If you follow the Washington Commanders, you might’ve seen kicker Zane Gonzalez’s game-winning playoff field goal last season in the wild card round—and maybe you noticed the routine that went viral afterward. The precise way he tapped his helmet, adjusted his socks, fixed his hair. Over and over, the same sequence, with each kick.
Some people joked about it. Others just chalked it up to athlete superstition. But Gonzalez later shared that his routine wasn’t about luck—it was part of how he manages life with OCD.
That story stayed with me. Because in therapy, I often hear the other side of that routine: the private, internal struggle that rituals like this can represent. For many people living with OCD, the urge to get something “just right” isn’t quirky or amusing—it’s intense, exhausting, and often invisible.
Whether your compulsions are physical or entirely in your head, whether you’ve had a diagnosis for years or are just beginning to wonder—this post is for you. You’re not alone in this, and there are ways to live with OCD that don’t require you to fight so hard every day.
Let’s talk about what it actually looks like—and what might help.
What Makes Daily Life with OCD So Challenging
OCD affects more than your thoughts. It impacts how you move through the world, how you make decisions, and how much energy it takes to get through your day. Some common experiences include:
Time-consuming rituals: Whether it's handwashing, checking, repeating actions, or seeking reassurance, compulsions can eat up hours of your time.
Mental exhaustion: The internal dialogue that OCD creates—What if I missed something? Should I check again? What does it mean that I thought that?—can be relentless.
Fear of being misunderstood: Many people with OCD hide their compulsions out of shame or fear of judgment, especially when they involve taboo or intrusive thoughts.
Invisible struggles: Mental compulsions like reviewing conversations, neutralizing thoughts, or counting in your head often go unnoticed by others—making it even harder to explain what you’re going through.
Tips and Strategies for Managing OCD Day-to-Day
There’s no quick fix for OCD, but there are daily practices that can reduce its grip over time. These strategies aren’t about eliminating thoughts—they’re about changing how you relate to them.
1. Structure Your Day Where You Can
OCD thrives on uncertainty and decision overload. Creating predictable routines can help reduce the cognitive load that fuels obsessions. Keep in mind this isn’t about rigidity—it’s about supporting your nervous system and reducing unnecessary stress.
2. Name It: “This Is an OCD Thought”
A key skill in managing OCD is learning to recognize your thoughts as part of the disorder. Labeling a thought as “an OCD thought” creates a bit of space—just enough to make a different choice. The goal isn’t to argue with the thought or prove it wrong, but to notice it and step back.
3. Practice Small Acts of Response Prevention
You don’t have to tackle your biggest compulsion first. Start with something small, like delaying a ritual by 30 seconds or resisting the urge to ask for reassurance once a day. These tiny moments build tolerance and gradually rewire your response to anxiety.
4. Watch Out for Mental Compulsions
Some compulsions happen in your head—like analyzing, mentally checking, or trying to “neutralize” a bad thought. These are just as much a part of OCD as external rituals, and recognizing them is key. When you catch yourself doing a mental compulsion, gently remind yourself that it’s part of the loop, and try returning to the present.
5. Be Kind to Yourself
Living with OCD is exhausting. Progress often isn’t linear. There will be days you feel strong and days when the compulsions win. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Practicing self-compassion can prevent the guilt spiral that OCD loves to hijack. A helpful phrase: “I’m working on this—and I don’t have to be perfect.”
6. Track Triggers and Patterns
Keeping a journal can help you spot patterns and identify high-anxiety situations. You might notice certain times of day, stressors, or environments that amplify compulsions. Awareness helps you prepare and respond more skillfully over time.
When to Seek Support
OCD can be deeply isolating—but it doesn’t have to be something you manage alone. If your symptoms are interfering with your daily functioning, relationships, or mental health, working with a therapist who understands OCD can be life-changing.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) remain the most well-supported, evidence-based treatments for OCD. They help retrain how you respond to obsessive thoughts by reducing avoidance and breaking the compulsion cycle.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) also plays an important role, especially in helping people move away from fighting thoughts and toward building a life rooted in values—even when anxiety is present. ACT emphasizes willingness and psychological flexibility over symptom control, which many clients find empowering.
Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) is not a first-line treatment for OCD, but it can be a powerful complement—especially for clients whose OCD symptoms are shaped by trauma, shame, or attachment wounds. AEDP helps people access and process emotions that may have been buried under fear, perfectionism, or the urge to control. When OCD is part of a larger emotional survival strategy, AEDP can create a safe space for that deeper healing to begin.
A therapist can help you:
Build a personalized hierarchy for facing compulsions
Develop a non-reactive stance toward intrusive thoughts
Reconnect with emotional resilience through embodied, compassionate exploration
Stay accountable when avoidance starts to creep back in
OCD is treatable. And therapy can help you not only reduce symptoms—but begin living with more clarity, flexibility, and self-trust.
Final Thoughts
Living with OCD requires resilience, patience, and self-compassion. It’s a daily practice of noticing when the old patterns show up—and choosing, again and again, not to feed them. Some days you’ll feel like you’re making real progress. Other days will feel stuck. That’s part of the process.
Learning to live with OCD isn’t easy—but it is possible. And you don’t have to do it perfectly to make real progress.
Learn more about how OCD therapy can help.