I've been developing some strange ritual like habits.
36 replies, posted
[QUOTE=Wolverunder;45935984]I thought OCD was something you were born with though and would have shown your whole life?
[editline]9th September 2014[/editline]
[sp]It's probably cancer.[/sp][/QUOTE]
OCD is a spectrum disorder and it can be genetic, but might also not be genetic.
Severe forms of OCD (not what you have) can last people's entire lifetimes, and others are so mild they can come and leave within a period of a few months. Severe OCD's may also become less severe with time, and vice-versa with mild ones.
I used to have a severe OCD with washing my hands, but after like ten years it's become quite a mild one for me. I only start to feel the need to wash my hands when I get really anxious now.
[editline]13th September 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=ZombieWaffle;45937572]OCD tends to flare up in the adolescent and early adult years. You can manage it yourself if you're so inclined and can deal with the anxiety, or you can go to a therapist or get medication for it.
OCD also sucks alot when you let it get out of control, I have it and am still not sure if it's even possible to get rid of it entirely.[/QUOTE]
Very rarely you'll see anyone entirely get rid of their OCD. What usually happens is that they are able to get it to such a mild state that it's barely noticeable anymore, such as the case with my washing-hands OCD.
I would personally recommend self hypnosis to help relax yourself. After you relax yourself, place yourself in a position to where you your mind tells you to go do something but you force your body to prevent you from doing the action. Do all of this while under self hypnosis. When you wake yourself up, you will truly feel really relaxed and your repeated checking should start to cease.
I had the exact same issue and still do today, but It has gotten a lot better when I do this. I am not asking you to do this every day, just try once every week or once every other week.
After the hypnosis, drink some type of hot beverage and watch a television show or movie you enjoy. Now over time, hypnosis professionals say that it should help to cure the issue but it is highly unlikely it will completely go away with simple relaxation techniques. Find ways to stray your mind away from all types of recurring thoughts and when these thoughts come about, attempt to have a conversation with someone, that will clear your mind of current thoughts and help you focus on something else. Now, I am not trying to be a hippy and we can all argue if hypnosis is real or fake, but from personal and professional experience, hypnosis to me is basically forcing your mind to think and act out what you tell it to think and act out. All hypnosis is self hypnosis.
Try listening to this video (Its funny just watching it, but those techniques do work for some, including myself.):
[URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZQrz6A7fi4"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZQrz6A7fi4[/URL]
Pro-tip: film yourself doing that one thing that you need to check constantly like locking the door. Then you can just watch the video while in bed and be all chill
I sort of do this as well. Whenever I go to the bathroom I check the locks maybe 10 times just to make sure that no one walks in on me.
I also make sure to move electrical contacts and usb cables away from any flammable object, because I'm afraid that they're going to create some sort of electrical spark and burn the whole house down.
OCD is defined as having to do this sort of ritualistic behavior to reduce an internal anxiety,and is only technically Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Emphasis on the "Disorder" part) when it interferes with your life in a negative way.
If it eventually causes problems (getting to work late, insomnia, etc.), go to a psychologist. Seriously.
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