How can I tell if I'm doing a Compulsion?

Ahhhh, compulsions... they come in as many different varieties as the people who experience them. This can make them tricky to spot at first, but don't worry because compulsions usually follow the same pattern, so we can become experts at recognising them.

Before we start talking about how to tell if something is a compulsion, it's probably a good idea to make sure you know exactly what compulsions are and how they fit into OCD. This blog will help you do that.

Read it? Understood it? Right, lets go.

How to Recognise Compulsions

Identifying our compulsions is an essential skill for those of us with OCD because it helps us to disrupt the OCD cycle. If we interrupt the OCD cycle, we begin releasing ourselves from OCD. Like all skills, learning to recognise compulsions takes a little practise, but that's okay because every time we do it, we get a little stronger!

So let's get going.

One of the main rules I use for recognising whether something is a compulsion is this:

It's not just WHAT you are doing, but WHY you are doing it.

A compulsion can be anything, so although the WHAT is important, the WHY is vital. Try to keep this in mind when working out whether something is a compulsion for you.

General Compulsion Categories

Often, compulsions fall under specific categories. You can also use this list to help you work out whether something is a compulsion for you.

Does the physical behaviour or mental process involve:

• Seeking reassurance?

• Controlling outcomes?

• Avoidance?

• Repetition?

• Checking?

• Searching for certainty?

Questions to Ask Yourself

Another good way of trying to recognise if something is a compulsion is to ask yourself some or all of the following questions:

• How much time does this behaviour take up?

• How distressing am I finding it?

• Does anxiety drive my behaviour?

• Is it rational?

• Do I get anxious if I don't do it?

• What am I hoping will be the result?

• How much is this affecting my day-to-day living? Is it making me late for things?

• Is it affecting my sleep? My rest time?

• Am I distracted by it? How is my focus?

• Is it stopping me from doing other things, including things I enjoy?

• Does it take up more and more of my time?

• Is it having a greater impact on my life as time passes?

Carry out Surveys

Surveys can be an invaluable way of finding out how other people work and why it is they do what they do. If you're unsure whether something is a compulsion for you, you can discuss it with someone else to find out what they do and then compare it with your own actions and motives. Surveys can be very helpful as long as they remain a fact-finding process for you and don't enter into the world of compulsions - it's very easy to do.

A general rule of thumb is that surveys should help you gain knowledge that enables you to develop recovery skills. You can use the lists given previously to help you work out if you may have slipped into a compulsion.

If you conduct a survey, remember to show yourself a lot of compassion. To learn from others, we need to be able to compare ourselves to them to some extent, and comparisons can cause feelings of shame and sadness. Remember, you are asking them how and why they do things so you can learn helpful skills, not because they are better than you! You're awesome!

Learn how to Recognise Sneaky Compulsions

I've written a detailed blog on this subject, so it's probably more helpful for you to check it out than read a summary here. Here's the link.

Conclusion

Learning how to spot compulsions takes time, but the more you practise, the easier it gets! Remember, you don't need to get it right all the time - it's just about getting curious and learning about the way OCD works for you.

If you do realise that something’s a compulsion, that’s not a failure - it’s a win. You’ve noticed it. That awareness is a huge step forward towards breaking the OCD cycle.

So keep noticing, keep questioning and keep being kind to yourself while you learn. You’re doing important work, and every bit of it counts. :)

Sending you all loads of love as always,

Catherine xx

Taming Olivia Store

OCD can be tough. If you would like to learn more about how to develop the skills to help you feel better, please check out our bright and compassionate resources. We put a huge focus on learning how to build helpful skills, such as self-compassion in our Self-Compassion Pack, and resilience and persistence in our Growth Mindset Pack. We also cover areas that may cause obstacles to your recovery, such as anger and overwhelm.

We have a children's and young people's section coming very soon, so please keep an eye out for that!

Taming Olivia Newsletter 

We send out a fun community newsletter each month which includes:

• Loads of information about upcoming, OCD community events

• A free, fun and accessible well-being pack includes ways to practice self-care and recovery skills.

• Taming Olivia updates

  
  

Come and join us in the wonderful world of Taming Olivia by signing up here!