Hey guys, I’m new here and just joined. My OCD has been so paralyzing that I was actually scared to post something, but hopefully I can get a little support. On April 30th I had my first bout with hit and run OCD and since then my life has become so hard. I get drive anywhere without tracing my routes, checking the news, and seeking reassurance from loved ones. My OCD has now morphed into thinking that I’m going to go to jail for something, and the thoughts are so awful I’m not sleeping well, eating well, and affecting my work and relationships. Please any help or comforting words would be appreciated. OCD sucks, and I just want my life back.

Hey everyone I finally have built up the courage to get a therapist. I feel like I have Harm OCD(struggled daily for the last month)& I’ve struggled with anxiety (for the last 4yrs or so). Its been getting the best of me for the last month or so. Unfortunately the HOCD goes after the people dearest to me who I would never hurt in my life. It’s been so bad that I’ve lost sleep and avoided people out of fear of those intrusive thoughts actually happening. The shame that it brings is almost unbearable, it’s brings deep depression without wanting to live. like my family deserves better along with feeling like I’m absolutely nuts and belong in a hospital. I would love to get my life back on track mentally so I can enjoy the people I love the most without being scared of hurting them and being able to function normally throughout the day(work,ball games etc)Any tips or pointers would be greatly appreciated until I am able to see a therapist(waiting on medical referral)

Hey y’all! I just joined this community. I am really excited to grow in overcoming OCD in my brain. I’ve had anxiety and phobias my entire life and have had OCD for about 1.5 years now. I have POCD, harm OCD, and general compulsive thoughts about doing things out of character. I have these mostly in social situations or even when I am alone thinking I might post something in a group chat. I don’t like traveling alone because I am afraid of what I might do. I am tired of feeling alone and I’ve been misdiagnosed several times which has made me feel helpless. But I know there is hope. I know there is a way forward and this has a name. 💪🏼🌞

Hello. This is my first post and it’s going to be a confession of sorts… I was recently diagnosed with OCD and it has been really clarifying, scary, and confusing to navigate alone. I am also going through a lot of changes in my personal life. I recently graduated college and I am currently healing from a very difficult break up with my partner of 4 years. I don’t handle uncertainty or change very well so this period of my life has been super stressful and uncomfortable. My recent diagnosis and break up have taught me a lot about myself. I first realized I might have OCD because my mental health and— what I now know to be compulsions— became so destructive to my physical and emotional wellbeing that I actually began googling questions about repetitive self mutilation. The first result was something about the link between OCD and self harm. There were some examples of what compulsive self mutilation can look like, and it strongly resembled the things I have struggled with my entire life. For me, self mutilation is the compulsion I struggle with most. At times it has been incredibly debilitating. From there, I became obsessed with reading into OCD (I find this pretty ironic and funny). The more I research about it the more it resembles the things I have struggled with for as long as I can remember. I realized that the overwhelming guilt, shame, and anxiety I feel constantly are not the consequences of being a bad person, but rather the symptoms of OCD. It feels super validating to learn that the inner turmoil I’ve struggled with my entire life is something other people experience and is actually treatable. I started working with a psychiatrist who specializes in OCD and ended up getting formally diagnosed with moderate to severe OCD. Since learning this, I am beginning to understand myself in an entirely new light. It has in no way been easy. I hit rock bottom and— just when I thought it couldn’t possibly get any worse — I hit an even lower rock bottom. I’m not saying this out of self pity or to try to fish for sympathy, I’m just hoping that I can make someone struggling with a recent diagnosis feel less alone. I have felt very alone in this journey even as I learn that many people struggle with similar things. I still have a lot of learning and growing to do, but I am actively seeking treatment and I’m doing what I can to manage my OCD. I’m really grateful for this platform and I am relieved to know that things can actually get better. I think the next step for me is to start ERP therapy, but right now that sounds really scary and exhausting. Even so, I’m quickly warming up to this form of treatment as I research about its effectiveness. Everyday I discover more ways my life has been impacted by OCD. It’s very painful to realize that the overwhelming shame I feel about my obsessions and compulsions has actually been the reason I’ve lived the first 23 years of my life undiagnosed. My diagnosis has also shed new light on my past relationship and has helped me sort through some of my emotions in this healing process. … To anybody who actually read this whole thing: thank you. If nobody read it then at least I got this off my chest. I would really appreciate any advice on navigating a recent diagnosis and seeking treatment.