Say No to OCD

OCD shows up with intrusive thoughts, images, sensations, or doubts—and then tells you that you need to do something about them. Recognizing what OCD wants from you creates an opportunity to ask a different question: Is what OCD wants what I want for myself?

Compulsions aren't always obvious. They include checking, reassurance seeking, avoidance, reviewing, analyzing, and mental rituals—all attempts to get relief, certainty, or a sense of control. You can't reject a compulsion you don't recognize.

OCD keeps you chasing relief. A compulsion may make you feel better temporarily, but the relief doesn't last. When discomfort returns, OCD demands another compulsion. The more you chase relief through compulsions, the more trapped you become in the cycle.

When OCD demands a compulsion, you reach a choice point. One path is to do what OCD wants in an attempt to get relief, certainty, or control. The other is to make a different choice. You don't choose whether OCD shows up. You choose how you respond.

Rejecting a compulsion is different from simply resisting one. Resisting can keep you locked in a struggle with OCD and focused on the urge to compulse. Rejecting means recognizing what OCD wants you to do and deciding that you're not going to do it. You aren't trying to convince OCD, get rid of the thought, or make the discomfort disappear. You're rejecting the demand and making your own choice.

Finding your inner boss means recognizing that OCD makes its demands, but you get to decide whether to follow them. At the choice point, ask: What does OCD want me to do—and what do I want for myself? They aren't the same thing. Bossing It Back means recognizing that difference and making your own choice.