As we wrap up this June, reflecting on previous summers when I was in my haze of OCD and anxiety, I really have much clearer insights into my own struggles with anxiety and indecision and FOMO. In my experience, this is something that’s not really often talked about when we talk about OCD and anxiety. I wanted to bring light to it, especially in the summer because it can just exacerbate all of this, right? Especially with social media, we are constantly being bombarded with images and stories of others seemingly living their best lives. And for someone with anxiety, it can create this relentless sense of inadequacy and fear.

If right now, you might feel pressured to participate in every single event and say yes to every invitation, and to constantly stay connected online. That’s going to lead to burnout and increased anxiety because none of us have the energy to measure up. It’s really important to understand how indecision and FOMO can all be normal human experiences, but when you have OCD and anxiety, it can just exacerbate the hell out of all of it.

Today I’m sharing:

• Understanding Indecision in the Context of OCD and Anxiety
• The Heightened Impact of FOMO During Summer
• The Vicious Cycle of Overthinking and Safety Behaviors
• Feeling Paralyzed With Choices
• Strategies to Combat Anxiety and Indecision and Embrace the Moment

Understanding Indecision in the Context of OCD and Anxiety

Indecision is a really common symptom of both OCD and anxiety. It can be something that a lot of people struggle with that brings them a lot of distress and impairment and keeps them from living the life that they want to live. This fear and this indecision can stem from fears of the wrong choice, the fear of missing out on a better option, or facing negative consequences.

When FOMO is involved, this indecision can become even more pronounced. When you have OCD or anxiety, it can become an almost paralyzing kind of process. So when we’re met with summer, usually there’s a lot of social activities going on. There’s a lot of events, a lot of vacations and opportunities to connect with others. For many it can be a really exciting time and really enjoyable time. But when you have OCD and anxiety, the sheer number of choices and the pressure to make the right decision can become really overwhelming.

The Heightened Impact of FOMO During Summer

Summer comes with so many dang options. Each event feels like a potential for missing out on something better. Ultimately, that just leads to a really significant cycle of indecision, and you might agonize over which event to attend, worrying about whether you’ll miss out on fun or important social interactions. This decision making paralysis is a hallmark of OCD and anxiety.

The Vicious Cycle of Overthinking and Safety Behaviors

People with OCD and anxiety might overthink every possible outcome of every single choice. They might even seek reassurance or repeatedly check for new information to make it the perfect decision. Unfortunately, these behaviors, don’t alleviate the anxiety. In fact, it often amplifies it leading to procrastination and avoidance altogether.

Social media really heightens this too. Your friends and acquaintances constantly posting about their summer activities can lead to a fear of being left out or judged for not participating. Then, it can lead to over commitment, burnout, and an overwhelming sense of inadequacy. 

Understanding Anxiety and Indecision Related to OCD

Indecision and FOMO are common struggles for those who have OCD and anxiety as the desire for certainty clashes with the unpredictable nature of life. Obsessive thoughts can center around making the right choice to avoid perceived negative outcomes, regret or guilt or shame or feeling bad. The compulsions (or safety behaviors) that you do, then might manifest in the form of constant reassurance seeking, rumination, and analysis paralysis.

FOMO is a term that most of us are familiar with. It’s that nagging feeling that something exciting or interesting is happening elsewhere and you are not a part of it. It’s that anxiety that you feel when you see friends on social media attending an event you didn’t know about or you couldn’t go to. But for some, FOMO can be much more than just an occasional feeling.

OCD and Anxiety

If you’re new here, obsessive compulsive disorder is characterized by unwanted and intrusive thoughts followed by these repetitive behaviors that you feel really compelled to do to make yourself feel better. These behaviors can be either physical or mental and non observable, but they are done in an attempt to alleviate or relieve yourself of the anxiety that you feel from these intrusive thoughts.

FOMO can really amplify those symptoms. Imagine somebody with OCD who constantly fears like they’re making the wrong choice or missing out on the best possible option. This fear can lead to a lot of obsessive checking behaviors (like repeatedly refreshing social media feeds). It can also look like constantly reassurance seeking from others that they’re not missing out on an important experiences.

The behaviors don’t help. So for instance, somebody with OCD might spend hours agonizing over what events to attend, worried that choosing one means they’ll miss something that’s even better at another. This can result in them not enjoying any of the events that they choose, or even avoiding social situations altogether because the decision making process just becomes way too freaking overwhelming. So it’s really important to understand that FOMO is more than just a trendy term for some people. It can become a really significant source of distress.

