How to Stop OCD Compulsions: 13 Effective Strategies

What are OCD Compulsions?

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is often misunderstood as just an intense desire for orderliness. However, at its core, OCD involves two key elements: obsessions and compulsions. OCD compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that an individual feels compelled to perform in response to an obsession or according to rigid rules. These can include actions like handwashing, checking, counting, or mental acts like praying, repeating phrases in the mind. 

The driving force behind these compulsions is an attempt to alleviate the distress or prevent some dreaded event related to their obsessions, even though these behaviors are often not realistically connected to preventing these outcomes.

How Do OCD Compulsion Form a Habit in the Brain?

OCD compulsions form a habit in the brain through a cycle of negative reinforcement. When an individual with OCD performs a compulsion, it temporarily reduces the anxiety or discomfort caused by an obsessive thought.  

This short-term relief reinforces the behavior, making it more likely to occur in the future when the obsessive thought arises again. Over time, this creates a habitual response in the brain, solidifying the compulsion as a coping mechanism, albeit an unhealthy one.

What Can You Do to Stop OCD Compulsions?

Stopping OCD compulsions involves breaking the cycle of negative reinforcement and creating new, healthier patterns of coping with obsessive thoughts. This is challenging but achievable with consistent practice and the right strategies.

13 Strategies to Stop OCD Compulsions

1. Identify Triggers

Understanding what triggers your Obsessive Compulsive Disorder compulsions is the first step. It could be certain thoughts, feelings, situations, or objects. By identifying these triggers, you can better prepare to manage your response.

• Thoughts and Emotions: Fear, uncertainty, or specific thoughts may prompt compulsions.
• Situations: Environments like public spaces or certain social scenarios can induce compulsive behaviors.
• Objects: Everyday items like door handles or personal belongings might trigger actions like excessive cleaning or checking.
• Sensory Stimuli: Sounds, smells, or textures can initiate compulsive responses.
• Internal Body Sensations: For those with somatic OCD, bodily sensations might lead to compulsions.
• Routine Changes: Alterations in daily routines or unexpected events can trigger compulsive behaviors.

Recognizing these triggers involves mindful observation and possibly maintaining a journal to note the circumstances or feelings before the urge to perform a compulsion. The goal is to manage your response to these triggers effectively, either by avoiding them when feasible or developing coping mechanisms for the unavoidable ones, thereby lessening their impact on your behavior.

2. Delay and Distract

Delaying and distracting is a method where, upon feeling the urge to perform a compulsion, you decide to wait for a predetermined period, like 5 or 10 minutes, before acting on it. During this waiting period, engage in an activity that fully occupies your mind. 

This could be:

• Engaging in a Hobby: Activities like drawing, playing a musical instrument, or gardening can be absorbing.
• Physical Exercise: Going for a brisk walk, doing a quick set of exercises, or practicing yoga can shift your focus.
• Mental Exercises: Solving puzzles, playing a strategy game, or engaging in a brain teaser can redirect your attention.

The goal is to allow the urge to pass or diminish in intensity, teaching your brain that the compulsion is not necessary for relief. This breaks the negative reinforcement cycle in the brain and teaches the brain that “the bad thing” won’t happen and reduces OCD symptoms. 

3. Resist Rituals

Begin with compulsions that are less intense or disruptive and consciously resist performing them. This might mean:

• Avoiding the Compulsive Act: Physically walking away or engaging in another activity.
• Using Self-Talk: Reminding yourself of the irrationality of the compulsion and your goal to resist it.
• Seeking Immediate Engagement: Engaging in a conversation or task that requires your full attention.

The aim is to build up your resistance, gradually moving to more challenging compulsions.

4. Postpone the Ritual

This technique involves telling yourself that you can perform the compulsive behavior, but later. Often, the delay reduces the urgency and need for the compulsion. It's a way of negotiating with your Obsessive Compulsive Disorder gaining more control over the compulsive urges.

5. Change Some Aspect of The Ritual

Altering the ritual disrupts its compulsive pattern. By disrupting the ritual, you break its automatic nature and reduce its perceived necessity. This could mean:

• Changing the Number of Repetitions: If your compulsion involves a specific number of repetitions, alter this number.
• Modifying the Method: Change the way you perform the ritual, like washing hands with a different technique.
• Changing the Order: If the compulsion involves a sequence, perform it in a different order.

6. Shorten the Ritual

Aim to gradually reduce the time or intensity of the compulsion. For instance, if you spend several minutes checking locks, start by reducing it to a shorter period. Over time, keep shortening this duration, aiming to eventually eliminate the compulsion.

7. Slow Down the Ritual

Performing the ritual more slowly than usual increases your awareness of the act and its irrational nature. This can involve:

• Consciously Slowing Down: Actively slowing down each step of the compulsion.
• Mindful Performance: Paying close attention to each movement or thought involved in the ritual.

By slowing down, you interrupt the automatic flow of the compulsion, making it easier to eventually stop it.