Always Look for the Next Mountain
I had written previously in this blog post that OCD recovery is not a “state” - it is a mindset. There should never be a moment where you think: “I am complete. I no longer need to practice ERP/ACT/Mindfulness/Acceptance/etc…” Instead, you should always be hungry to improve and get stronger by implementing these practices in your life. I’ve said it many times before on this blog, but the skills you learn through ERP and ACT don’t just end once you recover from OCD - they are applicable to any challenging or difficult situation you may find yourself in. And much like how our physical fitness starts to degrade if we stop working out regularly, our mental fitness too can dull over time if we don’t routinely practice mindfulness and acceptance, or seek out opportunities to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations.
To many people struggling with OCD, it can be quite scary to comprehend the idea that there isn’t a discrete “finish line” or that their OCD won’t just magically disappear if they spend X amount of hours practicing ERP. I find often that many people are looking for a single magic pill or solution that will make OCD disappear completely and forever - which to be blunt, is not realistic.
You have to look at OCD recovery like a mindset and way of living. For example, in school, you may spend 3 weeks studying for an important exam, take the exam, get a Passing grade, and then subsequently never review the material again. Your grade is a binary state - you either Pass or Fail. There is no in between or sliding scale, and once you achieve that result, you never have to worry about it again (for that particular exam, anyways). In contrast, OCD recovery (and mental health) is very similar to physical fitness or nutrition/diet. You can be “healthy” one day by working out and eating nutritious food, and then the next day you might be “unhealthy” by skipping the gym or indulging in junk food. “Healthiness” is not a binary state of being, because how can you really judge one’s level of “health?” There isn’t a numeric scale or “grade” to assign, and depending on the day and your actions/choices, you could have a mixture of both healthy and unhealthy habits.
Rather, healthiness is a mindset and way of living. We choose to exercise regularly, because we know it is good for our physical fitness. We choose to eat nourishing and delicious food, because we know it will nurture our bodies. And we choose to sometimes indulge in delicious ice cream, because being perfect is the enemy of being good enough. Ultimately, “being healthy” isn’t a state of being or a binary Yes/No answer - it describes how we choose to live our lives and our mindset.
OCD recovery, and mental health, is exactly the same way. Even after you recover from OCD, you still need to practice acceptance, mindfulness, and gratitude. Because these are all skills that we learn through ERP/ACT, and like any other skills, if you don’t practice them, they get rusty. It is important to have the mindset to seek out opportunities to implement acceptance and mindfulness in our every day lives, because through that regular practice, we continue to grow and sharpen our mental fitness. If you have this as your mindset, it shouldn’t be a chore to do - rather, it should just be something you default to without any conscious thought or effort. It becomes second nature, and it becomes our default behavior pattern, just like how someone who is determined to be physically healthy goes to the gym regularly, or opts to eat take-out only twice a week instead of every single day.
The core theme I am trying to convey in today’s blog post is that you should always be looking for your next mountain to climb. Seek out opportunities and challenges to put yourself in uncomfortable situations, so that you can practice mindfulness, acceptance, gratitude, and non-judgement. Don’t be content with just beating OCD - even after you recover, always seek to grow and strengthen your mental health and fitness through practicing these techniques, until they become embedded as part of your mindset and way of living. The skills taught through ERP and ACT don’t stop being useful once you recover from OCD - they can be applied to every single facet of your life, and much like any skill we hope to get good at, we should practice them regularly and actively challenge ourselves so that our growth doesn’t plateau.
The most important thing I can say is that OCD recovery is not a destination - it is a mindset and a never-ending journey of self improvement. We should always be seeking our next mountain to climb, that next challenge that will allow us to continue to grow our mental health and fitness. The most important thing you can do for your mental health is to always seek new opportunities to stretch yourself by practicing mindfulness and acceptance during challenging moments in your life - even after you’ve left OCD far behind. There’s always a taller mountain to climb once you’ve conquered the previous peak, and that is a prospect which should excite you, not intimidate you!
Enjoy the self-improvement process, and remember: it is about the journey, not the destination.
Eric