Everyday Mindfulness for OCD: Tips, Tricks, and Skills for Living Joyfully

“The most empowering OCD book I have ever read.”
—Reid Wilson, PhD, author of Stopping the Noise in Your Head

Don’t just survive—thrive. In Everyday Mindfulness for OCD, two experts in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) offer a blend of mindfulness, humor, and self-compassion to help you stop dwelling on what’s wrong and start enhancing what’s right—leading to a more joyful life.

If you’ve been diagnosed with OCD, you already understand how your obsessive thoughts, compulsive behavior, and need for rituals can interfere with everyday life. Maybe you’ve already undergone therapy or are in the midst of working with a therapist. It’s important for you to know that life doesn’t end with an OCD diagnosis. In fact, it’s possible to not only live with the disorder, but also live joyfully. This practical and accessible guide will show you how.

In Everyday Mindfulness for OCD, you’ll discover how you can stay one step ahead of your OCD. You’ll learn about the world of mindfulness, and how living in the present moment non-judgmentally is so important when you have OCD. You’ll also explore the concept of self-compassion—what it is, what it isn’t, how to use it, and why people with OCD benefit from it. Finally, you’ll discover daily games, tips, and tricks for outsmarting your OCD, meditations and mindfulness exercises, and much, much more.

Living with OCD is challenging—but it doesn’t have to define you. If you’re tired of focusing on how “hard” living with OCD is and are looking for fun ways to make the most of your unique self, this book will be a breath of fresh air.

Jon Hershfield, MFT, is director of The OCD and Anxiety Center of Greater Baltimore in Hunt Valley, MD. He specializes in the mindfulness-based and cognitive behavioral treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and is licensed in the states of Maryland, Virginia, and California. Hershfield is coauthor of The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD, and author of When a Family Member Has OCD. He is a frequent presenter at the annual conferences of both the International OCD Foundation and the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, and a professional contributor to multiple online OCD-related support groups and blogs.

Shala Nicely, LPC, is a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) therapist in metro Atlanta, GA, specializing in the treatment of OCD and related disorders. She was the keynote speaker for the 2013 International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) conference with the story of her triumph over OCD, “Is Fred in the Refrigerator?” Shala promotes the power of turning personal challenges into service to others as an advocate for The Adversity 2 Advocacy Alliance. She is cofounder, with Jeff Bell, of beyondthedoubt.com, an initiative dedicated to helping people learn to thrive through uncertainty and the fear and doubt it creates. Shala also blogs for Psychology Today, offering an inside perspective on life with OCD and the lessons of uncertainty.

Foreword writer C. Alec Pollard, PhD, is director of the Center for OCD and Anxiety-Related Disorders (COARD), and professor of family and community medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Pollard is a licensed psychologist who works with a range of obsessive-compulsive and anxiety-related disorders, with a special interest in patients ambivalent about or resistant to therapy. He serves as a reviewer for a number of professional journals and conference program committees, and has authored and coauthored more than eighty-five publications, including two books: The Agoraphobia Workbook and Dying of Embarrassment.