OCD Story Hello there! I recently downloaded this app because it kept coming up on my Facebook feed and wow is this a really great app! I have Harm OCD, Pedophilia OCD, Suicidal OCD, Health OCD, and both with compulsions and Pure O. I was a psych major, so it was easier for me to recognize the symptoms when they became dysfunctional. Please communicate with your therapist if you plan on using any of these methods. Here’s some things I learned that helped me: 1. Meditate. I’m sure you’ve all heard this, but this is one of the best neutralizes to intrusive thoughts and overthinking. The goal of mediation isn’t to stop thinking, but to be still. The link below is a great beginning video that can explain and help teach you what meditation is like. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mtsdz_jhB7c 2. Affirmations. With OCD, we repeatedly tell ourselves negative beliefs in response to the thoughts that come into our mind. And with the brain, the more often we repeat negative thoughts the more likely we are to believe them. So naturally, positive affirmations will work the same way. OCD is built on a foundation of doubt, guilt and shame. There are many affirmation videos on YouTube that can help break down these negative thought patterns. I also found it was easier to admit and say certain things when there was someone else saying them with you. (Also, see MCBT as a treatment method). 3. There is no one source to OCD This was a big one. I was constantly in the battle to figure out the “source” of my thoughts, when in reality it is much more complex. With OCD comes guilt, doubt, shame and an inflated sense of responsibility. There is no “source” because all of those things play into one another. There might be other sources too, such as trauma or experiences, that also come in as a factor. I found the best way to break down those emotions is to increase your sense of humility. Once I engaged those lessons, my “intrusive” thoughts began to decrease significantly. Which brings me to my next point 4. Intrusive thoughts are just thoughts I hate the word intrusive because it perpetuates the idea that we can’t control our thoughts. It’s simply a way to differentiate “bad thoughts” from “good thoughts”, when in reality all thoughts are just neurons firing in our brains. Staying present is also a great way to lessen thoughts that alarm us. Things such as meditation, breathing exercises, yoga, etc. are teaching the brain, and the central nervous system, how to let go of anxious thoughts and give it space to heal. It’s a slow but very powerful method. 5. (Truly) Get in touch with your emotions “Anxiety is seeking fulfillment in the future”. One of the most powerful quotes I ever heard that significantly reframed how I viewed my OCD. For me, my thoughts continuously fulfilled the limiting and false belief that I was a bad and evil person that didn’t deserve any love. So I needed to get in touch with my emotions. What is the purpose of feeling guilty, of feeling fear, of feeling anger? Learning what emotions are, what they mean and use them to make positive change is an extremely powerful method. Overcoming OCD takes time and it involves restructuring many limiting and anxiety-inducing beliefs. Please communicate with your therapist if you plan on using any of these methods. I hope this helped :)