Sbee123
- Date posted
- 11w
Difference between coping and compulsion?
What exactly is the difference between the two?
issphra 🫶🏻issphra 🫶🏻
- Date posted
- 11w
A compulsion can be seen as a way of coping, but it’s usually an unhealthy or ineffective one. Coping strategies are meant to manage stress or anxiety in a balanced way, while compulsions are driven by obsessive thoughts and performed to relieve the anxiety those thoughts cause. The problem is, compulsions don’t actually solve anything and can end up making things worse over time. So, while both coping and compulsions are ways we try to handle tough emotions or situations, compulsions tend to be repetitive, anxiety-driven, and don’t typically lead to good outcomes, unlike healthier coping strategies. Some examples of healthier strategies include: • Breathing exercises • Physical activity • Talking it out • Journaling • Meditation and mindfulness However, for people with OCD, even healthy coping strategies can turn compulsive, so it’s often suggested to implement them as part of a **routine** rather than an as-needed approach. For instance, you might try meditation every morning, physical exercise every other day, or journaling once at night. I hope this helps!
forre-tressforre-tress
- Date posted
- 11w
think of it this way, compulsions can be used to cope but not all coping skills are compulsions. you can have a non-compulsive coping skill.
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 11w
Hey there! This can definitely be a complicated topic to unpack. In general, both coping skills and compulsions are used to reduce negative feelings that someone is having. The truth is, any coping skills can become compulsions. Any repetitive physical or mental behaviors used to relieve distress from obsessions is a compulsion. I have a really helpful article here for you that has more information on this topic: https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/coping-skills-that-can-continue-the-ocd-cycle#h-the-gray-area-of-coping-skills In general though, coping skills are not bad in and of themselves. These skills can be beneficial in many areas of life, and should be used regularly if they are helpful to you. However, if you have OCD, certain coping skills, while they might feel helpful in the moment, are not helpful in beating OCD long-term.
HopeForTodayHopeForToday
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 11w
I see a compulsion as anything you do to reduce anxiety from the obsession.
Sbee123Sbee123
- Date posted
- 11w
@Anonymous Isn’t a coping skill the same thing?
Related posts
Anonymous
- Date posted
- 25w
Acted on a Compulsion
Help me! I acted on a compulsion and now I feel like want to keep doing it. I’m scared. I had been doing okay for these past two days but idk. What should I do?
issphra 🫶🏻
- Date posted
- 15w
OMG how you control your mental compulsions?!?!?!
I cannot for the life of me stop ruminating or checking how I feel about thoughts or focusing on thoughts or creating more thoughts. I feel like I’m losing my mind. I want to scream. I try not to ruminate about the thoughts, but trying not to just makes me think about them more. I try not to check, but somehow, I still check. I want to let a thought sit in the background, but the more I try not to focus on it, the more I end up focusing on it. I don’t want the thought to expand because that feels like engaging with it, but I can’t just stop it from expanding. It feels impossible. People keep saying I’m in control of my compulsions, and maybe that’s true for the physical ones. But when it comes to the mental compulsions, I swear I have no control. It feels like I’m missing something that everyone else seems to have, like there’s some tool they’re using that I don’t have. Controlling mental compulsions has never felt possible for me. I’m starting to fear them. And every time someone says I’m in control and can just choose not to do them, I end up beating myself up even more when they happen. Or when I *choose* I guess. I don’t know anymore. If this is my fault, if I’m responsible for this, then what does that make me? I feel like a monster. I am at my wits’ end. How am I supposed to control mental compulsions when it feels like they control me? I freak out when they happen. They don’t bring me relief, they just make me panic. I want it to stop so bad.
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Ok_Paint758
- Date posted
- 14w
Is telling myself "it's just ocd" a compulsion?
When I was a child, before I knew this was OCD, I struggled with constant "magical thinking" compulsions (don't step on the crack or mom's back will actually break, etc). When I later learned this was OCD, it almost immediately solved it. Any time I got a magical thought, I would say to myself "that's just an OCD thought. ignore it." and it just stopped coming! Like seriously it fixed the magical thinking stuff forever. But of course the OCD has resurfaced in other ways. So naturally, I've tried to use the same strategy since I had so much success with it previously. But I wonder sometimes if telling myself "that's just OCD" is almost functioning as a reassurance compulsion? I hate how meta this gets. For example, I have ROCD that comes and goes. So sometimes I'll get a thought like "what if i'm still in love with my ex?" and then I'll tell myself "that's obviously just an ROCD thought" and will feel relief, almost like reassurance. But it comes back. So is telling myself that it's OCD a reassurance compulsion ?? It's just so weird because it worked so perfectly as a kid with the magical thinking thing.
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