Living with OCD is exhausting sometimes, even when you think things are going your way. The obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors keep you from enjoying even the simple things and sometimes affect relationships.
There's good news, though – you can attack OCD head-on with several tips, tricks, and professional treatments. If you don't know where to start, contact the experienced Carolina Wellness Psychiatry team in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Three experienced mental health specialists make up our team. They provide you with tips to live a healthy life with OCD, along with psychotherapy and medications to control compulsions and intrusive thoughts.
Living with OCD is different for everyone — some people live normal lives with the condition, while others struggle with everyday activities.
OCD may be controlling your life if you find it challenging to do everyday tasks or form meaningful relationships because of obsessions and compulsions. It may also be a problem if it takes most of your time and energy, leaving you exhausted and frustrated.
Experiencing significant anxiety, stress, and depression from OCD symptoms are other signs that it's taking over every aspect of your life.
However, you don't have to let it control another minute — we offer proven treatments and tips that allow you to take back your life from OCD.
If you can't seem to break free of the bothersome and repetitive symptoms, we offer some tips to take back control. These tips include the following:
A steadfast support system is a great way to manage OCD. Find a support group for OCD, enlist family and friends to help you through rough times, and learn as much as you can about the condition.
A support system is there through every up and down of OCD and reminds you that you're never alone while trying to overcome symptoms.
Taking care of yourself is the number one priority when living with OCD. Prioritizing health and wellness allows you to keep your mind and body in the best shape possible, which often helps increase your self-esteem and confidence.
To control OCD symptoms, eat a healthy diet, get regular exercise, and practice mindfulness. Getting a good night's sleep and using relaxation exercises when it all feels too much are also essential.
It's not always helpful to try to fight OCD alone; seeking professional help is an excellent way to control the condition through psychotherapy and medication management.
Professional care gets you over the hump of severe OCD symptoms and teaches you how to cope with obsessions and compulsions as they come.
Coping strategies are crucial to taking back your life from OCD. We help you develop coping strategies like avoidance, forgiveness, and challenging obsessive thoughts. You can also delay performing compulsions for some time after an obsession and increase the time until you no longer feel the need to perform the act.
Taking OCD one day at a time is the best way to fight off bothersome symptoms. Looking too far ahead is often overwhelming, but facing each day with a plan and in good spirits allows you to gradually change thoughts and behaviors to manage OCD at its core.
Lifestyle changes and tips are a great way to manage OCD — but what if they're not enough? When you continue to live with bothersome obsessions and compulsions, we offer various treatments to help you overcome those symptoms.
Psychotherapy is one of the strategies we utilize to treat OCD symptoms that are taking over your life. Psychotherapy is a broad term that describes many forms of talk therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Exposure therapy and habit reversal training are two forms of CBT that we specifically use for OCD patients. Both tactics help you slowly get away from acting on compulsions and obsessing over intrusive thoughts.
We also utilize medications to help you control OCD symptoms. The FDA has approved certain antidepressants to treat OCD, including fluoxetine, paroxetine, and fluvoxamine. The medication you require depends on your age and what works best for specific OCD symptoms.
In many cases, a combination of lifestyle changes, medications, and psychotherapy works best for patients with moderate-to-severe OCD symptoms.
Call Carolina Wellness Psychiatry today to schedule an appointment to discuss OCD treatments, or use our online booking feature to request a consultation with our team.
