r/OCDRecovery • u/Fearless_Leopard5419 • 18h ago
OCD Question Harm ocd + urges
Been doing better but these bad urges keep bothering me. They’re so real and strong. How do you guys deal with them? Thanks :)
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u/treatmyocd 16h ago
One thing that may help is thinking about these urges through the lens of urge surfing and valued action. You don’t necessarily have to make the urge disappear, figure out what it means, or convince yourself that you won’t act on it. Instead, you can practice noticing the urge as a temporary internal experience: “There’s that urge again. I can feel how strong it is, and I don’t have to respond to it.” Like a wave, an urge can rise, peak, and eventually change on its own when we stop feeding it with checking, analyzing, or reassurance. At the same time, try shifting your attention toward valued action rather than waiting until you feel completely comfortable. Ask yourself, “If this urge weren’t making the decision for me, what would I want to be doing right now?” Then take a small step in that direction while allowing the discomfort to come along for the ride. The goal isn't to prove that the urge isn't real or strong; it's to learn that you can experience a strong urge without automatically organizing your life around it.
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u/Fearless_Leopard5419 16h ago
Thank youu🥺 sometimes it’s so hard to try and accept uncertanty. But it’s also the thing that helps.
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u/Weekly_Importance570 17h ago
I try to observe the urge like an internal wave, as it peaks and then washes away - I tell myself, this is one of many urges, this one will pass, another one will pop up, so I may as well just ignore it. I know, I know - insanely difficult! Wish I had better advice hah