The OCD And Anxiety Blueprint

And while we are on this subject of managing anxiety, I want to take a second to dive deeper into what my digital course, the OCD and Anxiety Recovery Blueprint is all about. It’s more than a course, it truly is a ticket to freedom on the other side of that awful, awful ocean that you feel like you’ve just been treading on forever. No more endless cycles of anxiety and scary thoughts holding you back. No more feeling like you’re tiptoeing around a real life haunted house.

With the OCD and Anxiety Recovery Blueprint, you are finally going to break free from the chains of your mind and be able to step into a life of clarity, freedom and confidence. This course isn’t just about managing your symptoms. I believe that we are not here to just get by. It’s about reclaiming your power, your joy, and your sense of self, and saying saying goodbye to the pain and frustration of living with OCD and anxiety. You’re going to learn how to prevent rituals, prevent mental compulsions, and prevent physical compulsions that are holding you back. You’re going to learn how to do the hard things, how to expose yourself to what used to be absolutely terrifying, and you’re going to emerge stronger, braver, and more resilient than you could have ever freaking imagined. Join me inside now!

Strategies to Combat Indecision and Embrace the Moment

When you have OCD and anxiety, you might find yourself overwhelmed by the pressure to make the most of the season. You might find yourself spending hours researching each potential activity, analyzing every detail to ensure that it aligns with your idea of the perfect summer day. But no matter how much you research, that doubt creeps in. This can result in not enjoying any of the events that you choose, or even avoiding social situations altogether because the decision making process just becomes way too freaking overwhelming. I want you to remember that perfection is an illusion.

1. Set Priorities 

Identify what truly matters to you. It’s okay to miss some events if they don’t align with your values or interests. I really want you to make decisions based on what is the most important to you, not just what is important right now, and just remember that the more that you stay in this analysis paralysis, the less ideal any and all of the options are going to be. So set priorities and make decisions quickly.

2. Limit Social Media 

Reduce the amount of time that you spend on social media if you can’t deal with the constant comparisons and the pressure that they bring. We know on some level that this is all a highlight reel, but it’s really hard to remember that and keep that front and center. So if you’re having a hard time and you feel like that is something that you just can’t deal with right now without it being compulsive, limit social media and make sure that you’re making decisions that align with your values and not anybody else’s.

3. Mindfulness 

Focus on the present moment. Mindfulness doesn’t have to be this really structured thing where you are meditating with zen music, with cross legs. It can just be you paying attention to the present moment on purpose instead of being constantly wrapped up in the future or constantly wrapped up in the past.

Mindfulness can help reduce the anxiety of worrying about future events or decisions, and you can actually just bring yourself back to the present moment and let yourself feel how you feel right now.

4. Accept The Imperfection 

I want you to have days and summer experiences that aren’t perfect. I want you to miss out. As strange as it sounds, I want you to make the wrong decisions because I need you to understand and give your brain the experience of seeing that no decision is perfect. I need you to experience that. It’s okay to make mistakes. I need your brain to experience and quite literally have the evidence via new behavioral experiences that you don’t have to always make the right choice. This acceptance of making mistakes and knowing that it doesn’t always have to be perfect or maximum or optimal or perfect in that it can alleviate some of the pressure to always make the right choice.

Finding Joy in Simplicity and Present Moments

So with all that said, I want you to know that you are not alone in your struggles. By acknowledging and addressing the impact of indecision in FOMO, you can reclaim your summer and actually try to embrace the joy of living in the moment. You are so much stronger and you have the power to overcome any obstacle that comes your way. If you want more support, we would love to welcome you inside the OCD and Anxiety Recovery Blueprint. Keep doing all the hard things.

Keep doing all the hard things. Bye for now.

👏 Unlock your free 40-minute video on “5 Must-Know Strategies for Handling Anxiety and Intrusive Thoughts”: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jennaoverbaughlpc.com/strategies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🧠 Start your transformation today with the Mental Compulsion Mini Course referenced in this episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jennaoverbaughlpc.com/mental-compulsions⁠

💪 Ready to conquer OCD/anxiety? Explore The OCD and Anxiety Recovery Blueprint – with or without a therapist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jennaoverbaughlpc.com/blueprint⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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