6 Tips for Managing OCD Around Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is marketed as cozy, joyful, and gratitude-filled…
But if you’re a young adult or college student living with OCD, the holiday can feel like a pressure cooker of expectations, family dynamics, overstimulation, and major routine changes, all of which tend to amplify OCD symptoms.

From travel delays to comments from relatives you haven’t seen since last year, Thanksgiving often pulls you out of predictability and into uncertainty. And uncertainty is OCD’s favorite playground.

If you notice your intrusive thoughts, compulsions, or anxiety increase during this time, you’re not alone. This is extremely common and absolutely manageable with the right tools, including ERP, I-CBT, and mindfulness-based strategies that strengthen your ability to tolerate discomfort and respond intentionally instead of reactively.

Let’s break down why OCD can flare during the holidays, the most common triggers, and six therapist-approved tips to support your holiday mental health this season.

Why Holiday Expectations Can Increase OCD Symptoms

Thanksgiving disrupts your routine, increases emotional demands, and exposes you to familiar family dynamics, all major triggers for Holiday OCD. Specific OCD triggers around the holidays can include:

• Fear of contamination (shared dishes, travel, bathrooms, food-prep worries)

• Moral or “good person” obsessions (pressure to be helpful, polite, grateful, or “perfect”)

• Relationship OCD spikes when surrounded by couples or intrusive family questions

• Harm OCD triggers with kitchen tools, driving, or being around younger relatives

• Scrupulosity triggers related to gratitude, spirituality, or family traditions

• Perfectionism around hosting, gifting, cooking, or social interactions

• Uncertainty and loss of control from schedule changes or unpredictable family environments

When expectations rise, your brain looks for reassurance, certainty, or control. That’s when compulsions show up, mentally replaying conversations, seeking reassurance, excessively planning, over-accommodating, or avoiding things that make you anxious.

The goal isn’t to eliminate discomfort (impossible).
The goal is to help you respond differently to it.

6 Therapist-Approved Tips for Managing OCD Around Thanksgiving

Tip #1: Set Expectations Ahead of Time: Reduce Uncertainty Before It Begins

ERP and I-CBT both emphasize reducing avoidance and increasing clarity.
Before Thanksgiving, ask yourself:

• What is my responsibility this year?

• What’s not mine to carry?

• Where do I tend to over-function or people-please?

• What’s one boundary I can set to protect my energy?

Communicate these expectations early if needed (“I won’t be able to help set up the entire meal this year, but I can bring dessert”).
This reduces impulse-avoidance, decreases compulsive planning, and gives your brain structure during a day full of unpredictability.

This is one of the simplest but most powerful ways to support your holiday mental health.

Tip #2: Use a Grounding Strategy to Regulate Your Nervous System

Mindfulness-based strategies help you stay present instead of getting sucked into intrusive-thought spirals.

Try incorporating:

• Box breathing (inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4)

• Body scans to identify where tension is building

• Name 5-4-3-2-1 sensory grounding when conversation or noise gets overwhelming

• “Noticing without engaging”: labeling a thought as “OCD doing its thing” and returning to the moment

• Stepping outside for a few minutes of fresh air

Regulation doesn’t eliminate OCD, but it helps you stay connected to your values instead of reacting from fear.

Tip #3: Limit Over-Commitment: People-Pleasing Feeds OCD

Perfectionism, guilt, and the urge to “earn your place at the table” all reinforce compulsive behaviors.

Examples of over-commitment fueled by OCD:

• Feeling responsible for everyone’s emotional experience

• Over-helping to avoid being judged

• Saying yes automatically to avoid guilt or perceived conflict

• Trying to be the “perfect” guest, child, or sibling

Using ERP principles, practice the exposure of:

• Doing less than usual

• Allowing others to complete tasks imperfectly

• Saying “no” without over-explaining

• Letting someone else take the lead

This strengthens your tolerance for guilt, an emotion OCD loves to weaponize,  and supports a healthier internal balance.

Tip #4: Prepare for Family Triggers: Old Patterns Can Activate OCD Fast

Even if you’ve done a ton of personal growth, stepping into your childhood home can flip old switches quickly.
Family triggers for Holiday OCD may include:

• Being around someone who invalidates your mental health

• Questions about school, dating, career, or your future

• Conversations that activate moral or religious obsessions

• Returning to old roles like “the responsible one” or “the anxious one"

• Feeling monitored or judged

Here’s how to approach family triggers using ERP + I-CBT:

Identify your common triggers ahead of time.

Awareness reduces the element of surprise.

Use planned exposures.

Examples:

• Allow intrusive thoughts to show up during dinner without mentally neutralizing them

• Practice tolerating uncertainty during conversations

• Let someone misunderstand you without over-explaining (a huge ERP win)

Use mindfulness to create space.

Instead of reacting, pause.
Name what’s happening internally.
Take one slow breath before responding.

Family dynamics are complex, but you don’t have to get swept away by them.

Tip #5: Prioritize Rest: Before, During, and After the Holiday

OCD symptoms spike when your system is depleted.
Give yourself permission to protect your energy:

Before Thanksgiving:

• Keep routines consistent

• Avoid burnout-level workloads or all-nighters

• Plan downtime so you don’t go into the holiday already drained

During the holiday:

• Build in micro-breaks

• Step away if you feel overstimulated

• Let yourself leave early if needed

After Thanksgiving:

• Schedule decompression time

• Use grounding practices

• Reconnect with ERP skills and routines

This intentional rest supports recovery and reduces post-holiday OCD flare-ups.

Tip #6: Shift Your Mindset: Dismantle Guilt, “Shoulds,” and Over-Responsibility

A few powerful reframes for Holiday OCD:

• “I can feel discomfort without reacting to it.”

• “A thought isn’t a fact, and it doesn’t require a ritual.”

• “It’s not my job to manage everyone else’s emotions.”

• “I don’t have to perform gratitude to deserve belonging.”

• “Being imperfect doesn’t make me unsafe or unlovable.”

Mindset shifts don’t replace ERP, but they make ERP more doable, helping you step into curiosity instead of judgment.

If You Need Support, You Don’t Have to Navigate Holiday OCD Alone

If you’re noticing your symptoms intensifying or you want extra support navigating family triggers, boundaries, or emotional overwhelm, I’m here to help.

I offer Therapy Intensives for OCD and therapy for OCD on Long Island that help you make progress quickly, especially during high-stress seasons like Thanksgiving.

You deserve guidance, tools, and support that help you feel grounded rather than overwhelmed.

👉 Click here to schedule a therapy consultation before the holidays.

You’re allowed to take care of yourself, not just survive Thanksgiving, but move through it with confidence, clarity, and support.

Dr. Rose Taveras, is a licensed psychologist on Long Island specializing in OCD, anxiety disorders, and therapy intensives for young adults. She uses evidence-based approaches, including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), CBT, and mindfulness-based treatments, to help clients break the OCD cycle and reclaim their lives. At RIT Psychology, she offers both in-person and virtual sessions for clients across New York.