Anxiety Specialists of St. Louis

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Anxiety Specialists of St. Louis

We help people with anxiety and OCD go from afraid and stuck to living a life they love.

10/24/2025

Ever catch yourself thinking,
“I know it’s probably fine… but what if I’m missing something?”

That’s not you being irrational — that’s your brain using a mental pattern called obsessional reasoning.

OCD doesn’t just throw random scary thoughts at you.
It builds a story that feels logical.
🧠 It focuses on what’s possible instead of what’s real.
🧠 It pulls in facts that don’t actually apply to the situation.
🧠 It makes doubt feel responsible — like you’re just being careful.

That’s why OCD thoughts feel so convincing, even when you logically know they don’t make sense.

Here’s the shift that helps:
Instead of asking, “Is this true?”
try asking, “Is this relevant right now?”

That small question helps you step out of the loop.
You don’t need 100% certainty — just a new way of relating to doubt. 🌱

Save this post if your brain builds stories faster than you can fact-check them.

10/23/2025

Have you ever thought, “I know this probably isn’t true… but what if it is?”
That moment is one of the hardest parts of OCD — when the fear feels real, even though you logically know it doesn’t make sense.

That’s not you being irrational.
That’s something called obsessional reasoning.

It’s the mental pattern that fuels OCD — and it works by making your brain focus on possibility instead of reality.
It pulls in facts that don’t apply, memories that seem relevant, and a flood of “what ifs” until the doubt feels almost responsible.

You might even find yourself saying, “It just feels logical.”
And that’s exactly how OCD keeps you hooked.

The goal isn’t to convince yourself the thought is false — it’s to notice the kind of reasoning your brain is using.
Try this shift:
👉 Instead of asking, “Is this true?” ask, “Is this relevant right now?”

You don’t need 100% certainty to move forward.
You just need to start recognizing when OCD is trying to sound convincing. 💙

10/22/2025

Setbacks in OCD recovery aren’t failure—they’re part of the process.

Sometimes your symptoms flare up again, even after weeks or months of progress. In ICBT, we call this the wobble. It’s your brain testing old pathways, not proof you’re back at square one.

A wobble is a practice round.
👉 A chance to use the tools you’ve been learning.
👉 A reminder that resilience—not perfection—is what builds recovery.

You don’t lose progress when you wobble. You strengthen it by coming back to your values, your skills, and your real life again and again.

Recovery isn’t a straight line. It’s a return. 💙

10/21/2025

Setbacks in OCD recovery are common and they’re not failure.

We often call these moments the “wobble.” It’s when old symptoms show up again after a period of progress.

The wobble doesn’t erase your growth. It’s a chance to practice. To remind your brain of the new patterns you’re building. To choose values over compulsions again and again.
Recovery isn’t perfection. It’s resilience. Every wobble you ride out makes you stronger. 💙

10/18/2025

Ever notice how your brain sometimes takes something small like forgetting to wave, or a weird look from someone, and turns it into proof of your biggest fear?

That’s not intuition. That’s a thinking pattern called reverse reasoning.

It happens when OCD starts with the fear (“What if I’m a terrible person?”) and then scans the world for evidence to confirm it.
🧠 The fear comes first.
🧠 The “evidence” comes second.
🧠 And suddenly, your brain says, “See? I knew it.”

But those conclusions aren’t based on the present moment, they’re pulled from old, fear-based stories your brain keeps replaying.

Here’s the reframe:
👉 “Just because this fear feels familiar doesn’t mean it’s true.”
👉 “What story am I bringing into this moment?”

Noticing that pattern is progress. You’re not losing control, you’re learning how to spot OCD’s tricks in real time. 🌱

10/16/2025

Ever notice how something small or ordinary suddenly feels like “proof” your worst fear is true?

That’s not intuition—it’s a mental habit called reverse reasoning.

🧠 You start with a feared story in your mind.
🧠 Then something minor happens.
🧠 And your brain says, “See? It’s happening.”

Example: You fear being a bad person → you forget to wave at someone → your brain goes, “That proves it.”

But OCD doesn’t start in the present moment—it starts with fear and works backward to find evidence.

Next time that happens, try this reframe:
👉 “Just because this fear is familiar doesn’t mean it’s relevant.”
👉 “What story am I bringing into this moment?”

📌 Save this for when your brain builds stories faster than you can fact-check them.

10/15/2025

OCD runs on urgency.
“Fix this now.”
“Check again.”
“Make sure nothing bad happens.”

