OCD in the Home
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, also known as OCD, is just one of the many kinds of anxiety disorders affecting millions of people around the world. People with OCD often find that they do specific rituals and these obsessions can make it very difficult to interact with people in public. However, if you stay home all the time, you are actually hurting yourself even more. There are many ways to OCD-proof your home in order to move forward with your treatment and with overcoming OCD in your life completely.
First, you need to identify your obsessions. People obsess with everything from fear of dying to germs. Your obsessions will be the things you think about all the time, even when you wish you weren’t thinking about them. Next, identify your compulsions. Compulsions will be things that you feel like you must do because of you obsessions. For example, you may feel like you need to clean you bathroom a certain number of times a day or say a phrase a certain number of times repeatedly. Knowing your specific obsessions and compulsions is not difficult, but it is nevertheless the first step to helping to improve your condition while at home.
OCD might become a regular part of your
life while you are at home where as you might be able to control yourself more
readily when you are in public. Why? You may simply find it embarrassing to
give in to your obsessions when you are around other people. That proves that
you can actually have control, you just don’t want to, for whatever reason,
when you are at home. To combat this, invite friends into your home often. When
your home becomes, essentially, a public place, you’ll be less tempted to give
in to your obsessions and compulsions, and over time your brain will be
automatically programmed to perceive your home as somewhere where these
activities are not ok.
Another great way to combat OCD in the home
is to purchase a stopwatch. Whenever you begin to obsess about something stop
the watch, and when you’re back in control, stop the watch. Do this throughout
the day and then every night check out your total time for the day. You may be
surprised about the time you’ve been wasting! Chart your progress and keep in
mind this waste whenever you begin to obsess—you could be doing more enjoyable
things with your time. OCD affects everyone, not just you, so by stopping your
OCD behavior in the home you can work on a positive step towards recovery for
yourself and those around you.
Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Hi my name is Naomi ballet is my absolute favorite thing in the world but a condition called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder put my dreams of dance on hold My Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD started when I was in Junior High I started to get totally stressed out by the order of things.
I was fixated on making sure everything was put in the perfectly right place all the time. I felt like I had to do it, like I had no choice.
I knew that what I was doing didn't make any sense and that I should just stop doing it but when ever I tried to stop something took over in my brain, I just had to keep going. But that wasn't all, I also had these very upsetting pictures in my mind, like dreams, but I was awake.
They were images of terrible things happening as a result of a mistake I made. I saw my grandparents being murdered by an intruder who entered the house through a door I left unlocked I became convinced that I was going to cause some life ending event as a result of my carelessness.
These thoughts and images were obsessions, people with OCD have all different types of obsessions the important to know is that the obsessions are unwanted, intrusive and repetitive thoughts or images and that the person experiencing them knows they are unreasonable and excessive.
Leaving my apartment for school in the morning was a nightmare, as soon as I closed the door the images and thoughts started...what if I Ieft my curling iron on, what if I didn't lock the door, something terrible will happen, my family will be hurt, it will be my fault, I have to back and check. It felt terrible and I was almost always late for school. "Are you for real right now?" The obsessions created so much fear and anxiety for me that I had to do something to make myself feel better.
I was afraid to tell my friend what was happening in my head. I didn't want her to think I was loosing my mind. The obsessions kept building and building until I couldn't stand it anymore. I didn't know what do to and to make it worse compulsions began.
A compulsion is something you do to reduce the stress caused by a feeling that things aren't right. To get rid of that feeling you need to do something...touching, counting, or chanting. Compulsions makes you feel relieved for a short time before you know it the obsessions are creating anxiety again and that brings back the compulsions, it feels like its never going to end Just like with obsessions people have all kinds of compulsions. Remember a compulsion is what the person does to get relief from the anxiety the obsessions create One of my compulsions was ordering, there was a time when I stopped going to school because I would spend 5 to 6 hours in the my bathroom or kitchen making sure things were in there correct place.
It is so hard to explain in words, it felt like if I didn't arrange these things that something terrible would happen. As soon as I walked away the overwhelming stress would drive me back to repeat the same thing again. It was maddening, but I couldn't stop, my life was going down the tubes I have lived with my grandparents most of my life, they starting getting worried about me when I wasn't able to go to school. Hey Grandma get over here This is my Grandma, "Say hello to everyone Grandma" "Hi there, I understand we are talking about your OCD I remember when you were really sick, I didn't know what to do for you, it was heart breaking. Sometimes I even helped you with your compulsions because I could see that was the only thing that made you feel better. But it never worked for long.
The day we went to your pediatrician and got help it was a day I will never forget. Your Grandfather and I love you so much but we needed help to know how to best help you" "Naomi I know you are scared. It must be very hard to have so many obsessions and compulsions and I want you to know that you are not loosing your mind.
You have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and its causing a lot of problems in your life and I can help you with that. I want you to take the medicine prescribed and also see a therapist The combination of the medicine and the therapy will help you mange the intrusive obsessions and the overwhelming desire to engage in your compulsions. Now image that each part of the brain is a different building, the buildings are connected by pathways.
On these pathways are messengers that carry information between buildings. There is some evidence that people with OCD have a lot of activity in certain parts of the brain. The chemical messengers in your brain are to excited, running around like chickens with their heads cut off and causing you to feel like you are constantly in danger and that something bad is about to happen.
By taking medication and working on your thoughts in therapy you will slow these messengers down. Once they stop flooding your system with these messages you will have more control over the thoughts and images in your mind and how you chose to deal with them.
This will help you control both your obsessions and compulsions" The doctor was right, I went to therapy and learned to mange my thoughts better The medication helped to slow things down better so I wasn't so afraid all the time I was able to go back to school, spend time with my friends and get back in the dance studio. I was able to tell my friends what was happening and guess what they didn't laugh at me, they understood and were helpful My Grandmother was right I need help to get my life back on track Getting help for my OCD was the best decision I ever made. "Hey your on time, I am so glad you are managing your OCD, it means less anxiety and more time shopping at the mall with me" Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a real medical condition if you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms call a doctor and get help, you can also check out this website teenmentalhealth.org for more information