![]() “When we begin to wobble the all or nothing thinking styles, it can give us breathing space to exert further control.” Make things shorter Trent asks important, and perhaps helpful, questions on dealing with OCD. “If you believe you can keep bad situations from happening with thoughts or behaviors, does that mean you can also cause them to happen through similar behaviors?” Trent says “magical thinking” can help provide perspective on your thought patterns. “This process is called externalization.” “It can be helpful to think about the condition as something separate to you, like a gremlin or a fungus - something you can fight against,” suggests Trent. Reframe your thoughtsĭetaching yourself from OCD can help you approach thoughts and rituals differently. But there are steps you can take to encourage changes if negative thought patterns are dominating your days. ![]() Human psyches are incredibly powerful, so going cold turkey on rituals may be difficult. This involved holding on to all kinds of possessions in the belief they will be needed at some point, though hoarding disorder is a separate condition. With this type of OCD, you may take actions like repeatedly checking that your car is locked. This involves repeating an action or thought a specific number of times. This is when items are repeatedly re-arranged and organized because you need them to be a certain way. OCD related to contamination occurs when you feel dirty or marked, so you may repeatedly wash to ensure everything is clean and germ-free. So-called “ Pure O,” for example, sees someone only experience mental rituals, while “Just Right” OCD sees more of a focus on physical behaviors, with individuals feeling the need to align or organize items in a certain way to momentarily relieve anxiety.Ĭonsider these different types of rituals present in OCD that people may do to temporarily calm anxiety or potentially prevent negative consequences from occurring: While there are no official sub-types of OCD, actions and behaviors usually vary between people. Physical manifestations of OCD may present themselves as behaviors like excessive handwashing, home cleaning, or hoarding everyday objects, though hoarding disorder is a separate condition from OCD. They may often take the form of mental responses without any physical symptoms, like counting over and over in your head. These rituals present themselves in many shapes and formats. Some people speak of OCD as a disorder characterized by clusters of rituals, which are behaviors or actions that occur repeatedly. Not every automatic response you have needs to be treated as a problem.īut if you feel like your invasive thoughts or compulsive rituals are taking a toll on you, professional resources are available to help you manage these obsessions and compulsions. This can lead to the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).Ĭonsider the wide spectrum of coping mechanisms, obsessions, and compulsions. “However, the difficulty arises when we take or attach certain meaning to these automatic thoughts,” she says. Marianne Trent, clinical psychologist, founder of Good Thinking Psychological Services and host of the Aspiring Psychologist Podcast. “For the most part, these types of thoughts don’t cause us too many problems,” explains Dr. Perhaps you have to double-check the front door is locked before going to bed or repeat a mantra before heading into a meeting or event to clear your mind. Most people have little habits that they engage in, especially when they’re feeling nervous. Share on Pinterest PeopleImages/Getty Images
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