Obsessive Behavior – 3 Self-Help Strategies

Obsessive behavior, especially when part of obsessive compulsive disorder, should be treated and managed with the help of a medical professional. But because of the shame a person suffering from obsessive thoughts or OCD feels, many sufferers try to deal with the obsessive behavior themselves.

Self treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder ranges from avoiding circumstances that trigger obsession to using alcohol. The latter, of course, may lead to its own set of problems as dependency shifts from ritualistic behavior to alcohol.

But whether obsessive behavior is associated with OCD or not, here are three options every sufferer has to manage or treat his/her obsessions.

Obsessive Behavior Self-help Option 1 – Postpone the Worry

You won't get rid of your obsessive behavior overnight, so don't try to. Rather, take the smaller step: postpone it. Don't try to ignore it. Just set a specific future time to deal with it. When that time comes, you can begin obsessing or, better yet, postpone it once more.

What you're doing is gaining control over your obsessive behavior. When you succeed in doing this, you will be proving that you don't have to give into your obsession every single time it calls on you to react.

Obsessive Behavior Self-help Option 2 – Set a Time for Worry

If you postpone your obsessive behavior, you'll have to deal with it sometime. So set aside a time to deal with it daily. Begin with 10 minutes in the morning and 10 in the evening.

This way you confine it to a time when the obsession won't interfere with your normal daily activities. You may want to use a voice recorder or diary to document these times. You can also use exercise, meditation, or prayer to calm and relax yourself after each session.

As you progress, you may just discover that filling your 10-minute quota will become harder. You'd probably rather spend 10 minutes more on exercise, meditation, or prayer, than dwelling on irrational obsessions.

Obsessive Behavior Self-help Option 3 – Change the Way of Obsessing

When the obsessive thought comes, don't analyze it. Don't try to figure out if you're going to succeed in stopping it this time or what it means if you do or don't.

Remember: Analyzing an obsession will only support it.

Instead, write it down. If it happens again, write it down again — even if it's exactly the same as last time, and even if it just happened 2 minutes ago. This reinforces what you already know: how senseless, repetitive, and time-consuming obsessive behavior is. What's more, you'll get tired of writing it down that you'll find it easier to simply NOT obsess!