This post was written by Lejla, a supervised therapist at CW Therapy.
We often hear the phrase “everyone has a little OCD” which for some may be a humorous saying, or for others an attempt of reassurance… but is it? What many people who don’t struggle with the effects of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) don’t realize is how invalidating the phrase is for those that do struggle with it. Almost every day can feel like a battle with OCD - an unpredictable one for most of the time. Waking up in the morning wondering when will it strike? How bad will it be today? What if something triggers the anxiety when I go out today? Maybe I should stay home and delay the task for another day to stay safe… If this sounds like something you or someone that you know is struggling with, then forget the false attempt of validation in “everyone has a little OCD”!
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What is OCD?
OCD is described as having a pattern of obsessive thoughts best known as unwanted/intrusive thoughts. These intrusive thoughts create anxiety for those with OCD, often making the person obsessively think “that’s horrible, why would I even think of doing that?”; “should I feel worried for having these thoughts?”; “what does this say about me?”; “am I a bad person?”; etc.
The obsessive thinking that follows thereafter will create the urge or drive in the person to compulse in safety seeking behaviour - an act that creates temporary relief for the person such as checking; engaging in avoidance; seeking reassurance; recalling/ruminating events; as well as engaging in rituals in attempt to neutralize the feelings and thoughts. These compulsions can last from minutes to hours - sometimes even popping up days or months later as a reminder of the anxious-inducing thought.
Symptoms and Signs of OCD
Obsessive Thoughts: Recurrent and persistent intrusive/unwanted thoughts that cause distress and anxiety.
Compulsions: Repetitive behaviours or mental acts that are performed in response to the obsessive thinking, bringing temporary relief. This includes attempting to suppress the unwanted thoughts by trying to think of something else or engage in an activity to distract yourself from the intrusive thoughts.
Obsessive thinking and/or compulsions are time-consuming.
Obsessive thinking and/or compulsions cause distress to the point it affects you from effectively completing daily tasks, assignments, work, engaging socially, etc.
Avoidance of engaging in certain tasks/activities to prevent triggering the obsessive thinking and distress that comes with it.
OCD Subtypes
There are many categories of OCD that people may fall under, whether it be one particular subtype or a mix of them that affect people in various degrees. Here are just several examples of some of the OCD subtypes.
Checking OCD: Obsessions over safety concerns or making a mistake. Compulsive behaviours of checking and fearing that they may be responsible for something bad happening if they do not check.
Relationship OCD (ROCD): Obsessively thinking if you are in the right relationship. This includes constantly feeling uncertain if you are with the right person and fearing that you are leading them on. Compulsive behaviour can be ruminating over your future with this individual and seeking reassurance from your partner if they actually want to be with you.
Contamination OCD: Obsessions over contaminating something, contracting an illness, and/or spreading germs. Compulsive behaviours of repeatedly washing hands because they “feel dirty”; refusing to touch certain objects or people out of fear of contaminating them; avoiding “dirty” places (ex. Public bathrooms); overly cleaning or washing things; etc.
“Just Right” OCD: Obsessive thinking that something doesn’t feel right. Compulsive behaviour is redoing the same task multiple times until it “feels right”.
False Memory OCD: Obsessive thinking over remembering a specific memory accurately, causing you to self-doubt your ability of remembering things, the way you remember things, and/or questioning if the memory even happened. Compulsive behaviour includes ruminating over the memory due to uncertainty of the accuracy of it, causing further confusion and uncertainty.
Harm OCD: Obsessive thoughts and fears of hurting someone, causing the person to feel distress and anxiety. Compulsive behaviour includes avoiding touching objects that could cause harm (ex. Knives), avoiding interacting with people they fear of causing harm to, and seeking reassurance from others that they won’t cause harm.
Hoarding OCD: Compulsively collecting items and hoarding them because of the obsessive thinking that you “need” a particular item, or the fear that something bad will happen if you get rid of it.
Purely Obsessional OCD: Only obsessive thinking that varies between different OCD subtypes, such as obsessively thinking about contamination and then obsessively thinking about harm. There are no physical compulsions, but rather there is a lot of rumination and thought suppression.
There are many other OCD subtypes, but these are just several examples to give you a better idea of what OCD can look like in a person from a general sense.
OCD Treatment
OCD can make people feel reluctant to open up because they worry if others will judge them over their distressing thoughts. However, it’s important to remember everyone experiences a different type of OCD and there is no shame in whatever it may be. Treatment for OCD works for all types - it doesn’t matter how “different” or “rare” your OCD feels.
Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP): It teaches you to sit through the discomfort of distressing thoughts and feelings without engaging in compulsions. It’s important to remember that this type of therapy can be extremely overwhelming if you go into it without proper preparation for it.
Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Helps you learn to change the negative thought patterns in how you perceive yourself and accept your OCD instead of treating it like a battle every day.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Helps build a positive relationship with self and reducing the shame you experience in the obsessions by reminding you of your values.
When it comes to OCD, it is normal for its effects to reduce your confidence and self-trust, which can make OCD all the more daunting to manage as time goes on. Through treatment, you will learn to rebuild your confidence and self-trust which will make disengaging in compulsions a lot less challenging, and to accept obsessive thinking for what it is: Unwanted thoughts that do not reflect who you are as an individual.
Tips for OCD Recovery: Begone Intrusive Thoughts!
Let me answer the burning question: No, your intrusive thoughts do not define who you are or what you desire - hence, being unwanted thoughts!
You would think the solution to getting rid of intrusive thoughts is by ignoring them, right? Wrong! You can’t get rid of intrusive thoughts, because they are automatic thoughts with a sole purpose - they come up whenever they feel like it and you have no control over them. As scary as they can be, the best way to not allow the intrusive thoughts to get to you, is simply allowing yourself to sit with those thoughts. You may not be able to control them, but you can control how you respond to them.
The key is to not engage with the thought, whether that be through checking compulsions, rumination, seeking reassurance or trying to push them away - these are all forms of engagement that we want to avoid doing!
Grounding techniques can be breathing exercises, engaging with the five senses, or simply shifting your focus on the task you’re doing in the moment while welcoming the thought to just sit with you. This makes the intrusive thought less distressing the more time passes and the less you engage with it!
Tips for OCD Recovery: Avoid Avoidance
Avoidance is a tactic to feel safe from engaging in potentially distressing tasks, but the result of it often emphasizes the fear associated to the task/activity the longer you avoid it. One of the best ways to overcome anxiety is to avoid avoidance, but the key is to do it in moderation and don’t throw yourself in with the sharks if you’re not ready to tackle increasingly distressing triggers.
Take your time overcoming ones that are a little less distressing and more of a nuisance. Engage with the activity while practicing grounding exercises - even if it takes a while or you engage in compulsions, that’s okay! Count it as a win every moment you stop the compulsions, no matter how far it goes. If you find yourself in distress, take a break and come back to the task later - don’t restrict yourself with rules and deadlines on getting them done. OCD recovery takes time and patience, but even just challenging OCD once a day is an accomplishment, so remember to note down every time you succeed as daily affirmations!
This post was written by Lejla, a supervised therapist at CW Therapy.
Lejla is passionate about supporting communities and advocating for mental health through safe and holistic client care.
With experience working with adults facing depression, anxiety, OCD, self-esteem challenges, and life stressors, she specializes in evidence-based therapies like CBT, mindfulness, and stress management. Lejla is expanding her skills to include ACT, exposure therapy, and spiritual therapy when requested.
Her goal is to create a compassionate, non-judgmental space where clients feel empowered to achieve their goals and celebrate every step of their journey toward a brighter future.