Hi everyone! Im new here and wanted to see if anyone has any advice on stopping rituals. The more anxious I get the more I cant seem to stop - its touching things a certian amount of times that never feels "right" so I have to keep going till it does. Every time I try to stop I keep thinking something really bad will happen if I dont do it. Any and all tips/advice are greatly appreciated!
Hi! OCD rituals are very hard to break, for sure. Even if it feels like you're not making progress when you try to stop, it's important to take it one step at a time. Start small. Take one of your rituals, a less impactful one, and change it just a little bit. For instance, touch a surface one less number of times than you usually would. In order to break this cycle of anxiety and ritualistic behavior, you will need to be uncomfortable. Fight the urge to do your particular ritual and change it as much as you can for a while, and then gradually change it more and resist the urge more. Remember, discomfort means it's working! OCD rituals are meant to make you feel "right" and to quell anxiety, but it will only get worse in the long run.