anonymous4444
- Date posted
- 3y
AnimaniashAnimaniash
- Date posted
- 3y
If it's to temporarily relieve anxiety to to find reassurance or relief, I would say yes. If not, then it would just be something to make you happy.
anonymous4444anonymous4444
- Date posted
- 3y
yes i feel like if i don’t watch a movie to distract me/ease my anxiety i’ll lose control and it scares me
AnimaniashAnimaniash
- Date posted
- 3y
@eimjin Yeah that definitely sounds like a compulsion then. It's really hard compulsions suck and I give into mine so much. Mine is confessing to people about my anxiety. If I don't do it, I feel like a total failure and a liar and a person who keeps stuff from others
anonymous4444anonymous4444
- Date posted
- 3y
@Animaniash yessss i do that too, i feel like i HAVE to talk about it :/ it feels so real tho like if i don’t do it then i’ll lose control and do something bad, it’s so scary
AnimaniashAnimaniash
- Date posted
- 3y
@eimjin It really does 😭
anonymous4444anonymous4444
- Date posted
- 3y
@Animaniash mine also convinces me that i’m lying abt how i rly feel and i’m manipulating ppl 😭
AnimaniashAnimaniash
- Date posted
- 3y
@eimjin It does the same for me I feel so fake 😭
anonymous4444anonymous4444
- Date posted
- 3y
@Animaniash literally me too 😭
AnimaniashAnimaniash
- Date posted
- 3y
@eimjin If I feel like something wrong happened between me and my boyfriend, my brain basically forces me to tell him or I have intense anxiety. Then he feels bad because he doesn't do anything wrong intentionally and if eel like the worst girlfriend ever. Knock on wood, we always get through it, but I feel bad every time. He knows about my ocd as well and tries to help as much as he can which he does ❤️💗 I wish I could just be better for him
anonymous4444anonymous4444
- Date posted
- 3y
@Animaniash no no that’s not your fault, don’t feel bad about it :( and it’s so sweet that he tries and cares that deeply about it to help you, i hope one day i can find a bf like that 😭 but it sounds like he understands so you got nothing to worry abt even though ik ocd makes it feel like you should worry abt it
AnimaniashAnimaniash
- Date posted
- 3y
@eimjin Awww you're so kind! 💗❤️ You will find someone like him one day! Im honestly surprised my bf is still here after all he's been through with my ocd. He's so loyal and amazing and understands me quite a bit! Always look for someone who is loyal and understanding of your situation cause it will save you lots of heartbreak and things in the long run! Without my bf I honestly wouldn't have made it this far. He's such a support and I believe every girl should have an amazing guy like him!
anonymous4444anonymous4444
- Date posted
- 3y
@Animaniash omg stop that is so cute 😭😭 and yess i’m trying but ppl where i live are rly not it 🥲 y’all are literally so cute tho omg i’m so happy for y’all <3333
LoganRileyLoganRiley
- Date posted
- 3y
I don’t think that counts. I think that’s more just self care. I like listening to music and playing video games, I don’t consider that a compulsion.
iamstrongiamstrong
- Date posted
- 3y
There’s too different ways, it’s either not a compulsion and rather a coping mechanism or it is a compulsion and they use it constantly to take away from what would be happening if they didn’t
anonymous4444anonymous4444
- Date posted
- 3y
@iamstrong i feel like it’s a bit of both?
iamstrongiamstrong
- Date posted
- 3y
@eimjin There’s a very fine line. If it’s a coping mechanism you aren’t using it to escape, you aren’t running away rather than finding something to regulate it and a compulsion is when you’re running away and trying to push what you really need to face away
anonymous4444anonymous4444
- Date posted
- 3y
@iamstrong yea like it comforts me but i also feel like i have to watch it in order to get rid of my thoughts so i don’t lose control of that makes sense
AakronAakron
- Date posted
- 3y
If you use it as a way to not feel anxious it can become a compulsion. I used video games as a way to distract my mind to feel less anxious when I felt my intrusive thoughts getting worse. This was compulsive because it began to affect the quality of my life
Related posts
HopeInJesus
- Date posted
- 22w
New here!
I feel like I’ve had a lot of different categories of ocd. Some categories stick with me more and are repetitive. I’ve been doing well with mental health - not having anxiety stick around. When the physical feeling of anxiety sticks around, every thought is horrible, but when the feeling of anxiety is gone the obsessions don’t really impact me. If I can keep anxiety at bay, my life is good. I’ve been doing well lately, although this week I was scrolling through tictok and watched a video about someone in a coma and wondered if I was in a coma right now and didn’t know it. I had a panic attack for about 15 minutes. Anxiety, sweating, etc. It didn’t take ahold of me and it quickly lost its impact on me. It still shook me and I was just like “wow” where did that come from. Now I am staying away from social media. Is that avoidance? Should I make myself keep watching social media? Many ocd problems have come from social media or watching a movie or show that triggers something and then spirals. I am limiting what I watch, which I believe is good because I shouldn’t be watching that stuff anyway. What do you think?
Nova2025
- Date posted
- 20w
OCD with the news
Curious.... the news has been terribly distressing for me and has stirred up OCD. Compulsive rumination and checking (news stories) are my go-to when OCD is triggered. Today, I purposely did not listen to my news podcast as I do every morning. I feel better-ish. Is this avoidance, or is this self care? Would continuing to listen to a podcast be exposure with response prevention applied to the compulsions that go with it? Thanks in advance!
baukje
- Date posted
- 19w
Is this compulsive or helpfull?
Often I listen to podcasts or audiobooks. Sometimes fiction, sometimes about ocd or anxiety. I did this before i got so consumed with ocd again. But no i am doubting myself if i do this to distract myself. I do it while doing chores or when I put on my make-up for example. And I have to admit it helps me to get distracted from my thoughts. How do you know when you do it to distract your thoughts (as a compulsion) or just because you like it? When do you know it is helpfull or not?
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