A little trick that has helped me a lot.

Separating thought from action and also from emotion. The magical thinking runs DEEP with OCD, especially pure-O. What I do is, when the thoughts pop into my head that I fear entertaining because they will “alter” me or my actions in some way or “weigh on my conscience” or “it’s admission that my fears are true” or “my emotions mean it’s real…”

I just let them be there. “You can’t think this thought” — I allow myself to think it. Not make myself think it. That’s a compulsion. I ALLOW myself to. Very important distinction. If a thought brings anxiety and an intense urge to relieve the anxiety, that’s OCD. Whenever the backdoor spikes hit, that’s the thing to remember.

Am I cured? No. Far from it. But remembering to separate thoughts from emotions and from actions is one of the best tools you have to beat OCD.