How to Be Mindful of Obsessive Compulsive Behaviors
Notice the feelings., Identify the thoughts., Relabel the thoughts., Look at your feelings objectively., Remind yourself that the feeling has no control., Redirect your energy., Resist the urge for a set amount of time., Expect some unpleasantness...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Notice the feelings.
As your obsessive feelings and compulsions start to arise, you may not even notice.
You may engage in a compulsion or you may be consumed with obsessive thoughts before you realize you are doing it.
The first step in mindfulness is to start paying attention to your body and your feelings.For example, think about the physical symptoms you feel before your OCD hits.
Do you tense? Do you get nauseous or feel a tightness in the chest? You may not realize these feelings are coming on because you are trying so hard to avoid them.
Instead of avoiding them, pay attention to the feelings. -
Step 2: Identify the thoughts.
After noticing the thoughts and feelings, you should then take time to identify them.
Realize that the urges you have are nothing but feelings, thoughts, or compulsions.
Labelling it as a feeling instead of something true, important, or controlling can help you start to separate your OCD feelings and thoughts from everything else.
This is the beginning of being mindful of your OCD behaviors.Identifying your thought helps you look at it as a separate entity.
You can tell yourself that it’s just an uncomfortable feeling, not an emergency.
This helps you start to dispel the idea that your feelings are real or truths instead of just feelings. , After you notice and identify the thoughts, you should relabel the obsessive thoughts, feelings, and sensations and compulsions that you have.
You should acknowledge that they are part of a medical mental illness, OCD.
Identify the thoughts as obsessive and compulsive to start taking control of them.These obsessive thoughts and compulsions cause a fear response in you.
By identifying and labeling them, you are starting to dispel their power and lessening their fear on you.Relabeling helps you realize that the thought or compulsion is not reality.
For example, in your mind, think, “I don’t feel that I have to count the pencils on the table.
This is only a compulsive urge to give into the compulsion to count."
This step is the core of being mindful of your OCD behaviors.
You should work on looking at your feelings in a detached, neutral manner.
This helps you refocus the brain and the way you respond to your OCD urges.
Mindfulness helps you learn to accept the feelings.
The feelings are there, but you have control over how you respond because of them.
Start gaining control by letting the feelings flow through you and observe them.For example, if you feel the compulsion to wash your hands, don’t try to suppress the urge.
Let the feeling go through your mind.
Pay attention to this feeling.
Acknowledge that the feeling is there.
You may want to say to yourself, “This compulsion exists.
I acknowledge it is here.” When you work with a therapist, they will teach you the skills to look at feelings neutrally.
On your own, instead of giving into the compulsion when you feel it, take a moment.
Acknowledge it is only a feeling.
Repeat to yourself, "This is a compulsion to wash my hands.
I do not have to wash my hands.
The compulsion is a feeling, not a reality." It will take practice and time to train yourself to do this.
Don't get discouraged if you don't get it at first. , One thing to remember in mindfulness is that the feeling, thought, compulsion, or sensation is not in control.
It may be unpleasant, you may not like it, and it may feel uncomfortable, but that feeling can do nothing to you.
It is not harmful and cannot control your mind.By changing your thoughts about the feelings you have, you can start to learn to stop placing so much power in a feeling.
Feelings are just fleeting things.
People have thousands of them each day.
If you have OCD, some feelings are stronger and seem more urgent than others.
Just keep reminding yourself that urgent feeling is a just a feeling, like every other feeling you have. , After you have identified and acknowledged your thoughts, the active part of mindfulness therapy begins.
Redirect your energy and thoughts to something other than your OCD thoughts.
This can be any type of healthy behavior, such as a hobby or task.You may want to distract yourself by going for a walk, talking to a friend, reading a book, watching a television show, playing a video game, cooking, or another activity you enjoy.
You may talk your way through this at first.
Say, “I am having a compulsion because of my OCD.
