Advice For People Suffering With OCD

OCD

OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, is an immensely debilitating mental disorder that afflicts many people worldwide. In this post, I am assuming that the readers are already diagnosed with OCD.

 

 

Don’t Do What OCD Says. However, Don’t Fight With OCD Thoughts. Learn to Ignore the OCD Thoughts.

It is very important for OCD patients to understand what it really means to ignore the thoughts. For instance, a person with OCD might be worried about getting hands dirty. In this case, to ignore the thought does NOT mean to reassure yourself by thinking, “My hands are NOT dirty. My hands are clean. Therefore, I do not have to wash my hands”. Instead, you should, while acknowledging the fact that the worry resides within your consciousness, not do anything about that. Imagine that you are walking on a street. Do you care about every single tree, every single earthworm and every single cloud nearby? No, you don’t. Why? Because you don’t need to. It’s the same for OCD. The thought may enter your mind but you can still not give much attention to it.

 

 

You Are Not The God. You Are A Human Being

Often, people with OCD want things to be 100% certain. They want to selectively expel certain thoughts out of their heads. However, no human being actually has the ability to know things with 100% certainty or maintain complete control over their thoughts. Embrace the fact that you are a human being. Yes, you are an unique individual, yet you are at the same time one of the over 8 billions of people currently living on the Earth.

 

 

Final Note

It is NOT easy to overcome OCD. Think of the process as how you would grow your muscles. It takes time and continuous effort. However, one thing is clear. If you regularly train your mind the way you would train your muscles, OCD will go away.