaling when I feel upset as a way of understanding why I feel a certain way so that I can try to overcome the real cause.

Improve relationships

How do I capture my thoughts and feelings?

Questions when you’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious:

Questions when you’re feeling low or down:

Questions after a conflict or stressful situation:

Journaling has been shown to not just help you feel better in the moment, but deliver long-term benefits too. We show you how to get started.

Journaling your thoughts & feelings

Explains the short and long-term benefits of journaling and offers ways you can start capturing your thoughts and feelings.

Understand what journaling is and how to get started

Learn the short and long-term benefits of journaling

Discover tips for capturing your thoughts and feelings.

Journaling has been shown to not just help you feel better in the moment, but deliver long term benefits too. We show you how to get started.

Why does talking to someone you trust help? 

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, opening up to someone you trust can take some weight off your shoulders.

When you’re feeling out of your depth and overwhelmed, opening up to someone you trust can take some weight off your shoulders.

Explains how talking to someone you trust during tough times can help you feel empowered, connected, and hopeful. Learn more about who to talk to, when to reach out, and what to say.

Understand the importance of being able to talk to someone you trust

Start thinking about who the people are in your life that you could talk to

Learn tips for knowing when and how to reach out, and what you can say.

Talk to someone you trust

For example, a traumatic memory or thought may:

After my dog died suddenly in an accident, I was left with distressing memories whenever I was near the location of his death. EMDR helped soften the images, enabling me to work through the grieving process and accept what happened.

Can you do EMDR on yourself?

Do I need a referral for EMDR?

Where can I find an EMDR therapist in Australia?

What can I expect in a typical EMDR session?

Phases 1 & 2: Client history and preparation

Phase 3: Assessment

Phases 4 & 5: Desensitisation and installation

Phases 6 & 7: Body scan and closure

Phase 8: Re-evaluation

Myths and misconceptions surrounding EMDR

EMDR helps you feel less distress caused by memories related to traumatic experiences. Learn how it works and how it can help you.

Explains what EMDR therapy is, how it can help with trauma, where to find a trained therapist, and what you can expect in a session.

Understand what eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is

Learn why EMDR’s strong evidence base makes it an effective treatment for trauma

Learn where to find a trained therapist and what you can expect in a session.

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)

How is mindfulness different from meditation and relaxation?

Break negative thinking patterns

Improve how you feel and make better choices

Find more joy in life

Get better sleep

I felt depressed when looking back on my past and I felt anxious about my future, so I started practising being present.

Breathing mindfulness

Eating mindfulness

Showering mindfulness

The first few times you try mindfulness, you’ll hopefully notice a few effects:

After you’ve been practicing mindfulness for a few times, you might notice:

Once you start to become a bit of a mindfulness champ, and practice regularly, you’ll probably notice:

De-mystify mindfulness and learn how you can use it to reduce distress, feel more calm, improve your sleep, and rediscover joy in the small things.

Getting started with mindfulness

Explains what mindfulness is, why it’s beneficial for your mental health and wellbeing, and how you can start practising it.

Understand what mindfulness is and the different ways people practise it

Learn why mindfulness is beneficial for your mental health and wellbeing

Discover tips and ideas for starting your own mindfulness practice.

Learn what mindfulness is, why it’s beneficial to your mental health and wellbeing, and how you can start practising it. 

When I reframe the way I think about the situations, I can see it has a big impact on my life. 

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Thought: “I’m never going to find a job”

Thought:  "I'm not good enough"

Thought:  “I should just give up”

Thought: “I’m not good enough”

Thought: “I should just give up”

Our thoughts can have a powerful impact on our emotions and behaviour.
This activity can help you to manage your thoughts and emotions more effectively.

Explains how you can use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) strategies to manage difficult, repetitive, and intrusive thoughts.

Understand why people experience difficult, repetitive, and intrusive thoughts

Learn how this three-part CBT-based activity can help you feel better

Discover ways to make long-term changes to your thought patterns.

A CBT-based thought challenging activity

If I’m tossing and turning at night, I put on a guided meditation to reset my mind. I find it soothes my racing thoughts and just calms me down, helping me go back to sleep.

Meditation helps put me in the driver's seat of my mind.

After a hard or overwhelming day, I use meditation to clear my head, relax and be present to what comes up.

Aim small

Same time, same place

Know your 'why'

Meditation can cultivate a sense of calm and clarity by focusing your attention and giving you a birds-eye view of the nature of your mind.

Gives a simple explanation of what meditation is and how you can use it to reduce stress, feel calm, and improve your overall wellbeing.

Understand what meditation is and why it can improve our wellbeing

Learn how meditation can be used to feel calm and reduce stress

Discover tips for getting started with a meditation practice of your own.

An introduction to meditation

We're so quick to label feelings as good or bad, and I had to unlearn that.  For me, feelings are signposts, giving me an indication of what's going on beneath.  

How ACT might help you manage anxiety

How ACT might help you manage substance misuse 

How ACT might help you manage feelings of depression

Acceptance

Thought defusion

Contact with the present moment

Values

Committed action

Flexibility

Crisis situations

Severe trauma

Domestic and family violence experiences

Books about ACT

ACT courses

ACT workbooks

Apps

Difficult thoughts and feelings can be overwhelming. Learn how ACT can help you respond to life's ups and downs in more mindful, positive, and adaptive ways.

Explains what ACT is and how it works, what it can and cannot treat, the benefits of doing it, as well as where to find further ACT resources.

Understand what acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is and what it can and cannot treat

Learn the benefits of ACT as well as what you can expect in an ACT session

Access links to helpful ACT resources and other information on how to get started.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) teaches you strategies to respond to difficult thoughts and emotions in more mindful, positive, and adaptive ways. 

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

How does screen time impact mental health and wellbeing?

Sometimes, there’d be instances where I’d go to check a message and an hour later, I’m on social media.

Improved mental health and emotional wellbeing

Increased focus and productivity

Reconnection with the present moment

Increased productivity and self-reflection

Excessive media and technology use can have a negative impact on your mental health, but a digital detox can help you bring things back into balance.

How to do a digital detox

Techniques to help you manage your mental health now and over time.

Techniques & Strategies

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