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Compulsions - Share Your Best Ways You Tackle Them


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Always an important discussion, and so I thought I would start another thread. 

First a little science I have picked up along the way. 

According to my therapist, we carry out compulsions in the active "doing" part of the brain, which finds and deals with tasks and problems. 

When OCD flares, this part of the brain locks onto it and seeks answers and solutions - generating and maintaining compulsions. 

So, for me, easing away from that is a necessity in dealing with compulsions.

Autonomous Act 

Using these helps me switch off that active compulsive response. 

I take the radio in the kitchen and play it while I clear up. Soft classical music soothes, and working efficiently and to a formula is good. I get drawn into the moment and that helps stop worry or seeking answers. 

Creativity 

I love writing, and it can switch time out from going over answer -seeking, and focusing into the document I am creating. 

Going out on a photo mission with my cameras focuses my mind into that activity - where to go,  subject matter, composition. 

Games & Puzzles 

Recently I rediscovered jigsaws. Tying your mind up with solving the puzzle, not your obsession, is beneficial. 

Closeness To Others 

Avoiding others is a sure way to enter into a compulsing mindset. 

Spending time with them, especially those who are good emotional role models, is very helpful - and shared interests especially so. 

I hope I may have started this thread off from an interesting engaging less usual perspective that might kick-start some great ideas that can truly help. 

 

 

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One of the things that has worked well for me is to engage with people who I know are normal - even if I do not believe they are especially cautious like me in general - and muster up courage to shed the embarrassment of telling them about my fear. If they laugh at me, that is a sure way for me to know that there is something about my fear that is not serious. I think any activity you try to do in isolation eventually has the nasty habit of diminishing in effectiveness. I also try to avoid people who "understand" my problem and try to provide solace, because that just works against it. I only need resounding evidence of why I may be stupid.

Edited by Ram
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That's good. 

My wife and I are untidy and don't clean often. But when we do it's done well. 

We are 66 and have been like that for years. 

We are however careful on health and safety. 

Health and safety could easily have become an obsession for me - as an insurance broker I identified risks and helped people manage them,  and health and safety was an important part of that. 

I was aware of this possibility,  but worked on a sensible rational approach that kept a lid on things.

Our obsessions are based around fear revulsion or threat. So doing cognitive work to see how the OCD feeds on that, then the urge to obsess becomes so powerful, helps us to face them and wean off obsessions. 

Avoidance 

If we give in to this compulsion, an OCD "rule"  will get written, and these restrict our lives and make us unhappy. 

I face this head on, and go and do it anyway if it's beneficial and I need to do it. Keeping up the doing and not giving in to the urge to avoid is a standard method with good success. 

 

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Thank you for this theead roy. I really need it to sort my head out at the moment.

My main compulsions are ruminating and avoidance

To stop myself ruminating on intrusive thoughts. Thoughts which havent been triggered by anything and make me feel extremely uncomfortable I need to tell myself we have 10,000 thoughts a day. Not all of them are worthwhile.

Listening to an audiobook or instrumental music is also beneficial to focus my mind.

 

Creativity is a big one for me, and a reason I think OCD has crept up on me again. Creative processes which require attention and different stages are good. And rewarding!

Closeness to others is important to me as it helps with social anxiety. Engaging with others removes us from our own heads and puts the human condition into perspective i think.

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With me I can read reams of newsprint,  but the OCD will scan for what I fear, and pick just that out and put it under the microscope. 

There might be just one story from the reams of print, but it holds onto it like a dog with a bone.

So just a grain of sand in the news desert unwantedly because a focus of attention. 

The thing is to understand why it is doing that - to fit my OCD theme - and why it seeks to then interact with that story. 

That knowledge and the fact it is something just picked out in the paper, maybe only for a fraction of a second, show me that it's OCD at play. And it is playing on, distorting, my core values. 

I need to recognise it is just codswallop, get busy, and dumb down the fear resentment and anger it's action invokes - and remind myself of my real core value. Then look to leave it be. 

