Guys try these techinques if you can't afford therapy. • 5-4-3-2-1 method (means that when you have obsessive thoughts, feelings, urges you can use this grounding tool to smoothe yourself; you describe 5 thinks you see( colors, textures, etc), 4 things that you can hear(how loud it is, it is nice, bad etc), 3 things you can touch( the same, describe it )2 things that you can smell and 1 thing that you can taste • daily affirmations : you cand write 3 times a day and even when your thoughts are spiraling a few phrases that can help you get beside them( Oh, again this unreal and irrational thought/feelings/urges. These will pass. It is an another opportunity to get over them and to get in touch with myself(you can write wathever resonates with you, search on google a few) •label the thoughts and feelings and give them funny names • stop the rumination by recognising it, labeling it and distract yourself by keep doing what you were doing before • Really important one: DON'T ENGAGE WITH THE THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, URGES NO MATTER HOW TRUE THEY FEEL. We can't control what thoughts, feelings, urges pop up but we can control our attitute towards them and how we respond/ react to them. Plus, the only reason why they feel true is because of the adrenaline that anxiety lets out. But don't forget: after a while the body gets used to the anxiety, the exercices work or the body numbs out and you remain with the thoughts wothout the anxiety. You keep doing the work because they still are intrusive and you will be better in time. Keep in mind to don't try to get rid of them, you accept them for existing, accept them that they are not true or who you are and keep doing wathever you have to do( work, draw, idk) • breathing techniques you can find a lot of them on google • a CBT exercice: when you have a thoughts choose what it is from the table of cognitive distorsions and change the thoights with a more empowering one,a more real one for example: I really feel attracted to that person and I want to cheat -> That person is good looking, attraction it is normal, but i don't trully know them and how they are to the core of their heart. I chose my boyfriend because I love him, he loves me and i trully know him inside-out, because these are only intrusive thoughts and because it is not a smart reason to be with someone because of their looks or because their first or superficial impression that they left on you( you can never know a person't true intentions with you). There are two saying that i love: If you run after two rabbits you will loose both of them. If you are running after more you can end up loosing and what you alreadu have. Keep in mind that love is a choice, it is build in time, and to maintain a relationship based onky on feelings it is not realistic. • listen to differnt calming sounds while you work, walk, etc • don't forget to do at least one thing that you love every day, don't get stuck only on recovery because you will feel burned out, you need and to do things that you enjoy • delay compulsions, to the backwards or do the opposite of them • remember that having a feeling, a thought, an urge does not make it more likely to act on it • remember that you will find resistance within yourself while you are healing because the brain will look for what it is common to it. Label it and keep doing the work. The resistance can be something like don't wanting to do the exercices, excess anxiety when you are doing the right thing, etc If I remember something that maybe I have forgotten i will write it in the comment section guys

bluebell

Date posted: 4y

This was really kind of you to go out of your way to write these down. I read each one, and they are all so helpful and I’ll definitely be using them. Thank you!

Ioana9

Date posted: 4y

Thank you so much. I know how much I have documented and I understant at least a little what everyone from here it is feeling. I haven't seen anyone saying anything about these exercices and i thought that for sure this will help a lot of people. Try to do at least 3 of them everyday. Play a mindulness podcast while you are shopping, walking, cooking etc.

Ioana9

Date posted: 4y

Btw, of course i forgot something. Write everyday you daily acheavments abou OCD and other things and make everyday a gratitude list of 5 different things

helia

Date posted: 4y

Thank you so much. I really appreciate this. Its very helpful 🥲❤

Ioana9

Date posted: 4y

You are very welcome🤗🤍

Ioana9

Date posted: 4y

And about cheating OCD, we tend to thing that "the grass is greener on the other side". This is a myth, it is not real, you don't know the other person better,only superficially. It may turn out worse than what you thought. The grass is greener where you water it. And choose who makes you feel calm when you are with him / her not who makes your heart beat fast.

Ioana9

Date posted: 4y

I remembered a few more things =)) I was sure I forgot something. • get in tune with your body( dance, do 10 jumping jacks, run, etc) • start taking care of your body( drink water when you have the intense thoughts, urges etc, eat healthy, take your vitamins, try to sleep at least 6 hours a night(the best hours to sleep are between 8 PM and 12PM becaute that is the moment when the brain eliminates i forgot what chemicals and you get the best sleep between those hours) •remember that regress is a part of healing, it is not linear •your thoughts will try to shift, you keep disregarding them •and don't strive for perfection..perfect is boring, imperfect is fun. This is what my bigger sister told me a few years ago when I was learning to love my natural wavy hair, It applies to everything what she said • and at the achievments you don't have to write big things, you can say that today you caught yourself obsessing(it is a progress), or that maybe you got the chance to pet a dog, or you really loved the rain/sun, how your skin looked, everything Again, If i keep remembering I will keep writing in the comments =))

arowyyn

Date posted: 4y

I love this so much, bookmarking this for future reference :)

Ioana9

Date posted: 4y

Yees, good luck🤍

Ioana9

Date posted: 4y

Guys and I have an ideea. In my situation, in a month I have 2-3 weeks full of exams. It kinda scares me because i don't know if it will affect my OCD and how BUT. I tried to think how I can change my worring thoughts in more empowering ones and I got an ideea. Instead of thinking: What if...(something bad), I am saying I will use my exercices untill then, of course I will get better than I am now and I will use that period as an oportunity to do exposure and strenghten my mind and body. This will result 100% percent for me to feel better after. And I can use these exercices and in my stress about exams. I think that it is a good ideea for all life changes at work, personal life etc. And I have another advice. A friend of mine who is a viollonist today has a concert and she told me that she watched another viollonist saying that nefore going on stage he does this: Because excitement and stress are the exact same feeling in the body(adrenaline) the only thing that makes the difference is yout thoughts. So before they go on stage they say" I am excited to go on stage, I will be great, etc" In this way they are changing what they feel with something more productive and they start feeling better not worse

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