OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, is a mental health disorder affecting people across the globe. Obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviour around a certain fear, if not treated early, can get out of hand. On awareness, patients suffering from OCD often want to manage the symptoms in an effective way. Below, we take a deep dive into the condition, understand OCD, its impact on lives and how to overcome OCD.
What is OCD and Its Impact
OCD is a mental health condition where the patient gets persistent, obsessive thoughts and shows compulsive behaviour for fear of a peculiar thing. Depending on the type of fear, OCD is categorised into many types, for example, contamination, symmetry, checking, and intrusive thoughts. While there are other subtypes of OCD as well, these are the four main types.
The exact cause of the condition is not known yet, but psychiatrists believe that a combination of genes, environment, and biology are at play. Similar to any mental health condition, early intervention for OCD is recommended for managing the symptoms. If not done so, OCD can impact negatively and hamper one’s personal(including health), social, and professional life. But you can prevent that from happening if you learn how to overcome OCD from a professional.
How to Overcome OCD: Proven Strategies
Now that we are done understanding the condition to some extent, let us get into the strategies that can help us overcome OCD and its symptoms:
1. Seeking Professional Help
If symptoms are impacting your life significantly and your social life is getting impacted, seek professional help. Visit a psychiatrist or a psychologist and talk about your symptoms. Treatment options generally used for treating OCD include cognitive therapy, exposure therapy, and medication.
2. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is one of the most effective treatment methods for obsessive-compulsive disorder. The therapy is used to identify, challenge, and modify the triggers and reactions to the triggers. Visit a psychologist or a therapist for your OCD problems to experience the benefits of CBT.
3. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
A therapist or a psychologist often advises ERP and CBT together for treating OCD in patients. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a type of CBT that is particularly useful in treating fears. The therapy encourages gradual exposure to fear to manage and control compulsive behaviours. For example, someone with contamination-type OCD will be made to touch a surface and practice resistance by not washing or sanitising their hands immediately. A gradual increase in trigger exposure will be used to reduce anxiety and fear of the triggers.
4. Practicing Delayed Response
It's a simple practice of intentionally delaying acting on compulsive behaviour. For example, if you have OCD of symmetry and are having an issue with an alignment of things somewhere, do not act on it immediately. Delay your response by 5 minutes and try to focus on other things meanwhile. Take it as a challenge initially, and use a timer if it's that difficult. However, slowly, it reduces the compulsion.
5. Mindfulness and Meditation
OCD is a form of anxiety disorder. Mindfulness and meditation can help reduce anxiety by focusing on the present. It teaches people to observe thoughts and allow them to pass without acting on them. The daily practice of mindfulness and meditation makes it easier to resist compulsive behaviour and promote peace through breathing exercises. Regular meditation also helps a person take control of the mind and break free from obsessive thought patterns in OCD.
6. How To Overcome OCD With Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle changes and modified daily routines have significant effects on mental health conditions, including OCD. For example-
- Regular Exercise - Physical activity releases dopamine, which reduces stress and improves mood. Together, they reduce anxiety and compulsive urges.
- Healthy Diet - A balanced diet and nutrition are necessary for healthy brain function, which reduces OCD symptoms.
- Adequate Sleep - Sleep hygiene helps with mental health. A rested mind and body improves focus on the present and reduces anxiety.
- Limiting Caffeine and Alcohol - Caffeine and alcohol make the mind lose control and act as depressants, increasing anxiety and OCD symptoms.
7. Medication
In some cases where the patient is in advanced stages of OCD, they may be prescribed medicines to boost their mood. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are often used to manage OCD symptoms. However, prescription medicines are used in combination with therapy and lifestyle changes. Also, these are prescription medicines and should only be taken after consulting with a doctor.
8. How to Stop OCD Thoughts Naturally
You may also try a few strategies to effectively manage your anxiety and OCD thoughts naturally yourself. Here’s how to stop OCD thoughts naturally-
- Journal - Take out a diary from a notebook and a pen and start writing. You can write about the thoughts that bother you. You can write your complaints. You can also write about your goals, desires, and ideal scenarios. Writing your thoughts and worries significantly reduces the anxiety around them and makes them less overwhelming.
- Breathing Exercises - Meditation and Deep breathing can immediately reduce anxiety and bring your focus to the present. Try to learn some breathing techniques to practice every day and to control OCD thoughts.
- Engaging in Hobbies - There is a reason why rehabs and mental health hospitals encourage hobby activities. They can distract the mind from unwanted thoughts and compulsive behaviour. Hobby activities such as gardening, painting, learning music, dancing, etc. successfully shift the focus from OCD related thoughts to the activity at hand and give a joyous feeling.
- Using the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique: It is an extremely effective method used to control panic and anxiety attacks. It is a game that requires you to name five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. It shifts your focus and brings you to the present, effectively controlling the panic and anxiety.
9. How to Deal with OCD in Daily Life
OCD requires efforts from the patient to improve a little bit daily by following a routine-
- Set Realistic Goals
- Meditate
- Exercise
- Try gradual exposure and delayed response
- Journal improvement
- Seek support from family and friends
- Get professional help
10. Digital Detox
Excessive and uncontrolled screen time, especially social media, has more disadvantages than we can think of. It can contribute to OCD symptoms as social media can increase anxiety and comparison. Limiting screen time and engaging in offline activities promotes mental well-being.
Why Choose Jagruti Rehab for OCD Support?
At Jagruti Rehab, we offer professional support and care for OCD and all other mental health conditions. Our expert team of psychiatrists and psychologists provide personalised treatment to each patient to solve individual concerns of the patients. However, what sets us apart is our combined approach to treatment that involves therapy, lifestyle adjustments, nutrition, holistic wellness practices and medication(if needed). We make the journey of mental health recovery entertaining by adding the right amount of challenges, which makes the process a joy to follow. Our team at Jagruti Rehab are experts in stress relief and know what works and what doesn't. We use our experience and expertise to treat patients with OCD and get lasting results.
If you or someone you know are showing signs of OCD, call us today and experience the unique and exciting journey of mental health recovery at Jagruti Rehab.
Frequently asked questions
While professional support is advised, you may also learn how to stop OCD thoughts naturally. Some self-help techniques are journaling, mindfulness and meditation, delayed response, exercise, deep breathing, hobby activities, etc., can help.
Most people live with OCD without any problem. However, if not treated in time, it can negatively impact all aspects of life. Early intervention can help patients manage their symptoms while living normally.
OCD is a mental condition whose exact cause is not known yet. However, psychiatrists believe several factors contribute to the issue. So, avoiding OCD may not be possible. However, if you know the symptoms, you can focus on improving your overall physical and mental well-being to prevent OCD symptoms from worsening. Intentional living can show good results in avoiding OCD.
Professional support is needed for OCD to go away. A psychiatrist or a psychologist can help you with the right treatment methods, advise the correct lifestyle adjustments ideal for your symptoms and teach you how to deal with OCD. Following the advice of a professional can help you get rid of OCD and avoid it in future as well.
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