- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
It depends what your intention is. If your intention is to "get rid of" or escape the unwanted thought it emotion, that's a problem. Using distraction that way, especially if you stop doing what you were doing to switch to the new activity, quickly becomes compulsive. If your intention is to improve the moment while you have the uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, or to engage in the activity to prevent you from doing mental compulsions, that's a positive
- Date posted
- 5y
Okay, but isn’t trying to escape an unwanted thought the same thing as trying to improve a moment? I’m a little confused.
- Date posted
- 5y
@giraffe522 Not quite. It's the difference between doing something enjoyable instead of something you fear (ex: my schoolwork triggers my OCD, so I'll play angry birds instead) vs doing something enjoyable in addition to the feared task (listening to your favorite musician's album while you do your schoolwork)
- Date posted
- 5y
It's good to keep up positive and healthy activities as regular habits. If you tend to do them at times when you're trying to get rid of thoughts and feelings you don't want, it's probably an avoidance compulsion. Even for people without OCD, maybe they find playing video games fun and relaxing. But if it's their go-to when they're supposed to be doing homework which is making them anxious as they're scared of failing, that's when it's being used as avoidance and isn't healthy, it's maladaptive. It's better to process those feelings and get to doing what they need to do. Also as in this example, compulsions can often create self fulfilling prophecies.
- Date posted
- 5y
I don't think it is, activities that give you pleasure are good for your mood and your Health.
- Date posted
- 5y
Okay, thanks!
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 24w
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?
- Date posted
- 23w
So I just started few weeks ago and my therapist told me that I should try doing the compulsions I do to relief the anxiety and stop the thought out of the love of doing the compulsion instead of the anxiety relief. Like sometimes I repeatdly say prayers when I get an intrusive sinful images to put them away so basically I should say them more out of general love of saying them. Sometimes I crochet and distract myself a lot out of my thoughts so I should do the distractions out of love and enjoyment of doing them instead of fixing the anxiety and making it go away. To basically rewire my brain to not relate the compulsions to the intrusive thoughts so they're less compulsive I think
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