- Username
- LovelyLion
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y ago
I can identify with your pain! I am going to give you a bit of advice: Reassurance-seeking is not okay. Not from yourself. You need to seek reassurance from God! Pray! I have not tried ERP before so I am curious as to what my life will be like without OCD. Ask yourself this: Do I want OCD? Tell your therapist to not fix you, but help you. To not cure your OCD, but to help you cope with it and grow through it. When you are ready for some of the big steps, tell your therapist. It takes courage to live with OCD and do the exposures. Remember, being courageous does not mean you are fearless, it means you have the bravery to face them! I would say it’s okay, but then you would not grow! Being afraid means that you care about yourself and want to be cautious. IT IS NOT WRONG!
Let’s go! Great point. I’m glad to see someone bringing faith into the OCD toolbox!💪🏼🤛🏼
You can do this friend. We go through our fears and expose them to the light. Praying for you.
Hey there! My name is Tyler Devine and I am one of the advocates here at NOCD. I’m sorry you are having a tough time. OCD is a very, very debilitating area in the realm of mental health and anxiety disorders. However, we know this. Saying how hard it is and continuing to dig a deeper hole is not how you win this daily battle. Learning to face OCD head on is something that comes with time and practice. I’m not sure where you are in your journey with OCD, but let me give you some background on myself: I’m 27 years old and have been dealing with ocd since I was young. About five years ago, I finally surrendered to the monster that is OCD (particularly SO-OCD, which if you’re unfamiliar with some of the main subtypes of ocd, is obsessive thoughts, feelings etc of a sexual relation). This is when I walked into my first therapy session with a specialist. Ever since then, I have never looked back. To this day, she is still someone I thank God for as she was a major part of a shift in my life. I know it’s tough but trust a vet like me who has put a lot of time into this stuff when I say you are far from alone. Some big things that helped me tame the beast and still do to this day are meditation, prayer, ERP (both staged and in real time), help from a specialist, faith, and medication (if necessary, as a supplement to your training). All these things combined with a positive attitude toward yourself and your OCD will lead you to victory! Keep helping others and keep utilizing the wonderful community of therapists and people who struggle with the same stuff like you and me. Before you know it, you’ll be a master of fear. Strength and Prayers, Tyler D
Thank you so much, you’re truly inspiring. :)
I think I have OCD but am too scared to talk about it.
This is the first post I’ve made here, as I have just recently been told I have OCD. I started therapy when I was 15 for an eating disorder, and have been pretty much consistently going for the past 5 years. It is incredibly scary to me that it has gone undiagnosed this long, and it took a few horrible spiraling episodes and me admitting I had a fear of smelling bad for a therapist to tell me it might be OCD. I’m primarily concerned about having another undiagnosed mental illness, that I have done unforgivable damage to other people’s mental health, and the general fear of losing my sanity. If someone could share the benefits of accepting the OCD diagnosis and starting ERP even if it is petrifying, I would greatly appreciate that. Warm wishes and peace to all of you struggling right now:)
I feel like I'm harboring a horrible secret, or that I'm a monster, because of my OCD & I'm struggling a lot to let myself make friends and have deeper connections with others because of it. I know it's OCD, and I would never feel like other sufferers' are their fears - but when it comes to me, I just can't disconnect my intrusive thoughts with the idea that they mean something about me as a person. There's someone I'm starting to like, in a serious way I think, but it gives me so much anxiety to let him get closer to me or consider things becoming romantic in the future. And I hate it, because I know that if I didn't have OCD I'd be overjoyed with how much he seems to enjoy my presence - but I feel like a liar, like by not telling him all of my intrusive thoughts I'm hiding my "true self." I know that it's an OCD thought, and I need to not engage with it, but it's hard. I don't want people to care about me just for me to end up being the monster my OCD warns me I am. I can't afford therapy - so any responses are welcome, tips & tricks or just comfort that I can get through it. 🥲
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