- Username
- elizabeth121017
- Date posted
- 3y ago
You can treat unplanned time as an exposure! “Maybe my obsessions will get louder, maybe they won’t.” Schedule enough stuff for yourself to do so that the amount of unplanned time doesn’t feel totally overwhelming, but also treat it as an opportunity to practice your ERP skills. Setting regular times for waking up, having meals and snacks, and going to bed could provide a helpful sense of routine.
I live in DC so I’m actually looking forward to going to the museums I’ve never been able to get to!
@betsy1212 That sounds lovely! Enjoy :)
I feel this so so much and am in the exact same boat. I have a month off too. I try to make a list of things I'd like to do for the day. Like today I'm hoping to go grocery shopping. Maybe attend an NOCD group.
Are there NOCD groups?
@betsy1212 Yeah! On the community page at the top, click groups. They have them almost daily. You can sign up.
@akshu Oh great!
Oh @betsy1212 I hear you! It can be tough for people like us to have a gap in routine. I was off for about 8 months at the start of the pandemic (airline) and at first my OCD was telling me that it would be so awful because I'd have nothing to do but be stuck with my intrusive thoughts and uncertainty about my future. I was very wrong. I embraced the heck out of it. Sure, my OCD came up, especially in the first week. And sometimes the "what ifs" sidelined me. But I also reminded myself that I had been overworking myself for the past couple of years and decided to take the time for me. I sat outside, I read, I took extra walks. I spent the summer trying new things with my favourite safe person. I know that grad school must have been taxing for you at times and you've probably worked yourself ragged sometimes too! My suggestion: plan one or two things a day for the first few days or the first week. Maybe one thing a day after that. It will give you some structure, something to do, somewhere to be, people to see. It may help anchor you. But also, let yourself decide to take a little extra time to do something you might have normally rushed through. Do something you've been saying "after I'm done this degree" about for a while. Take a day trip somewhere new. Or go away for a couple of nights if you can. Be there for you! Create a new temporary routine until work starts. You can do this!
This is great advice! Thank you so much!
Hey all! I just joined this app and wanted to ask for your thoughts and encouragement on something I’ve been experiencing lately. (*long post ahead*) I’ve had an OCD diagnosis for about 2 years now, along with generalized anxiety, depersonalization symptoms, and depression diagnoses since my teens (I’m 24). Been lucky to have great family and healthcare that have helped me get out of some very dark places. I’m currently on a very high dose of Prozac, a smaller dose of Wellbutrin, and have been in therapy pretty consistently since my late teens. Life is pretty good....I’m in grad school and am doing well socially and academically. I am moving out to another part of the country to do an internship for 10 weeks, starting this Friday. But with all of this great and wonderful stuff in life, I have definitely noticed my OCD getting worse, despite my meds and self care. I’ve been having more obsessive fears and doing the rituals and compulsions to soothe those fears. It’s taking up much more of my mental space than it had for the past 2 years or so. I think part of it is the big change of moving to a new place temporarily, finishing my first year of grad school, and going from being insanely busy to having a month of downtime that is just now wrapping up. I’m getting scared that things are going to get really bad again — so far I’ve been managing with mindfulness and acceptance, and reading up on tactics for managing intrusive thoughts and accompanying compulsions. But I am so afraid that things will get to be into the dark and horrible place they were in 2 years ago. My OCD has been really mild the past few years, since I started the meds, and to feel it flare up again is really REALLY distressing. It makes me scared that the meds aren’t working, or that all the thoughts and fears are real. I know this isn’t the truth, logically, but my OCD and anxiety are running with it. I’m just wondering if anyone else has experienced this (change-related flare ups and the fears accompanied by them) and has tools to manage relapse or flare ups. Thanks in advance :) :)
I’m moving to college for the first time tomorrow and I’m really nervous, and I think the stress of that is making my mind spiral and look for anything else to worry about - my obsessions. Has anyone else dealt w this and if so any tips? :(
how do you all deal with going to work while having ocd? i have to go to work tomorrow for the first time in a while and i’ve been obsessing really bad the past couple of weeks. i’m scared i won’t actually be able to function or anything because all i’ve been doing every day all day has been obsessing. i’m really nervous. any advice will be appreciated.
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