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I read somewhere that we process pictures and words in different sections in the brain. 

So if our obsession is visual, refocusing onto words can help to unlock it - and vice versa. 

For me, getting really involved in something helps, as does tossing in some multitasking. 

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I find doing something practical really helpful. So cleaning/chores/cooking for me are a tactic to diffuse and refocus away from compulsions.  They give me a sense of purpose and the fuel to move away from OCD. If I can cook dinner I can leave the house. If I can leave the house I can go to work.

If we can carry on doing things that need to be done and that we enjoy, OCD cannot win. 

32 minutes ago, taurean said:

With me I can read reams of newsprint,  but the OCD will scan for what I fear, and pick just that out and put it under the microscope. 

This is so true. Once my anxiety got hooked on the fear of being pregnant. There was no reason to think it, i just convinced myself (i'm sure a lot of women have done the same) 

I remember seeing prams and pregnant women everywhere. I saw grafitti of a baby in the womb. 

Our minds are so receptive to our fears when anxiety is heightened.

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Snowbear has been helping me with some good visualisations .- these can be very good  if we buy into them, either as part of a meditation or creative visualisation, or a concept.

Here, partly in line with one of snowbear's visuals, partly from another source, and partly from me -  is an idea that can be very helpful .

It's about seeing our mental state as damaging or beneficial; below the line is bad, above the line is good .

Below the line are bad emotions and behaviours - negative thinking and bias; emotions fed by OCD intrusions such as fear hate anger revulsion annoyance frustrations; poor eating habits; compulsive activities that keep the obsessions alive; resultant depression; insular feelings - and the associated physical responses of tension, anxiety, stress, indigestion, diarrhoea, sleeplessness.

Above the line are good emotions  and behaviours -    being busy; happiness joy loving caring;  people-minded social,helping and kind; eating well taking supplements; plus  enjoyment, relaxation, positive thinking. We can in "above the line" mode find inner peace, take exercise bringing on the endorphins (the happiness hormones)we feel energetic and awake; sleep well, enjoy hobbies. 

Unless we really are living in a total utopian way, we have to face up to some of the things below the line - we don't have much choice, they are inevitable. But we can address those things - and we can definitely work towards more of  the elements that we want above the line. 

another  way to help tackle compulsions  is to limit the time available for obsessing and compulsing.- actively looking to get more of the above the line experiences, and  engage in less of the below the line experiences. 

  

Edited by taurean
typo
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22 minutes ago, taurean said:

Snowbear has been helping me with some good visualisations .- these can be very good  if we buy into them, either as part of a meditation or creative visualisation, or a concept.

Here, partly in line with one of snowbear's visuals, partly from another source, and partly from me -  is an idea that can be very helpful .

It's about seeing our mental state as damaging or beneficial; below the line is bad, above the line is good .

Below the line are bad emotions and behaviours - negative thinking and bias; emotions fed by OCD intrusions such as fear hate anger revulsion annoyance frustrations; poor eating habits; compulsive activities that keep the obsessions alive; resultant depression; insular feelings - and the associated physical responses of tension, anxiety, stress, indigestion, diarrhoea, sleeplessness.

Above the line are good emotions  and behaviours -    being busy; happiness joy loving caring;  people-minded social,helping and kind; eating well taking supplements; plus  enjoyment, relaxation, positive thinking. We can in "above the line" mode find inner peace, take exercise bringing on the endorphins (the happiness hormones)we feel energetic and awake; sleep well, enjoy hobbies. 

Unless we really are living in a total utopian way, we have to face up to some of the things below the line - we don't have much choice, they are inevitable. But we can address those things - and we can definitely work towards more of  the elements that we want above the line. 

another  way to help tackle compulsions  is to limit the time available for obsessing and compulsing.- actively looking to get more of the above the line experiences, and  engage in less of the below the line experiences. 

  

Some good useful advice Taurean, I've saved them to my notes. 

To help me tackle my compulsions, I have little items around in each room to remind me why I am doing this. 

