I have always blindly accepted every thought I have as fact. If I am thinking it it must be true, I would reason. If, for example, my mind was telling me that someone didn't like me, I didn't consider that it was simply a suggestion from my mind and that I didn't have to believe it. I took it as gospel truth
The reason why our thoughts feel so real to us is because we cannot separate ourselves from them. If another person tells you that someone doesn't like you, you recognise the information is external and have the choice to reject it. However, when it is your own mind it feels like it is simply 'how the world is'.
I had heard a lot about mindfulness (as I am sure you have) and never really understood it. How do I keep my thoughts silent? And why would I want that? It did not seem useful or beneficial for me or related to my problems.
But I have recently learnt more about it and realise I had been understanding it wrong. Mindfulness isn't just about not having thoughts. It is about being aware of them as separate from yourself. When I understood this is when I understood the importance of mindfulness in helping me deal with intrusive thoughts and OCD.
Mindfulness teaches that the thoughts and feelings you experience are not you. Anger, boredom, sadness or negative or scary thoughts are not you. They do not say something about who you are or what you will be and are neither 'good' or 'bad'. They simply are. They come and go. And it is okay to allow them to come and allow them to go without necessarily analysing them or trying to find out what they mean or what they say about you. Just let yourself experience those thoughts and feelings without judgment, let them come and let them go.
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