Do coping cards work for OCD? My therapist told me I should try doing a coping card for my thoughts and I don’t know if it works for OCD. So if anyone knows of these or maybe does them too do they help you through your OCD???
My ocd is mostly made of mental compulsion. (A lot of rumination; overthing; intrusive thoughts; checking; etc.) In the previous years; i healed a lot and i understood thoose things: Healing from ocd is not linear nor fast Healing from ocd is not only healing from ocd. I'll explain myself better: to heal from ocd; you have to heal in a lot of others things too. 😅😂 Triggers are like pointers; they are alarms from your brain telling you where you need to heal. They are actually good; they show you where you need to put attentions. For example; i was always super triggered if i felt anxious. After some therapy; i understood that i couldn't manage negative emotions. I am still learning to manage them; but since i started; i am really really less triggered by that. Plus i live a lil better because i don't fear negative emotions anymore. Another example: i was triggered; questioning if my bf loved me enough; if he was bored/annoyed even for a second when i'm with him. This one took me a lot of time; but i understood it came from the belief of the "right one". You know... The "if he is the right one everything will be always perfect happy etc". Reality is not like that. But i deeply belived this thing; and it made me suffer a lot. I had to learn to deal with this wrong belief and get rid of it; to get rid of the trigger too. All of that to say that coping cards is absolutely a good way to reprogram your mind thinking in a "healtier" way. If you correct some unhealthy habit; you will "stop" some triggers too. But it will take time and efforts!
You unlocked a memory for me! I made coping cards years ago for my social anxiety and depression, (but not for OCD). I found it so helpful and I suggest you give it a shot! I’m going to find mine and see if it helps my OCD too 👌
@blazed What are coping cards, by the way?
@englerscott They’re basically like index cards where you write different coping strategies, positive affirmations, etc, so you can look at it when you’re struggling for encouragement and to remind yourself how to cope healthily!
@blazed Sounds pretty straightforward !
@blazed I need to do this lol I don’t know how I have never heard of or done coping cards before😣
@Jo ^^ Don’t worry it’s relatively simple! This should give you a better idea: https://m.choosehelp.com/topics/mental-health/rehab-for-patients-with-mental-health-challenges
I never heard this name before; so i made a lil research. I actually found out that it is what made me heal without even knowing it😂 In my experience; it helped. I know i am giving you reassurance; so probably not the best; but i hope this will help you follow this method. I'll do a second message with my experience :)
@Saraa Don’t worry, I wasn’t trying to get reassurance or anything so that won’t affect me!! ^^ But thank you for this I will definitely try the coping cards out then!
Try them and see if they work for you! Why not?? :)
I just did my second session with this therapist so I don’t know yet if they do treatment for OCD the correct way 😬
These treatments are not designed for OCD sufferers because they treat OCD like a logic disorder when OCD is very far from that. Hence why, many patients do not recover with these treatments. ⭐️ Talk therapy involves doing a lot of compulsions like rumination, reassurance-seeking, trying to figure out your thoughts, Etc. ⭐️ Similarly, standard ICBT also involves compulsions such as arguing with your thoughts. For example, if you have POCD, your therapist might say “you know you’re not p*do so just ignore the thoughts.” This is reassurance and can turn into another compulsion called thought-blocking. ‼️A reputable therapist here (Tracie Ibrahim) has told us in a support group that ICBT isn’t even evidence-based (even though people claim that it is) ⭐️ Beware of Instagram “coaches” who want your money and say they specialize in a very specific subtype of OCD (ex. relationship OCD). A good ERP therapist would know that all OCD subtypes are treated the same way so the subtype shouldn’t matter. An ERP therapist should be knowledgeable in all of them because all OCD is just OCD. One of the only things that may differ is the type of exposures you have to do. ⭐️ Also, I suggest you do not use drugs & alcohol as a crutch. You will struggle with your OCD without those, which can possibly lead to addictions. Those substances can even increase your OCD symptoms. ❤️ What I do recommend for OCD recovery: ERP therapy, behavioral activation, ACT, mindfulness, self-compassion, OCD community support, healthy distractions, bonding time with family and friends, and healthy lifestyle habits. These habits include healthy eating (try to stay away from processed foods), going out on nature walks, consistent sleep, and consistent exercise. Let me know in the comments below if you have any extra tips for what’s been helping you through your OCD journey👇
Hi Everyone - has anyone else had problems with executive functioning - forgetting things, multitasking, attention, not following directions closely, etc. ? If so, what do you do to help? I brought this up to my therapist and she mentioned that I wouldn’t need a therapist Or specialist/coach to work on it - as it would be skills we know to do (take notes, put on reminders, etc). However, I’ve been struggling with OCD for years and none of these “tips” have helped enough. I have had trouble multitasking/ remembering details/forgetting things with jobs and had to quit. It even applies when I am at home - one thing goes in one ear and out the other. I also do not have or been diagnosed with ADHD or any other disorders (just depression from OCD). Does anybody have suggestions? Is it just to manage my OCD better and these things will get better with that? I don’t recall how I was when my OCD was “good” or in better shape (Up until age 18) to gauge this as I didn’t have a job or other life responsibilities. Only thing I can think of is maybe I am so caught up in my head that is causing these issues, aka the severe OCD. Thanks!
I still do not have an OFFICIAL diagnosis (I dont have the means to do so) but given my symptoms, past and present in my life hugely suggest OCD is what I am dealing with. I cannot be 100 percent certain but after searching for answers and researching for a long time now, I am fairly certain and confident this is what I am struggling with. Given this step forward, I am making more effort into giving up compulsions. at the current moment I believe to be dealing with ROCD, as I have been having several intrusive thoughts that conflict with my relationship. For starters, recently over the past month or 2, I have been struggling with intrusive thoughts like not being over my ex, being attracted to someone else, losing feelings for my partner and not being in love, etc. I can consciously identify that I dont believe these thoughts to be true but it causes me so much distress and anxiety. It gets extremely unbearable some days, and I have leaned into 2 main compulsions. I have relied on thought checking and googling as my source of relief. At first the googling was genuinely to start finding answers; hence why I have made some of the discoveries I have about OCD including this site. But it developed into every time I was anxious, I would whip my phone out and start googling strictly to find an answer that would reassure me or calm me down. As for thought checking, it acted as a way to reaffirm my love for my girlfriend in my head when I have had the thoughts that collide with my relationship and how I feel about my girlfriend. It worked at first but developed into a compulsion where every time a bad thought got me worked up id either do my normal googling or Id think about that in my head to calm myself down. Over time these compulsions have gotten less and less affective and now when I do them it only gets me more anxious and desperate for reassurance (strengthening the cycle or whatever it is lol). I did some more research and finally have accepted the very real fact that I am going to have to sit in heavy anxiety and not give into compulsions for a while in order to treat this. I have to sit in the thoughts that make me feel all this hightened anxiety and distress without giving into compulsion. to be honest I am scared, the thoughts are more rampant than ever, but I am ready to commit to this. I dont think I am gonna be able to go cold turkey on my compulsions so I am ready for the reality I might relapse on the compulsions sometimes, But am gonna keep going until I can break these shackles OCD has on my life right now. I wanna ask, what is everyones methods they use to avoid giving into compulsion when the thoughts get loud? any advice is welcome :)
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