OCD Action

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playthoseblues
Member

Hello,

Now most of us here on the forum have OCD, one way or another, and I thought what we could do is compile a list of 101 tips for people who have OCD, so people who are down, or are new to the site can find some quick helpful hints from people with the condition firsthand, to help them through a rough patch, or parents and carers can read the tips and advice the sufferer with some good information.

So I'll start the ball rolling with Tip No 1.

Tip No 1: Lack of sleep can make pure obsessions worse, telling the sufferer that they might have something else wrong with them, apart from OCD. It can also make obsessions seem alot more real!

Mon Mar 28 2011 16:57:28 #
Ratwomble
Member

Jon,

This is a solid gold, genius grade, 101% fabulous, BRILLIANT idea.

David

TIp No 2: OCD is treatable. There are therapies, medications and books out there to help. There are resources and YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Speak to your doctor, find a therapist, read a book, join a forum.

Mon Mar 28 2011 17:05:17 #
Tess
Member

Tip No 3: Walk away from stress.

Mon Mar 28 2011 17:35:24 #
Truddles
Member

A great idea Jon

Tip No 4: Keep a record of all your OCD achievements however small so that when you have a bad day you can read it and see just how far you've come. It's so easy to forget all the things that we manage to achieve.

SO WRITE DOWN ALL YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS

Mon Mar 28 2011 17:45:06 #
bunnymad
Member

Tip No 5:Remember no-one is perfect, we are Human at the end of the day and the thoughts we have only make us Human. You can't control everything that goes on in the very complex organ that is the Mind.

Mon Mar 28 2011 20:29:57 #
tizzkins
Member

Tip No 6. Never be frightened of asking for help with your ocd thoughts and obsessions. This forum is a great place to ask for that help. There is always someone willing to help.

Mon Mar 28 2011 21:13:59 #
Tess
Member

Tip No 7. Laughter is excellent threapy, don't be afraid to laugh at your OCD and to let others laugh with you (but not at you).

Tue Mar 29 2011 9:02:38 #
L
Member

Tip No 8. If you feel there's someone you trust -be it a partner, friend or family member- talk to them. The simple act of sharing your problem can be a massive help in itself.

Wed Mar 30 2011 16:01:52 #
shelly
Member

Tip no 9: try to ignore your thoughts.

Wed Mar 30 2011 19:11:50 #
playthoseblues
Member

Tip No 10: Need to calm yourself down? Listen to music. Any type!

Fri Apr 1 2011 6:07:41 #
forthaven
Member

Tip 11. learn to play an instrument. if you are anything like me with my issues, you will get great at it cos you cant put it down. a great channel for any OCD.

Fri Apr 1 2011 9:22:58 #
Wombat140
Member

Tip No 12: if you do have to do a compulsion, e.g. wash your hands, try to think of it as something you're doing simply because your OCD insists, rather than to avoid getting typhoid or whatever. After all, rationally you know that once is enough to get clean, so the extra goes are just to satisfy OCD.

That way, rather than "how many times do I need to wash my hands to get all the germs off?", it becomes a question of "how many times is the minimum my OCD will put up with?". Avoids all the dithering about whether and how germs could possibly survive 5 washes.

Fri Apr 1 2011 17:18:29 #
Truddles
Member

Tip 13: Work on building up your confidence and self esteem

Both tend to be low with OCD and as a result we lack the confidence to trust our own judgement and so we're unable to dismiss the doubts that the OCD causes.

Sat Apr 2 2011 12:26:51 #
Stanley20thCA
Member

Tip 14: Using anti-bacterial soaps/handwash is overkill. By using them you are drying out your hands of their natural oils. The oil that our hands secreat to help us grip things with is naturally anti-bacterial. You may think your hands are free from germs, but by washing with antibacterial soaps you are killing off your own natural defenses. Don't use!

Cheers
Stan

Sat Apr 2 2011 13:45:03 #
aishah
Member

Tip 15: Be kind to yourself at all times and if you have a bad day always remember that tomorrows another day.

Sat Apr 2 2011 17:36:02 #
Truddles
Member

Tip 16: Encouragement from those around us is a great tool for helping to build our confidence especially when we've managed to challenge our OCD

Sun Apr 3 2011 12:29:19 #
jo
Member

Tip 17 : Remember you are so much more than your OCD and refuse to allow it to consume you entirely however bad it may seem

Sun Apr 3 2011 20:45:16 #
Marie
Member

Tip 18: Exercise is great for taking your mind of intrusive thoughts and is proven to lift serotonin levels

Mon Apr 4 2011 18:13:52 #
Maxthedog
Member

Tip 19: Never forget that the OCD is not you, and you are not the OCD.

Tue Apr 5 2011 12:52:11 #
Truddles
Member

Tip 20: You're entitled to treatment and to be treated with respect.

Tue Apr 5 2011 13:05:13 #
playthoseblues
Member

Tip 21: Never dwell in the past, look to the future, live in the present.

Tue Apr 5 2011 21:30:00 #
Ratwomble
Member

Tip 22. Don't blame yourself.

Having OCD isn't your fault. So when you have a day where you do three amazing things that fight the OCD, don't bother about the 93 OCD driven things you have to do. Gradually things get better, you get stronger, the OCD gets weaker. The balance shifts.

Celebrate the victories, and don't beat yourself up about the other stuff.

Wed Apr 6 2011 12:38:05 #
playthoseblues
Member

Tip 23: Scared of doing violent things to people in the street? A great way to overcome this is exposure therapy, by staying outside for a certain while, and conditioning yourself to the environment. I used this the other day by washing my mum's car, and listening to music, and the spikes got less the more the time wore on!

Mon Apr 11 2011 21:27:38 #
sweeteater
Member

tip 24 Don't ruminate. Thinking over what you might have done,trying to remember and worrying make the obsessions worse.

Tue Apr 12 2011 9:45:27 #
chrisc
Member

Tip 25 Avoid excessive drinking.You may initially enjoy the 'numbing' effect it has on your mind but the next day you will feel twice as worse with your OCD

Fri Apr 15 2011 0:25:39 #
rapaporj
Moderator

TIP 26: Always ask yourself the question 'If I didn't have OCD, how would I be spending my day today, what would I be doing?' and take positive action to do that. Remember that allowing OCD to dictate what you are doing is not a wining formula to recovery; the one thing OCD can never take away from you is your choice to change.

Sun Apr 17 2011 21:13:17 #
Tess
Member

Hi folks, this is a brilliant thread but are we going to have two 25's and make it to 100 or shall we start again at 27? OCD notices these things

Mon Apr 18 2011 8:29:47 #
Tess
Member

PS how about next one to post decides.

Mon Apr 18 2011 8:30:24 #
Soxon
Key Master

Thanks for pointing that out Tess, I've changed it so that there aren't two 25's
Tip 27: Don't let others put you down, you're just as good as they are.

Mon Apr 18 2011 11:27:48 #
Trinity
Member

Tip 28: Remember when your OCD shows it's ugly head, it is nothing more then a school play groud bully who has found what you love the most and is giving you your worst fears on it! When you get a OCD thought, thank the OCD for reminding you what is important to you.

Thu Apr 28 2011 0:19:54 #