If you have OCD, this question is nothing new. Already, your theme is barking at the top of its lungs looks for a way to climb back into your mental frame.

I have dealt with this question for a little less than a decade and I can tell you it was the hardest barrier to overcome.

It was also the most liberating.

Obsessive Compulsive thoughts masquerade an anxiety issue with a “real life” issue. For some it is health. “What if I eat this food off of the floor? I will probably get sick and die.”

For others, it might be superstition. “If I didn’t turn the light switch off and on 33 times exactly, something bad will have to someone I love.”

For me it was spiritual. “If I don’t leave my ‘idols,’ I can never walk with God.”

It is likely that a good-hearted, well intentioned person has given you advice as to why that thought makes no sense. Your anxiety will decrease and you will feel the exuberance of a seemingly corrected view that allows you to enjoy your life.

Then the mental angel of death appears…

“What about that stomach sickness? That could be fatal.” “What about the kids? Do you even care about their safety?” “What does God say about idols? Do you even really love him?”

Now your thoughts are in a death trap. You are catapulted to a spot even worse than before. And before you know it, your life is gone again.

Finally, someone who knows a thing or two about mental health recognizes you have OCD. You are diagnosed and things are looking up.

The mental angel of death returns…

“What if this is not OCD? What if there is a serious issue that you need to address?”

What now? I mean there could be some very damning evidence that I have a legitimate problem. Certainly feels real. Alas, it is unavoidable. I will never find true healing until I deal with the real problem. I must do what my brain is telling me to do.

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If you find yourself in this position. Know that I have been there. I know the hell that it is. I know all hope seems lost and the life you had so dearly hoped would happen, doesn’t seem plausible anymore.

But, it can. How?

The premise isn’t entirely off. I do need to deal with the real problem. The issue is, we are confused about the real problem.

Your real problem is not what your theme is. No matter the “evidence” you have to support your claim. Your problem is that you have OCD.

This is the biggest barrier to recovery. Will you recognize your true problem for what it is and deal with it? You wouldn’t use gum to plug up a dam. You shouldn’t use compulsions to plug up OCD.

What you need is to “step off the mental hamster wheel.” What do I mean by that? In your OCD mind you will spin yourself in circles from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep (and that’s if you can fall asleep!). To step off the mental hamster wheel means to recognize that any thought that I think might be originating from OCD is in fact OCD and I will cease my investigation into that line of reasoning.

Here’s a good rule that I credit to Shannon Shy. If there is even the slightest chance that your thought is from OCD, treat it as such. So if you ask, “does this thought feel like OCD?” it probably is. In fact, if there is only a minuscule part of you that thinks it is OCD, label it. Label it and move on. That is how to get off the hamster wheel.

Now this is hard. It is uncomfortable to forfeit reassurance. It is uncomfortable to starve my brain of the compulsion it craves. But if you want your life back, this is the way to do it. I am proof that it works.

Questions to ask yourself:

1) Do you have OCD?

2) Does this thought feel like an OCD thought?

3) Will I choose to label this thought and keep living my life?

4) Do I trust experts and fellow victorious sufferers that this will lead to ultimate healing?

If you are suffering with this thought, you are not alone. And you are not hopeless. No matter your theme, whether pain, death, or damnation, if you think the thought comes from OCD, treat it that way. Address the real problem and find really healing.