Instead of trying to distract yourself, allow yourself to feel anxious as you resist the urge to engage in your compulsive behavior. You may believe that the discomfort you're feeling will continue until you engage in the compulsion. But if you stick with it, the anxiety will fade.
Active “ignoring” can trigger an additional sense of being in denial (and thus more anxiety). It can quickly devolve into a habit of “white-knuckling” through life, which is unsustainable.
We've already explained how rituals tend to persist because they provide temporary relief from your obsessions. But the solution can be as bad as the problem. Rituals can begin to take more and more of your time, and eventually dominate your life. Ultimately, getting rid of your OC symptoms means giving up the rituals.
The bulk of the problems occurring within your OCD come from you. The main reason that compulsions seem so hard to stop is because you have rehearsed them so often that they have become very automatic habits that are easy to do without thinking.
The best way to put an end to the cycle is to practice exposure and response prevention. This means you “accept” the thoughts, live with the uncertainty, and refrain from engaging in compulsions.
Intrusive thoughts are often repetitive and won't go away. "The more you think about it, the more anxious you get and the worse the thoughts get," says Dr. Williams. Instead of fighting intrusive thoughts, it's better to learn to live with them.
That means that also like avoidance, distraction can easily become a compulsion for people with OCD. Anxiety may subside when you engage in distraction, but the relief is usually temporary. As with all compulsions, the more you engage in them, the stronger your OCD fears become, and the worse OCD will become.
Jon Hershfield's text, Harm OCD, indicates, “people with harm OCD often describe their intrusive thoughts as 'urges' because it's difficult to find another word for the marriage of an intrusive thought and a sensation in the body that seems to indicated an imminent action.
Distraction does work but, oddly enough, studies suggest it is better to distract yourself with one thing, rather than letting the mind wander. That's because aimless mind wandering is associated with unhappiness; it's better to concentrate on, say, a specific piece of music, a TV programme or a task.
Leave the thoughts alone, treat them as if they are not even interesting, and they will eventually fade into the background. Label these thoughts as "intrusive thoughts." Remind yourself that these thoughts are automatic and not up to you. Accept and allow the thoughts into your mind.
The onset of OCD is not limited to the original meaning of trauma; rather, traumatic experiences such as unexpected exposure to contaminants or various stressful life events often cause the onset of OCD.
Getting the correct diagnosis, or even just recognizing you have OCD, often takes years. Then comes the search for appropriate treatment, followed by a long-term commitment to therapy and hard work. We know recovery is possible, but it is rarely a “quick fix.”
Getting recovered takes time
Speaking from experience, I would say that the average uncomplicated case of OCD takes from about six to twelve months to be successfully completed. If symptoms are severe, if the person works at a slow pace, or if other problems are also present, it can take longer.
OCD Treatment can be done without any drugs with treatments like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and psychotherapy. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a behavioral issue that is associated with compulsions and obsessions.
Experts aren't sure of the exact cause of OCD. Genetics, brain abnormalities, and the environment are thought to play a role. It often starts in the teens or early adulthood. But, it can also start in childhood.
Hoarding or collecting things. Having the need for order, symmetry or perfection. Worrying about a serious disease despite medical reassurances. Compulsively cleaning/washing, checking, repeating or counting things.
OCD is a common disorder that affects adults, adolescents, and children all over the world. Most people are diagnosed by about age 19, typically with an earlier age of onset in boys than in girls, but onset after age 35 does happen.
OCD may be more common among males in childhood, but is more common among females in adolescence and adulthood. Males tend to report an earlier age of onset and present with symptoms related to blasphemous thoughts.