How do I stop reacting to my thoughts? I feel helpless because I have a constant need to reassure myself. . . . I realize that your thoughts can be so overwhelming that you would do anything to stop them. The cycle of obsession-anxiety-reassurance is exhausting and can pull us away from the things we truly care about. Remember though that these thoughts are just your OCD and aren’t a reflection of who you are. But reassurance-seeking is a compulsion, and there are ways to unlearn our compulsive behaviors. One strategy is “doing nothing.” Don’t even take a moment to acknowledge the thought (or feeling or sensation) has occurred, and simply persist through the activity you’re in. Ignoring thoughts is similar to one of the main goals of OCD treatment: becoming able to experience thoughts without reacting to them. But, in and of itself, it’s a very difficult thing to do; and if it comes in the form of avoidance, it might be counterproductive. Similarly, you could take the exposure-based approach of purposely thinking the thought and “welcoming” the thought while resolving not to check. If you’ve worked with an OCD therapist, you might be familiar with the concept of exposure and response prevention (ERP). This means you’re not using any compulsions when you feel anxiety kicking in. Developing strategies for response prevention takes time, and there are no simple answers. Although ERP is the most effective type of therapy for OCD, it can’t work without the response prevention part. If we’re not preventing ourselves from temporarily escaping anxiety, we can’t learn how to do anything else. In general, once they’ve designed some response prevention strategies together, therapists may ask their clients to deliberately intensify their anxiety when they’re in specific situations and it kicks in. Making an exposure out of these difficult situations can help us be more deliberate in our responses and grow from the moment of anxiety, rather than just suffering through it or spending time and energy on compulsions. So, again, working with an OCD therapist is the best way to learn how to create exposures and respond to anxiety without falling back into the same old compulsive cycle.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how OCD changes the way we see ourselves, but I recently realized that I am not my thoughts. Just because a thought pops up doesn’t mean it’s true or that it defines me. I’ve started learning how to see OCD for what it is—just a disorder trying to trick me—and I’ve become stronger in dealing with it. Has anyone else here had a similar realization? How do you handle these thoughts when they show up?

How do I stop letting my intrusive thoughts control me? Ive been having them for almost a year, once I graduated, become more isolated and lost more friends they've become worse. I feel like when I had friends and was still going to school they weren't as bad probably because I was living more so I didn't take them as seriously. But now that Im home all day and alone they've gotten worse and it feels like they're starting to control my life. Theres times where Im on social media and eventually I forget about them but then when I realize I forgot about them they come back. Sometimes the thought just lingers it doesn't even just pop in my head and go away. I can't tell anyone in my family because they'd judge me for the thoughts and they don't really believe in mental illnesses. I also sometimes think of what other people may think of me if they knew the thoughts I had and it makes it worse. How do I stop letting these thoughts control/trigger me and stop reacting or feeling some type of way about them.

Or thought-stopping, or suppression. I'm new-ish to OCD treatment and recovery, and I understand and believe that I'm living with this condition, but I still don't *get* it sometimes. I don't immediately click with what other people are describing. For example, when my therapist suggests using mindfulness techniques like naming something in my environment for each sense (something I see in this room, something I hear in this moment, etc), I'm thinking, "is this thought-stopping?" because I'm using the technique to get out of an obsessive spiral and redirecting my attention outward. Isn't that a good thing? Is it thought-suppression *every* time I try to change the subject in my mind? How would you describe "thought neutralizing" mental compulsions to someone who doesn't get it? (ie me lol)