How to Minimize the Effects of OCD

You can minimize the effects of OCD.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that afflicts many people. While some television shows and movies make light of the symptoms of OCD, people who struggle with the symptoms of OCD find their issues to be anything but funny. The effects of OCD can take over a person’s life because certain things MUST be done in a certain way for the person to relieve his anxiety. The person can have an anxiety attack or, in extreme cases, a psychotic episode, if he is unable to perform an OCD ritual. Here is how to minimize the effects of OCD.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Strong desire to heal from OCD

1. Understand that OCD is a symptom of a deeper problem. OCD is an anxiety disorder, and your anxiety is what is fueling your OCD behavior. Until you heal what is driving the underlying anxiety, you are not going to be able to stop the OCD behavior. The best you can do is minimize the effects of the OCD behavior while you work on healing the underlying cause.

2. Express your underlying anger. Many people with OCD have a lot of repressed anger. Because anger must express itself, the repressed anger turns on the person in the form of anxiety. If you want to minimize the effects of OCD, start doing some anger management exercises. Explore why you have repressed anger and learn how to express it in a safe manner. As you express your anger, you will experience less anxiety, which, in turn, will minimize the effects of your OCD symptoms.

3. Practice deep breathing. When you become anxious, your breathing becomes more shallow. Deep breathing counteracts this process and can reduce the level of your anxiety. The more you can manage your anxiety through deep breathing and other positive coping tools, the better you will be able to minimize the effects of OCD.

4. Identify the OCD behaviors that are most maladaptive. If you are going to try to minimize the effects of your OCD symptoms, identify the ones that are most bothersome to you and those around you. Focus on changing the most maladaptive OCD behaviors first.

5. Brainstorm more adaptive ways to meet your anxiety needs. The reason you do the OCD behaviors is that they reduce your anxiety level. Think about other ways that you can reduce your anxiety level without having to engage in your most maladaptive OCD rituals.

6. Reduce the severity of some OCD behaviors. For example, if you hoard pens, ask yourself if you can get by with one fewer pen in your purse. Try reducing the number of pens in your purse by one a week until you reach a more manageable number.

7. Ease yourself off your OCD rituals slowly. Sometimes trying to wean off an OCD ritual results in even more anxiety, causing other OCD symptoms to spin out of control. Recognize that it might take a while to minimize the effects of your OCD on your life. If you feel the anxiety building, give yourself permission to engage in your OCD rituals while celebrating all of the progress that you make as you go.

Tips & Warnings

• A good therapist can show you how to minimize the effects of OCD and help you heal from the underlying anxiety that is driving the OCD symptoms.

• Yoga and meditation are wonderful ways to learn how to stay present and calm your anxiety. Consider incorporating yoga and meditation into your daily routine to help minimize the effects of OCD in your life.

• Do not try to stop your OCD rituals without putting other coping mechanisms into place first. The OCD rituals are coping mechanisms that are helping you manage your underlying anxiety. If you remove the rituals, you will become extremely anxious and run the risk of having a psychotic episode.