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5 Things I Do When I’m Stuck in a Severe OCD Flare

We may not be able to avoid them, but we can at least make them less unbearable.

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Anyone diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) knows just how discouraging it can be to experience a “flare.” While the disorder is highly treatable, it’s also a chronic condition that often rears its ugly head during stressful times. That being said, there are ways to shorten or lessen these episodes.

Here are five expert tips for navigating a severe OCD flare.

As soon as you catch yourself in an OCD spiral, call it what it is. This will help you address the episode with the right approach. For example, non-OCD stress and anxiety are treated far differently from OCD symptoms.

“You have to actively tell yourself that this is not a real emergency. It is just your brain misfiring a biological threat signal,” says Martha Fernandez, LCSW, co-founder of CEREVITY Health. “You strip the power away by completely refusing to debate the specific details of the thought … If you start analyzing the content of the obsession, the OCD has already won.”

2. Practice Response Prevention

Once you recognize that you are, in fact, experiencing an OCD flare, return to your resources. Most people know the “gold standard” treatment for OCD is exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy.

“You don’t need a perfect plan or........

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