Is being superstitious makes you have ocd?
New to this app, not sure how this workI
l’m from a very religious background and I think because of that I have created this beliefs and as a result of that whenever I have some negative thoughts , I am compelled to repeat whatever task was I doing until I think of someone who is very positive. I also repeatedly check if the doors locked, lights are off , tap is closed etc. until I am satisfied. What can I do about this?
@lux2004
Welcome to 7 Cups! Only a professional can give you an official diagnosis and do note a label is only as helpful as the door it opens to getting the right kind of treatment.
In general, religious people struggle with compulsions (Doing something as a result of a thought or to avoid a certain outcome you repeat a task etc) because this is something of value to them. Our brain has a way of trying to protect us by making us repeat these things to keep us 'safe'
You can think of this as a loop, the more you do it, the stronger the urge, the less you act on the urge, the weaker it gets. One of the effective ways of overcoming this challenge is by refusing to do the compulsions. Next time you get a negative thought, realize it is just a thought, it can be true or it can false, does not matter, it does not change anything. Sit with it and don't engage in whatever your brain insists it should do to feel safe.
There is a helpful channel which many relevant videos that maybe of help. You can view the channel here
@lux2004
The NIH has this note on the subject: "The hallmark of superstitiousness in OCD is stereotyped, repetitive behavioral routines, not necessarily accompanied by superstitious beliefs in false causal attributions."
@Gettingbettertoday
So you are saying i should focus more on my repetitive behaviour rather than my superstitious belief? ( forgive me if Im wrong because English is not my first language) If yes, then I will definitely try that! Also I am not that much superstitious but my family is , so I’m being compelled to be one
@lux2004
The statement says that superstition is not a symptom where repetitive actions are.
@Gettingbettertoday
oh okay, I understand that. But what I’m trying to say is that , being superstitious or being surrounded by one might be the reason why I got these OCD like behaviour. And in my case, I also first thought it was me being superstitious, but later, after some internet research, I got the answer that it might be OCD.