Sometimes OCD can work just like quicksand: The harder you struggle against your obsessive thoughts, the deeper you'll sink. By giving them less power — that is, by inviting them to come into your head — you may find that they quickly deflate. Some therapists actually advocate this method. If you're curious, give it a try it and see. The next time you experience anxiety, allow yourself to feel it instead of trying to suppress it.

On the other hand, every person who has OCD is different. Pushing away the anxious feelings through creative distraction could prove a better strategy for you. In that case, find out what works: getting absorbed in a crossword puzzle or book, perhaps, or working, or reaching out and becoming engaged in positive ways with others. This can be as simple as e-mailing a friend, phoning an elderly family member to ask how she's doing, or becoming involved in a volunteer project.

And volunteering is a wonderful way to get outside of yourself and your problems, and to do good for others, too. Win-win! Just keeping busy by doing a useful task can go a long way toward reducing anxiety.

Time to Panic?

Other experts recommend employing what they call “worry time,” a technique that works in more or less the same way as the “controlled burn” firefighters sometimes use to prevent forest fires when conditions are ideal for them to start. Using worry time means that, when a troubling thought arises, you actually set aside your anxiety until a special time — say, one half-hour every afternoon. The reasoning goes that if you can learn to delay your worries briefly, when you're ready for them, they will have reduced in size and scope.

Worry time also allows you to set aside temporarily those upsetting thoughts that might otherwise keep you awake or interfere with work by arising at inopportune moments. This affords you a measure of control (as in, “I'll worry about that later”).

Act As If

Twelve-step programs call this “acting as if,” and it essentially means pretending that you feel perfectly calm. If your body doesn't begin to mount that terrible fear response, you may be able to keep worry at bay — or, at least, to a minimum. (Remember the song about whistling a cheerful refrain when you feel scared!)

Simple as this may sound, you might also be able to stop obsessions simply by saying to yourself, “That is not true” or “That is just a silly idea, and I'm not going to pay attention to it.” No one's suggesting that it is easy to get rid of OCD obsessions. However, if you can rob them of their power, you can greatly diminish their ability to wreak havoc against you.

Just Say No

You might also want to take a page from the CBT book and vow not to give in to the compulsion part of your OCD. You may not be able to stop worrying, but you can stop checking your body for signs of injuries or disease; you can refuse to recheck your stove or locks or seek assurance from others. You might be surprised to notice a significant reduction in your overall anxiety once you do. It may not be easy, but it definitely is possible. Next time your anxieties rage, give these techniques a try.

Accept What You Cannot Change

There probably will be times when you are just going to have to feel anxious, as virtually everybody does. Unfortunately, no one escapes from life on Earth completely unharmed. When you experience unshakable anxiety, know that, although it is very unpleasant, it will end. Allow yourself to feel some anxiety some of the time.

If it becomes unmanageable and is interfering with your work, sleep, relationships, or functioning, make sure to talk with your therapist or health care provider as soon as possible. It may also help to have a support system of people you can confide in. Connecting with others who have OCD will probably prove helpful, as well.