OCD and the Holidays
Joyful and Balanced: Navigating OCD Through the Holidays
As the holiday season approaches, it can be easy to tune into the hustle and bustle of this time of year. While the season can bring joy, connection, and gratitude, it can also bring stress, pressure, and an ever-growing to-do list. For people with OCD or OCD tendencies, this increased stress and anxiety can exacerbate obsessive thoughts and compulsions. With new triggers, busy schedules, and the pressure to feel positive, how do we stay present and embrace uncertainty? Here are some helpful tips find your balance this holiday season:
Practice Acceptance and Self Compassion
When obsessive and intrusive thoughts arise, it’s tempting to try to rid our minds of them. However, this usually leaves us feeling more stuck and overwhelmed. Instead, consider practicing acceptance. So, how do you do this? I like to refer to Tara Brach’s RAIN acronym as a method to promote acceptance and self compassion.
R - Recognize what is coming up for you; try naming the thought!
A - Allow the experience; don’t resist it!
I - Investigate what is happening in your mind and body with curiosity and care!
N - Nurture with self compassion; try positive affirmations or visualizing someone or something you love!
Maintain and Elevate Your Coping Skills
Keep doing what works for you! It can be easy to put a pause on self care and coping as things get busier. Make a plan with your therapist or a loved one as to how you will maintain your coping skills as your schedule fills up. Since the holidays may heighten anxious thoughts and compulsions, consider elevating your coping skills in small ways - like adding just 5 extra minutes to your meditation time, getting to bed early, or dedicating 30 minutes to yourself each week!
Create Boundaries
In order to maintain and elevate our coping skills to feel more balanced throughout the holiday season, it’s important to establish boundaries. It can be easy for those with OCD to feel pressure at the holidays to please everyone around them. While the holidays bring many opportunities for hosting and attending gatherings, increased productivity at work, sticking with traditions, and spending money on gifts, remember it is perfectly okay to say no to take care of yourself! Consider beforehand what limits you may set for yourself or with others this holiday season.
Reach Out for Support
You are not alone! Reach out to your trusted people - friends, loved ones, or your therapist - if you need extra support with your OCD during this season. However, be careful to not confuse support with reassurance-seeking. Ask your trusted people to empower you and remind you of your own coping skills and goals!
It can be difficult to deal with the uncertainty that the holiday season often brings. I hope these tips help you to prepare and tune into joy and balance this season! You’ve got this!