How to avoid giving in to compulsions

[marvelfan123]

Hi everyone!

I was wondering if anyone has any tips on what they do to avoid giving into reassurance seeking/confessing/checking compulsions? I've been diagnosed with OCD long enough to know now that if I give into my compulsions it just starts a horrible cycle that's really hard to get out of. However, I saw something yesterday that was a bit of a trigger for me and since then I have been fighting a really strong urge to seek reassurance from everyone I know. I have not yet given into this but there's still this small part of me that believes that my own logic is not enough to absolve myself of any guilt I'm feeling. I've tried writing it down to put things into perspective but is there anything else anyone does to calm themselves down? Or do I just need to ride this out and know that eventually the anxiety and guilt will go away by itself? 

Thank you 

[seb79]

It’s horrible but all you can do is wait it out... in time it will pass... the bad news is there will always be another thought,urge,impulse to get your attention... the nature of the beast

good luck mate... feel your pain

[PolarBear]

Don't write it down. Leave it alone. On top of not doing compulsions, you need to actively refocus on other things.

Oh, and ruminating. It's a compulsion and is sneaky. You could be doing it and not realize.