Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder characterized by recurring and intrusive thoughts, images, or urges (aka obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (aka compulsions)—often done in an attempt to get some relief. Symptoms can cause significant distress or interfere with daily life, and they can feel difficult to break free from.
The good news is, effective treatment for OCD exists, alongside other coping strategies you may want to implement into your life. “There are definitely things you can do to help yourself when you have OCD, but the guidance a therapist provides is also key,” says Patrick McGrath, PhD, the Chief Clinical Officer at NOCD.
Keep reading for the 18 best tips to help you overcome OCD.
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Remember that OCD isn’t curable, but it’s highly treatable.
OCD is chronic, which means it is a life-long condition. But don’t let that discourage you. In fact, “you may not always meet the criteria for a diagnosis of OCD at any given moment,” says Stacy Quick, LPC, a therapist at NOCD. “When OCD is properly treated and you learn to manage OCD successfully, it’s actually possible to not meet the diagnostic criteria.”
Know that not all therapies are created equal.
The most effective OCD treatment is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, which “teaches people how to live with the thoughts popping into their head without trying to manage them,” says Dr. McGrath. This evidence-based therapy is considered the gold standard treatment for overcoming OCD. A therapist specializing in ERP will be your guide as you do exposures—meaning, you intentionally put yourself into situations that trigger your obsessions—and then resist doing compulsions, thanks to response prevention techniques.
Talk therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are not the recommended treatment path for OCD. In fact, they can make your obsessions and compulsions worse. “Many talk therapists try to rationalize with people about why they have the thought or compulsion, and will say ‘You don’t need to worry about that behavior,’ or ‘That thought doesn’t mean anything,’” says Dr. McGrath. But this type of reassurance actually keeps sufferers locked in the OCD cycle.
Don’t rely on reassurance.
You might have a constant need for reassurance from people around you. Maybe you want to hear that your thoughts don’t mean you’re a bad person, or perhaps you just want someone to tell you that your feared outcome won’t come true with respect to a particular obsession.
While you’re not alone in seeking relief through reassurance, the truth is that excessive reassurance-seeking can backfire for people with OCD. “You can get really addicted to reassurance because it feels so good to be told you’re going to be okay,” says Dr. McGrath. “It can give you a quick buzz, but it doesn’t fulfill anything for you.” Most importantly, relying on reassurance only perpetuates OCD symptoms—because soon after relief comes when someone assures you, the obsession inevitably returns.
Accept that you’ll never find 100% certainty—and that’s OK.
OCD is nicknamed the “doubting disorder” as one of the primary characteristics of this mental health condition is doubt. Obsessions foster doubts — doubts about whether your intrusive thoughts are significant and mean anything, doubts about you really are as a person, doubts about whether you can trust yourself or even your memory. What’s more, constant doubt can make you check on or repeat things you were confident you did just a moment ago—which are compulsive behaviors.
ERP therapy can help you live with uncertainty and find freedom from the relentless search for definitive answers.
Confront your fears—it’s the only way to reduce their power over you.
You may try to run away from your fears by doing a compulsion, but it’s much more productive to address it directly, says Dr. McGrath. “You have to tell yourself, ‘OCD is sending me a lot of false and mixed messages but has no proof. I’ve been duped, and I’ve been lied to. This fear is not actually true or real,’” says Dr. McGrath.
ERP teaches you that your fears are often unfounded and that the distress you experience as a result of your fears will diminish when you don’t give in to compulsive behaviors.
Try not to be alarmed by the “changing face” of OCD.
A question many people who are experiencing OCD symptoms have is, “why does my OCD keep switching themes?” “As a very young child, I had fears about the safety of my loved ones. I worried about sinning and being seen as immoral. As I grew up, my fears shifted to worrying about potentially poisonous items,” notes Quick. “It wasn’t even as though the original theme would just disappear; it would just become quieter and seep into the background. This allowed for a different obsession to become louder, making itself known.”
Simply being aware of this phenomenon can help you overcome OCD without added panic or stress. Typically, significant life changes—both good and bad—can bring about changes in your OCD symptoms. Starting college, getting a new job, becoming a parent, going through a break-up, suffering a loss or a trauma—these are all life events that may trigger a new obsession or OCD subtype.
Don’t suppress intrusive thoughts.
When an intrusive thought arises in your mind, you might do a compulsion to get rid of it—this is known as thought suppression. “Some people will hit themselves every time they have a thought,” says Dr. McGrath. “Others will do very quick mental compulsions to neutralize it.”
Trying to suppress your intrusive thoughts only feeds your OCD, notes Dr. McGrath, and can make things worse. Research suggests that the harder you try to remove something from your mind, the more likely it is to return—thus leading to a cycle of more thought suppression that causes more intrusive thoughts. The best way forward? Allow your thoughts to exist and sit with the discomfort they cause so you move through it. If this sounds difficult, don’t worry—an ERP therapist can hold your hand through the tough moments of your treatment.
Even if you have a setback, keep going.
You can be doing all the right things to manage your OCD. You might even be at a point in your journey where you don’t experience symptoms. But then, something stressful happens in your life—like a loved one dying or losing a friendship—and you’re back at square one. Unfortunately, stressors will continue to happen and can pose a risk to your recovery efforts, possibly leading to an OCD relapse.
The idea of living without stressors or triggers is unrealistic, which is why therapy is not a one-and-done treatment, notes Dr. McGrath. “You don’t do a few therapy sessions, and you’re cured.” If you experience a relapse in symptoms, don’t hesitate to reach out for support.
Try not to get impatient with your progress.
