- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
Meditation for 30 mins a day, in a room where you won’t be disturbed. Inhale slowly through your nose, and deeply, exhale the exact same through your mouth. Concentrate on a part of your facial feature whilst you do this practise. Eyes shut. I focus on the tip of my nose, concentrate and if your mind wanders just refocus. Over time you gain a solid concentration throughout your day-to-day schedule, it really does work. Give it a month or so and you’ll begin to see a difference.
- Date posted
- 5y
Lay down whilst you do it and just completely relax.
- Date posted
- 5y
Start small. Even if that’s 3 minutes a way. It’s like training to run a marathon, you start with walking before you jog and before you run. Keep a routine. Pick a time in your day when you can focus on it. The key is consistency. Sometimes your practice will be fruitful and sometimes messy. Both are okay. It’s not a destination you’re getting to, mindfulness in and of itself is the destination. You’re already there, it’s just awareness. As you develop your practice, increase the amount of time. I started with ten minutes and now I’m at 20. I plan on breaking my day into two sessions, doing 20 minutes early and then later in the day. There are several apps that are great for staying on track. I used Headspace personally. I’d check out these books, too: https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Workbook-OCD-Overcoming-Compulsions/dp/1608828786/ref=nodl_ https://www.amazon.com/10-Happier-Self-Help-Actually-Works/dp/0062265431 Focus more on celebrating when you notice to be mindful, and be compassionate when your mind drifts. That’s what it does! Over time you’re able to maintain mindfulness more often. ERP helped me confront my obsessions. Mindfulness helped me accept them and manage them.
- Date posted
- 5y
Well said. This is the ultimate, and therefore the only way forward for people who suffer with OCD problems. A combination of the things you mentioned are absolutely spot on to beat this condition, or simply learn to cope and compartmentalise the intrusiveness that OCD brings.
- Date posted
- 5y
Mindfulness/meditation has been a key factor in my recovery. I started with guided meditations i found on YouTube. Calm is also a great app. I like guided meditations that help me visualize letting go of pain/trauma that OCD has caused in my past. It has been really healing for me along with ERP! Also sometimes just putting all distractions and the phone aside and sitting in silence is a huge exposure in itself.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 21w
I’m having a big OCD relapse and would like to hear anyone’s tips on how to be present and healthily deal with these intrusive thoughts and the “need” to preform compulsions. Thank you!!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 16w
Hi guys! I’m new to the community and I’ve recently received my OCD diagnosis (tho I’ve known about it since childhood). I’ve been somewhat spiraling lately as I wait for my first ERP session (hooray!) I was just wondering if any of you guys have received ERP for existential OCD and if it was successful? My existential OCD compulsions are more so mental and have been affecting me in the sense of dream/memory flashbacks and giving me a sort of “uncanny” feeling about everything around me. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you❤️
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 12w
I used to get caught in a loop with existential thoughts very frequently. Every question made my stomach drop: (TW: existential questions) … … ... "Why does anything exist at all? What will death be like? Is anything even real? Is there any meaning to this? Is the universe infinitely big, and if not, what's beyond it? Are there multiverses? Has the universe been around forever? Will the universe end for good, or will it keep going forever? What is forever like? What even IS reality?" It would get so overwhelming that I remember lying on the floor in a fetal position for hours because I felt like there was no escape. I spent most of my days reading articles and watching videos about theoretical astrophysics and philosophy in a desperate attempt to "figure it all out." Of course that only made me more anxious, raised more questions, and kept me trapped in the cycle. Things started to improve once I learned to turn TOWARD reality, rather than away from it, and ERP really helped me do that. I learned that these questions weren't the problem. I learned that I can actually handle the anxiety that arises when exposed to these ideas and concepts. I don't have to figure anything out to make the anxiety go away; it arises and passes away on its own. Ironically, bringing myself into the present moment and becoming more aware of reality helped me escape the cycle of existential dread. Because of that, this topic no longer takes over my life. If I'm triggered by something I see, hear, or think, I may still feel a little twang of anxiety, but then it just goes away. "Maybe, maybe not" has been the single most useful phrase of my life. Do you ever get trapped in a cycle of existential questions? Are you worried that the ERP approach would be too scary to handle? If so, I'm happy to give my advice.
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