Looking for ppl with hocd/ rocd for support

it is hard indeed… is it better now ?

@melissaaa The HOCD comes and goes for me and thankfully it hasn't been around in a little while. But the ROCD has been rough off and on and I'm starting ERP in a few weeks. It's gotten better as I've become more self aware but I'm needing to take the next step with a professional because I'm afraid it'll get really bad again and destroy the relationship I have right now.

@alexisrenata I’m really aware of it but I keep falling in the trap.. any tips ? I’m starting therapy very soon too

@melissaaa Honestly trying to stop my reassurance-seeking and checking has genuinely helped

@alexisrenata How do you stop checking ? Sm I feel my brain does it automatically… if u know what I mean

@melissaaa it's definitely a work in progress for me still but I notice when I check less frequently, I feel generally better after a few days. it might sound silly but I track myself using a sobriety app (treating it like an addiction to reassurance) and celebrating small milestones.

Ohhh it’s been a week for me idk to deal with this at all my ocd is telling me that I’m gay and therefore I have to leave my bf that I love I just wanna be with him. I know I am not gay but it keeps bullying me in that direction I’m soo scared I’m gonna ended up thinking that I am gay and I’m gonna break up with him… any tips pls 🥺?

@melissaaa The more you resist to the thoughts the stronger they become. Try not to push them away and just accept their presence in your head and carry on with your day. Dont label the thoughts as good or bad, just keep them neutral and move on. Stay strong

@Material.Gorl Thanks it’s just looks so real sm

@Material.Gorl I was wondering do you have any exposure exercises that I could do who worked for you ? It’s just to give me ideas idk where to start

@melissaaa For me, my therapist had me doing script exposures but those can evoke ALOT of anxiety so I just doing the opposite of what my fears told me to avoid. So if my brain told me not to look at a woman, I would look at the woman. It my brain told me to avoid a cashier because she's a woman, then I would go to that cashier. Little things like that

@Material.Gorl What is script exposure ?

@melissaaa Writing down the worst case scenario as if it's truly happening right now. Detail by detail

@Material.Gorl Doesn’t look nice

@Material.Gorl Are you triggered by all women ?

@melissaaa I used to be but now it's mostly attractive women

@Material.Gorl I know it’s really hard… I’m experiencing that right now