Many of us can think of thoughts as our reality when we cross our minds. From time to time, obsessions and repetitive thoughts may come to our minds. We can all get lost in these thoughts. Before, you might think "I'm not sure I locked the door", "what if the stove is on?" such thoughts have come. Sometimes you even thought that "washing my hand hurt". Little little attachments actually exist in all of us, due to the thinking nature of human beings.
We talk about two concepts, obsession and compulsion. Obsessions are thoughts that exist in a person's mind and cause anxiety. For example, "If I don't wash my hand, germs will be transmitted", "If I don't lock the door, a thief will enter the house" are examples of these obsessions. Obsessions are reflective and cause discomfort even if there is no truth to the person.
Compulsions, on the other hand, are behaviors that the person exhibits in order to relieve anxiety due to obsessions. The person feels obliged to do something to alleviate this anxiety. For example, a person who suspects forgetting the door open often goes to check the door, or a person who is afraid of contamination often washes their hands.
In order for these obsessions to take place, they must affect our functionality a lot. In this case, the person may have caused too much injury from washing their hands. A person who is afraid of eating out may experience a decrease in his social life due to the eating plan at home every day. If you have attachments, you can infer how severe they affect your life. As you can support yourself by applying the items below about methods of coping with obsession, it is also very important to get psychologist or psychiatrist support. If you have difficulty coping, you can get psychotherapy support.
Ways to Cope with Obsessions
If you think you have obsessions, I will talk about some techniques you can apply yourself.
Face Your Anxiety
One of the most frequently used methods of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the technique of confronting anxiety has a very good effect on obsessions. People with obsessions are often afraid of their anxious obsessive thoughts and compulsions to dispel them. Let the anxiety come. Try to stay with it. Try to stay with the anxiety instead of relieving it. Although anxiety comes after a while, you will have the opportunity to realize that this anxiety is not reality. So when anxiety comes and goes, you will be able to observe that a bad disaster is not happening to you. In this way, it will be easier to get rid of those worries and not try to eliminate them.
Question Your Thoughts
Socratic questioning method is frequently used in psychotherapy support received by a psychologist. Ask yourself questions for the worrying thoughts that cross your mind. For example, let's think of someone who is afraid that he will get germs if he does not wash his hands and therefore he constantly washes his hands. The thought that "if I don't wash my hands, germs will be transmitted" in one's mind causes a lot of anxiety. This is so worrying that one wants to escape from this thought. In fact, he is not aware of what he is really running away. Unable to face the thought, he cannot see that there is nothing to be afraid of and continues to run away. At this point, it is important for the person to ask himself the following question. "What can happen to me worst if I don't wash my hands?" This question allows the person to face the next step and recognize the possible scenario. The possible answer to this question would be "I get sick". One step later, "what if I get sick?" The question can be posed. The possible answer to this question is "I will be treated, I will take medicine." may be. Perhaps this is how the person will realize that the nightmare that he has been running for a long time is not so bad. Even in the worst case scenario, he will discover that maybe he can get rid of the problem by taking a short treatment, so he will have the opportunity to discover that the thought itself is not more challenging than the experience of escapism.
Your Thoughts Are Not You
Many of us can think of thoughts as our reality when we cross our minds. There may even be some among us who believe that "I think this way, then this can happen, I am such a person". This way of thinking is common during obsessive-compulsive disorder. People often believe that the thoughts that cross their minds are real. However, the human mind constantly produces thought. Before one thought goes, the other comes. So thoughts are perhaps the most variable things in people's lives. As such, thoughts are actually nothing more than words, words and images in our minds. We can call them words and images produced by our brain rather than our external reality. For example; Have you ever had bad thoughts about something that is important to you, that you respect, in your mind?
In fact, this is a common situation. The reason for this is that our mind is almost programmed to produce thoughts. It's not that you are bad or disrespectful. As another of the most common examples; The thought of harming the baby in the mind of a parent who has a new baby and loves his baby does not show that he is such a person. It just shows that our brain often produces thoughts, that intrusive thoughts disturb us. It is very important to realize that our thoughts are not our reality. Understanding their pervasive nature will make it easier for us to shed our disturbing thoughts.
If you find it very difficult to cope with your obsessions, it is important to get support from a psychologist or psychiatrist. If you want to be treated using medication, you can choose a psychiatrist, if you want psychotherapy, you can choose psychologist support. In some cases, using the two methods together accelerates the treatment process.