Everyone has intrusive thoughts, and anyone who says they don’t is fibbing. The difference is that, for most people, they are passing thoughts. But when people like you and I have intrusive thoughts, it feels very different; because they constantly repeat and we ruminate upon them, they become stuck in our minds. Some of us have sticky minds. It’s thought that this stickiness can run in families. So if our parents are anxious types (through no fault of their own), this could rub off on you.