- Username
- Anonymous
- Date posted
- 2y ago
Hey! I would just like to throw some words of advice to you. I’m someone who struggled with OCD for years and I’m recovered. Try to remember the concept that our brains are very helpful and very nice to us. Your brain is just being very helpful in regards to “trying to make you feel good” if you’re constantly judging anxiety as a bad thing, then your brain is just trying to help, by constantly bringing up thoughts, sensations or feelings you don’t like, because your brain wants to “solve” those problems, so you feel better. That’s all that is happening in layman’s terms. Your brain isn’t evil, just consider it a watch dog that’s always looking out for you. You can tell the brain thank you for everything you do, but I’m not going to perform compulsions to feel better. I’m just going to sit with this anxiety and carry on with what I value and what matters to me. This teaches the brain, that there is no danger and that anxiety is ok to have. You can have panic attacks. You can have fear. Anxiety is a natural feeling, just like any other feelings we experience. If you’re number one goal in life is to have no anxiety, your brain picks up on that and will give you sooo many things to ruminate on, check on or try to control. Try letting those thoughts be with you, by not engaging with them or trying to control them. Follow your values and do things that matter in your life with thoughts and sensations you don’t like. Another tip: when you say “if my intrusive thoughts” I consider “intrusive thoughts” a compulsion. Because you’re judging those thoughts as something bad. Thoughts are bad, they aren’t good. They’re just thoughts. They have no meaning. They are like clouds passing in the sky, you don’t put meaning to the clouds in the sky, so don’t put meaning to your thoughts. They are just something your brain does. That watch dog keeps coming up with thoughts that it knows you’ll react to. That’s why you’re stuck in this cycle. 😊
Thank you so much for this! This is very helpful and I appreciate you commenting very much
@Anonymous No problem! If you have any questions, ask away! Otherwise, enjoy the journey 😊
I’ve experienced this as well, and I think it’s very common. OCD is such a horrible feeling, and so it makes sense that people would be scared of it coming back. I would suggest that you treat the thought of “what if my OCD comes back” or “what if my intrusive thoughts come back” the same as you would any other OCD thought. You should tell the OCD: “Ok, you’re trying to tell me the intrusive thoughts might come back. I don’t really care what you have to say. I’m going to live my life, and I’m not going to let you control me anymore.” If you do this, that fear of intrusive thoughts and anxiety coming back won’t be so bad anymore. Hope this helps!
Thank you so much! I am definitely going to try this!
@Anonymous You’re welcome!
i feel anxious and depressed for what’s coming next, one week im okay then for the following 2 weeks im drowned in all my thoughts😞
i really don’t wanna go on medication but i’ve been in therapy for 2 months and i don’t seem to be getting better. i don’t know if it will get better with time or if i’m going to need to go on meds. i’m scared i’ll become suicidal, worse, or even become dependent on them. does anyone know if my intrusive thoughts can possibly go away with time if i really try or does that require meds? the thoughts are present all day long over basically everything i do. also for anyone who’s on meds how has it changed you with your ocd?
I've been in treatment for about 3.5 months and I have definitely improved. However, I feel like I'm always relapsing... I do exposures for specific thoughts and it definitely helps. Usually my anxiety will go way down and that specific thought will improve. Then I may have a period of a week or so where my intrusive thoughts aren't so bothersome. But they ALWAYS come back. My ocd will latch on to anything at all and Im constantly having new intrusive thoughts. I seem to be stuck in a cycle of improvement and relapse. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Will the intrusive thoughts ever subside??
Has anyone found a medication for them that has worked. I’m on my second day of Luvox, but my anxiety and depression from intrusive thoughts and ruminating are so through the roof, that I feel like I’m going out of my mind. I’m contemplating trying Valium as need be until my ssri kicks in, but I’m afraid of feeling the need to take it too much and become addicted. Advice?
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