copyright, 1999
No, I'm not going to preach at you. Even if you are not a Christian, you can gain insight into dealing with anxiety from the Bible. When my OCD was at its worst, I printed up Philippians 4:4-9 and carried it with me. I read it when I was anxious or worrying. Or just during breaks in my day.
But can't this become a ritual? Yes it can and we with OCD must be careful of that. It is good to meditate on scripture and memorize scripture. But be careful not to do so in a ritualistic way. Don't let scripture become a mantra for driving away obsessive thoughts. Look at it as a reminder of the truths your real self believes. I see myself as two people - my real true self and my OCD self.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 (New International Version)
For the Christian, these verses remind us of the Truths we believe. Our Lord is near. He is always near. And when we come to Him with our problems and anxieties He will guard our hearts and MINDS with His peace.
I said even the nonchristian can find insight into dealing with anxiety in the Bible. It's true! In the following verse, the Apostle Paul gives advice anyone can use.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Philippians 4:8 (New International Version)
Exposure and ritual prevention is hard work. We need to let obsessive thoughts flow right on through our brain without doing anything to counteract them. For us with OCD, thoughts that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable shouldn't be used to directly counteract the intrusive obsessive thoughts. This makes them just one more ritual.
No, I think these types of thoughts need bo be part of our daily lives. When we fill our minds with good things, pure and noble thoughts, there is less room for the OCD thoughts. This also helps fill the void left by the elimination of our rituals. If you are spending several hours a day doing OCD rituals, what will you do with your time when you stop? Fill your days with activities you enjoy - reading, hobbies, sports, playing with your children. Then as you reduce your rituals, you won't be as tempted to go back to them out of habit.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Cherlene Pedrick 's Obsessive-Compulsive topic, please visit the Discussions page.