I have a just a thought wrist band in my bedroom and living room, I have it's just a thought trolley token on my keys, I have a stone that says change how you think and change your life. My thoughts book. My mind is a garden plaque.I have something in each room as a reminder if I am finding it difficult so I look at them to remind me it's just a thought. I do a lot of counting when I am doing my compulsions such as 12345 etc now I try to refrain from counting in my head, I try not to think of anything I try to stay in the here and now and not ruminate about what I've previously been doing or thinking instead of going over and over it in my head. If I go out I try to keep myself distracted by noticing different coloured flowers in each garden instead of focusing on me and reassuring myself that I am fine I haven't done anything bad.

 

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If I am travelling, instead of getting psyched up and as a good focus away from giving time away that OCD might fill, I get mindful just relaxing into my seat,staring out of the window - or if that isn't very viewable, I mindfully observe within the carriage.

Outside, I just let my mind clear and fill it with the views - note the colours, the fields, the adjacent roads, the towns and stations we go through.

Within the carriage,  I observe the people, what kind of work they may be in - any "Holmes-like" clues  :detective: the colours, the fashions, hairstyles.

Time flies by. 

 

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5 hours ago, taurean said:

It's about seeing our mental state as damaging or beneficial; below the line is bad, above the line is good .

Below the line are bad emotions and behaviours - negative thinking and bias; emotions fed by OCD intrusions such as fear hate anger revulsion annoyance frustrations; poor eating habits; compulsive activities that keep the obsessions alive; resultant depression; insular feelings - and the associated physical responses of tension, anxiety, stress, indigestion, diarrhoea, sleeplessness.

Above the line are good emotions  and behaviours -    being busy; happiness joy loving caring;  people-minded social,helping and kind; eating well taking supplements; plus  enjoyment, relaxation, positive thinking. We can in "above the line" mode find inner peace, take exercise bringing on the endorphins (the happiness hormones)we feel energetic and awake; sleep well, enjoy hobbies. 

Unless we really are living in a total utopian way, we have to face up to some of the things below the line - we don't have much choice, they are inevitable. But we can address those things - and we can definitely work towards more of  the elements that we want above the line. 

another  way to help tackle compulsions  is to limit the time available for obsessing and compulsing.- actively looking to get more of the above the line experiences, and  engage in less of the below the line experiences. 

This is really great. I will be saving this onto a note on my phone to remind myself when I need to.

5 hours ago, lostinme said:

To help me tackle my compulsions, I have little items around in each room to remind me why I am doing this. 

I have a just a thought wrist band in my bedroom and living room, I have it's just a thought trolley token on my keys, I have a stone that says change how you think and change your life. My thoughts book. My mind is a garden plaque.I have something in each room as a reminder if I am finding it difficult so I look at them to remind me it's just a thought. I do a lot of counting when I am doing my compulsions such as 12345 etc now I try to refrain from counting in my head, I try not to think of anything I try to stay in the here and now and not ruminate about what I've previously been doing or thinking instead of going over and over it in my head. If I go out I try to keep myself distracted by noticing different coloured flowers in each garden instead of focusing on me and reassuring myself that I am fine I haven't done anything bad.

I really like the idea of a just a thought item. There's a few quotes from books  I really like that relate really well to the fight against OCD, I will get some framed and put them in different parts of the house to make me smile and remind me of what needs to be done.

I'm looking forward to taking a week off work and doing lots of walking, taking in all the colours of autumn and staying in the here and now. I think it will be a really good opportunity to clear my mind, and you've given me a good way to refocus away from compulsions. Thanks lostinme!

 

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Nice thinking there. 

I have especial places that are powerful for me and where I tend to get a lift. 

I can't go there that often, but I can do so at times when I am taking a rest on my bed - I can visualise them and remind myself of the peaceful feelings they give me. 

When I want to shift mental emphasis, I allow myself a siesta and just remind myself of the good things I have at my disposal and the good things I have been doing, especially for others. 

