Hugs: OCD & Intrusive Thoughts

Hugs is a gentle place to wait out intrusive thoughts.

When an urge arrives — to check the door again, to fix what feels
crooked, to follow a worst-case thought all the way down — the instinct
is to answer it right now. Hugs helps you do something else: name it,
and wait.

HOW IT WORKS

Choose the kind of thought that's knocking. Pick five, fifteen, or
thirty minutes. Then wait it out with a cat on a meadow by a lighthouse.
As the minutes pass, gentle words written for that specific kind of
thought keep you company.

WHILE YOU WAIT

Everything in the scene is something you can do:
• Light a candle for 4-7-8 breathing
• Count down from 300 by sevens
• Notice five things through your five senses
• Draw on the easel, or write on the paper
• When it feels too strong, ride out the wave with a guided pause

WHAT YOU KEEP

Every wait is recorded on a calendar you can look back on. Drawings and
journal entries are saved alongside them. A forgiving streak counts your
days — missing one won't reset it, because pressure is the last thing
this is for.

BUILT ON A SIMPLE IDEA

Urges rise like waves and fall on their own when you don't act on them.
Each time you wait, that becomes a little easier to believe. This
mirrors the principle behind Exposure and Response Prevention, a
well-established approach in the clinical literature.

PRIVATE BY DESIGN

No account. No analytics. No ads. No network requests at all. Everything
you write and draw stays on your device.

A NOTE

Hugs is a practice tool, not medical diagnosis or treatment, and not a
substitute for professional care. If intrusive thoughts are seriously
affecting your life, reaching out for help is brave, not failure.