Pilates & OCD

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OCD

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Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common form of anxiety disorder involving distressing, repetitive thoughts.

 

 

That makes OCD particularly difficult to make sense of or to explain to other people.

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Obsessions are distressing or frightening repetitive thoughts which come into your mind automatically, however irrational they may seem and however much you try to resist or ignore them.

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Some people describe these thoughts as being like a ‘stuck record’, but trying to stop them can make them worse.

 

 

Compulsions are actions which people feel they must repeat to feel less anxious or stop their obsessive thoughts.

 

 

For example, some people cannot stop thinking about germs and the diseases they could catch.

 

 

To cope with this anxiety, they may start washing their hands over and over again.

 

 

Other compulsive rituals may have no connection to the nature of the obsessive thoughts.

 

 

Common obsessions include:

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• fear of contamination

• fear of causing harm to someone else

• fear of behaving unacceptably

• need for symmetry or exactness

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Compulsions commonly involve checking, cleaning, counting or dressing rituals.

 

 

Carrying out a ritual usually gives people temporary relief from their anxiety. At other times, they can be full of doubt that they have carried out the ritual properly and so repeat the ritual to ‘get it right’ – a process that can go on for hours.

 

 

Most of us have worries, doubts and superstitious beliefs. It is only when your thoughts and behaviour make no sense to other people, cause distress or become excessive that you may want to ask for help.

 

 

OCD can occur at any stage of your life. If you experience OCD you may also feel anxious and depressed and you may believe you are the only one with obsessive thoughts.

 

 

It can take people many years to seek professional help. People may be aware that their rituals are irrational and be ashamed of that and try to hide them.

 

 

Some people feel that they lack will power because they cannot stop their thoughts and rituals.

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The above article is from

http://www.mentalhealthireland.ie/a-to-z/ocd/

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Exercise May Be An Important OCD Self-Help Strategy

 

 

Exercise May Reduce OCD Symptoms

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Exercise can help relieve OCD symptoms.

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By Owen Kelly, PhD - Reviewed by a board-certified physician. Updated September 08, 2016

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Most of us are familiar with the many physical benefits of aerobic exercise , including reduced cholesterol levels and lowered risk of heart disease and diabetes.

 

 

However, there is now plenty of evidence that exercise may be an important self-help strategy for reducing symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

 

 

Studies Done on the Effects of Exercise on OCD

 

 

It is now known that aerobic exercise can be used therapeutically to improve mild to moderate symptoms of depression, as well as reduce overall stress and anxiety levels.

 

 

One study from 2007 examined whether aerobic exercise is helpful in reducing the severity of OCD symptoms. In these studies, participants continued with their usual treatment but added moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, such as running, to their treatment regimen for 12 weeks.

 

 

Researchers found that the severity and frequency of OCD symptoms were reduced immediately following the exercise.

 

 

In addition, the overall severity and frequency of OCD symptoms generally decreased over the 12 weeks of exercise therapy.

 

 

For some participants, these gains were still present six months after the exercise intervention.

 

 

Another study published in 2015 did a similar test to see if a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and a customized 12-week exercise program tailored to each individual made any difference in the group members' OCD symptoms.

 

 

The exercise clearly helped, leading the researchers to the conclusion that a 12-week exercise program along with CBT is a good therapeutic recommendation for OCD sufferers.

 

 

How Exercise Helps Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptoms

 

 

There are a number of ways in which exercise might help to reduce symptoms of OCD:

 

 

Exercise Changes the Brain

 

 

It has been shown that mice exercising on a running wheel sprout new connections between neurons in the brain.

 

 

Exercise may cause the release of what are called “growth factors,” which trigger neurons to make new connections.

 

 

These new connections could help to reduce symptoms of OCD. Exercise also promotes the release of endorphins, which are “feel good” neurochemicals, boosting mood and fending off stress.

 

 

Exercise Improves Self-Esteem

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When you start exercising regularly, you just feel better about yourself and have more self-confidence. This enhanced sense of self-esteem and confidence may help individuals better cope with stress, which is a major trigger of OCD symptoms.

 

 

Exercise Can Be a Social Activity

 

 

Exercise usually involves getting out to the gym, meeting up with a running partner, or joining a sports team. Getting out and connecting with people is a great means of social support.

 

 

Effective use of social support is perhaps the biggest way to ward off the negative effects of stress.

 

 

Exercise Provides a Distraction

 

 

Most vigorous forms of physical activity require that our attention is focused on what is happening in the moment. In this way, exercise could provide a welcome break from obsessions and compulsions, as well as give you a sense of control over your symptoms.