I look at my reasons to be happy and fulfilled, why the glass is half full not half empty. 

It's a good way to power up the "above line"  mentality - it's also  nice to do a small amount of this in the evening before sleep if things have been difficult. 

 

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26 minutes ago, biscuitcat said:

I'm looking forward to taking a week off work and doing lots of walking, taking in all the colours of autumn and staying in the here and now. I think it will be a really good opportunity to clear my mind, and you've given me a good way to refocus away from compulsions. Thanks lostinme!

You can take some pictures in your phone of the most inspiring places you come across. Then print them off with the WiFi printer or upload them by Bluetooth to then print off. 

They could be placed around the home to remind you of the peace they brought you. 

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Mindfulness is a powerful tool. I took a 6 session course of mindfulness -based CBT for OCD from my latest therapist and it was great. 

Used as an add-on to CBT it works well to help stop compulsing. Why?

Well we do our compulsing in the active "doing" part of the brain, that demands and seeks answers  

Mindfulness takes place in the benign "being"  part of the brain, where we live in the present, in the moment. 

So learning simple mindfulness techniques that we can swiftly use will help us shift away from compulsing. 

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I like the phrase "when the going gets tough, the tough get going".

It's a wake up call to use the tools in my OCD toolchest to stop feeling sorry for myself, and get doing what I have been taught to do. 

You can make up your own toolchest with notes of the things and techniques you have found help you. 

A good method is to have an aide memoire of just the name of the tools in an easily findable place in the phone - then when you are compulsing, bringing that up will remind you of the tools to deploy. 

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8 hours ago, taurean said:

I need to recognise it is just codswallop

:yes: ......But easier said than done when "You're" the one experiencing it......the theory is the easy bit.  When a true OCD thought hits you with its arrow, it seems (and feels)100% real, no matter what you know.  That's where learning to function despite the onslaught, and until it recedes.....is a necessary tool.  I have never achieved the complete ability not to feel accute anxiety mid OCD attack.....I have learned/continue to learn (or perhaps more accurately described as) to function alongside it, mostly.  Hence I am a manager of, rather than ex-sufferer.  The more you achieve this, the better you become at dealing with attacks that would have previously floored you.

I wish I could utilise visualisation skills or mindfulness, they seem to do zilch for me....I'm glad they are effective tools for others though :)

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6 hours ago, Caramoole said:

:yes:  That's where learning to function despite the onslaught, and until it recedes.....is a necessary tool.  I have never achieved the complete ability not to feel accute anxiety mid OCD attack.....I have learned/continue to learn (or perhaps more accurately described as) to function alongside it, mostly.  Hence I am a manager of, rather than ex-sufferer.  The more you achieve this, the better you become at dealing with attacks that would have previously floored you.

:)

This is very much the key to keeping going. I did this when working - the alternative scenario was worse because going sick and staying at home was no answer, since the problems were psychological not biological. 

I knew I would just ruminate and get worse if I didn't get up and about 

My psychologist encourages people to look to achieve, get close to others and enjoy things each day. 

At first patients are to keep a log, scoring these features out of ten so she can see that they are making some effort, and encouraging them when they aren't - it soon becomes automatic. 

And doing it cuts down available time to compulse, limits avoidance and helps us find enjoyable distraction - great tool! 

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7 hours ago, Caramoole said:

:yes: ......But easier said than done when "You're" the one experiencing it......the theory is the easy bit.  When a true OCD thought hits you with its arrow, it seems (and feels)100% real, no matter what you know.  That's where learning to function despite the onslaught, and until it recedes.....is a necessary tool.  I have never achieved the complete ability not to feel accute anxiety mid OCD attack.....I have learned/continue to learn (or perhaps more accurately described as) to function alongside it, mostly.  Hence I am a manager of, rather than ex-sufferer.  The more you achieve this, the better you become at dealing with attacks that would have previously floored you.

Yesterday in the middle of my OCD anxiety attack I thought "i wish I had someone elses obsession" then realised how stupid that was! Other peoples obsessions sound so silly when explained because we are external to the thought and anxiety.