I should go take my dog for a walk.” This may take a few tries and a lot of effort at first before you get the hang of it.
The goal of mindfulness is to help you learn ways to overcome your OCD urges. , Part of the mindful redirecting is to resist the urge for long enough that the worse feelings have passed.
Try giving yourself 15 minutes to participate in your activity before you consider giving into the urge.
This 15 minutes will be difficult and you will have to continue to identify and label your thoughts.Don’t try to force the feelings or symptoms away.
That is not the goal of mindfulness therapy.
You are accepting your feelings and realizing they do not control you.
Remember that your actions are important, not your feelings. , Mindfulness therapy is not an easy thing to go through.
It takes regular practice and will not be perfect the first time you try it.
You may have very bad symptoms so that you can only redirect your energy for five minutes.
That’s okay.
It’s a start, and you should be proud.
Next time, you can try to do it for longer.
Be prepared to have a difficult time resisting your feelings until you fully learn how to use mindfulness.The important thing to remember is to focus on the activity you are doing, not on your feelings.
While you are not pushing them from your mind, you are also not obsessing about the feelings.
The aim of mindfulness is to help you focus on another activity while detaching yourself from feelings you can’t avoid. , The last step is to finally see your feelings in a realistic way instead of through the lens of OCD.
You learn how to accept that what is really going on in your brain and around you instead of the negative, anxious, and fearful thoughts your OCD causes.You are learning to see your thoughts in a different way.
Through mindfulness, you have the same thoughts but you respond and view them in a completely altered manner.It may take you awhile to get to this point.
That is okay.
Mindfulness therapy is a journey, and every step counts.
Understand that the feeling does not change, but the way you look at the feeling and respond to it.
Eventually, you will be able to say, “This obsessive thought is just a symptom of my OCD, which is a medical condition.
It is not truth.
It is only a feeling.
I acknowledge it is there, but I will not pay attention to it.
Instead, I will be active.” -
Step 3: Relabel the thoughts.
-
Step 4: Look at your feelings objectively.
-
Step 5: Remind yourself that the feeling has no control.
-
Step 6: Redirect your energy.
-
Step 7: Resist the urge for a set amount of time.
-
Step 8: Expect some unpleasantness.
-
Step 9: Learn to accept reality.
Detailed Guide
As your obsessive feelings and compulsions start to arise, you may not even notice.
You may engage in a compulsion or you may be consumed with obsessive thoughts before you realize you are doing it.
The first step in mindfulness is to start paying attention to your body and your feelings.For example, think about the physical symptoms you feel before your OCD hits.
Do you tense? Do you get nauseous or feel a tightness in the chest? You may not realize these feelings are coming on because you are trying so hard to avoid them.
Instead of avoiding them, pay attention to the feelings.
After noticing the thoughts and feelings, you should then take time to identify them.
Realize that the urges you have are nothing but feelings, thoughts, or compulsions.
Labelling it as a feeling instead of something true, important, or controlling can help you start to separate your OCD feelings and thoughts from everything else.
This is the beginning of being mindful of your OCD behaviors.Identifying your thought helps you look at it as a separate entity.
You can tell yourself that it’s just an uncomfortable feeling, not an emergency.
This helps you start to dispel the idea that your feelings are real or truths instead of just feelings. , After you notice and identify the thoughts, you should relabel the obsessive thoughts, feelings, and sensations and compulsions that you have.
You should acknowledge that they are part of a medical mental illness, OCD.
Identify the thoughts as obsessive and compulsive to start taking control of them.These obsessive thoughts and compulsions cause a fear response in you.
By identifying and labeling them, you are starting to dispel their power and lessening their fear on you.Relabeling helps you realize that the thought or compulsion is not reality.
For example, in your mind, think, “I don’t feel that I have to count the pencils on the table.
This is only a compulsive urge to give into the compulsion to count."
This step is the core of being mindful of your OCD behaviors.
