Challenge Unhelpful Thoughts (Part II)

Goal

To replace unhelpful thoughts with helpful and encouraging thoughts.

Helpful Thoughts (Derisley et al., pp. 140-142)

Now that you understand that OCD is tricking you into thinking in a certain way, it’s time to challenge these unhelpful thoughts by replacing them with helpful thoughts.

Helpful thoughts against feeling too responsible:

• I’m being tricked into feeling responsible for events that I have no control over, but I’m not going to let it.
• If something bad happens it is not my fault.
• Other people don’t have to complete compulsions to stop bad things from happening.
• There are many reasons for bad things happening, none of which are related to me or to my OCD.

Helpful thoughts against magical thinking:

• OCD is tricking me into thinking that my thoughts have magical abilities; they don’t.
• I cannot control events just by thinking about them.
• I think that certain letters, numbers, or objects are unlucky, but this is just unhelpful magical thinking; there is no evidence that they are.

Helpful thoughts against the over-importance of thoughts:

• This is only an intrusive thought; if I ignore it then it will eventually stop upsetting me.
• Intrusive thoughts are normal, almost everybody gets them, and it doesn’t mean anything.
• Just because I have a thought about doing something horrible doesn’t mean that I would actually do it.

Helpful thoughts against liking to be certain:

• OCD is tricking me; I can’t be certain about everything.
• OCD compulsions don’t guarantee that bad things will not happen, they just guarantee that I will stay feeling miserable.
• I need to practice feeling okay about not always knowing what will happen.
• Life is uncertain, and I can cope with anything it throws at me without my OCD.

Helpful thoughts against liking to be perfect:

• No one can do everything perfectly all of the time.
• I need to do things to a good enough level, not perfectly.
• It’s okay to make mistakes; no one is 100% perfect.

Encouraging Thoughts (Derisley et al., p. 144)

Fighting back against your OCD can be really difficult and it’s easy to get discouraged. If you begin feeling this way, try saying some of the following things to yourself:

• Fighting OCD will be hard, but I know that I can do it.
• I will try my hardest, and if I keep practicing it will get easier.
• I have beaten OCD before, and I can do it again.
• This task is tough, but I know that it is just an OCD worry.
• This is just my anxiety being set off at the wrong time.
• I know that I have succeeded in tasks so far and nothing bad has happened.
• What would a friend who doesn’t have OCD do in this situation?
• If I feel an urge to avoid my anxiety, I can gain control by doing the opposite of what OCD would want me to do.
• Letting thoughts pass without acting on them weakens their strength. The more that I practice, the easier it becomes.