Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which a person repeats irrational thoughts or day-to-day activities like washing hands, checking the door lock, etc over and over again. The person with OCD becomes anxious that if he does not repeat the particular thought or activities over and over again he might face a huge problem.
OCD can be very time-consuming and frustrating. Moreover, most people with OCD are highly intelligent. The interesting part is that most people suffering from OCD don’t even realize that they have OCD.
Some of the celebrities and great minds had OCD:
- Nikola Tesla
- Albert Einstein
- Eminem
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Niall Horan, David Beckham
- Justin Timberlake
- Katy Perry
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- John Abraham
How to Stop OCD – Natural Solutions
There are basically three natural solutions for OCD.
Exercise:
Exercise is very effective in reducing OCD. Regular exercise will not only improve your mood but also reduce stress. It improves the quality of your sleep. It boasts one’s confidence which will help you make rational decisions, which people with OCD have problems.
While doing any form of physical exercise including weight lifting, cardio, or aerobatics, your body releases chemicals that can enhance your mood and make you feel more relaxed and positive as well. This will definitely help you cope with stress thereby, reducing the risk of depression.
Regular exercise helps keep your thinking, learning, and judgment capability sharp as you become older. Moreover, exercise stimulates your body to release proteins and other vital chemicals that enhance the structure and function of your brain.
Increase increases your life expectancy. It is because your mind and body are a lot healthier when you exercise regularly, and your chances of suffering from heart diseases and cancer become very low.
Exercise changes the different areas of the brain associated with regulating stress and anxiety. In addition to that, it increases brain sensitivity for hormones including serotonin and norepinephrine, which decreases feelings of depression.
Yoga:
Yoga is an ancient practice that includes different physical poses, concentration, and deep breathing. You may think that doing static poses may not be so powerful but in fact, Yoga is very powerful. After a 30 minutes Yoga session, you will feel much happier, relaxed, more positive, and energetic. OCD is a form of stress disorder and Yoga is good at relieving stress.
You may feel increased mental and physical energy, a boost in alertness and enthusiasm, and fewer negative feelings after getting into a routine of practicing yoga.
When you are practicing yoga, your brain releases various chemicals such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins, that not only help you relax but also reduce your stress and anxiety levels. These chemicals also help reduce depression.
Yoga benefits the brain in ways that are similar to aerobic exercises such as running, walking, cycling, and swimming, according to the study published in the journal Brain Plasticity, which has additionally been shown to enhance cognitive skills, attention, and memory.
Researchers also discovered that the prefrontal cortex (CEO of the brain) and brain networks appeared larger in those who regularly practiced yoga. The prefrontal cortex is an important area of the brain and its function is to make planning, decision-making, multitask, think about your options and choose the right option. In other words, yoga makes you a better decision-maker. This will surely help with your OCD because in OCD we tend to repeat behavior by making irrational decisions.
The amygdala and cingulate cortex are also larger in yoga practitioners, and both these brain areas contribute to emotional regulation and learning, as well as memory. Likewise, Yoga decreases the release of cortisol hormone, commonly known as the “stress hormone”. Thus we can say that Yoga helps you manage and regulate your emotions much better. Again, this decreases OCD.
Meditation:
Meditation is another method to get rid of OCD. Meditation calms your mind irrespective of the stress. It makes your very calm and irrational and compulsive thoughts to disappears gradually. Meditation is also good for developing a habit. At first, it will be difficult to sit for just 5 minutes and meditate but after a week it will be easier. So, meditate for just 5 minutes in the beginning and gradually increase up to 20 minutes.
There are many types of meditations including, mindfulness meditation, mantra meditation, Transcendental Meditation, Vipassana Meditation, and many more. You can try out any form of meditation as all of them are effective.