Misplaced anxiety or needlessly worrying about perfecting everyday things potentially points towards a psychological disorder known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD. It is generally very hard to identify during its initial years. What starts off as a childish habit assumes the magnitude of a disorder that often needs serious medical attention. While the commonness of this condition is startling, if left unchecked it can take a heavy toll on the quality of one’s social life. For a majority of the cases, patients of OCD turn to professional medical care.
Here are a few lifestyle choices that studies show to be effective in checking this anxiety disorder:
1 . Take up a sport
Playing a sport or having gym sessions induces the release of endorphins or the feel good hormones inside our bodies. OCD tends to restrict one’s social interactions to a great deal that an outdoor physical activity will address. This will beat the stress and keep anxiety at bay.
2 . Try “delay therapy”
If your obsession is washing hands, just delay it. Delaying the response to a particular thought helps in suppressing that thought itself. It will be hard, in the beginning, to avoid doing what your brain asks of you but gradually your obsession will be easier to control.
3 . Quit smoking and drinking
When you start off, a cigarette or a peg of whisky may seem to douse your worries. This, however, is an unnatural way of calming the mind and the chances of you getting addicted to smoking or drinking itself are very high. The effect is temporary and it is not worth it.
4 . Get adequate sleep
How well you sleep is an indicator of your overall health – mental and physical. Anything less than 7 hours each day will worsen the OCD by drastically increasing the levels of stress and draining your energy.
5. Eat brain healthy foods
Eating healthy is imperative, OCD or no-OCD. Foods like oats, brown rice, fish, soy products, eggs, leafy greens, beans and dairy all feature in the list of stress-relieving foods. All these are rich sources of Vitamins and minerals of a vast array that are beneficial to the digestive and nervous system.
6 . Take out time to meditate
Meditation and other deep breathing exercises have loads of health benefits. The most crucial one being calming the mind while filling the body with a lot of positive energy. The power to concentrate and cognitive functions also benefit immensely from practising meditation daily.
7 . Give acupuncture a try
Relieving accumulated stress is what acupuncture is aimed at. The treatment for OCD revolves around relaxation techniques and acupuncture is definitely an option hence.
8 . Try relaxing oils
Both lavender and lemon essential oils have a calming effect on the body. Hot soaks in water infused with these oils help in relaxing worked up nerves while easing anxiety and depression.