Tips

Well... This might sound crazy but the other night I walked out into the snowing weather with no shoes and just a bit of clothes and stood out there until my brain no longer paid attention to what I was obsessing over, but instead paid attention to how cold my feet were and how I wanted to go inside. That 3 or so minutes in the freezing cold helped me to break from my sympathetic nervous system and get into a different head space. I was actually perseverating (you taught me a new word) on work as well. If you can't do an ice bath like that, cardio helps to get into the body. Something like running, biking, or really anything that just gets your heart and respiratory system going, even jumping jacks. Yoga helps force you to feel your body, even the kind of painful bodily feelings, which can bring up emotions and help you process them and calm the mind. Meditating can help you observe the mind while letting it do its thing while you watch without judgment. Getting into a manual task like deep cleaning a room, a physical project like building a model, anything that takes less mind and more physical action. Exposures are going to be the best method. I don't know if you have a therapist to guide you through them but you can at least come up with your own mental exposures and try to do it yourself. Getting out of the house also could be a great idea. I think what I'm getting at is exposures are always #1, but getting into your body and out of your head as much as you can is a helpful addition.

Thank you so much for such a lengthy response. I actually got a little emotional reading it and how thorough it is. I’ve done extensive erp for my compulsions but I’m not as sure on how to do them on mental obsessions and regulations of emotional responses. I just bought a book on pure o that I hope will give some insight. It took a long time to conquer the physical compulsions and I never thought that would be possible so I guess there is some hope there. I know exercise is key but I’ve been having difficulty motivating this winter. I’m hoping your reminder will give me a jump start. I can definitely try shocking my system with the cold. Thank you so much

If you try shocking your system with cold, just be safe about it. I wasn't out for long, and I don't suggest going out and getting frost bite ☺️ you can alternatively take an ice bath (I would look up how to do this). But all of those other options for getting out of your head are also good choices. I understand not being motivated to exercise. Maybe think of it as a survival response at the moment. Instead of making yourself establish a workout routine for the long term, maybe agree to doing it for the next day or two to get you out of your head space. Then at least you've done it, even if you forget to do it in 3 or 4 days.

I recommend ACT exercises, for example "Dropping anchor" (check you tube) it helos me a lot with my mental activity.