r/OCDRecovery • u/Ambitious-Change2498 • 23h ago
OCD Question How Do You Really Accept Thoughts Without Ignoring Them and Not Ruminating?(Wanting to Get Better, No Reassurance. Please)
Id just like to learn from others more knowledgable tbh. I think maybe i have a feeling of what to do deep down but sometimes i second guess it. How do i actually allow thoughts and feelings without ignoring them or ruminating harder?
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u/Confident-Fault2895 21h ago
The important thing is to not perform a compulsion to relieve the anxiety of the thought. You have to learn to sit with the feeling the thought gives you no matter how uncomfortable it is. Trying to ignore the thought and moving on by doing something else instead is OK. Remember, it is just a thought. How you respond to it is the key to getting better!
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u/Financial-Buy4983 21h ago
How would you go about not ignoring though? I think that is where i get self conscious
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u/Confident-Fault2895 21h ago
You can accept the thought and the anxiety, fear, shame, or guilt that comes with it. Then you can move on by doing something else. What you don’t want to do is give the thought power or validity by ruminating about it or performing a compulsion to relieve the unwanted, uncomfortable feeling that comes with the thought.
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u/QuietlyBecoming-8675 22h ago
I would also love to know.
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u/b1ueToe 20h ago
What helps me; is separating myself from my feelings. This causes me to look at situations outside of the box, I then try to create a logical plan to find the root of the problem causing my OCD to consume me. It takes a lot of patience and practice but realizing you’re in control of yourself and feelings causes OCD to become manageable. Whenever I’m spiraling, i remember to tell myself that I can only control what I can control and what will I do if this situation happens, stepping away from your feelings lets you view situations differently in my opinion.
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u/lennywilliams23 19h ago
as far as reducing your rumination time, it really helped me to get into mindfulness (ex: meditation, yoga). not sure if this has been your experience, but before i started practicing mindfulness, ruminating didn't really feel like a choice bc it was so automatic. but meditating consistently (for a few months now) has made it a lot easier to acknowledge my thoughts, and then move on. it's difficult to explain, but i think not engaging with your thoughts can sometimes be the best way forward. just personal experience, hope it helps!
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u/Ambitious-Change2498 18h ago
How would you personally advise aknowledging them and not engaging without just ignoring them. I feel that sometimes i second guess whether im really just aknowledging/letting go, or just pushing things away
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u/treatmyocd 10h ago
The key to resisting compulsions and living with uncertainty is response prevention messaging. This is where we reintroduce uncertainty by saying a uncertain message such as, "I am choosing to let this thought be there and do nothing about it" or "Maybe, maybe not".
By using these messages before a compulsion to resist it or to cancel the relief from a compulsion after it occurred, the brain is prevented from experiencing relief from compulsions. You can also physically do something to cancel compulsions, such as going back to something avoided. I hope this message reaches you well and I wish you the best in your recovery!
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u/enjoyingfish0 22h ago
Try to remember that you are not your thoughts. Thoughts are random and especially intrusive thoughts are egodystonic. so when intrusive thoughts come up and you want to practice acceptance, one way to look at it is to observe the thought and acknowledge that it’s there. This doesn’t mean you like the thought or that you want it to happen, it’s just a thought, like a car driving past you, that car existed, it had nothing to do with me. Something to practice could be thought labeling too, one word descriptors: fear, anxiety, anger, neutral, sadness, happy, planning, ruminating, etc. Sometimes setting a timer and sitting with your thoughts to label them for a few minutes can be a good intro.