Having OCD can be likened to having a ‘dictator within’, an ‘inner tyrant’, a ‘bully of the mind’ that incessantly speaks about impending doom. It can be very loud and dominating, and it can be very hard not to listen to it, not to follow its every command!
For many OCD sufferers they may have struggled with this inner tyrant for many years- believing that if they ‘don’t feed the tiger’ it will only get more ferocious and terrifying and the feelings of anxiety and dread will just escalate to an overwhelming level.
However, what we need to, at least begin thinking about is; what would happen if we ‘starved the monster?’ if we didn’t listen to the dictator within, what would ‘actually’ happen?
Generally, we believe that we won’t be able to cope; that NOT doing the compulsion will only lead to the ‘bad thing’ actually happening! We believe we will be paralyzed by fear & anxiety!
The truth is- and this is coming from my own actual experience and from scientific research that as we gradually diminish the amount of compulsions that we do and refocus our attention on something more wholesome, what we begin to see… over time… is that the anxiety decreases and the thoughts of ‘family members becoming ill’ or ‘dying from germs’ begin to fade!
This is a process and it takes time but, trust me when I say- things can and will improve!
You will begin to see OCD for what it really is- a pathological liar that begins to fade away, that begins to lessen when ‘not acted upon’.
Paul Mc Carroll
OCD & Anxiety Specialist | Life Coach | Blogger
www.befreefromocd.com