OCD recovery can be tough; in fact it’s very rarely a straight line.  Some days we feel like we can conquer the world and ‘why was I even worried about that thought’ and the next day, that same thought, can be all consuming! 

Does this sound familiar? 

I believe it has a lot to do with our nervous system, which is like the software of our body.  Everyday it’s impacted by our day-today routine, which in turn has an effect on our resilience levels, which directly impacts how well we can manage OCD thoughts when they pop in.   

Our brain sits at the top of our nervous system and its number one job is to keep us alive.  It really doesn’t care if you’re living your best life or not, it just wants you alive.

As a result, the brain likes predictable routines, to know what’s coming next and anything out of this remit can upset our resilience levels. 

A prime example of being out of routine is holiday season.  Not only does a lot of the day-to-day structure disappear but most likely we’re moving less, eating worse, drinking more, potentially sleep is also disrupted, not to mention you may also be staying away from home.  All this is dysregulating for the nervous system, as a result we can get more easily stuck in our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). 

Why does this matter? 

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) has two main branches: –

Sympathetic – fight or flight
and
Parasympathetic – rest and digest.

Our resilience levels depend on how easily we can move between these two states.

When our resilience levels are low our nervous system can get “stuck” in fight/flight.  When they’re high, our nervous system can activate fight/flight when needed (getting up in the morning/running for a bus) but then returns to rest and digest efficiently afterwards. 

This flexibility is called autonomic regulation.  Can you take a guess what our resilience levels are like when our routine disappears? And in turn how well we are able to manage OCD thoughts when they occur?

A great analogy for this is: The threat bucket

The water level is your resilience level at the start of the day – and it will depend on how safe your brain feels. 

The arrows going in are your daily additional stresses – some days these will be less and the bucket wont overflow, other days they’ll be coming in so quickly you can’t keep up, if your bucket overflows you’re moving into fight or flight.

Note: if you have OCD it’s likely that your base line water level will already be higher to start with and if you’re ruminating throughout the day it’s a bit like having a hose filling that bucket up with a steady drip, drip, drip. 

Taking this metaphor a bit further we can release some of this built-up stress with the tap at the bottom of the bucket.  This is where all the self-care and routine comes in, those little daily habits which lead up to big results, or in this case resilience. 

Routine can be incredibly important in OCD recovery as it improves our resilience levels allowing us to deal with obsessions (intrusive thoughts) more easily – remember those days when you’re able to dismiss that same thought that kept you caught a pervious day?  Those are the days your resilience is high and you’re not suck in fight or flight.    

Routine including: good nutrition, sleep, movement, social connection and relaxation are unbelievably important for recovery maintenance.  This is why I’m a PT, I’ve had to force myself to live the lifestyle I know does me good.  The brain and body automatically seek comfort but this is not what keeps us healthy, especially when we’re dealing with mental health issues. 

If you know you find the holidays hard then it can be so helpful to prepare some support in advance, where you can try and keep some elements of your routine in place.  Maybe drink a little less, take a walk after dinner, make sure you have a good meal, including protein, before you start on the sugary treats, have someone you can talk to if it gets tough, write down the things you know help and refer back to them if OCD hits. 

I did just this and it really helped me out over the last few days, remember when you’re in fight or flight it’s very hard to think rationally so you want everything in place and ready beforehand.  If you’re not sure where to start then comment ‘FOUNDATIONS’ in the comments below and I’ll send you a link to one of my foundations trackers to get you get started.   

I’m going to follow this post up with a more detailed look at what happens when that bucket overflows, so don’t forget to subscribe.

Remember, you are not alone,
Stay Strong xxx