You should work on looking at your feelings in a detached, neutral manner.
This helps you refocus the brain and the way you respond to your OCD urges.
Mindfulness helps you learn to accept the feelings.
The feelings are there, but you have control over how you respond because of them.
Start gaining control by letting the feelings flow through you and observe them.For example, if you feel the compulsion to wash your hands, don’t try to suppress the urge.
Let the feeling go through your mind.
Pay attention to this feeling.
Acknowledge that the feeling is there.
You may want to say to yourself, “This compulsion exists.
I acknowledge it is here.” When you work with a therapist, they will teach you the skills to look at feelings neutrally.
On your own, instead of giving into the compulsion when you feel it, take a moment.
Acknowledge it is only a feeling.
Repeat to yourself, "This is a compulsion to wash my hands.
I do not have to wash my hands.
The compulsion is a feeling, not a reality." It will take practice and time to train yourself to do this.
Don't get discouraged if you don't get it at first. , One thing to remember in mindfulness is that the feeling, thought, compulsion, or sensation is not in control.
It may be unpleasant, you may not like it, and it may feel uncomfortable, but that feeling can do nothing to you.
It is not harmful and cannot control your mind.By changing your thoughts about the feelings you have, you can start to learn to stop placing so much power in a feeling.
Feelings are just fleeting things.
People have thousands of them each day.
If you have OCD, some feelings are stronger and seem more urgent than others.
Just keep reminding yourself that urgent feeling is a just a feeling, like every other feeling you have. , After you have identified and acknowledged your thoughts, the active part of mindfulness therapy begins.
Redirect your energy and thoughts to something other than your OCD thoughts.
This can be any type of healthy behavior, such as a hobby or task.You may want to distract yourself by going for a walk, talking to a friend, reading a book, watching a television show, playing a video game, cooking, or another activity you enjoy.
You may talk your way through this at first.
Say, “I am having a compulsion because of my OCD.
I should go take my dog for a walk.” This may take a few tries and a lot of effort at first before you get the hang of it.
The goal of mindfulness is to help you learn ways to overcome your OCD urges. , Part of the mindful redirecting is to resist the urge for long enough that the worse feelings have passed.
Try giving yourself 15 minutes to participate in your activity before you consider giving into the urge.
This 15 minutes will be difficult and you will have to continue to identify and label your thoughts.Don’t try to force the feelings or symptoms away.
That is not the goal of mindfulness therapy.
You are accepting your feelings and realizing they do not control you.
Remember that your actions are important, not your feelings. , Mindfulness therapy is not an easy thing to go through.
It takes regular practice and will not be perfect the first time you try it.
You may have very bad symptoms so that you can only redirect your energy for five minutes.
That’s okay.
It’s a start, and you should be proud.
Next time, you can try to do it for longer.
Be prepared to have a difficult time resisting your feelings until you fully learn how to use mindfulness.The important thing to remember is to focus on the activity you are doing, not on your feelings.
While you are not pushing them from your mind, you are also not obsessing about the feelings.
The aim of mindfulness is to help you focus on another activity while detaching yourself from feelings you can’t avoid. , The last step is to finally see your feelings in a realistic way instead of through the lens of OCD.
You learn how to accept that what is really going on in your brain and around you instead of the negative, anxious, and fearful thoughts your OCD causes.You are learning to see your thoughts in a different way.
Through mindfulness, you have the same thoughts but you respond and view them in a completely altered manner.It may take you awhile to get to this point.
That is okay.
Mindfulness therapy is a journey, and every step counts.
Understand that the feeling does not change, but the way you look at the feeling and respond to it.
Eventually, you will be able to say, “This obsessive thought is just a symptom of my OCD, which is a medical condition.
It is not truth.
It is only a feeling.
I acknowledge it is there, but I will not pay attention to it.
Instead, I will be active.”
About the Author
Thomas Ramirez
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow hobbies tutorials.
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