How Scrupulosity OCD Affects Your Thanksgiving Experience

You might be wondering what on earth Scrupulosity Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder has to do with Thanksgiving. In fact, at first glance, it might not appear to have anything to do with it! However, do you tend to struggle on holidays and not know why?

If so, OCD may be playing a bigger role than you might think.

How OCD could impact your holiday experience

From as early as I can remember, during every single family gathering or holiday celebration, I got a feeling that I eventually learned to call “the pit.” It made me feel like I was watching the world in black and white, like I was walking around with a sense of impending doom. 

Over the years, I came up with many different reasons for why I believed I experienced this, but it wasn’t until recently that I finally made the connection: Thus, “the pit” is simply anxiety, all triggered by OCD. 

In my particular case, my Scrupulosity OCD sometimes targets what I eat, my appearance and how I treat people. It just so happens that family gatherings and holidays are the perfect storm because I’m typically eating more than normal, which makes me worry about my appearance, and I am also around a lot of people, which provides ample opportunity for potentially making a mistake. 

However, this experience may not resonate with everyone who has Scrupulosity OCD. Scrupulosity OCD could impact your Thanksgiving experience by:

• Setting your expectations of the event too high

• Leading to you overanalyzing every interaction you have

• Ruminating about what you’re eating/if you sinned by overeating

• Experiencing hypersensitivity to your emotions

• Wondering if you’re celebrating the holiday the “right” way

• Making it difficult for you to rest without guilt

And this is just the tip of the iceberg! However, I don’t just want to state the problem, I also want to give you some suggestions for how you can cope.

How you can cope with OCD during the holidays

Here are some ways you can better cope with your OCD when it is acting up on a holiday:

• Set proper expectations and anticipate that you may have higher anxiety or more intrusive thoughts on Thanksgiving

• Choose one trusted person to open up to. Prepare them by letting them know the best ways they can support you

• Pre-prepare diffusions for your intrusive thoughts. Here are a few of my favorites:

  • “Maybe, maybe not”

  • “That’s a good idea for other people”

  • “I’m choosing to focus on my values, and right now that means being in the present moment”

Handling Scrupulosity OCD on Thanksgiving

Ultimately, remember that a good day is not a perfect day, and it’s okay if Thanksgiving isn’t even a good day for you. Honor how you feel while trying to stay present. This day may look different for you than others, but that doesn’t mean it’s worse for you than others.

For more information on how you can manage intense intrusive thoughts that may come on days like Thanksgiving, check out this blog post.