#this isn't just for ppl with ocd but its most helpful for those who ruminate on their triggers!

[adhbabey]

How to Deal with Triggers When You Have OCD (And other similar disorders)

Brief mentions of self harm.

So, usually, when you get triggered, you feel repulsed, upset, angry, etc., because of that trigger. But when you have disorders like OCD, or perhaps something similar like hypersexuality, you ruminate on your triggers. You tend to fixate on it, struggling to separate yourself from what's making you triggered and end up leaving yourself more triggered. This can lead to a downward spiral and you can s/h, whether emotionally or otherwise.

This is why you need to remove yourself from your triggers asap to stop causing yourself more pain. It is healthy to avoid or keep yourself away from triggers, no matter what the subject is. You are supposed to remove yourself from the situation when you get triggered. And I understand if some of you think that you should just grin and bear it, please do not do that. It is unhealthy and can cause you to s/h. You cannot cope or healthily analyze what happened if you are in that negative of a headspace.

So, let me show you ways on grounding yourself if you do get triggered. This is the first and most important step, please do not forget it. Grounding techniques:

Please remove yourself from the scenario. By any means necessary. You can get up and leave the room. If you are on a voice call, please hang up or mute yourself and take a step back from the device. If you are on a social media site, close the tab or close the app/log out. If you are with other people, say you need some space/a break and go in another room or to outside. You can say you need to go to the bathroom, you can lie about your whereabouts, you can say you need to go to sleep. Just remove yourself by any means necessary. And if you cannot remove yourself from the situation, then at least these other methods may work.

You need to either calm, distract yourself, or shock your senses.

Calming yourself: there are breathing exercises, closing your eyes and going to your happy places, counting, plugging in your headphones and listening to music, something tactile like a stuffed toy (i recommend keeping a small one in your bag or on a keychain!). Do what works for you.

Distracting yourself: Using fidget toys to divert your attention away from the scenario, watching something on your device, playing games/using an app, using a positive trigger like music or a specific item. I don't have much here because these work pretty quickly for me. You may do what works.

Shocking/stimulating your senses: Hydration (this helps especially if you were crying), holding ice cubes, biting into a lemon, going outside to feel the breeze, splashing water in your face, waving your arms around, etc.! There are several different ways to do this

The 5 senses method. List 5 things that you can see, 4 things that you can feel, 3 things that you can hear, 2 things that you can smell, 1 thing that you can taste. This might be better when you feel less triggered, but its helpful regardless.

Talking to a friend! I know this isn't always obvious, but venting to someone always makes me feel better! But it's not for everyone.

A weighted object like a weighted plushie, a weighted blanket, something heavy, like your animal. Anything heavy and tactile. Even a pillow works, its big and squishy.

There's definitely more. I heavily recommend stepping outside and drinking in all the senses around you, it helps a lot!!!

Now that you're calm or distracted in some aspect, do you want to go back and see what happened, or do you need more time away from it? Please evaluate this from a distance or from a more positive headspace, do not go retriggering yourself. If you still feel triggered, I recommend telling those around you that you're leaving for now and that you will be back tomorrow. Not everyone is able to process things immediately, and sometimes you need to keep yourself away for a longer period of time. You can go back and confront it later.

This does not account for an urgent situation, so if you must bear it to survive, then please put your survival first. Do ground in any way you can, but if you do not have time for that, you do not need to. Just process things later. You do not need to deal with everything immediately.

If you are like me, you may end up switching because of this. That is okay! Sometimes you needed to switch in order to handle things better, please be trusting of yourself and don't be afraid of lending the front to somebody else if things go awry. That is simply how you are wired to deal with triggering situations. It's totally okay.

It is so easy to get swept up in negative or unhealthy headspaces when you are triggered, and before, you may not have known how to deal with it previously and that's a-okay. Please be more gentle with yourself when things go wrong, it's learning how to have a healthier relationship with yourself. These coping mechanisms go a long way when you are in a dark place.

I know for sure, you might snap from time to time and just get yourself involved with an unhealthy situation, but making mistakes is a part of learning. It gets better from here. This is how you learn to take responsibility for your mental health, by not letting it control your life.

Distancing yourself is definitely one of your most important tools. Grounding yourself is rooting yourself firmly in the present, and pushing away pressing fears about the future or the past. You're here right now, and you are safe. If you are not safe yet, get to a place where you can be. And if that's too much, then don't think about it at all. Just stop thinking entirely and focus on your grounding tool.

This is how you start dealing with it.

TLDR: If you found this difficult to read, then please focus only on the grounding techniques section, its basically all you need to hear on dealing with triggers. You don't have to focus on anything else if you don't want to. But I hope this helps.

p.s. please check out me pinned post for other resources. just clicky on my name and refresh and it should be at the top of the page thanks !