Living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and having to deal with
your fearful thoughts can be extremely difficult. It can be tough
for people with OCD to have to experience obsessive thoughts that
are intrusive, scary, and difficult to manage. As a result, here
is a short list of techniques that a person can use to help
manage their OCD and their obsessive thoughts
The first thing a person must do is not to dwell or focus on the
fear provoking thought when it comes. The more a person tries to
reason out the thought or focus on the fear behind the thought,
the stronger the thought becomes. The next time you encounter an
obsessive thought, get into the practice of not dwelling on it.
From my interviews with various psychologists, I was told that a
person should visualize a red stop sign in their mind when they
encounter a fear provoking thought. When the negative thought
comes, a person should think of a red stop sign which serves as a
reminder to stop focusing on that thought and to think of
something else. A person can then try to think of something
positive to replace the negative thought.
A person should keep a small notebook of positive statements that
makes them feel good. Whenever they come across a positive and
uplifting verse that makes them feel good, write it down in a
small notebook. A person can then carry this notebook around in
their pocket and whenever they feel anxious, they can read their
notebook.
Sometimes, a person may encounter a lot of scary thoughts coming
at them all at once. Instead of getting upset, remember that
these thoughts are exaggerated and are not based on reality. From
my interviews with various professionals, Ive learned that
usually it is the fear behind the thoughts that gets us worked
up. Ignore the fear behind these obsessive thoughts, regardless
how the strong the fear may be. If you ignore the fear behind
these thoughts, then the thoughts become easier to manage.
Another thing to remember is that no one can predict the future
with 100 Percent certainty. Even if your fearful thoughts tell
you otherwise, the fact is that there are circumstances and
factors in every situation that can not be anticipated. We may be
ninety-nine percent in predicting the future but all it takes is
for that one percent to make the biggest difference.
Although I am a Layman and not a professional, I have interviewed
many counselors and I learned that there are many ways to deal
with these kinds of thoughts. It is also important to seek
professional help if you have OCD. There are ways to deal with
your obsessive thoughts and with the proper treatment, people
with OCD can live a productive life.
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