Dealing with Intrusive Thoughts: Helplessness and Coping Strategies

@nicocd coming back to check out those links! Appreciate the resources

Seeking reassurance, avoidance, and rumination (and other mental checks) are compulsions that will feed the obsession. ERP is the gold standard for treating OCD, and though it might be daunting, starting small is the way to go. With ERP, "most people desensitize themselves to the particular trigger they’re working on within five to seven days," as the first article I linked says :)

I'll give you some links with worksheets to help treat OCD at home :) Here is an introductory overview of ERP for OCD: https://iocdf.org/expert-opinions/expert-opinion-self-directed-erp/ This website has a bunch of resources: https://www.anxietycanada.com/free-downloadable-pdf-resources/ My OCD therapist recommended these two especially: 1) Managing OCD at home: https://www.anxietycanada.com/sites/default/files/adult_hmocd.pdf 2) How to manage obsessions: https://www.anxietycanada.com/sites/default/files/Managing_Obsessions.pdf