It feels loud, fast, and impossible to ignore. But here’s the truth: not every urge needs action.

Recovery asks for something slower, quieter, and ultimately stronger — a pause.
🌱 In that pause, you can notice the urge without obeying it.
🌱 You can ask, “What actually matters here?”
🌱 You can choose a response that aligns with your values, not your fears.

Urges scream. Values whisper.
But with practice, that quiet voice grows louder — and that’s where real freedom begins.

10/14/2025

OCD thrives on urgency: “Fix this now. Check this again. Or something bad will happen.”
But not every urge needs action.

Recovery teaches you to pause. In that pause, you can ask: What actually matters here? What choice aligns with the life I want—not the one OCD demands?

Urges are loud. Values are quiet. But with practice, the quiet voice of values grows stronger. And that’s where real freedom is found. 💙

10/10/2025

Most people don’t give up because they’re lazy. They give up because they tried something once, it didn’t work, and they decided that meant it never would.

But the truth is, trying once isn’t trying. It’s the rough draft. The prototype. The dart that hits the wall three feet from the target.

Especially with OCD recovery strategies, the first attempt almost never feels smooth. You delay a ritual, resist reassurance, or try to sit with uncertainty…and it feels awful. Or like nothing changes. So your brain says, “See? That didn’t work.”

But that first attempt is data, not failure.

Real progress looks like this:
👉 You try something deliberately.
👉 You notice what happened.
👉 You ask what got in the way.
👉 You adjust the plan.
👉 You try again with the adjustment.

That loop, try, reflect, adjust, repeat, is how people build skills. It’s not a clean ramp upward. It’s messy. It takes persistence. But each round teaches your brain something new.

So the next time you think, “I tried, but it didn’t work,” ask instead: “What did I learn, and how can I adjust?”

Because progress doesn’t come from the first try. It comes from circling back with curiosity until things start to click. 🌱

10/09/2025

Most people don’t quit because they’re lazy.

They quit because they try something that doesn’t work, blame themselves, and take that as proof it’s never going to work.

This is especially true with compulsions. You try something that’s supposed to help...delay the ritual, resist reassurance, do the opposite of the urge: and it feels awful. Or it barely works. So your brain says: "Well, that was useless."

But here’s the part people forget: the first try is never the finished product. It’s the rough draft. The prototype. The dart that hits the wall three feet from the target.

Your brain is learning. And learning isn’t a pass/fail event. It’s a messy loop.

Think of every “miss” as a data point, not a dead end.

You try something. It doesn’t land. You get curious about why (not judgmental, just curious). You make a small, specific tweak. Then you try again.

That’s what practicing a skill actually looks like. It’s not a smooth ramp upward it’s looping through trial and error until things begin to click.

So if you’ve said to yourself, “I tried, but it didn’t work,” zoom out and ask: Did I learn anything from that first try? Is there an adjustment I haven’t made yet?

You don’t need to have the perfect strategy. You need a process you can stick with long enough to evolve.

Because the real work isn’t about trying once. It’s about staying in motion, even when it’s uncomfortable… especially when it’s uncomfortable.

10/08/2025

Many people imagine OCD recovery as pure relief: the anxiety quiets down, and suddenly life feels peaceful and free.

But in reality, recovery often feels…flat. Empty. Even boring or confusing. And that can leave you wondering if you’re doing something wrong.

You’re not. What you’re feeling is your nervous system recalibrating after years of running on overdrive. When your brain isn’t constantly flooded with fear, the stillness can feel strange, even uncomfortable.

This stage doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means you’re healing. Quiet takes getting used to, but over time it becomes the foundation for peace, curiosity, and real choice. 🌱

If recovery feels different than you expected, you’re not failing. You’re adjusting, and that adjustment is part of the work. 💙

10/06/2025

If OCD recovery doesn’t feel as peaceful as you expected, you’re not alone. Many people feel flat, bored, or disoriented when compulsions quiet down.

Here’s why: your nervous system is adjusting. After years of living on high alert, stillness feels foreign. But that’s not failure, it’s progress.

Recovery doesn’t always feel like joy at first. Sometimes it feels like emptiness. And then slowly, new space opens for curiosity, meaning, and choice.

This “strange quiet” is healing. Give it time. 💙

Address

3250 Hampton Avenue, Suite 200
St. Louis, MO
63139

Telephone

+13144622965

Website

http://www.anxietyspecialistsofstl.com/

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