Stop Obsessing!
How to Overcome Your Obsessions and Compulsions
Do You Have Obsessions or Compulsions?
Most of us are familiar with how unpleasant worrying can be. Driving down the highway, heading to the beach for vacation, you think, Did I remember to unplug the iron? You reassure yourself that you did. Seconds later, though, the question returns, unabated. Did I really? Now the consequences rise to the surface of your mind. If I left it plugged in, it could overheat. It might fall on the floor and catch the rug on fire. Then the house would burn down! For minutes, no matter how hard you try, you cannot shake your uncertainty.
Worries involve thoughts that produce distress and anxiety. But the specific uncomfortable thoughts involved in worrying change from one day to the next. If your boss passes you in the corridor without smiling at you, you may worry, “Maybe she’s angry at me.” You might even ruminate about it for several hours that day. But the next day you forget this worry and move on to another one.
Obsessions, on the other hand, are relatively stable worries: The same thoughts, images, or impulses come again an ...
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