Anonymous24
- Date posted
- 2y
Tips for Mental Compulsions
Hi! What are your best tips for those who struggle with mental compulsions?
Lolo1017Lolo1017
- Date posted
- 2y
“Cool story, Bro…I’m going to move on with my day” ☺️
MintyMLPMintyMLP
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y
This is great! I really like responding to my OCD with sarcasm.
Anonymous24 Anonymous24
- Date posted
- 2y
@MintyMLP Do you ever agree with your thoughts as a technique?! I’m getting hung up on how this is supposed to work 😂 like isn’t agreeing with them validating them?
Lolo1017Lolo1017
- Date posted
- 2y
@Anonymous24 You’re not agreeing or accepting the content of the thoughts, you’re accepting that they’re there, a false alarm has been activated, and your brain/body responded. That’s it. Nothing to see here.
MintyMLPMintyMLP
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y
When things get overwhelming I write down ALL of my OCD thoughts. Then I go down the list and respond to each one with a maybe statement "Maybe this is true, maybe not". Then I tell OCD "Thank you." "Thank you for reminding me how much I care about X" because OCD targets what you care about the most.
MintyMLPMintyMLP
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y
Sometimes mentally responding to mental compulsions is just too hard. It feels like I'm untying knots in my brain. If I write things down it clarifies what exactly OCD is trying to tell me and then I can attack it the way it needs to be attacked.
Anonymous24 Anonymous24
- Date posted
- 2y
@MintyMLP Okay I started doing this too and it has helped!! I agree, it’s like untying knots in your brain and it gets messy really quick. I feel like it’s easier to start ruminating when you try to handle it all mentally sometimes.
MintyMLPMintyMLP
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y
Saying "I'll worry about this later." Or "I don't need to fix this right now" and really working on being OK with having an uncomfortable feeling
Anonymous24 Anonymous24
- Date posted
- 2y
@MintyMLP And yes! I’m working on becoming okay with those uncomfortable feelings. Sometimes the desire to get that certainty feels sooo strong and like I don’t even want to combat my ocd. It’s hard!
Related posts
Anonymouus
- Date posted
- 23w
How to avoid mental compulsions
My biggest is ruminating, i talk and talk and over share with myself and others Like what are some exposures?
Secretidentity
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 22w
Mental compulsions
My boyfriend is staying the weekend at his parents house for his moms birthday and my ocd was quiet for most of the day and then I had the thought of my off has been quiet so I must not actually love my boyfriend which then just kept spiraling. I did resist compulsions to the best of my ability. I think there’s some mental ones I do as well but idk what they are. Anyway how do you guys resist mental compulsions what could some mental compulsions be?
Love1another<3
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 17w
Beware of Talk Therapy/ CBT
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👇
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