Are you tired of hearing people say things like "it's just anxiety" or "just stop thinking about it?"
YES. us too.
That's not how #anxiety or #OCD works - it requires an approach to the thoughts that devalues them without giving them a whole lot of energy, which can be confusing and feel really counterproductive and even triggering to us when we're suffering....
So what does that look like?
βΈοΈPAUSE and notice your thought
βΊοΈ If the thought is distressing, and you're getting stuck on it/obsessing, what is it stopping you from doing right now? One option is to notice the thought and then keep going/doing what you WANT or actually need to do instead of continuing to obsess.
βΆοΈwhat is OCD asking you to do to try and make the anxiety go away? Do the opposite! If wants you to wash your hands? Nah, we good. It wants you to check on your baby because there's no way the monitor is actually working? NOPE, we can stay in the shower and finish it instead. This will be hard but it prevents compulsions and shows OCD who is boss
βΆοΈ speaking of which, BOSS BACK that loud bully/ MOFO in your brain!!! "I don't have to listen to you," or "thank you, next" are totally valid responses to unhelpful thoughts
↔οΈ practice #cognitiveflexibility - when you allow your brain to think about things in a different way it is a good way to prove to yourself that you don't have to listen to fear; in fact, you can do things differently whenever you want. OCD and Anxiety love routine, structure, sameness and knowing what to expect. Doing things with spontaneity, change and silliness can really mess them up!
There are so many ways to combat anxiety, follow for more on anxiety, ocd, trauma and all things maternal/women's #mental health π€
#bergencountynj #bergenmama #mentalhealth #maternalmentalhealth #anxietyrelief #ocdawareness #erp #cbt #thoughtsfromthecouch #recovery #healing #resilience
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