The goal of OCD treatment is to make the condition more manageable so you can get back to living your life—but it may not happen in the first session. Being realistic about how long it takes for ERP to be effective can keep you from feeling defeated too quickly. “On average, people receiving ERP virtually require around 2 months of treatment to achieve clinically significant results,” says Dr. McGrath. “However, many people feel better even more quickly—and may even notice immediate results. And some may need a little longer to achieve significant results.”
Understand the true role of medication in treatment.
Many people don’t need medications and will get better with ERP alone. The American Psychiatric Guidelines say that treatment of OCD for someone who is not already on medication is to try ERP first. In more severe or extreme cases of OCD, the combination of ERP therapy with medication is likely the best shot at giving you the long-term outcomes you are looking for.
Medication can help reduce extreme levels of distress that might make it otherwise difficult to resist compulsions in ERP therapy. Doing ERP in combination with medication, and continuing ERP after stopping medication, reduces the risk of symptom relapse.
Care for your mental and physical health.
Managing your OCD symptoms doesn’t have to stop with therapy and medication. You can also make a few lifestyle changes to support your treatment journey. The tips are neither a cure-all nor a replacement for necessary therapy or medication, but they can help:
- Engage in regular physical activity. Physical exercise is a powerful contributor to mental well-being.
- Make time for mindfulness, whether that’s with meditation, yoga, or anything that helps you focus on the present moment (rather than a feared future outcome).
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Studies have linked diets high in processed foods and sugars to an increased risk of depression and anxiety.
- Stick to a consistent sleep routine of at least 7 to 9 hours a night. Sleep plays several roles in the body, including regulating feelings of depression.
Remember that OCD is a cycle (and compulsions keep it in motion).
The cycle of OCD is a constant loop of four stages: obsession, distress, compulsion, and temporary relief. By doing a compulsion, you’re stuck in an endless cycle of distress and ritualistic behaviors. ‘There’s a downside of performing compulsion to neutralize an intrusive thought,’ says Dr. McGrath. “It confirms that the best way to overcome discomfort is to do a compulsion, and therefore it strengthens the chance of a compulsion happening again.”
To break the cycle, Dr. McGrath recommends focusing on lasting relief — like the kind you get through ERP therapy—that can help you function every day rather than “doing what OCD tells you to do, which isn’t helpful.”
If you don’t feel ready to try an ERP exercise your therapist suggests, speak up.
ERP therapy can help you learn how to overcome OCD and regain control of your life. During therapy sessions, a licensed therapist specializing in this specific treatment will guide you through exercises that teach you how to manage intrusive thoughts, urges, and images so that they have less of an effect on you.
Like any therapy, ERP can have its challenges, as it requires you to face your fears and intentionally not respond with compulsive behavior. There may be instances where you don’t feel comfortable trying a new exercise, and that’s completely okay. Share your concerns with your therapist, as they can suggest alternative exercises or slow down the therapy to a more comfortable pace for you.
If they refuse to make adjustments to ERP exercises, it may be time to find a more accommodating therapist to help you manage OCD.
Don’t delay treatment—it makes symptoms worse.
A significant issue for people living with OCD is delayed diagnosis and treatment. While symptoms can first appear during adolescence and young adulthood, it can take an average of 14 to 17 years to be diagnosed with OCD and begin treatment. Also, a 2022 research study suggests that if OCD is left undiagnosed and untreated, symptoms can worsen over time.
Know that it is never too late to figure out how to stop OCD thoughts. “Treatment is always available,” Dr. McGrath says. “I’ve treated people in their 80s who came to therapy for the first time and gave them the help they needed. But if you want to live the life you want and not the life OCD wants, go to therapy as soon as you can.”
Reward yourself when you don’t give in to a compulsion.
Even if you’re going to therapy regularly, there can be some trial and error in finding a strategy that works best for your specific needs. When you do get to a place where you are successfully overcoming compulsions, consider rewarding yourself to acknowledge your progress. “Set up a system that if you go for a certain number of hours without a compulsion, there can be a reward,” Dr. McGrath says. Buying a new book, treating yourself to a dinner out, taking an afternoon nap—you decide!
Use external motivators (when they help).
Negative self-talk doesn’t work, but for some people, some external motivation can be helpful. “I had one patient who was really mad about the fact she was still doing compulsions, so we added a cost,” says Dr. McGrath. “We said, ‘If you go above this number of compulsions on any day this week, you’ll have to donate money to a charity you don’t support.’ Now she has to give a quarter to a charity she doesn’t like and that was helpful.”
Allow friends and family to offer support during your journey.
Therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes can all be beneficial for getting your life back from OCD, but support from friends and family can also go a long way. Social isolation can be detrimental to recovery from OCD and can have an impact on your relationships with friends and family.
Telling a trusted loved one about what you’re grappling with doesn’t have to mean unleashing every thought, impulse, or urge you experience. It means sharing some of what you’re going through, and letting them into your experience. Your ERP therapist can also help you decide what to share and how to get support that’s actually helpful—versus defaulting to reassurance-seeking behaviors.
Join an OCD support group.
Your partner, friends, family members, and therapist may be super supportive of your treatment journey, but they’ll never fully understand what you’re going through if they don’t have OCD themselves. With this in mind, joining virtual or in-person communities designed for people with OCD is something you might want to explore. Support groups—which are a key component of recovery—can provide a safe space for you to share your experiences and learn how others have learned how to overcome OCD. OCD is a challenging condition to deal with, so don’t feel like you have to suffer through it alone.
Bottom Line
Living with OCD can be tough, but know there are several strategies you can put in place to regain control over your life. Please note that the above-mentioned tips are helpful, but nothing is a replacement for treatment with a healthcare professional. If you aren’t receiving treatment, consider working with a therapist specializing in ERP who can teach you how to manage OCD.