Compulsive Behavior – 5 Self-Help Strategies

The thing about compulsive behavior is that it must closely follow on the heels of the impulse. What you want to do is throw a 'monkey wrench' into the impulse and compulsive behavior cycle.

There are five ways you can do this.

Compulsive Behavior Self-help Option 1 – Do it Slow-Mo

Hurriedly performing your compulsive behavior not only increases your tension, it can also make you easily "forget" it, making you want to do it all over again "just to make sure."

So if you must go through the compulsive behavior, do it very, very slowly. This way, each motion and detail of the ritual will be easily remembered.

Also, check your breathing. As you go through your compulsive behavior, breath as if you're totally at rest.

Compulsive Behavior Self-help Option 2 – Postpone the Ritual

You can actually make this a fun way of dealing with compulsive behavior. You can play tricks on your compulsion by showing it who's in control (YOU!) as you postpone it for, say, 10 minutes.

Then vary it up a bit. Postpone it for and hour, then 2 minutes, then an entire day, then 2 hours. Work up and vary the times until you work up to an entire week. Eventually, you will discover that you don't really have to give into the compulsive behavior at all!

Remember: If you starve a compulsion, you rob it of its power.

Compulsive Behavior Self-help Option 3 – Just DON'T Do It

This will be something you will eventually achieve. Keep in mind that repeatedly postponing your compulsive behavior should work up to discontinuing it altogether.

To do this, you have to be brave enough to expose yourself to whatever triggers your compulsions. Avoiding it to gather your wits is fine. But you'll have to deal with it sometime.

Compulsive Behavior Self-help Option 4 – Change It Up

Another way you can drive a wedge into your compulsive behavior patterns is to change up some aspect of it. For instance, you can change the order in which you perform each step of the ritual.

You can also constantly vary the number of repetitions, what you're thinking of, your position while doing it, or even the objects used.

Compulsive Behavior Self-help Option 5 – Put a Consequence

You can add productive consequences to your compulsive ritual like adding 30 minutes to your workout or putting a dollar into a piggybank. You can also call your support group sponsor or counselor.

If you put a consequence to your compulsion you will, at worse, get something productive out of it. At best, you may eventually decide that giving into your compulsive behavior just isn't worth the trouble.