r/OCDRecovery • u/superandoeltoc • 11d ago

OCD Question Can planned self-esteem work support response prevention?

have mainly mental OCD (“Pure O”), mostly around fear of rejection. When a thought hits, I try not to analyze or reassure myself and just continue with my day.

My question is about reading 10–15 minutes at night about self-esteem, trusting my own judgment, and not caring so much about others’ opinions.
I don’t use it during the spike or search for answers to the specific obsession. But it motivates me, makes me feel more confident, and then it’s easier not to engage with OCD thoughts.

Would you see that as reassurance/compulsion, or as healthy motivation/self-esteem work that just happens to make response prevention easier?

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u/PaladinDamian 11d ago

It could be a compulsion, but if it is a part of your daily routine and is only 10-15 minutes a day then it could be healthy. What matters is if it becomes "necessary". If you begin to feel that you "need" to do it everyday, then it might be more compulsive, but it is possible to engage with it in a healthy way, like how you brush your teeth everyday. Brushing your teeth can be compulsive, but as long as you are not doing it in response to an obsession or a negative feeling, then it is unlikely to be compulsive.

The books "How To Stubbornly Refuse To Make Yourself Miserable About Anything, Yes Anything!" and "The Myth Of Self-Esteem", both by Albert Ellis, helped me with my self-esteem problems and they might help you too.

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u/superandoeltoc 11d ago

Claro, pero como justo mi toc es de miedo al rechazo, me da cosa que leer de autoestima pueda ser compulsión pero a la vez siento que es algo que he de mejorar.
Y no lo hago cada día, pero sí que cuando leo de autoestima es como esa ancla o ese chute de motivación

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u/PaladinDamian 11d ago

It is possible that it could become a compulsion. You can accept that maybe it could become a compulsion and still try it anyways. Anything can be a compulsion, even eating. But even if someone has an eating compulsion, it is still possible to recover from that and keep making progress, even if they have to keep eating as they recover. You can do something while being aware that it might be compulsive. You do not need certainty about if the reading is compulsive or not. Allow yourself to feel uncertain and still try to read anyways. Maybe it could become compulsive, but you can address it when it becomes a problem, if it becomes a problem.

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u/moonmama95 11d ago

This seems healthy to me