- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
With me, I had to come to a point where I accepted uncertainty. I had to just trust myself without trying to figure every thought and feeling out. I had to sit with the anxiety and resist my compulsions. I had to start living my life despite what my brain was telling me. I did a lot of OCD workbooks and practiced mindfulness and meditating. I also take an antidepressant. I'm also a strong Christian so my faith plays a key role in my recovery. There is hope :)
- Date posted
- 6y
I think that’s what we need to see. I know many of us google our obsessions, especially down to the minute detail, and it’s always someone having the same problem, people replying back that they have it to, but we never see them come back and talk about their success or how or if they recovered. Knowing their is that hope that things will change, I think is powerful. While it is a bit of reassurance, I think it’s a healthy reassurance. What do I know.
- Date posted
- 6y
So I recently relapsed pretty hard BUT I did get better for quite awhile and I think the key (for me at least) was to NOT avoid anything. And to keep in mind that so many people not only have OCD but have fully recovered and stayed recovered. My thing is I always go straight to the negative when there’s probably always a silver lining I fail to see. We will all get better at some point! It just takes time I think
- Date posted
- 6y
Ranch, what was your subtype.
- Date posted
- 6y
Hi Ramblin- my themes are HOCD, ROCD, POCD, retroactive jealousy. I have social anxiety, general anxiety and driving anxiety.
- Date posted
- 6y
With COCD too, please.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 23w
How long did it take to make this? And is it actually possible?
- Date posted
- 23w
People who went from a really bad time with OCD to a better time now. Is it really possible? What was your theme? Did you take medication?
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 21w
Looking back, my introverted nature and struggles to find belonging in high school may have set the stage for how OCD would later impact my relationships. I had my first relationship in high school, but OCD wasn’t a major factor then. It wasn’t until my longest relationship—six years from age 18 to 24—that OCD really took hold. The relationship itself wasn’t the issue; it was what happened after. When it ended, I became obsessed with confessing past mistakes, convinced I had to be completely transparent. Even when my partner was willing to work past them, I couldn’t let go of the intrusive thoughts, and that obsession landed me in the hospital. From there, my struggle with ROCD (Relationship OCD) fully emerged. For years, every time I tried to move forward in dating, doubts consumed me. I would start seeing someone and feel fine, but then the questions would creep in: Do I really like her? Do I find her attractive? Is she getting on my nerves? What if I’m with the wrong person? I’d break things off, thinking I was following my true feelings. But then I’d question: Was that really how I felt, or was it just OCD? I tried again and again, each time hoping I could “withstand it this time,” only to fall back into the same cycle. The back and forth hurt both me and the person I was with. By the time I realized it was ROCD, the damage had been done, and I still hadn’t built the tools to manage it. Now, at 28, I know I need to approach dating differently. I recently talked to someone from a dating app, and my OCD still showed up—questioning my every move, making me doubt my own decisions. I haven’t yet done ERP specifically for ROCD, but I know that’s my next step. Just like I’ve learned tools for managing my other OCD subtypes, I need a set of strategies for when intrusive doubts hit in relationships. My goal this year is to stop letting uncertainty control me—to learn how to sit with doubt instead of trying to “figure it out.” I want to break the cycle and be able to build something healthy without my OCD sabotaging it. I know I’m not alone in this, and I know healing is possible. I’m hopeful that working with a therapist will help me develop exposures and thought loops to practice. I don’t expect to eliminate doubt entirely—after all, doubt is a part of every relationship—but I want to reach a place where it doesn’t paralyze me. Where I can move forward without constantly questioning whether I should. And where I can be in a relationship without feeling like OCD is pulling the strings. I would appreciate hearing about your experiences with ROCD. Please share your thoughts or any questions in the comments below. I’d love to connect and offer my perspective. Thanks!
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