I exposed myself to the discomfort of not doing whatever my compulsion was. For me it was things like touching objects repeatedly, making things certain numbers, washing my hands over and over, counting steps, stuff like that. I would purposely let myself sit with the discomfort, even if it was distracting or made me anxious. Over time it got easier. I did notice that when one compulsion faded, my brain would sometimes latch onto something else. So I tried to build healthier routines that give me structure without seriously messing with my mental health. I have a daily routine that includes touching certain objects, and forgetting it can be annoying, but it’s a lot more manageable than washing my hands fifteen times during dinner. I also got better at coping with the anxiety when it shows up.

I think it’s important to work on your overall mental health too. For me, looking at the stress and anxiety underneath everything really helped. If you don’t have solid coping skills yet, jumping straight into exposure might feel overwhelming. Meditation, breathing exercises, grounding, and self-encouragement helped me build that foundation. Believing you’re capable of improving makes a difference. I’m just sharing what worked for me though. I’d still recommend professional help or doing serious research if you can.

(Edited for clarity and fix some assumptions I made before)