Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition that is defined by obsessions and compulsions. The obsessions are the mental aspects, commonly referred to as intrusive thoughts. The compulsions are physical aspects that are often done to try and control or diminish these intrusive thoughts.
The intrusive thoughts associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder can significantly interfere with daily life and mental well-being, leading to distress and anxiety. For that reason, it’s important to learn how to overcome intrusive thoughts OCD-related.
Understanding OCD Intrusive Thoughts
The intrusive thoughts that come with OCD can be things that are unwanted, repetitive, or images that cause fear and anxiety. Some examples include:
- Extreme worry that you haven’t finished something important
- Fear that you’ve forgotten something
- An impulse to keep things in an orderly fashion
- Fears about losing control
- Fears about causing harm to self or others
- Fears over germs and contamination
- Unwanted sexual thoughts
- Unwanted or disgusting thoughts about harm or religion
No matter the type of invasive thought you have, they can be extremely disruptive to daily life.
The Impact of OCD Intrusive Thoughts on Daily Life
For many people, learning how to overcome OCD intrusive thoughts is absolutely essential to daily life because of the impact that these thoughts can have on emotions, psychological health, behaviors, and social and professional activities.
Emotional and Psychological Toll
The emotional and psychological toll is, by many, considered to be the worst impact of these thoughts, as the constant presence of unwanted thoughts can negatively impact mood and lead to avoidance behaviors, sleep problems, poor self-esteem, and issues with concentration.
Behavioral Consequences
In terms of behavioral consequences, the anxiety and distress that are caused by OCD intrusive thoughts lead directly to repetitive behaviors or other behavioral consequences to try and control the thoughts like repetitive motions such as checking doors and windows, excessive hand washing, or regularly rearranging things.
These behavioral consequences are so intense that they take up a significant portion of the day and interfere with an individual’s ability to complete tasks that are absolutely necessary.
Social and Professional Effects
There are social and professional impacts that come from OCD intrusive thoughts, with thoughts being so pervasive that they can interfere with an individual’s social engagements, especially when the thoughts have to do with germs. These thoughts can also cause anxiety and distress that make it difficult to stay focused at work or in school, to avoid social situations, and to avoid relationships.
How to Overcome OCD Intrusive Thoughts
There are many ways you can overcome OCD intrusive thoughts.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most common forms of treatment for OCD, and it helps you to recognize your automatic negative thoughts, in this case, the intrusive thoughts, and prevent the automatic thoughts from causing automatic behaviors.
Mindfulness and Meditation Techniques
Mindfulness and meditation techniques can be used in conjunction with any other types of treatment, helping you to be more mindful of the present and redirect your attention in a loving and compassionate way toward your current moment instead of anxiety about the future or worries about the past.
Thought-Stopping Techniques
Thought stopping techniques are part of cognitive behavioral therapy and something that teaches you to catch your automatic thoughts and stop them.
Reframing Intrusive Thoughts
Sometimes, the best way to stop your automatic negative and intrusive thoughts with OCD is to reframe them. Reframing uses several types of techniques, which can be learned in things like cognitive behavioral therapy or acceptance and commitment therapy.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is another form of treatment for OCD and anxiety that helps you change your relationship to existing conditions so that instead of avoiding or suppressing them, you can accept them for what they are and prevent them from controlling your daily life.
Medication Options for OCD
Finally, medication might be a good option for severe cases, and this can take several forms, all of which can be discussed with a healthcare practitioner.
Building Healthy Coping Mechanisms
While you are learning how to overcome your OCD intrusive thoughts, you’ll also want to build healthy coping mechanisms. These are things that can be developed in your personal time or with help from a trained professional when you are participating in things like cognitive behavioral therapy.
Self-compassion and Self-Care
Self-compassion and self-care are critical parts of any form of healthy coping. You need to recognize that any progress is good progress, so when things don’t go exactly how you planned or you don’t see immediate results, you can still take care of yourself and exercise patience.
Developing a Support System
It is important that you develop a support system so that as you are trying to practice these techniques, you have people there who can help you focus on what matters most and avoid things like discouragement.
Stress Management
Stress can exacerbate intrusive thoughts, and practicing ways to manage your stress on a regular basis can go a long way toward managing these thoughts. By comparison, letting the thoughts themselves be the cause of your stress or letting the thoughts trigger avoidance tactics like suppression can make them worse.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls When Trying to Overcome OCD Intrusive Thoughts
Individuals who are trying to figure out how to overcome intrusive thoughts OCD-based may, from time to time, face certain pitfalls, and it’s important to recognize these so that you can avoid them.
Avoiding Suppression
When figuring out how to overcome OCD interest in thoughts, it’s important that you avoid suppression. Suppression is when you forcefully try to push these thoughts away, and instead of actually getting rid of your intrusive thoughts, it will usually make them more intense.
Because of the thought suppression paradox, if you try to suppress your thoughts by fighting them, it actually makes them more persistent, which is why it’s better to focus on building healthy coping mechanisms like reframing those intrusive thoughts instead of trying to suppress them.
Recognizing the Need for Professional Help
Another common pitfall is avoiding any professional help or, on the other end, relying too much on professional help. When you are struggling to overcome your intrusive thoughts as part of a legitimate mental health condition like OCD, get help when and where you need it, especially when it comes to treatment.
Patience and Persistence
Finally, another pitfall has to do with impatience. Any new techniques you learn, coping mechanisms, mindfulness techniques, or even prescription medication will take time to be effective. So, be patient with yourself, accept that these things will take time, and that every day you have an opportunity to make more progress.
Conclusion
Overall, learning how to overcome intrusive thoughts OCD-based means a lot of tools and techniques like reframing techniques, mindfulness techniques, and thought-stopping techniques. For many people, it will also extend to professional help in the form of cognitive behavioral therapy or acceptance and commitment therapy.
Remember to be patient with yourself, to get professional help when and where you need it, and to work toward consistently managing your OCD intrusive thoughts.