Always worried I'm gonna make mistakes at work and it's super frustrating. I think yesterday was my lowest point in a while. Feeling better today but damn it's scary when you get stuck in that state of mind.
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That's right. We can't make decisions under duress. So creating boundaries, guidelines, principles, standards, ethical understanding and goals to support us through these moments can be of benefit during duress. Medical field is entirely over stimulating. You're doing so good seeking support! Hang in there!
It definitely is a balancing act of trying to be careful, but not OCD careful. The biggest struggle with OCD and intrusive thoughts is how they can change seemingly out of nowhere! Thank you for sharing your personal experience dealing with OCD it means the world to me! So many times I've tried to explain what our brains deal with and nearly everyone just gives a puzzled look back haha. Best of luck in your medical career and feel free to reach out if you ever need someone to talk OCD with!
What if you just accept that you will likely make mistakes at work, at home, and in life? This is what we do, we make mistakes. OCD will tell you that it is the worst-case scenario, maybe I'll get fired, maybe I'll get reprimanded...but then what...play out the story, maybe bad things will happen but you know what, you will get through them, you have to teach your brain that you can tolerate distress, even when scary or "bad" things do happen. You would be amazed at the resilience of the human spirit. Your ability to tolerate distress. The truth though is that most of what OCD tries to tell you will happen never happens. Although it is frustrating to be bombarded with thoughts about making mistakes or needing to be perfect or things to go "just right", they are just thoughts- you don't have to give them meaning or engage with them. You don't need to "do" anything with these thoughts. The more you allow the thoughts to be there and don't engage in compulsions, the more your brain recognizes this as a false alarm- you are not in "actual" danger after all. You can do this.
Thank you so much for the reply! Talk about putting things into perspective. Really appreciate the information and helping to make me feel less isolated 🙌🙌🙌
Mistakes are vulnerable teaching moments. It's okay to feel vulnerable, scared, aloneness and sad. We're all learning and accepting that can help you to find peace with yourself. Management is supposed to understand this well and that's why retraining people is policy before firing employees. At this point in time it's even protected via lawsuits. Try to remember that we got here today because enough mistakes were made that caused capitalism to take a knee and acknowledge our humanity. Just because we are born doesn't mean we will eat. First we must learn.
Thank you for the reply and for the reminder that it's okay to feel vulnerable. It's tough to handle when caught up in the moment but hoping to get better at managing my emotions!
@mjg2021 I can tell your a good egg. You got this!
This woman has a great video on empathy as well. OCD attacks you when you're vulnerable so empathy can help you out when that happens.
Does anyone have OCD regarding always feeling like you are not good enough at your job? I'm 58 years old now I've had OCD since childhood. Every job I've been at I never felt as good as my colleagues. I am a nurse but I worked at that for 15 years I had a breakdown of sorts in 2017 and went on disability. I now work part time as a a swim instructor for kids. I always was afraid of killing someone when I was a nurse. Then I tried dog grooming but I was afraid I would do it wrong and hurt the dogs. At least now the stakes are lower. But my OCD is the same. I work with colleagues who are about 40 years younger than I am . I am afraid of teaching certain classes bc I feel like I wouldn't do as good a job as someone else. I know I can do it but it's like I have a fear of not giving them their money's worth. I've been at my current job for 2 years . I've gotten very positive comments from my managers but I can't seem to believe them. I feel a lot of shame bc I lost a lot of my life to OCD and I am at an age where people are starting to retire after long and successful careers and here I am working at an entry level job. I'm planning on trying to get out of my comfort zone and teaching some of the classes I'm afraid of .it's really hard. I'm always scared what if I lose my benefits and had to work again as a nurse how would I do it.
I've been having a really tough time lately with a recent workplace interaction that occurrd today, and my mind just keeps replaying the events over and over. It feels like an endless loop, and I'm finding it incredibly hard to let go. I'm trying to figure out if this intense replaying is more about my OCD, or if it's a typical reaction to a stressful situation that's being amplified by my OCD tendencies. The specific details of the incident involve a colleague engaging in a racially insensitive discussion that I tried to disengage from. Despite my attempts to steer the conversation away and remove myself, the situation escalated with direct confrontation and accusations. This led to significant emotional distress for me. Later in the day, the same colleague misunderstood another conversation, making baseless accusations and publicly confronting me in a very aggressive way. I kept quiet throughout, just a bit of muttering. The emotional toll of these interactions has been immense. Now, my mind is stuck. I can't seem to stop dwelling on every word, every gesture, and every imagined alternative outcome. Hoping I'm not viewed as the "angry black woman" which is such an affair narrative why can't I state grievances of racism, without this narrative. * how do you manage the relentless replaying of stressful workplace interactions? What are your go-to coping mechanisms when your mind gets "stuck" on these loops? * Have you found any specific strategies helpful for navigating interpersonal conflicts at work when your OCD makes it difficult to process and move past them? * When you're feeling emotionally vulnerable due to work stress, what helps you prevent these situations from turning into prolonged rumination cycles? Any advice or shared experiences would be incredibly helpful. I'll be so grateful for any assistance. I just feel like I'm not good at life.
I always have fears about getting fired from work and constantly rechecking my old work. I think about 24/7 and how im going to make an enormous mistake that ruins the company and gets me fired. Then, if any type of mistake does happen I let it ruin my day. Ill look back at the past mistake and beat myself up over it. Any suggestions for mindfulness approaches?
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