Use sticky notes for your OCD and anxiety treatment

Having a difficult time finding time to do exposures throughout the day? You know those things that are going help you recover from anxiety and OCD?

Here's the sitch, I would say most who use exposures and response prevention fall into the trap of either being hesitant to face their fears, they haven't committed to the treatment yet, or they simply aren't making time for it.

Let me show you a sure fire way to face your fears thought out the day! This takes a tiny bit of effort at the beginning, but this is what you do....

Take a look at what your actual core fear is and if you don't know how to find this, here is an example. Identify the fear.

Nate! I'm afraid of doing something inappropriate.

ask yourself this....

"if my fear were to happen, what would that mean?"

Ahhhh, it'd mean, I'd go to Jail Nate. Okay okay, if you went to jail, then what?

I wouldn't be able to be with my family. Okay, if you couldn't be with your family, then what? I'd be lonely and feel like a failure.

Okay, if you felt this way, then what? I would have ruined my purpose on earth. Okay, if you ruined your purpose on earth, then what? Then, God would be disappointed and maybe I'll be punished after this life.

Okay, if you're punished, then what? I'll never see my family again.

Okay, if you can't see your family again...then what?

That's it, that's my fear.

DING DING DING....

While it appears, the problem is doing something inappropriate. The core fear leads all the way to after this life and not being with his family again.

You see, we tend to focus our time on the wrong type of exposures. Now that we're aware of the core fear, start writing down words that remind you of this fear.

Death
Family
God
Jail
Disappointment
Purpose

Then here is the magic. Take these words and put each one on a sticky note. You may have 100 of them. You take each sticky note and place them around your house. In the bathroom, bedroom, tv, the door frames, every light switch, computer....EVERYWHERE. I mean it.

I want you to see them often and each time you do, you do something about it. You respond differently to the trigger or fear.

You might give it a smile. You may say, "maybe". You may say, "I hope that happens." You may give it a kiss. Maybe you tap the word and say it out loud every time you pass by.

You want this thing infiltrating your life to the point where you're so so so so bored of these words. Guess what you do when you're bored of the words. Maybe you add pictures and the same concept applies. You want to see that thing everywhere. A jail cell. Family. Picture of God. The afterlife. Whatever the fear is.

How to use this for your OCD treatment at home

It's amazing how quickly when we change our reaction to something, does it no longer matter.

I think of my kids, they are so so so excited to buy a certain toy. They play with it for probably a few days and then it may never be touched again. Where did the value go? It left because it was engaged with to the point where it became boring.

Let's make your OCD boring. What happens when something is boring. We no longer want to engage with it and it typically no longer wants to engage with us.

Thing to be aware of, however is that it does take work. I cannot put sticky notes over my house about not eating candy and expect myself to not eat candy. I freaking love candy. I have to acknowledge that there's a change that I can make, and then make this change. And then do it again. And again and again.

Ultimate goal is to retrain the brain to simply not care about the fear, even if you feel like you were risking way too much. We've got to risk to get to the other side as a local gas station in my area says, sometimes you got to risk it for the brisket.

I want you to learn more tips like this through my online OCD program. Actually, the program is much more advanced and step-by-step to help you slay your OCD once and for all. I'll link that down below.

Also, I to know what sticky notes you're going to put up today. Let me know in the comments.