Services
- Home
- Mental Health
- Who We Treat
- How We Treat
- Patients & Visitors
- About
- Lexington
close
You’ve spent hours accomplishing tasks nobody else seems to understand. The urges insisted these actions would relieve the obsessive thoughts inside your head. You might feel alone in your experience, but know that you are not.
In 2020, 24.2% of people in Kentucky were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, which includes obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). At SUN Behavioral Health Kentucky, we strive to help our patients learn how to manage their mental health conditions in a way that benefits them. Today, we are going to discuss how to deal with OCD.
OCD is an anxiety condition that is made up of recurring and uncontrollable thoughts and repetitive behaviors. These thoughts are known as obsessions, while the behaviors are known as compulsions. The side effects of OCD are time-consuming, exhausting, and significantly hinder a person’s ability to function. The good news is that many people improve their quality of life and manage their OCD symptoms daily through different strategies. You are not alone in your journey. Coping with this disorder is possible – people do it every day.
Obsessions associated with OCD can be about anything. These are typically repeated mental images, urges, and thoughts that create anxiety and distress for the person experiencing them. Someone with obsessions is unable to control these intrusive and unwanted thoughts, which could be about a variety of topics not limited to fears of germs, misplacing things, losing control, aggressive thoughts and beliefs about themselves, or an intense desire for symmetry or perfection.
While these thoughts are not always controllable, there are some things people with them can do to make it easier to manage and reduce the impact on their lives. These include:
Make a list of your obsessions: Take a piece of paper and create 3 columns. In the first column, write down all of your obsessions. In the middle column, write down the triggers associated with each thought. In the last column, write down what happens afterward. This provides you with a clear and organized representation of your obsessions that you can visualize and learn how to adjust your life accordingly to reduce the frequency of these thoughts.
Use distractions: When experiencing an obsession, try to distract yourself with something else. Many people with OCD find that redirecting themselves to another activity, like reading a book, watching a funny video, taking a walk, or playing a game, helps keep them from concentrating on the thought.
The 3-second rule: Similar to using distractions, the 3-second rule involves only allowing yourself to think about the obsession for 3 seconds or another set time frame long enough to acknowledge its existence. Afterward, redirect your thoughts to something positive, like a good memory.
Mindfulness: Mindfulness involves simply observing your obsessions for what they are. Do not judge these thoughts. Instead, identify them as just thoughts that you have. With practice, it is easier to distance yourself from them and feel less anxious.
Compulsions are anything someone with OCD feels like they need to do as a response to their obsessions. Someone with this condition will feel like they need to accomplish these tasks to satisfy their thoughts. Trying to ignore these compulsions is extremely challenging. It might result in a build-up of emotions and thoughts that eventually overwhelm the person to the point where they feel out of control. Common compulsions someone might have include arranging things in a particular order, repeatedly checking things, excessive cleaning, or compulsively counting.
The good news is that, like obsessions, there are some things that people can do to reduce the intensity compulsions bring. Many things are similar to managing obsessions, such as using distractions or practicing mindfulness. Still, there are a few other techniques listed below that work for compulsions as well.
Resist your compulsions with practice: As mentioned above, resisting compulsions is challenging and may result in overwhelming emotions and thoughts. However, specific techniques that lessen the anxiety element helps reduce the frequency of these actions and behaviors. Some things that make it easier to resist compulsions include distractions. You can also start small by listing all of your compulsions and start with the ones that will be the easiest to resist. With time and practice, you will be able to resist the most difficult.
Delay your compulsions with a timer: Resisting your compulsions, even the least intense ones, may initially feel overwhelming and impossible. Another technique to try is delaying your compulsions with a timer. You can start as small as 30 seconds before you allow yourself to complete it. The next time you feel the urge, increase the timer. This will enable you to sort through your thoughts and emotions. With time, the urges become less intense.
Reduce the duration of your compulsions: You can also use a timer to decrease how much time you spend on your compulsion. This reduces your time on these tasks and provides some sense of control and relief from your situation. Also, try to challenge your compulsions. For example, if you need to check that the door is locked a certain number of times to satisfy an obsession, try checking it just once.
In addition to coping with the individual elements of OCD, some other strategies may help with the condition as a whole. These are things you can do every day to reduce the impact this disorder has on your life, which, over time, will result in a lessened intensity of symptoms.
Talking about your symptoms and experiences with someone you trust, whether a family member, close friend, or therapist, helps many people relieve their anxious thoughts. You shouldn’t have to experience OCD on your own, and talking about your anxiety, obsessions, and compulsions with someone makes them feel less unbearable. If you don’t have someone you can talk to, especially at the moment, journaling about your anxieties, obsessions, and compulsions provides a similar sense of release that makes it easier to live your life.
Stress is a part of life, and if you are experiencing a lot of stress every day, it may make your OCD symptoms worse. With that said, below are 4 ways to reduce stress, resulting in less intense symptoms.
A healthy diet, exercise, and sleep schedule will reduce stress levels. These elements allow your mind to remain healthy and less anxious, which will decrease the frequency of OCD symptoms in your life and enable you to function more efficiently. A healthy diet often includes eating fruits and vegetables. Examples of exercise to try include taking a walk, riding a bike, cleaning your house, or jumping rope.
For some people, these tips and tricks mentioned above are not enough to facilitate a higher quality of life, or at least not initially. In this case, OCD treatment is an excellent option for receiving additional help and support as you learn how to manage your symptoms and live a healthier life.
OCD treatment involves a variety of therapy and medications. During treatment, you will be introduced to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT helps people recognize unhelpful thoughts, like obsessions and provides specific tools and techniques that allow you to change them into healthier ways of responding to certain situations. Medication, while not a necessity in treating OCD, has been beneficial in helping make it easier to manage symptoms.
The decision to pursue treatment for OCD is not a sign of failure, weakness, or that you are unable to heal from this condition. Instead, it is an indication of your willingness to want to improve and take back control of your life. OCD treatment provides you with the skills and tools to accomplish that task.
At SUN Behavioral Health Kentucky, we solve unmet needs for both adolescents and adults with OCD in Erlanger. Through our no-cost care assessments, you will meet with our team as they work with you and your doctors to determine the best course of action for your OCD treatment plan. For more information, contact us today at 859-429-5188.
820 Dolwick Drive
Erlanger, Kentucky 41018
Open 24 hours
SUN Kentucky
