Mindset | Blog

Curing the Doubt

9.22.12

Anxiety is something you want to keep at bay. You probably avoid and do whatever it takes to find relief.  Despite hearing and reading “there is no cure” for OCD, you most likely keep your guard up to find at least a few seconds without the doubt.

Curing a doubt becomes a debt that goes out of control just like those loans people get at the Pay-day Loans Companies.  “I’ll pay this debt as soon as I get paid” you tell yourself.  Unfortunately, the days, weeks and months go by and what began as an immediate and small loan has become an insurmountable debt you have to pay.

What happens when you want to cure the doubt?

Logically, satisfying the doubt should work similarly to satisfying your thirst.  When thirsty, you gulp a bottle of nice cool water with lime and your thirst is gone! It does come back, but not because you drank the water.  You’ll experience thirst again after a meal, a work-out, or on a very hot day.  Well, you’ll get thirsty again because you need water to survive!  However, we do not need to satisfy our doubts in order to exist.  Some of you will disagree, but mostly because you struggle with OCD.

When you have OCD you most likely experience “intolerance of uncertainty.” This is an erroneous belief because it’s impossible to be a hundred percent sure about anything in life.  I know what you’re thinking:  “Of course, that’s ridiculous. I do sustain some doubts. That doesn’t apply to me. I’m not worried about contaminations or germs.  I don’t need to wash my hands to satisfy the uncertainty of being dirty” You’re right!  Usually the uncertainty you need to satisfy is related to the type of OCD you have.

For instance, you may not be worried about germs if you don’t have contamination fears.  However, if “checking” is one of your challenges, you may go through many inconveniences until anxiety goes down.  You may need to allow yourself extra time every day before you go to work in order to ensure all doors are locked.

Eventually, some rituals will lose their “magic” and you’ll need to increase and intensify them.  Then life becomes more difficult for you and those around.

You may have tried a myriad of things to alleviate your anxiety. The truth is, the band-aid approach does work, but only temporarily.  The “bleeding” will stop but you may need more skills to teach your brain to accept doubt without having to find the cure.

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A guide to help you find relief and happiness in spite of religious or moral OCD (scrupulosity OCD). Learn more about Annabella Hagen's book.
Imperfectly Good - Book by Annabella Hagen

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