OCD is A Liar: Pathological Lies From Your Mind
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OCD is a Liar. A pathological one that lies to you constantly. Do you know what a LIAR is? A LIAR IS: Lost, Irrational, Anxious, and Resistant. It also is:
- Loathsome
- Individual
- Appearing
- Reasonable
Rember this! Call your OCD a LIAR out loud if you have to! OCD tells you that you have to do things a certain way or else everything will fall apart. OCD also keeps inventing new rules for how you must live: don’t eat crispy foods unless you’re wearing purple socks! OCD can give you ridiculous tasks and ideas that don’t make any sense but still feel compulsively necessary to do. OCD is a real liar, so don’t believe everything it has to say. In fact, beat OCD at its own game—ignore it and go on living your life just the way you want to!
What the Heck is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?
Have you ever had a thought that was so intruding, it just wouldn’t let you move on? Do your friends tease you for being overly neat, obsessively organized, or having a strange routine? Believe it or not, these behaviors might mean you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is classified under the statistical manual of mental disorders and has highly specific diagnostic criteria. It is a mental health disorder – an anxiety disorder. As I always say, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck…it’s probably going to die if you don’t touch the doorknob 3 times! From compulsions to recurrent obsessions and intrusive thoughts, there are so many symptoms for OCD — do you think you fit the bill?
Symptoms of OCD
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health issue with many subtle yet severe symptoms- like obsessive thoughts/urges or compulsive behaviors/rituals. These include worrying over if the door is locked multiple times, repeated checking while driving, having to balance one’s finances exactly every day, and my favorite – intense fear of the color pink! Commonly these issues can be solved through repeated behavior or rituals and a constant feeling of dread or general anxiety lingers if these rituals are not completed. In my daughter’s case, she would ask me each night “what do I think of?” to which she had to be told “purple, fuzzy bunnies” or else she lost it! OCD is a serious mental health issue and should be taken seriously.
Main Pitfalls of OCD
OCD sufferers often have an enduring intolerance of uncertainty and the unpredictable that leads to increasingly anticipatory anxiety, making daily functioning harder. OCD lives in little powerless moments; from a grain of sand in the shoe that ‘could’ be causing harm to constant worries all throughout the day that ‘what if’s jump out. OCD can leave us feeling worn down and vulnerable as every small detail begins to weigh heavily on our minds like rocks! OCD has its pitfalls, sure – but with an active, humorous approach, we OCD-ers can outfox it at every turn!
Negative Impacts of OCD on Emotional and Mental Health
OCD can be a tough condition to deal with, leaving emotional and mental strain on those who suffer from it. It often manifests in compulsions like washing hands or counting objects for long periods of time. This rigidity can lead to feelings of anxiousness and depression, with OCD weighing down our emotional and mental state. Family members and friends get pushed to the side. But the good news is there is help available; resources to manage these pesky habits and find relief from their stressful nature. Reaching out could be the best thing you do, so don’t let OCD get you down!
Reasons Why OCD Is A Liar
OCD is pretty much a pathological liar! It’s always trying to get you to believe its lies. Common lies it tells include that something bad will happen if you don’t do certain rituals and that if you don’t have intrusive thoughts it means something is wrong with you. Don’t fall for these bogus claims, they’re only meant to deceive! And why would OCD bother lying anyways? Who knows, but the sooner we realize its tactics, the easier it will be to ignore them. I guess you could say that OCD is like an annoying friend – always trying to control the conversation!
Common Lies OCD Tells You:
- “You haven’t done things right”
- “This must be bad”
- “It won’t get better”
- “You are a failure”
- “Your thoughts and behaviors are abnormal.”
- “Others will think less of you if they know about your OCD.”
Don’t believe a word of it!
