What's the function

If you have OCD I am guessing that at some point or another you have wondered if what you're doing is correct or not as far as treatment goes. Maybe you're wondering if you're doing a compulsion or fear not. If it's okay to wash her hands one more time. When can I go check the locked door? When am I able to think about the past experience that I had? What about the relationship that I'm in, when can I think about if it's right for me or not. Can I think about if I'm a good person or not? What about if I would really do that thing my brain says I might do?

Woah Nate that's a lot of questions! While here is something to remember. When you are trying to decide a certain action that you should take with OCD treatment it all depends on the reason you are doing it. A good acronym to remember is WTF. No not that WTF. Swearing is not cool. Stay in school.

WTF stands for what's the function. Function meaning what's my reasoning. We know we want to not do something if the function or reason is to only remove anxiety or intrusive thoughts. For instance I am only problem solving because it will help me feel more comfortable and get this anxiety to go away.

Erggg nope. We only want to problem solve something because it's interesting, it's important, it's not urgent. Because what happens is when we get in this ruminating space it becomes a habit. Okay I'm feeling anxious... Think about it. But when does thinking about it actually get you through it. Sometimes there's temporary relief which then tells the brain you did a good job by thinking about this. Do it again next time. It's a nasty pattern to get stuck into.

So can I go check the locked door again? Well only if it has nothing to do with anxiety and an urgency to know the answer. I've locked my doors at night and walked away and thought, what did I actually locked the door. I went back and checked. The function had nothing to do with anxiety or fear. But more of a general curiosity. If I did not go back and check I still would be okay.

While you are asking yourself WTF. Maybe another way to do it is to say... If I did not do this action right now, whatever it is, what I still be able to move forward. If so, I might give myself permission to do the action. Maybe a scrub that spot one more time. Maybe I do wash my hands a little bit longer. Maybe I do ask more questions about the relationship.

Not everything is a compulsion. But you do have to be honest with yourself, because it can be a slippery slope to continue using excuses to do a compulsion. Here's another bonus key for you, if it feals so so so so so and urgent important. Is it really? When something is so important, we take care of it without much hesitation. When were questioning if we should do something because it feels so important, what does that tell you?

So WTF? What's the function. No longer do you need to ask, "is it okay if I do this or say this." Instead, what is my reason for wanting to do this?

OCD Goals

If you don't already have goals setup for yourself. Do this. What do I want my life to look like in a week, a month, 3 months, 6 months. What compulsions have I stoppped doing? What things am I not avoiding anymore. This can help when deciding what if it's really important to ask that question or do that action one more time.

Have you ever been caught up in this before and unsure what you "should" do?

If you need a little hand holding through the OCD treatment process, go check out my master your OCD course. Worksheets galore and hours of videos taking you step by step.

Thank you so much for watching and I'll see you next time.