5 Tips to Help Control OCD Thoughts
By Katherine Pica, LCSW
Your thoughts consume you. They’re constantly running through your mind during the day and keeping you up all throughout the night. You’re convinced you’re a bad person. Your thoughts have led you to believe that you may hurt yourself or others. You constantly doubt yourself. You keep picturing yourself embarrassing yourself in front of others. Your compulsions are taking over you. You’re constantly worried about catching germs or getting sick. And you can’t seem to shake thoughts of the past.
Whatever your thoughts lead you to believe, there is a way to regain control again. Here are 5 tips to help control OCD thoughts.
1. Separate Your OCD From Your Actual Thoughts
You are not your thoughts. Say that again. You are not your thoughts. Despite what your OCD is telling you, your thoughts are just words. Just because you think a certain thing doesn’t mean that you’re a bad person or dangerous or that something bad will happen. Your thoughts won’t always align with who you are as a person or who you’re striving to be, and that’s okay, and actually, it’s completely normal!
2. Challenge Your OCD by pushing against it
OCD can lead you to believe that something bad will happen if you don’t perform your compulsions. Try to challenge yourself next time you’re faced with an obsession. If you have a compulsion where you have to wash your hands a certain number of times after being anxious or thinking a certain thought, aim to wash your hands one less time. This may be easier said than done, especially when you’re first starting this coping technique, but try it out and see what works best!
3. Be Willing to Accept Some Risk
One of the core issues with OCD is difficulty with uncertainty. But here is the thing. Uncertainty is a part of our everyday lives. We accept uncertainty everyday when we get into our cars and drive to work, school or the store. However with OCD there is a specific part of life where uncertainly is intolerable.
Let's use Contamination OCD as an example. Well when people do excessive hand washing and cleaning rituals at home they are trying very hard to make their space germ free. But here is the problem with that, FIrst off we cant see germs so really they are probably all around us. Secondly unless we implement sterile processing procedures like they do in surgical suites then we are likely to have germs in our environment no matter what we do. Also germs get into surgical suits even after all they do to keep them out. When working with an OCD therapist the goal is learning to accept some risk that is already present in our lives.
4. Practice Mindfulness
A lot of anxiety often stems from obsessing over things from the past or worrying about things that haven’t occurred yet. Practicing mindfulness can be a great way to help you stay grounded and focused in the present moment.
Here are a few different ways to incorporate this into your daily routine:
Focus on your breathing
Go for a walk outside
Say positive affirmations
Practice yoga or meditation
Don’t completely dismiss mindfulness before trying it out for yourself. There are many different ways that you can practice mindfulness. Also an important tip is this is best practiced on a regular basis rather than practiced in response to Anxiety or OCD.
5. Seek out an OCD therapist
Therapy is one of the best treatment options for OCD. A licensed and trained mental health professional will work with you one-on-one to help you manage your obsessive thoughts. Exposure and Response Prevention therapy, or ERP, is one of the most common treatment options for people with OCD. With this type of therapy, you will work to confront your thoughts in a safe and supportive environment.
Next Steps To find a San Diego based OCD therapist
Everyone has upsetting thoughts every so often. With OCD, these thoughts could turn into obsessions and become harder to let go of. If you’re noticing that your thoughts are starting to get in the way of living your life, it may be time to reach out for help.
How to get OCD therapy near me?
If you’re struggling to find ways to cope with your thoughts, we specialize in OCD treatment. Reach out to us today to schedule a consultation.
