Matt Codde
@mattcodde.restoredminds Β· 26 k subscribers
Break the OCD Loop in 7 Days with Matt Codde
Stop feeding the anxiety cycle: learn to spot your mental compulsions, cut reassurance seeking, and build your first ERP hierarchy in one week.
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OCD keeps you stuck because the things that feel like solutions β ruminating, analyzing, asking for reassurance β are exactly what keep the loop spinning. In 7 days, guided by Matt Codde of Restored Minds, you'll learn to see the loop clearly, catch your mental compulsions in real time, and start responding differently with a starter ERP hierarchy. Each day: one video and one small, concrete action. By day 7, you'll have a written map of your loop and a plan to keep breaking it.
Your week at a glance
- Day 1π¬ Watch why you can't stop thinking β and catch your loop today Β· βοΈ Name your loop and interrupt it once before bed
- Day 2π¬ Spot the 5 mental compulsions and open your loop log Β· π Start your loop log
- Day 3π¬ See how reassurance seeking keeps the cycle alive Β· β Map your reassurance habits and pick one to pause
- Day 4π¬ Learn to build an ERP hierarchy the right way Β· βοΈ Draft your starter hierarchy
- Day 5π Face your entry-point trigger without compulsing
- Day 6π¬ Watch what real recovery looks like and check your definition Β· βοΈ Find your pattern in the log
- Day 7π― Final challenge: a full day of not feeding the loop
Day by day, in detail
Day 1π¬ βοΈ Watch why you can't stop thinking β and catch your loop today +1β
βοΈ Name your loop and interrupt it once before bed
βοΈ Right now, no overthinking: what's the theme your mind loops on most? Write it down and give it a short name (e.g. "the health spiral", "the did-I-mess-up replay"). Then commit to one thing: the next time you catch yourself ruminating today, notice it, label it "that's the loop", and bring your attention back to whatever you were doing. One interrupt. That's the whole mission.
Day 2π¬ π Spot the 5 mental compulsions and open your loop log +1β
π¬ Spot the 5 mental compulsions and open your loop log
π Start your loop log
π This log is your core tool for the week. Every time you notice yourself ruminating, mentally reviewing, checking, or analyzing, come back here and jot it down. Don't aim for perfect entries β the act of catching the compulsion and naming it is what weakens it. What you can see, you can change.
Day 3π¬ β See how reassurance seeking keeps the cycle alive +1β
π¬ See how reassurance seeking keeps the cycle alive
β Map your reassurance habits and pick one to pause
- I listed the ways I seek reassurance (asking people, googling, re-reading messages, mental checking)
- I identified my #1 go-to reassurance habit β the one I reach for most
- I chose one reassurance behavior to pause for the next 24 hours
- I logged today's loop moments, including any reassurance urges I noticed
Day 4π¬ βοΈ Learn to build an ERP hierarchy the right way +1β
π¬ Learn to build an ERP hierarchy the right way
βοΈ Draft your starter hierarchy
βοΈ Using what Matt teaches in the video, draft your starter hierarchy: list 5 situations you avoid or that trigger your loop, and rate each from 0-10 by how much distress it brings up. Then circle the easiest one β a 3 or 4, not a 9. That's your entry point. If you're working with a therapist, bring this list to them.
Day 5π Face your entry-point trigger without compulsingβ
π Face your entry-point trigger without compulsing
π I faced my easiest hierarchy item on purpose today, rode out the discomfort without ruminating or seeking reassurance, and logged how it went
Day 6π¬ βοΈ Watch what real recovery looks like and check your definition +1β
π¬ Watch what real recovery looks like and check your definition
βοΈ Find your pattern in the log
βοΈ Read back through your loop log from this week. What triggers show up most? Which compulsion is your mind's favorite β rumination, checking, reassurance? And most importantly: what happened the times you caught the loop and didn't feed it? Write down the one insight you most want to remember after this challenge ends.
Day 7π― Final challenge: a full day of not feeding the loopβ
π― Final challenge: a full day of not feeding the loop
π― Spend one full day catching every loop moment and refusing to feed it β no rumination sessions, no reassurance seeking.
This isn't about having zero intrusive thoughts β that's not the goal, and it never was. It's about changing your response. Every time the loop starts today, run your new playbook: notice it, name it, let the uncertainty sit unanswered, and return to your life. If you get pulled in, that's data, not failure β log it and reset. At the end of the day, post your proof: how many loops you caught, how many you didn't feed, and how today compares to day 1. That difference is your recovery starting. πͺ
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