Rule #1: Self-acceptance. The reality of being human is that every person will experience weird, bad, odd, or disturbing intrusive thoughts. To have a healthy interior life and a mind at ease, one must accept this reality rather than letting it cause fear, frustration, sadness, or confusion. While these thoughts are inevitable, what you choose to do with them matters.

Rule #2: Controlling Your Mind. Intrusive and unwanted thoughts need to be brushed off and replaced with a Holy “whatever” to move on to think about something else. It is important not to fixate on the thought. To help, we can have a predetermined go-to list of five things we like to think about, and actively pivot to those thoughts throughout the day.

Rule #3: Call on the Name of the Lord Jesus. We can learn from the Desert Fathers that this struggle cannot be cured solely by human effort, but rather by God’s mercy. Asking for the grace to persevere in the battle rather than begging for the struggle to instantly disappear is a profound sign of spiritual growth and holiness.

More rules to come on Fr. Mark’s YouTube channel