Common OCD Triggers: What They Are & How to Cope

What Is an OCD Trigger?

An OCD trigger is anything that causes an obsession to occur, which then triggers the OCD cycle to begin. OCD triggers can be external, such as things an individual may encounter in their environment. A trigger may also be something internal, such as a specific body sensation or urge. Many individuals typically try to avoid OCD triggers, in an attempt to avoid experiencing the symptoms of OCD.

What Does an OCD Trigger Feel Like?

OCD triggers often cause an overwhelming surge of feelings. Once a trigger is encountered, it initiates the intrusive, obsessive thoughts that characterize OCD, thus leading to increased distress. Triggers can be intense for those experiencing them. Many people experience a rise in their anxiety, intrusive thoughts, or wanting to escape the situation.

Symptoms when experiencing an OCD trigger include:

• Intense rush of emotions, including fear, sadness, or frustration
• Intrusive and unwanted thoughts after the trigger occurs
• Urge to engage in a compulsive behavior
• Feeling an increased need to control
• Strong desire to leave the situation causing this trigger, which may lead to avoidance

7 Common OCD Triggers

OCD triggers tend to vary depending on the type of OCD and from person to person. OCD symptoms may be triggered by higher stress periods, such as a traumatic event or significant life change. Although some triggers may be positive life experiences, they are usually a deviation from typical routine and cause an increase in OCD symptoms due to a feeling of a loss of control. OCD triggers may be broad and impact individuals with any type of OCD, whereas other triggers are more specific to the type of OCD an individual has.

Here are seven common OCD triggers:

1. Chronic Stress

Chronic stress can be a trigger to OCD and lead to a worsening of symptoms. While undergoing a high amount of stress, particularly if it has been chronic or long-term, it can be harder to manage OCD symptoms and lead to an increase in intensity of distress or increased frequency of obsessions or compulsions.

2. Traumatic Experiences

Traumatic events and stressful life events may also be considered an OCD trigger for some individuals. Everyone responds to trauma and stressors differently, but some individuals who may be predisposed to OCD may start to experience OCD symptoms in response to a traumatic event.

Recent research indicates that 57% of individuals endured a trauma before the onset of OCD symptoms and 61% went through a stressful life event.¹ The nature and severity of the traumas varied, but a link between these traumas and the development of OCD symptoms was identified, most of them occurring one month before the onset of symptoms.¹

3. Significant Life Changes

Major life transitions and changes, such as switching jobs, moving, getting married, having a family, and more, may lead to OCD symptoms developing or worsening. Although these events are generally positive, they can be a disruption in normal routine, a time for adapting to new circumstances, and bring periods of increased stress. All of which may lead to an increased need for control and worsening of OCD symptoms.

4. Age & Genetics

There are two common age ranges that OCD tends to first develop: between 8-12 and late adolescence into early adulthood.² Therefore, around these time periods in life, OCD triggers may be experienced and lead to an onset of symptoms. This may be heightened even more so if high stress or traumatic situations are also occurring around this timeframe or if another relative in the family also has OCD, as genes play a role in the development of OCD as well.³

5. Vacations & Holidays

Even during events that are intended to be relaxing or enjoyable, OCD can be triggered. This can be due to a variety of factors, such as having a break from a normal routine, uncertainty about what to expect, or being around more people than usual and feeling the pressure to hide OCD symptoms.

6. Sleep Disturbance

Sleep disturbance may come in the form of trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. Nightmares and vivid dreams may also contribute, particularly if it leads to waking through the night. Lack of sleep can make it more difficult to function for anyone, but for individuals with OCD it can make it harder to cope with their symptoms. This may lead to an increase in experiencing OCD triggers or difficulty in managing the distress that accompanies the trigger.

7. Type-Specific Triggers

Some triggers are dependent on the specific type of OCD an individual experiences. For example, someone with contamination OCD may be triggered by being in crowded places, touching surfaces shared by others, or taking public transit. For an individual with a different type of OCD, such as harm or checking OCD, leaving the house may be a trigger at times due to feeling the urge to repeatedly check the locks, stove, and so forth.

