4 Helpful Tips for Managing OCD and Anxiety

If you struggle with OCD and anxiety, you are not alone. As many as 76% of those with OCD also struggle with an anxiety disorder. Unfortunately, both mental disorders aggravate the symptoms of the other. What do you do when you are having a panic attack while fighting compulsive behavior?

What follows are tips for managing OCD and anxiety.

4 Tips for Managing OCD and Anxiety

It can feel challenging when it comes to managing your OCD and anxiety. Thoughts and emotions lead to actions (and consequences). When your thoughts are anxious and compulsive, you feel the urge to act. It is a strong pull, and it takes practice to reframe those thoughts and act differently than you want to at the moment.

The good news is that most impulses subside in about fifteen minutes, maybe a little longer for some people. If you can pause, reframe your thoughts, and wait at least fifteen minutes before acting, you may find that the urge lessens.

The following are several tips for managing OCD and anxiety with lifestyle tweaks, new habits, and the fifteen-minute rule.

Get to the root of your stress

OCD and anxiety can coexist as two different mental health conditions that can influence each other. Stress exacerbates both mental disorders, but getting to the root of your stress may prove to be a challenge.

If you are unsure what is behind your stress, try journaling for a few days. Choose a specific time to write in your journal. Work toward filling the pages with questions and the first answer that comes to mind. For example, you could ask yourself what is bothering you and fill in the answer, but then delve deeper by asking more “why” questions.

Consider how you will manage your trigger. Can you avoid it? Is it something you can delegate? If not, do you need to confront a person or situation? Seek help if you feel unsure or afraid.

Use relaxation techniques

Practice relaxation techniques when your mind feels like it is swirling with too many thoughts, the voices rising in pitch like the tide. Try deep breathing exercises to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, calm your mind, and lower your heart rate.

Inhale through your nose for the count of four, hold your breath for the count of four, and then exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of four. You can change the counts to fit you. Try inhaling for four beats, holding for seven beats, and then releasing for eight.

Progressive muscle relaxation is another valuable tool for easing muscle tension and bringing your thoughts back to the present. Mentally scan your body, starting with your feet, tense and release each muscle group. You may want to try this one while lying in bed after a long day.

Exercise for fifteen minutes

One of the best ways to reduce stress and anxiety and relieve the symptoms of OCD is to exercise daily. When you engage in movement that forces your heart to pump harder (moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity exercise), the workout forces more oxygen into the cells. With consistent exercise, you can experience lower blood pressure, reduced resting heart rate, and an improved mood from the cascade of brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine.

If you haven’t exercised in a while, consult your doctor for clearance before starting a regimen. You’ll want to build exercise into your daily routine and make it a habit, so start with a few minutes of movement. Try a fifteen-minute walk every day for a few weeks, then add five minutes. Before you know it, you’ll be walking for forty-five minutes to an hour daily and feel much calmer.

Practice the fifteen-minute rule

Jeffrey Schwartz, a research psychologist at UCLA, introduced the Fifteen-Minute Rule in Four Steps, which has proven effective in helping those struggling with OCD and anxiety. In essence, the fifteen-minute rule recognizes that a person is faced with a compulsive thought and emotion that leads to an action. The four steps are Relabel, Reattribute, Refocus, and Revalue.

You want to relabel and reattribute the compulsive thought for what it is: a thought brought on by OCD due to a biochemical imbalance. Next, refocus your mind with a constructive activity for at least fifteen minutes, allowing the impulse to pass. Acknowledge that the compulsive thoughts and impulses are not your reality and that you are in charge of your actions.

Do you need help with OCD and anxiety?

Are you having trouble navigating the symptoms of OCD and anxiety? Want to learn more about the fifteen-minute rule? Contact our office today at Westlake Christian Counseling to schedule a session with a counselor in Westlake, California. Your counselor will assess your symptoms and create a strategy using proven psychological methods, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Exposure and Response Prevention therapy. Give us a call today.