 

 

Check With Your Doctor Before You Begin

 

 

If you are thinking about adding exercise to your overall treatment strategy, be sure to speak with your doctor to make sure beginning an exercise program is right for you.

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The above article is from

https://www.verywell.com/exercise-may-be-an-important-ocd-self-help-strategy-2510630

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The Pains and Gains of Yoga for OCD

 

 

Yoga, Pilates, and even a little Zumba can help treat anxiety

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Source:

 

 

I’ve been told countless times about the mental health benefits of exercise.  But the cruel paradox of mental illness is that, while exercise is most important to someone like me, OCD also makes it uniquely challenging to get to the gym in the first place.

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Fatigue from medication or anxiety can make it tough just to get out of the house - and even when you manage to, the exertion, discomfort and boredom of both weightlifting and cardio exercise can make obsessive thoughts spike. 

 

 

If it can be difficult to distract yourself from obsessive thinking at home, when you’re comfortable and in your own space - it’s nearly impossible when you’re straining to support heavy lumps of metal above your head, with your headphones cranked loudly enough to (almost) block the grunting of gym-goers and the cacophony of the Billboard

 

 

Hot 100 screeching through the speaker system, with nothing else to occupy your mind.

 

 

I’ve struggled to establish an exercise routine for a few years, and though I’ve succeeded at taking off some weight, I’m still not quite where I’d like to be.  

 

 

So at the start of this year, in the spirit of new beginnings (without anything so formal as a resolution, which, as we all know, would be doomed to fail) I decided to try a membership at a local yoga studio.

 

 

Here’s the first thing you need to know about yoga – despite appearances, it is not easy.  Before trying it, I figured yoga was mostly stretching and balancing, maybe a little uncomfortable, but nothing a young man in the prime of his life couldn’t handle. 

 

 

But yoga is hard.  If you’ve never tried it: imagine alternating between sit-ups and push-ups and sprints for an hour. 

 

 

Imagine doing that while a soft-voiced but insistent instructor, doing the exact same exercises without breaking a sweat, is calling out orders. 

 

 

Also imagine that sometimes while doing these sit-ups and push-ups and sprints - you are sideways, or upside-down, or balanced on your baby toes. 

 

 

Yoga isn’t quite like anything I’ve tried before but it’s definitely a workout, and I’m glad to report I’ve enjoyed the promised benefits of exercise, mental and physical, since I’ve started.

 

 

I’ve also experimented a bit with some of the other classes at the studio.  I’ve had some success with Pilates and with restorative yoga, which is less active and incorporates meditative practice.  And then I tried Zumba. 

 

 

Honestly I think I would have been better off leaving Zumba in the same category as same-gender sexual experimentation or psilocybin: experiences that most people might benefit from trying at least once, but that I might be better off avoiding because of my personal issues neuroses. 

 

 

I had high school flashbacks, both of the annual spring musical and of cross-country; Zumba brought me back to the bleeding-lung exhaustion of the latter and the humiliating, zombie-like choreography of the former. 

 

 

Despite eight years, a bachelor’s degree, a published memoir and untold hours of therapy - the uncontestable truth remains: I’m still a six foot three inch tall white man and I am not built for rhythm.  (And honestly, I think a big part of the problem was the music, because aside from the inevitable “Gangnam Style,” the only song I recognized was “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It.” 

 

 

Would it be that difficult to play something from this Willenium? I’m not asking for Robyn or Azealia Banks, but seriously: “You Ain’t Got No ***in’ Yeezy” in your Serato?)

 

 

Happily, I’ve been taking classes at my yoga studio for almost two months now, and yoga accommodates my anxiety disorder far better than other forms of exercise. 

 

 

The scheduled classes make it much more difficult to procrastinate and encourage me to get out of the house earlier. 

 

 

The directed structure of the classes, which requires listening to the instructor and following specific commands, is much more engaging and helps distract from OCD symptoms. 

 

 

And again, while I can’t claim to be specially gifted at Zumba, I found it a useful way to confront my social anxiety and my pervasive phobia of looking silly in public. 

 

 

Because I promise you - with Zumba, you will look silly in public.

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It won’t be for everyone, but I’ve found my yoga studio membership has improved my management of my disorder as well as my general health. 

 

 

If you have a mental disability and you’ve struggled with maintaining an exercise regime in the past, it may well be worth a shot.  After all, it’s not too late to get a healthy start to the new year.

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For further information, please do not hesitate in contact us.

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info@connecthealthandfitness.com