What Is OCD, Really?
Have you ever felt stuck in unwanted, distressing thoughts—like you can’t move on until you do something to make the anxiety go away? Maybe you’ve heard the term “OCD” tossed around casually, but you’re not sure if what you're experiencing fits the label. If that’s you, you're not alone.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is often misunderstood. It’s more than a preference for tidiness or repetitive hand-washing. At its core, OCD is a mental health condition rooted in doubt, fear, and discomfort with uncertainty. Even when we know something is safe, OCD makes us feel unsure—and that uncertainty can be deeply distressing.
🔄 The OCD Cycle: Obsession → Anxiety → Compulsion → Relief → Repeat
Understanding how OCD works is often the first step toward loosening its grip. Here's a breakdown of the cycle many people with OCD experience:
1. Obsession
These are intrusive, unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that show up and cause distress. They might sound like:
“What if I hit someone with my car and didn’t realize it?”
“Did I really lock the door?”
“What if I’m a bad person for thinking that?”
These thoughts often latch onto uncertainty—questions the brain feels desperate to answer, even when no clear answer exists.
2. Anxiety or Distress
When the obsession shows up, distress follows. Your body might tense, your heart might race, and your mind goes into overdrive scanning for danger—even if there isn’t any actual threat. For some, anxiety isn’t the dominant emotion; OCD can also bring up shame, guilt, disgust, or a deep sense of “wrongness.”
3. Compulsion
This is where OCD convinces you that you must do something to feel better or prevent something bad from happening. Common compulsions include:
Mentally reviewing events on repeat
Repeating actions “just in case”
Checking things over and over (like locks, appliances, or your body for signs of illness)
Seeking reassurance from others
Avoiding people, places, or thoughts that trigger the obsession
And yes—compulsions often bring relief. But…
4. Temporary Relief → Reinforcement
That relief is short-lived. In fact, it reinforces the OCD cycle. Your brain learns, “That worked! Let’s do that again next time.” Over time, the cycle strengthens, and OCD becomes more deeply rooted.
💡 Why Does This Matter?
OCD isn’t your fault—and you’re not choosing to think these thoughts. But healing begins with understanding this cycle. Every time we give in to compulsions (which, by the way, makes total sense—it’s a human response to distress), we unintentionally strengthen OCD’s hold.
Even when part of you knows a fear isn’t logical, OCD creates an overwhelming feeling that something isn’t quite right—that you can’t rest until you do something to feel better. So you check again. You replay the thought. You ask for reassurance. And in the moment, it soothes the anxiety.
But that relief is only temporary. The next time doubt creeps in, your brain remembers the last compulsion—and urges you to do it again. Over time, these rituals become less about solving a problem and more about trying to quiet the noise. And that keeps the OCD cycle going.
Therapy helps break this cycle. With support, you can learn to sit with the discomfort and uncertainty, respond to it differently, and build confidence in your ability to move forward—even when your brain is telling you to hit the brakes.
💬 Final Thoughts
OCD is a real, valid, and treatable condition. If you’re stuck in a cycle of intrusive thoughts and exhausting rituals, it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you—it means your brain is trying to protect you in a way that’s no longer helpful. And with the right support, you can step out of the cycle and start reclaiming your life.
As a therapist who specializes in OCD and anxiety, I use evidence-based approaches like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to help clients break free from the patterns that keep them stuck. In our work together, we’ll focus on building tools to tolerate uncertainty, reduce compulsions, and reconnect with the life you want to live.
If you're curious about how therapy might help, I offer a free 20-minute consultation call where we can talk more about what you're experiencing and see if we’d be a good fit. You can reach out to me directly at kayla@therapywithkayla.com—I’d be honored to support you as you take back your life from OCD.
