What are you thinking about today? Do you have days where some event or person grabs hold of your mind and refuses to leave? I have. The best way I’ve learned to deal with unwanted thoughts that want to hang out with me is to ignore them. I tell the intrusive thoughts (literally) to enjoy the visit but I’m too busy to have a conversation with them. It seems the more we grapple with with our intrusive thoughts, the stronger or more intense the unwanted thoughts get. It’s a lot like having a conversation with someone you know who wants to argue. If you give in and start arguing, the whole thing escalates. It’s exactly what this person wants. I faced this situation a few weeks back when I met a friend at one of my shopping venues. The conversation started out smoothly then he tossed a political topic out. It was gentle enough but the answer I gave him was not the answer he wanted. He escalated it. I said, “I don’t want to have this discussion. I’m going to be on my way. Have a great day.” I left. I saw him two days later and we had another conversation without him delving into politics. I’ll admit I could have tried to change the topic; however, it’s not a smooth transition from politics to how do you make homemade salsa.