There are many OCD triggers that may be experienced, depending on the person’s specific symptoms. What is a trigger to one person with OCD may not be a trigger to someone else with OCD. Therefore, there is great variability from person to person on what may be considered an OCD trigger.

How Do You Manage OCD Triggers?

Many individuals attempt to address OCD triggers by avoiding them. Some triggers, as explained above, are unavoidable and therefore it is important to know how to manage them or cope through them. Once triggered, OCD tends to bring up a high amount of distress that may be hard to manage at times. Fortunately, there are techniques that can be implemented to help you cope through an OCD trigger. Some of these techniques include breathwork, grounding, mindfulness, and seeking help through therapy.

Here are some ways to manage an OCD trigger:

• Identify your triggers: An important initial step in managing OCD triggers is recognizing what your triggers are. Because triggers vary from person to person, start by making note of the different triggers that you personally experience.
• Facing the trigger: Although it may be appealing to avoid experiencing the trigger, this can lead to the trigger feeling worse over time. The more something is avoided, the more the fear of it tends to build up.⁴
• Practice breathwork: There are a variety of techniques that can be implemented when practicing breathwork, such as box breathing, alternate nostril breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing. Regularly implementing breathwork can help with stress reduction and managing triggers.
• Implement grounding skills: When experiencing an OCD trigger, it can be disorienting or cause you to spiral into worries about what comes next. By using a grounding technique, such as tuning into your senses, you can help bring your attention back to the present and away from future worries that a trigger can bring.
• Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness emphasizes being present and nonjudgmental of your thoughts in the moment. Implementing mindfulness techniques and a yoga for OCD practice can help you cope with the distress a trigger may bring.
• Maintain self-care basics: Maintaining a regular sleeping schedule, having a balanced diet, and being active can all go a long way in supporting your overall mental health, making it easier to manage these triggers.
• Seek therapy: Although implementing the above skills can be helpful, many individuals benefit from seeking treatment through therapy to manage their OCD triggers.

Treatment for OCD

OCD treatment typically consists of therapy, medication, or a combination of both. The frontline treatment is a therapy known as exposure and response prevention (ERP) for OCD. This therapeutic approach has been widely studied as an effective treatment for OCD and has been shown to lead to symptom reduction for 7 out of 10 individuals with OCD.⁵

Medication may also be prescribed in combination with therapy to manage symptoms. Experiencing an OCD trigger often brings high distress, which may be managed by medications. Although ERP has been found to be the most effective treatment in research thus far, other treatment approaches have been used in treating OCD, including acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).

Treatment options for OCD include: 

• Exposure and response prevention (ERP): In this approach, an individual completes planned exposures with a therapist. The goal is to provoke the feared obsession without engaging in a compulsive behavior, which helps to break the cycle of OCD.
• Medications: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), also called antidepressants, are the most commonly prescribed to manage OCD symptoms. Examples of these medications used for OCD are: Luvox, Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil.⁶
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT explores the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. CBT for OCD specifically attempts to break the link between obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors that are used to reduce distressing feelings caused by these thoughts.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): The ACT approach emphasizes the benefit of psychological flexibility and encourages looking at other ways to respond to the distress caused by obsessive thoughts other than engaging in compulsive behaviors.
• Mindfulness-based CBT: Using mindfulness-based CBT to treat OCD focuses on noticing intrusive thoughts and letting them come and go, without judgment or the need to act on them. By taking an observational stance to these obsessions, the urge to act on compulsions in response to these thoughts can decrease.
• EMDR: If the onset of OCD symptoms can be identified as occurring after a stressful or traumatic event, as mentioned above, this approach can be particularly helpful. EMDR works to desensitize and reprocess prior traumatic events that are contributing to present distress, therefore reducing the symptoms of OCD.

When to Seek Professional Support

Seeking professional support is helpful at any stage of experiencing OCD triggers and symptoms, but particularly if you have noticed your symptoms are worsening or have become unmanageable. If your OCD has impacted your ability to do things you need to do or want to do, it’s important to address these symptoms with a professional. Seeking out an OCD  therapist through an online therapist directory can be a helpful place to start.