OCD is A Liar #1: Misleads People Into Thinking They Are Not Good Enough
Chrissy had distressing thoughts that put her in a negative loop of anxiety. Her OCD was telling her she wouldn’t be good enough. She felt like a compulsive liar, and it seemed as if nothing could beat it. But then Chrissy realized something hilarious: her OCD was lying to her all this time! With this newfound insight, she began to get the courage to not only challenge it, but also be able to laugh at it. OCD may try to make Chrissy feel like she’s not enough, but really it’s just another big, fat liar!
OCD is A Liar #2: Encourages Irrational Behaviors
Liam had feared that something bad was going to happen. His compulsive behavior resulted in sneaking into situations he wasn’t authorized to do, double-checking numerous times a day, and locking doors he had already locked just for the comfort of certainty. Turns out that OCD was a liar and none of his frettings did anything to help his growing anxieties—and it sure as heck didn’t make him look cool! On the flip side, Liam eventually realized that if he confronted his fears head-on (with the backing of some supportive folks), the spooky rides can be pretty entertaining.
OCD is A Liar #3: Causes Worry, Anxiety, and Fears
Peggy battles unwanted thoughts daily as part of her medical condition: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Her mind causes her to worry and fear the most minor of things. This anxiety leads to repetitive compulsions, like rearranging items over and over. OCD is a liar; it tricks Peggy into thinking unwanted thoughts can control her life. But, fortunately, she knows better than that! With powerful coping techniques, that she learned by doing cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), Peggy manages her disorder with a dauntless spirit.
OCD is A Liar #4: Makes People Doubt Themselves
OCD is truly a liar like no other! It makes people question their own thoughts and doubt the decisions that they make – no matter how confident or certain they were before. Intrusive and obsessive thoughts can make us second-guess ourselves and we become caught in an endless cycle of self-doubt and questioning.
Jake’s struggle with OCD started when his intrusive thoughts became too much for him to handle. No matter how hard he tried to outrun them, the obsessive thoughts took over his life. He constantly doubted himself and would second-guess every decision he made. It was like his mind was playing tricks on him, but even when he knew that those were lies, it was still so hard to ignore them. Jake thought that no one else could understand how he felt, until one day he came across a group of people who shared a similar problem: they all had OCD.
OCD is A Liar #5: Tricks People into Thinking Certain Rituals Will Keep Them Safe
Nicholas was sick of being told his recurring thoughts and behaviors were just growing pains. He feared the worst would happen if he didn’t complete rituals like counting stairs, tapping the faucet 4 times, stepping over any cracks, and keeping the belief that odd numbers were evil. OCD lied to him and said these rituals kept him safe, but they did nothing beyond making him feel a false sense of security.
As if playing a cruel game of hide-and-seek, every time Nicholas thought he had outsmarted his worries, they’d come sneaking back in for more. As much as it made Nicholas laugh to think about it that way, he truly wished he could break the spell from the persuasive “magician” named OCD! We had to bring him to a psychiatrist to figure it all out, but he did, in the end!
OCD is A Liar #6: Instills Fear Through Guilt, Shame, and Self-Doubt
Evie’s story of OCD was a bit unique. She was plagued by fear of an unfathomable event and felt like she had to do something to prevent it from happening; yet despite this, she could never find solace. She resorted to repetitive behaviors to provide a sense of safety, guilt, shame, and self-doubt the whole way. Any time she failed to live up to those expectations she demonstrated through her rituals, the most feared outcome would arise: the dreaded guilt-shaming-self-doubting trifecta that no one wants! Oh Evie, you sure know how to lighten up the mood with your OCD stories.
OCD is A Liar #7: Lies About the Consequences if Certain Tasks or Rules Aren’t Followed.
Faith’s mental illness lied to her again. She had been taught that bad things would happen if she didn’t follow all the rules and tasks her OCD told her to do. She carried this great responsibility of thinking she had to protect everyone around her from harm; however, this was not the truth. The biggest lesson Faith learned was that no matter what happened, it wouldn’t be as catastrophic as her mental illness promised. Her mental health improved when she stepped outside of the oppressive and crooked lies of OCD and began to take back control.
