snapping rubber band for obsessive thoughts

So I saw my psychologist today. I've been having a pretty rough couple of weeks health-wise and OCD-wise. He asked if I am having much success at stopping/ignoring intrusive or obsessive thoughts. I told him I was in some regards but others I am not able to stop. He has suggested I literally get a rubber band and wear it on my wrist. Theory is every time I have an obsessive thought I snap the rubber band and move on to something else. Has anyone tried this with any success?

Hey! If the rubber band works well for you, then go for it! It didn't work well for me, because it just reinforced my thoughts and ended up increasing my mental spirals. If the rubber band doesn't work for you or you wanna go a different direction, I've had a lot of success working through mindfulness (it's essentially like do-it-yourself CBT, you can find the workbook on Amazon, "The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD: A Guide to Overcoming Obsessions and Compulsions Using Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy" by by Jon Hershfield MFT)--essentially, you acknowledge the thought you're having, become fully aware that you're having an OCD thought and acknowledge all discomfort, then you consciously let it pass through your mind rather than dwelling on it.

It's a different approach than snapping yourself with the rubber band because it focuses on thinking through the thought rather than actively pushing it away. I know for a lot of people, myself included, trying to "stop" the obsessive thought ends up being detrimental in the long-run because I never actually work through the anxiety, I just reflexively push it away and which makes it get worse. You could always look into mindfulness and try the rubber band to see what helps! Again, if the rubber band works for you, go for it; I personally have found mindfulness and CBT to be incredibly helpful.