47 minutes ago, taurean said:

This is very much the key to keeping going. I did this when working - the alternative scenario was worse because going sick and staying at home was no answer, since the problems were psychological not biological. 

I knew I would just ruminate and get worse if I didn't get up and about!

My exact thought process yesterday was "i'm not sure I can continue to work like this" then the normal, non-ocd part of my brain thought "and what would happen if I didnt work? I would have given in and handed my time over to ruminating".

Nope. Not an option!

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"They are people that think their rituals and superstitions have real power" 

I just heard this quote in a TV show (not related to OCD), but I think it really relates. We have to accept our rituals/compulsions have no power/meaning all that is left to do is get on! Stop avoiding, stop ruminating, stop compulsing. 

What would I be doing if I wasn't doing this compulsion. What would I do if I didn't have OCD?

Get on with it, do it, this means refocusing, doing something else. 

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That is so right. 

People in general out there get bad intrusive thoughts - how could they not when the general setup of life is geared to hearing reading about and watching distressing themes?

But they react like my Mrs - they ease them away and don't dwell on them or recall them. 

They don't connect with them - they are purely an observer. 

The more we can take that detached view as observer only, not connect and ease thoughts away, the better we will be - and discouraging the thoughts in this way eases away their heads power. 

Compulsions are driven by urges - the want for a quick fix, reducing anxiety, cauterising the hurt. Reducing fear, martialling forces. 

For me, getting busy, not avoiding, realising the damage from compulsions and actively reducing them is good. 

If people are struggling with rituals and compulsions then maybe grading them hierarchically has some mileage? Tackling them from the least powerful up is worth the effort. 

Or pick something out, like avoidance, which is doable in small steps and exposures. 

Edited by taurean
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55 minutes ago, taurean said:

For me, getting busy, not avoiding, realising the damage from compulsions and actively reducing them is good. 

If people are struggling with rituals and compulsions then maybe grading them hierarchically has some mileage? Tackling them from the least powerful up is worth the effort. 

Or pick something out, like avoidance, which is doable in small steps and exposures. 

I think the grading system is a good way to build up confidence and faith in yourself.

I realised my final avoidance compulsion to do with my fear of the cats dying is to avoid walking on one side of the road. The thought that one side is safe compared to the other doesnt make sense, but compulsions don't make sense. Next time I have to walk home it will be on the unsafe side. But once it's done it's done!

 

Theres also steps we can take to avoid compulsions. For me switching my plug off as soon as I have finished using my hair straighteners stops me from worrying theh are left on. PLUS! I save energy.

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41 minutes ago, biscuitcat said:

I realised my final avoidance compulsion to do with my fear of the cats dying is to avoid walking on one side of the road. The thought that one side is safe compared to the other doesnt make sense, but compulsions don't make sense. Next time I have to walk home it will be on the unsafe side. But once it's done it's done!

 

That's good because you have recognised the magical thinking :thumbup:

43 minutes ago, biscuitcat said:

For me switching my plug off as soon as I have finished using my hair straighteners stops me from worrying theh are left on. PLUS! I save energy.

Good - if that becomes a normal activity without you keep going back checking, great. 

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18 hours ago, biscuitcat said:

 

I really like the idea of a just a thought item. There's a few quotes from books  I really like that relate really well to the fight against OCD, I will get some framed and put them in different parts of the house to make me smile and remind me of what needs to be done.

I'm looking forward to taking a week off work and doing lots of walking, taking in all the colours of autumn and staying in the here and now. I think it will be a really good opportunity to clear my mind, and you've given me a good way to refocus away from compulsions. Thanks lostinme!

 

Sounds like a great idea biscuitcat, it helps me because every time I walk into a room I see them and it's a good reminder of why I am doing this.

Really hope it helps you biscuitcat like it helps me, it doesn't matter where you are, just clear your mind, focus  to the here and now and take in the sounds, the looks, the smells feel the breeze around you etc.

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