Ways To Manage Your OCD
4 min readObsession is a recurring thought that makes one feel anxious every time. Obsessions can interfere with your daily activities either at work or home. On the other hand, the daily measures you take to manage obsession are known as a compulsion. Symptoms of OCD are overwhelming and can easily make one feel helpless. Treatment of OCD involves consulting a professional and qualified mental health expert. However, there are simple habits and practices you can adopt to help you manage OCD. The following article will provide you with simple patterns and techniques to help you manage OCD.
Use CBD Products
CBD is an active compound in a cannabis plant. CBD has several effects on your body, such as reducing anxiety, decreasing depression, and dealing with fears. One of the symptoms of OCD is anxiety and intrusive thoughts. Therefore, CBD can be a better way to deal with such symptoms effectively. The Endocannabinoid system in your body is responsible for dealing with repetitive habits, anxiety, and fears. It is also a pathway of receptors responsible for regulating sleep, appetite, and moods. Therefore, when you take CBD products, they interact with your endocannabinoid system hence triggering these processes. There are higher chances of reducing and treating OCD symptoms when you take CBD. Researchers are in continuous research to affirm how CBD can help reduce symptoms associated with OCD. If you want to learn more about CBD to manage OCD, you can learn by clicking on full Spectrum CBD.
Practice Mindfulness To Manage Stress
Intrusive thoughts and excessive anxiety are the two key features of OCD. To help reduce these symptoms, you need to learn to practice mindfulness. When practicing mindfulness, you try to live in the moment accepting your situations without self-judgment or any form of self-denial. This means you have to face your experiences without trying to escape them. You have to observe your feelings and thoughts every time and acknowledge that they exist, but they will also pass. You don’t have to act on your feelings. This might not be easy in the beginning. However, getting engaged in meditation or yoga can help you practice mindfulness effectively, making it more manageable.
Get Plenty of Exercises
Physical exercise can help you keep fit physically and mentally. Exercise is one helpful way to manage OCD anxiety and stress. Exercise will help refigure and refocus your mind, especially when stressed. Exercises such as aerobics, jogging, sports activities, cycling, or working out in the gym can be beneficial if you adopt them daily. You can spare at least 30 minutes of your daily activities to exercise and practice some meditation. This will help relieve your anxiety or stress.
Sleep Well And Enough
Sleep is a better and more effective way you can manage your OCD. Being in deep thoughts and anxiety can rob you of good sleep. Most people with OCD can experience a higher rate of insomnia. However, you can develop some good habits that can help you get a good sleep. For example, you can create a bedtime routine that will help program your body for sleep or try using some supplements to induce sleep. Getting enough sleep is an antidote that can help you deal with OCD.
Talk To Family And Friends
Stress can make you isolate yourself from loved ones. The intense symptom of OCD makes you feel worthless and too judgmental, which makes you feel unfit to interact or be in a social group. Isolation will only make OCD worse. Therefore, you have to reach out to friends and family. Talk about your situation and experiences. Getting help from supportive friends and family can help cope with the excessive thoughts. Get involved in social activities where friends and family hang out and share some good moments.
Go For Therapist
Apart from compulsive practices, you should also seek assistance from experts. It would be best if you went for physiotherapy sessions to help you deal with excessive thoughts and anxiety. One of the best therapy that can help deal with OCD is exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy. Through ERP sessions, your therapist will help you explore your anxieties, obsessions, and compulsions, helping you set achievable goals that you desire to achieve. In addition, you will also design various exposure exercises that will help you conquer your fears and anxieties. The practices you will come up with your therapist will help you face and go through your situations and experiences without fear. This help decrease your worries and anxiety with time while you develop some healthy ways to respond to your triggers. Therapy is the most effective way to manage your OCD, especially ERP therapy.
Final Thought
It may not be easy to manage OCD yourself, especially in the first stages. However, with the help of your friends, relatives, or therapist, you can successfully overcome your fears and anxieties.