OCD is A Liar #8: Tells People They are Not Worthy of Love or Success
Isaac knows the lie of OCD all too well. His OCD told him that bad people were after him, so he locked himself away in his home and labeled good people as bad. He was living in a dangerous place of fear and unworthiness until his friends gently challenged the lies of his OCD. Now, Isaac is celebrating his successes with long overdue trips! He learns each day that we are all worthy of love and capable of achieving our dreams when we recognize our own strength and embrace the support from family and friends.
OCD is A Liar #9: Convinces People That Their Thoughts and Feelings Are Facts Without Evidence
Steph had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that OCD was a pathological liar. Despite her doubts and fears, she found out that her thoughts and feelings weren’t facts without evidence. Taking this knowledge on board gave her the courage to challenge OCD, even when it told her otherwise. Reading more about it in my blog post “feelings aren’t facts” gave Steph the confidence she needed to push forward with facing her fears head-on! She realized that no matter how much her brain was trying to convince her of something, there was always a high probability that it wasn’t true. With these newfound insights, Steph finally understood that OCD was the liar, and not herself!
Cyclical Nature of the Common Lies of OCD
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can create a vicious cycle of lies and bad thoughts that spiral out of control. Have you ever double-checked the doorknob to make sure it was locked, even though you already checked it? OCD’s lies can be so convincing we forget the truth.
“Oh come on,” I groan, feeling a panic attack coming on as I grasp the door knob again. My mind starts insisting, “What if it’s unlocked? You’d better check again!” This has become a vicious cycle—a never-ending chain of bad thoughts and fear, all starting from this single task: checking the door. With a hint of sarcasm, I reply, “I promise you, if something bad happens it won’t be because of this door.” Still, my mind persists. I take a deep breath and try to embrace the humor in this situation, hoping that by acknowledging its ridiculousness I can break out of this loop.
Tap it once…tap it again….just one more time…Aye Macarena!
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – Gate Gary Stand Up
What is The Pink Elephant Experiment in Relation to OCD?
The Pink Elephant Experiment is a way to understand the difficulty of people with OCD by challenging them to not think of a pink elephant. Sounds pretty easy right? Well, it’s not! You’ll soon realize how hard it is when you keep trying to stop yourself from thinking about a pink elephant but you end up doing it anyway. It really puts into perspective how hard someone with OCD has to work each day just to manage their thoughts. Just remember, don’t think of a pink elephant! Or else you might find yourself in quite the pickle.
How to Stop OCD From Lying to You: Coping Strategies for OCD
With the onset of anxiety and OCD, it can be quite difficult to stay on top of all the weird thoughts. But thankfully, there are several coping strategies that can be used for living with OCD! A great way to stop a compulsive urge is by doing 5-4-3-2-1 grounding:
- Name five things you see around you
- What are 4 things you feel?
- Listen for 3 things you hear
- Sniff around – can you smell 2 things?
- Think of 1 thing you taste.
Ways to Shut OCD Up
- Challenging negative thoughts: just for informational purposes and good insight, come up with a second thought that challenges the first and see if either could be true.
- Talking to a friend or watching a funny movie as a common way to while away those time-wasting anxiety moments.
- Deep Breathing, mindful awareness, and grounding exercises to calm your mind.
- A common trick is to learn a new skill as a distraction.
- Exercise is also beneficial; even just a simple walk around your neighborhood will do wonders in placing some distance between yourself and anxious thoughts.
- Doing relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation can calm down an agitated mind as well.
- Create daily positive affirmations – this helps in developing more self-awareness.
- Focusing on positivity instead of dwelling on obsessive behavior- yes, there is such a thing!
So there we have it – nine simple strategies to use as a coping mechanism with OCD that can make life just that much easier!
Treatment of OCD
OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, can be a tough mental health condition to deal with. But with the right treatment, like:
- Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)focuses on understanding how our thoughts.
- Acceptance commitment therapy (ACT) helps us accept ourselves for who we are and combine what we want out of life with our values.
