OCD COPING TIPS!!!

(just sharing what i do on days where OCD is more overwhelming than others) 1. 𝙏𝘼𝙆𝙀 𝘼 𝘾𝙊𝙇𝘿 𝙎𝙃𝙊𝙒𝙀𝙍 - the cold water regulates your breathing and increases endorphins and feel-good hormones in your brain which reduces anxiety! 2. 𝙒𝘼𝙏𝘾𝙃 𝘼 𝙁𝘼𝙑𝙊𝙐𝙍𝙄𝙏𝙀 𝙎𝙃𝙊𝙒/𝙈𝙊𝙑𝙄𝙀 - i have a set of shows/movies that i will watch on days that i am overwhelmed, ones that i know will distract me from my thoughts. 3. 𝙅𝙊𝙐𝙍𝙉𝘼𝙇 - write down your emotions, dump all of the stress out onto your piece of paper, notebook etc. - you then have a choice, either you can rip this piece of paper up or scribble it out. it’s up to you! 4. 𝙇𝙄𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙉 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝘿𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀 𝙏𝙊 𝙈𝙐𝙎𝙄𝘾 - everyone is a dancer if they really want to be. the sprinkler? hell yeah. turn your music up and drown out those thoughts! 5. 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙋 𝙏𝙀𝙎𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 - do not test your reactions to your thoughts as it keeps them present in your brain - think of it like this if you are looking for a certain reaction to a thought or trying to avoid one it will appear and cause further confusion! (e.g don’t think of the pink elephant, you’re going to) - you can also think of it as you’re actively setting yourself an expectation, that you’re going to have a specific reaction to your thoughts therefore you’re keeping yourself in that loop! 6. 𝙈𝙄𝙉𝘿𝙁𝙐𝙇𝙉𝙀𝙎𝙎 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝘽𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙉𝙂 - it sounds typical but when you’re overwhelmed taking a moment to breathe, deep breaths in and out can be so beneficial. focus on your breathing and not your thoughts! 7. 𝙋𝘼𝙔 𝘼𝙏𝙏𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 𝙏𝙊 𝘿𝙀𝙏𝘼𝙄𝙇 - no not within your thoughts, let’s say when you are going about your day. - when washing the dishes, what is the temperature of the water? what scent is the soap? how are you scrubbing the dish? - simply just walking? how does the ground feel under your feet? what speed are you walking at? - this takes focus away from your thoughts and keeps you present! 8. 𝙒𝙊𝙍𝙆𝙊𝙐𝙏 - working out gives you a burst of energy and is also known to reduce stress and can also lead to a good nights sleep which we all need. 9. 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝙇𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙐𝘼𝙂𝙀 - by this i mean rather than saying things such as “i hope things will get better” say “i know things will get better” - this is an example of certainty, just not the kind that your OCD is asking you for in order to keep you in a loop of rumination. this is a positive affirmation! 10. 𝙐𝙉𝘾𝙀𝙍𝙏𝘼𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙔 𝙄𝙎 𝘾𝙀𝙍𝙏𝘼𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙔!!!!!!!! - allowing yourself to be uncertain about the outcome of your thoughts does not mean that you are a bad person or are open to acting upon your thoughts! - this simply just means that you are not giving your OCD the certainty that it wants. - by being okay with uncertainty you’re taking the power of your thoughts away because you’re okay with the element of doubt. you know who you are! you know that you’re a good person! so these thoughts have 0 meaning to you and your life. finally, a reminder that your thoughts do not define you and that you’re going to be okay!