How to Handle an OCD Spike During Holidays
Why is it that every time a holiday is near we get more and more anxious?
Depending on what exactly triggers your OCD, your fears may be different. However the high anxiety is a common thread. It also seems that the closer you get to the main event, the more stress you feel. Anyways, this is true for me every time. I remember that I started to anticipate the Christmas season in the fall and by the time we were close to it I was in full panic mode. So having been through a few of these “OCD Holidays” I have decided to offer some of the things I found to be very good at reducing OCD related anxiety.
1. Create a list of OCD related triggers and responses. This should be something like this:
It is possible that during my holiday party someone will touch the food, and contaminate it with dirty hands.
If this does happen I will take a deep breath and remember that there are probably many other times this has happened and everything is fine. After that I will find something else to focus my attention on.
2. Do not worry about making everything perfect, being a perfect guest or a perfect host. Remember that you are human who not only has a lot to deal with but also has OCD and you too deserve a break. Even if someone thinks that you could have done more, think about this, what is more important a random opinion or your mental state?
3. Sometimes it just gets to be too much. It can be something unexpected that happened or just a crowded room but in case you feel like you can’t take the party anymore, plan a way to get away. If you are a guest come up with a great excuse ahead of time or if you are a host remember to “forget” something that you have to make a quick trip to the store for. The point is to give you enough time to be alone to regain your composure.
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I would just like to say a massive thank you to Ali Greymond for all of her help and support through what had to be one of the hardest and most fearful times in my life. Hell sounded appealing to what I was living with- false memory OCD! I’m very private and the thought of telling someone my intrusive thoughts was agonising. I listened to Ali’s shows on YouTube and I knew the best person to help me was her, Ali made me feel so comfortable, I never once felt as though she was judging me in anyway in fact she made me feel the opposite like I was normal and none of this meant anything. She gave me the tools and skyped me every day I felt like She was in the next room the support was amazing. This wonderful lady changed my life, it’s hard work and determination daily but if there’s one person that can help you recover from OCD it’s Ali Greymond. She’s amazing at what she does and me and my family are blessed we found her because I don’t know where I’d be now. Thank you Ali your programme is amazing. (L.)
I came to Ali with a severe case of contamination OCD. Ali graciously offered me an introductory session free of charge. When I asked her when we could start, she said “how about today”? I liked that she was that proactive and willing to jump in immediately. I looked at the packages she offered and signed up immediately for the “Severe OCD” package, because that accurately described the state I was in. Ali almost immediately became my anchor, my support system and friend through this very frightening and lonely disorder. With Ali by my side, I had hope for the first time and I made strides that even surprised me. I was amazed at how quickly I started to recover. It felt like magic to me.
Having been a fellow sufferer herself, she truly understands the disorder. I felt that Ali intuitively knew when to push me through a fear and when to back off. When she felt that I was not ready for an exercise she told me. When she felt that I could push through a fear, she told me and 100% of the time, she was on point! This was extremely important as feeling in control is such a huge element of this disorder. I would recommend anyone suffering with this disorder to work with Ali. She helped me get my life back and that is priceless. (J.)