- Response prevention therapy (RPT) is used to help people face their anxiety behaviors and find ways to tolerate them without covering up or avoiding them
So don’t let OCD get you down – whatever the situation may be, there’s always plenty to do!
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for the Pure OCD Sufferer
Are you a sufferer of Pure OCD? If so, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can be your superhero! This method of therapy challenges traditional touchy-feely concepts by reattributing the uncomfortable or unbearable sensations associated with compulsions to something more controllable. ACT literally takes on the discomfort of an exposure, breaking it down into doable steps. The best thing about this method is its approach; no blame and no guilt – just the facts! Ready to take on Pure OCD and get back in control? Embrace Acceptance and Commitment Therapy today!
Robert’s Story as a Music Director
Robert was used to feeling like he was never good enough when it came to being a music director. That’s because his OCD would constantly tell him a lie music directors are too familiar with – that he wasn’t good enough. But then one day something changed! Robert started talking back to the lies of his OCD and comparing them to the songs of a famous band, ‘The Merry Cranks’. He realized how silly his OCDs comments were in comparison – he could totally rock it as a music director! He picked up the electric guitar, plugged it into an amp, and wow, what a sound! Suddenly, Robert felt like nothing could stop him; he had transformed himself from being an average Joe to an awesome rock star…well, kind of…he kicked OCD’s a** anyway.
In Conclusion: Can your Brain Go from Compulsive Lying to Compulsive Honesty?
Wrapping it all up, can your brain make the jump from compulsive lying to compulsive honesty? Well, the good news is that yes—it absolutely can! I did it! With great responsibility comes a good person and by releasing yourself from thought patterns of compulsive lying, you can rewire your brain to experience compulsive honesty instead. It might take a bit of work in the beginning, but as they say, good things come to those who think good thoughts. So why not give it a try? Maybe with a bit more effort than usual, you could become the good person you always wanted to be. That’s something worth striving for!
Books as Lie Detectors to Show OCD is a Liar
Books can help prove OCD is a liar, and there are plenty to get you started on your journey.
First, try The Standing Up to OCD Workbook for Kids. This book provides an accessible introduction to understanding your anxiety in a fun, age-appropriate way!
Show your worries who’s boss—an OCD workbook for kids ages 6 to 11
Next, pick up When a Family Member Has OCD: Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Skills to Help Families Affected by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. It’s a step-by-step guidebook written by Jon Hershfield, MFT
When someone has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), it can affect the entire family. This book is an essential guide to help family members cope with their loved one’s compulsive behaviors, obsessions, and constant need for reassurance.
Finally, end the list with Everything is an Emergency: An OCD Story in Words & Pictures – chock full of colorful cartoons, this deceptively simple book is an approachable invitation to understand why we think the way we do about ourselves and how we can change for the better. So pop open one of these reads to help show that OCD is not all it appears to be!
“A brilliant, honest, necessary book that exposes the intricacies of the human brain while showing us the way creativity and friendship can anchor us. This is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered if they see the world a little differently.” –Ada Limón
More Resources to Further Prove OCD is a Liar
OCD whispers are never the truth, and you deserve to have access to a wealth of information to prove OCD’s distorted lies wrong. Thankfully, there is an abundance of helpful online resources readily available.
- The International OCD Foundation website is open to everyone willing and wanting to understand more about this disorder, as well as other related topics such as body dysmorphic disorder, hoarding disorder, and more!
- Organizations like NOCD provide reliable and evidence-based mental health treatment tailored towards OCD so you can gain the control to challenge its sinister whisperings!
- If you want to laugh at the darker jokes of OCD, look no further than r/OCDReddit’s awesome community forum full of inspiring stories or reassuring advice provided in a funny way that’s sure to give you a giggle.
- And if you need a trustworthy source for understanding OCD better, Anxiety Canada has concise yet informative articles that convey facts with its signature subtleties of humor amid thoroughness. Shutting down these lies starts with a brave new possibility – one that these resources can provide!
#StoryofLori
