Have you ever found yourself in your own head experiencing the same intrusive thought over and over again? Does this thought leave you feeling distressed or anxious? Do they interfere with your life? Then you could be showing symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
People commonly use the term “OCD” to describe an obsession with tidiness and order, which is not inaccurate, but obsessive thoughts or compulsions are synonymous with this misunderstood mental health condition.
Intrusive thoughts and repetitive thoughts that you can’t control are classic symptoms of OCD. The possibility of freedom from OCD and intrusive thoughts cannot only be real, but is a journey worth taking.
In this blog, we will discuss the causes of repetitive thoughts, how OCD shows up, and strategies that you will be able to use to get your mind back.
Understanding OCD
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder that involves unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repeated behaviors or mental acts (compulsions).
- Obsessions typically involve topics related to cleanliness, safety, symmetry, or taboo thoughts.
- Compulsions are completed in response to the obsessions in order to relieve anxiety or prevent a feared event, but most provide only a temporary reprieve.
For example, a person might wash their hands repeatedly in an effort to relieve fears about contamination, or replay conversations in their mind to be certain they haven’t offended someone. The key issue isn’t the content of the thoughts themselves, but the distress and dysfunction they bring to daily life.
Cycle of Repetitive Thoughts
One of the most stressing aspects of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is the unending cycle of repetitive thoughts that seem impossible to stop. Usually, this cycle begins with a trigger (a situation, feeling, or thought), which elicits anxiety.
- Following the trigger, an obsession develops, where the intrusive, disturbing thoughts cause extreme emotional discomfort.
- In an attempt to lessen the discomfort, the individual engages in compulsions, which manifest either physically (such as checking or washing) or mentally (such as praying or counting).
- Compulsions can make someone feel better, but only temporarily, and generally only further inflame the cycle because anxiety is reduced for a short period by carrying out compulsions.
- Compulsions reinforce the cycle as the brain learns that compulsions must occur in order to simple anxiety.
Over time, the loop strengthens and becomes more embedded. Even if thoughts seem irrational, they have much power due to the emotional connection built by the individual with the thoughts.
Common Symptoms of OCD
OCD varies from person to person, but there are many common symptoms that seem to cluster.
- This includes intrusive, unwanted thoughts, that keep coming and do not go away! Ritualistic behaviors such as counting, checking, or cleaning excessively.
- Many people will be motivated by a severe need for symmetry, or exactness, compulsively seek reassurance from others, or avoid certain scenarios or people for the chance they will trigger the anxiety they cannot control.
- When the behaviours get so bad that they inhibit daily function and impact work, relationships, or overall wellbeing, it is time to find and get support from OCD therapists in NYC.
Why Do Thoughts Keep Repeating Itself?
The cyclical thinking that is often experienced with OCD is not only annoying, but it can also feel like you’re mentally exhausted or injured. But why does this happen?
The research about OCD, it is believed that there is a failure within the communication system of the brain, especially in the orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and the striatum which are understood to activate around decision-making including the evaluation of fear and the forming of habits.
When these systems fail, your brain will confuse thought or in some cases even irrelevant thought, as danger, pronounced by a cycle of obsession and compulsion.
Moreover, the more you focus your attention onto that thought, especially when you attempt to extinguish or neutralize it, This is why OCD therapy in New York will focus primarily on supporting individuals to accept the presence of their thoughts without reacting to it.
Practical Strategies to Release Yourself From OCD
1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT is one of the most effective types of psychotherapy for the treatment of OCD. An even more specific type of CBT called Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is considered the “gold standard”. With ERP, you are taught to suppress the urge to perform a compulsion.
For example, if your fear is contamination, you might first be asked to touch a doorknob and then not wash your hands. Over time, our brains get trained that anxiety decreases on its own without performing the compulsion.
Most OCD therapists in NYC specialize in cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure and response prevention, and they will likely use a treatment approach that works for you and your triggers.
2. Mindfulness Techniques
Mindfulness and acceptance strategies provide a useful framework for dealing with OCD, improving the compulsions and distressing thoughts of individuals.
- Mindfulness offers an insight that instead of fighting, or trying to suppress, the thoughts, the individual can recognize and observe these thoughts non-judgmentally – as mental events that come and go.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) builds on this idea by adding the element of acceptance, meaning that it is possible to accept the thoughts as ideas (without judgment) because thoughts are just thoughts, it’s not a fact and still focus on committing to actions that align with the individual’s core values.
This notion provides the individual the capacity to engage with a meaningful and fulfilling life, despite anxiety or uncertainty.
3. Challenge Cognitive Distortions
Challenging cognitive distortions is an important part of OCD management. In fact, the first step in this process is simply recognizing some common cognitive distortions. For example, catastrophizing involves believing that merely thinking something will make it happen.
Black-and-white thinking involves believing that, as a person, you are either all good or all bad. Emotional reasoning includes believing that feelings of guilt mean that you have done something wrong.
Questions such as “What is the evidence this is true?” or “Is there a more balanced way to look at this?” can help challenge the pull of obsessive thinking. Keeping a journal in order to get your thoughts out of your head, which allows you to take an objective view and helps decrease some of their power and the intensity of the feeling attached to the thought.
4. Make a Daily Mental Health Routine
Similar to physical fitness, taking care of your mental well-being requires a regular and deliberate approach.
- Establishing a daily routine dedicated to your mental health can provide you structure and stability and positively build your emotional resilience over time.
- Another possible mental health practice could include spending ten minutes time meditating to help you focus and center the mind, journaling your thoughts without any judgement, to reflect for clarity and perspective, participating in low-intensity exercise, to enhance mood and energy.
- Establishing boundaries to curb screen time in order to limit overstimulation and distraction, including adequate sleep and nutrition that falls within the parameters of your overall health.
- Your consistency will make all the difference. Regularly attending to your mental health can nearly eliminate emotional reactivity and provide you with the capability to navigate daily life as it comes.
Final Thoughts
Liberating yourself from the chains of OCD is possible and so empowering. Those repetitive thoughts and compulsions seem like they are taking you hostage, but if you are armed with knowledge and the right tools—using evidence-based approaches like CBT, mindfulness, and cognitive restructuring to help you understand the root causes of your thoughts and overwhelm hopelessness you will be able to lessen your distress significantly.
- Create a daily mental health routine to make significant changes and build emotional resilience.
You can reclaim your peace of mind and consulting an OCD therapist in New York can put you in touch with your inner power, healing, and clarity to live a purposeful, free life.
References
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) – Symptoms and causes. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20354432
- What Is are Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders? (n.d.). https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/what-is-obsessive-compulsive-disorder
- Seibell, P. J., & Hollander, E. (2014). Management of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. F1000Prime Reports, 6, 68. https://doi.org/10.12703/P6-68
- Obsessive-Compulsive disorder: when unwanted thoughts or repetitive behaviors take over. (n.d.). National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-when-unwanted-thoughts-or-repetitive-behaviors-take-over