MIndfulness - What Is it, How Can It Help OCD Sufferers?

[taurean]

The chances are that you will have heard of this concept, and that it can help sufferers - but maybe nothing more.

Well, if you have - like I have - recently been for therapy from a qualified clinical psychologist, it's possible you may have been directed to this as a helpful concept, in addition to CBT.

Mindfulness for me is like a state of stasis - your mind is simply focused in the present, in the moment - nothing else is considered, or deemed relevant. Your only concern is -  literally - the here and now.

I spent a day completely mindful yesterday - just literally moving from one area of focus to the next - and I felt blissfully happy, totally relaxed, totally physically and mentally well.  You will not be surprised therefore to hear that I am very glad to have been taught mindfulness.

Why is mindfulness so advantageous as a concept for OCD sufferers?

Well my  therapist told me that we do all our obsessing and compulsing  in the active - doing - part of our brain, which is trained to seek and find solutions. So when presented with an OCD conundrum, it continually seeks an answer - through compulsing  Totally the wrong thing to be doing.  

But, if we switch focus out of the active - "doing" - part of the brain, and into the benign - just "being" - part of the brain, we can plug into mindfulness - dismiss the past, not care about the future, and just focus in the present, in the moment  

You can sign up for courses - in person, online or whatever - for mindfulness. But for me, you can simply start to do it. And all you need is a download book such as "MIndfulness On The Go, Peace In Your Pocket" by Padraig O'Morain and/or "The Mindfulness Workbook For OCD"   by  Jon Herschfield and Tom Corboy.

If you are also very much a worrier, you might prefer "Mindfulness For Worriers: Overcome Everyday Stress and Anxiety" by Padraid O'Morain. But there are plenty such great downloadable books on Mindfulness.  

 

 

Edited March 21, 2017 by taurean
amendment

[chaosed]

thank you for this very useful post. I'll look into the resources you've reffered to.

I haven't tried being mindful in my day to day activities yet. It seems pretty hard to me. I'm a complete worrier!

But I do practice mindfulness meditation almost daily - for sessions of 20 minutes, and it has really helped me put some perspective into the thoughts I have, starting to see them for what they are: like clouds passing over.

I do have some problems I constantly worry about, like the fact that I am overweight (40 pounds overweight, to be exact). I can't seem to find the motivation and determination to do what I ought to do in order to lose that weight, yet I am constantly worried/saddened by it.

My therapist told me that having this perspective on losing weight (worried, depressed) does me more harm than good, as this approach to my problem causes me anxiety and stress, which leads me to compulsive/binge eating, or at least eating more than I'd wish to, and smoking.

As you said, it's like my brain is constantly active trying to come up with a solution, but, even though I know which actions to take, I am so stressed and anxious about the situation that I don't find the determination to take them.

And even if I start eating healthy and doing exercises for a couple of days, I am still anxious and stressed because I am still fat, so this leads me to over eating again.

What would be, in your opinion, a mindful approach to losing weight? I could really use your advice.

Edited March 21, 2017 by chaosed

[taurean]

7 minutes ago, chaosed said:

What would be, in your opinion, a mindful approach to losing weight? I could really use your advice.

Commitment. I don’t think it's so much a mindful approach, more an overall desire to make this happen. 

I have set myself a target to lose 3 to 4 kg of weight over the next few weeks, before I have another health screen from my healthcare provider. 

I could go now, but know they will tell me off for having too high a body mass index (BMI). 

So I have an incentive to lose a little weight before going for the healthscreen. 

So, look for a motivation to encourage you to do so. 

How to lose weight?  Reduce portions, ease down on snacking between meals, and choose foods low on fat and sugar

 

[Franklin12]

Part of mindfulness is being non-judgemental. Observing without judging. This is very easy to practice, much easier I find than meditation. Try it with a piece of fruit - eat a piece of fruit and notice everything about it, but don't attach judgements to any of your observations - so you might observe that it tastes sharp, but you don't think 'oh no it's not ripe, yuk, I don't like fruit that isn't ripe'. You simply note the sharpness as an attribute and carry on eating. This is a great way to lead your life. Notice without judgement. For weight loss, you might notice you are 40 pounds overweight, but instead of feeling guilt, shame, disgusted with yourself, you simply to eat less or exercise more. If you slip up and have 10 Mars bars, you note that you ate them, but don't beat yourself up and chastise yourself - simply return to your healthy lifestyle plan and continue on.

[Franklin12]

Taurean, I'm not sure 'not getting told off' is the most helpful motivation! Happiness comes from within and all that....

[taurean]

It's just that every time in the past they have told me off for being overweight! 

So this time it would be lovely to hold the moral high ground 

 

Edited March 21, 2017 by taurean
typo

[snowbear]

6 hours ago, Franklin12 said:

Part of mindfulness is being non-judgemental. Observing without judging. 

This is a hugely important part of mindfulness that can too easily be overlooked.

You can't be truly 'in the moment' if you are simultaneously judging the moment as either good or bad because the very act of deciding a judgement requires comparison with other good/bad moments which activates a different part of the brain and takes you out of the present.

(In Taurean's terms of description, passing judgement on the moment activates the 'doing' part of the brain and stops you 'being' so even if you think you're 'being happy' the very act of deciding you're happy takes you away from the moment. )

[taurean]

True. 

On yesterday's jaunt around London I was mindful all the time. Just thinking in the moment, enjoying the pleasure when the number 23 bus went through Piccadilly Circus, down Haymarket and past Her Majesty's Theatre - and I noticed it was still showing Phantom of the Opera ( we saw it there some 25 years ago). 

I had a decision to make as we trundled along Fleet Street - grab a Macdonalds and have time to visit Dr Johnson's House and see his famous dictionary - or get out at The Law Society and have a leisurely pub lunch in the Knights Templar pub. 

I chose the burger and the man of letters abode - a great choice. 

[snowbear]

6 hours ago, Franklin12 said:

Part of mindfulness is being non-judgemental. Observing without judging.

I just realised my earlier response narrowed this to not judging the moment when really I wanted to support the full breadth and reach of Franklin's observation, not narrow it down!

The non-judgemental aspect of mindfulness is particularly useful in OCD because it stops in its tracks all the self-argument nonsense that you have to be perfect/moral/good etc. at all times.

Take the judgement aspect out of the intrusive thought and it makes compulsions redundant.  

[taurean]

31 minutes ago, snowbear said:

The non-judgemental aspect of mindfulness is particularly useful in OCD because it stops in its tracks all the self-argument nonsense that you have to be perfect/moral/good etc. at all times.

Take the judgement aspect out of the intrusive thought and it makes compulsions redundant.  

Just thought that was worthy of being in bold and underlined. Wonderful Snowbear

 

[taurean]

Another thing that might help is a journal I bought in the magazine section of Sainsbury's today. 

It's on mindfulness and how to use I it in our daily lives, but it also includes a feature on love kindness meditation. 

Those that know my story may know that it was mindfulness and love kindness meditation alongside cognitive knowledge that gave me the wherewithal to stop constantly repeating intrusive thoughts, and as a result close down an episode of OCD. 

It's called "The Mindfulness Journal"and cost £5.99 but is packed with features including Merry Mindful Christmas - using mindful strategies to reduce stress at Christmas, using love kindness and why it counts, understanding how mindfulness works, why laughter is the best medicine, and here is a good feature  - writing your thoughts and emotions down using 21 prompts to see how they stack up and what you can do about them.