[LukeMajor93]

Hi. I'm 23 years old and had OCD since I was 13. I've learnt a lot about it through research and learnt how to deal with it. However its still a problem.

I've been through a couple of counselors in the past. Two years ago, I met a really fantastic, amazing counselor. I don't think I'll meet another one who's as great as him. I've talked about OCD with him and he gave me a technique on how to deal with it.

Now this is just his theory (I don't know if its true or not), but he said that OCD occurs in certain people who backlog all of their worries and problems, instead of dealing with it. It's a coping mechanism of the mind, where it distracts you from the real problem by creating a new one. So if you have a lot of things in your life that are stressing you out, and you're not dealing with them....then it could manifest as OCD. This makes sense to some degree because a lot of people's OCD gets worse when they get more stress in their lives.

So the way to deal with it is to sit down and concentrate on all the things that are bothering you. Take a piece of paper and a pen and write it all down. Explore every area of your mind and think hard. Write down absolutely everything that is troubling you. Once you've written all of it down, skim through and get an idea of how much anxiety all of it might be causing you. Then go through each problem, and beside it, write a solution as to how you can solve that problem. (Eg: If the problem is ' Worried about physical health ', then write the solution beside it: Exercise for 1 hour every day, and eat a healthy diet).

Do that for every problem on the list. In the end you'll feel much better and you'll feel like you have a grip on your life. The lack of grip and control could be empowering the OCD. Once you get control back in your life, the OCD will fade away.

I don't know if this is the root of OCD or not, but it certainly helps. I feel at peace every time I do this.