Dealing with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Self-Help for Relief

Photo credit: Santa Clara University.edu 

Living with any kind of disease is a terribly hurting experience. What’s worse than this is having a disease that one is not fully aware of his own condition. Yes, this is possible. Your act, which is just normal for you, may be a sign of a disease you have yet to uncover and treat.

Do you wash your hands frequently thinking that it makes you very dirty when you don’t do it? Do you check your light every so often just to make sure it’s turned off, or a liquefied petroleum gas to check if it doesn’t leak? Do you do annoying or disturbing routines that eat up your time and make you feel depressed or dissatisfied even after doing them? If you answer “yes” to any or all of these questions, then you probably have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). But take it easy. Don’t freak out as of yet.

Learn more about this disease and get to know how it affects your daily living.

What is OCD?

OCD can either obsession or compulsion or both of them, which involve various thoughts, activities, and fear. According to International OCD Foundation, these obsessions are “thoughts, images, or impulses that occur over and over again and feel outside of the person’s control.” Compulsions, on the other hand, are “are repetitive behaviors or thoughts that a person uses with the intention of neutralizing, counteracting, or making their obsessions go away.”

If you think you have OCD or you have been diagnosed with this type of mental-behavior disorder, you can still cope even without any therapy.

Help Yourself

While you may be showing signs of OCD, there are ways for you to deal with it. Believe it: you can overcome this disease on your own. Find relief toward a stress-free life by replacing your old habits with these new ones:

1. Tell yourself “there is no real danger.” People with OCD tend to act for their “routine” just to be ready for the “perceived” danger. Analyze if this danger really exists or will really happen.
2. Manage your anxiety well.
3. Divert your attention to some other worthwhile things and activities.
4. Think about your obsessions in a more helpful and balanced way.
5. Try to resist the urge that triggers to do your compulsions.
6. Challenge yourself to be “different.”
7. Be brave in facing life’s trials.

Try to heed these tips and you’ll soon find relief and eventually make you think and behave normally as a human being.