- Date posted
- 3y
- Date posted
- 3y
Ur right! Because we’re so distracted with the context of OCD! I just finished an online course and it talked about changing your attitude about the feelings of uncertainty. “Want what you don’t want.” OCD gets the upper hand when you cringe and resists what scares us but flip it. Seek it out, welcome it, look at it as an opportunity to practice skills and sitting with uncertainty and doubt. Have this fighter attitude like bring it, can you give me more uncertainty. It’s fine that I’m feeling this way. I can feel this way all day ocd! It also said to turn ur back on the context, the story, it’s a mental disorder that just picked this theme bc it grabs our attention successfully. Turn your back on ur theme and sit with generic uncertainty. It’s about contamination, house burning down, etc., it’s a mental disorder, sitting with generic uncertainty and doubt.
- Date posted
- 3y
*it’s not about contamination*
- User type
- NOCD Alumni
- Date posted
- 3y
Yes! First good job! 2nd, get up and get out of your head and into your body! When we "sit with it" we don't actually have to sit! Do your exposure, feel the anxiety, as it decreases at least by half then go live your life! Take a walk, sing a song, draw a picture... allow the anxiety to be there yet live and do things you need or want to do... the anxiety will continue to come down on its own and your brain is doing its thing and you get to do a healthy distraction whole it does!
- Date posted
- 3y
Oh and be careful and don’t do mental compulsions. Your anxiety will not pass if you’re ruminating (trying to solve or figure it out). Mental compulsions can increase the anxiety and you’re sitting there white knuckling. My mental compulsions are often my downfall and for a while I was unaware of how much I was actually doing. Welcome the initial intrusive thought, not the analytical thoughts that come afterwards, those are compulsions
- Date posted
- 3y
This is good advice. I always just assume that every thought response is always an intrusive thought. Turns out, like you say, they’re the compulsions. Never seen it that way before
Related posts
- Date posted
- 25w
This isn't forever, and I'm trying to stay positive, but I'm so uncomfortable in my own body. I can't stop hyperfocusing on every little sensation I experience, especially when I have intrusive thoughts. I can't stop holding my my breath or tensing up when I experience them. I know it's a compulsion, but I genuinely feel so unsettled. The physical sensations of anxiety aren't really there. Like, I'm not nauseous, but I just feel... off. I hate my mind, I hate these thoughts. Like, I wish OCD didn't attack every single thing in my life. I'm feeling really gross right now. I haven't been able to cry in so, so long. It's probably due to my meds, but I miss having that emotional release... Just a mini vent. I've been really struggling against the urges to confess/seek reassurance. One more week until my next psychiatrist appointment, but I'm just really frustrated with my brain right now.
- Date posted
- 15w
I’ve tried living in the uncertainty today & kept myself busy but I can’t shake this feeling that I’m about to lose control & act on my thoughts. I keep feeling like I need to check in to see how I feel & keep my self safe & when I’m near my trigger it feels like I’m being pulled into doing it & feels like I want to but I’m not using compulsions. My thoughts feel like my own & feeling like I’ll be like this forever. Can someone relate or give advice 😩
- Date posted
- 14w
This is a repost, only because the last post had no responses lol. Please if you have any advice share. I’ve been trying hard to sit with the feeling of anxiety. Actually that’s the problem, recently I’ve been trying to sit with the thought (and I’m able to for a few hours or until the next morning) and then my anxiety comes back so strong and it’s like I need to clean everything off. I see images of gross laundry getting on everything or my hand and then I need to clean everything off to un contaminate it. Sometimes the thought happens later at night so I just sleep through and the next morning I will wake up with intense anxiety about contamination. That happened yesterday and I had to clean everything off and since then I’ve been traumatized so I’ve been doing compulsions like avoiding the bathroom and being around people so I know I couldn’t have done anything wrong. Actually recently my biggest compulsion has been recording every time I get up to go eat, etc so that I know I couldn’t have done anything. Any advice or help???
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