Will9889
- Date posted
- 2y
Friendships
How has OCD affected your friendships? Because I’m starting to notice my friends are getting very frustrated with me when it comes to my intrusive thoughts and me always wanting reassurance.
NM12NM12
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y
Hi! When I stopped engaging in the compulsions of reassurance seeking and telling people about my intrusive thoughts (telling on myself and reassurance seeking have been major compulsions of mine) my relationships improved.
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 2y
I’ve lost all my friends and now my significant other is sick of me too and can’t do it much longer. I have no friends at all I’m too much to handle
NM12NM12
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y
I'm so sorry. I've been there, too. It gets better, just keep working with your therapist and reaching out to people on this app. You're definitely not alone. 💙 *virtual hug*
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 2y
@NM12 Thank you, I have my first appointment on Monday. It’s really nice to see that I’m not alone and other people have similar thoughts and struggles. OCD is a very isolating disease
NM12NM12
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y
@Anonymous That's so awesome you have your first appointment!! Youve gor this. Recovery is not easy but it's possible. I was 37 when I was finally diagnosed after a lifetime of struggles. Getting better was not easy and doing the work (ERP) was super uncomfortable but it was sooo worth it.
Will9889Will9889
- Date posted
- 2y
@NM12 How long did you do the ERP work if you don’t mind me asking?
NM12NM12
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 2y
@Will9889 I don't mind at all! I did the full NOCD program and still meet up with my therapist for 30 minute sessions as needed (I cannot remember the exact length of the program...it is at least 2 months long) outside of the initial ERP work we did in the program, I still use ERP if my OCD flares up in my day to day life. I definitely don't have flares as intensely or often as I used to and that is because I ERP my OCD when it pops up.
AnonymousAnonymous
- Date posted
- 2y
@Anonymous You are not too much to handle, you’re just in pain 💜
fairyfairy
- Date posted
- 2y
It definitely has affected my relationships, I don’t know how to tell people about my ocd and sometimes when I do some people don’t take it seriously
Migratory_BirdMigratory_Bird
- Date posted
- 2y
I hadn’t seen my friends in person for years due to not really leaving my house / covid fears. Thank goodness we are all the low maintenance type of true friends who are fine to text from time to time and pick up where we left off when we see each other, otherwise they would have given up on me long ago! I finally was able to hang out with some of them recently and tried to explain my OCD struggles to them and they did not really understand. One of them kept suggesting I smoke weed or eat edibles to deal with the anxiety/fear component of OCD, which 1)is really not something I want to do and 2)I WISH it was that simple but it’s not! So long story short, OCD has made me feel less heard and understood by my friends who used to just GET me effortlessly, which makes me pretty sad :( On the other hand, I feel like OCD has actually brought me closer to a friend who has struggled with anxiety for a long time. We empathize with one another and I’m now better able to understand her and be more supportive, because now instead of not “getting” her, I totally understand how the most seemingly random things that don’t matter to anyone else can cause so much anxiety and distress. On the other other hand, OCD has definitely strained my relationship with my SO (who I also consider my best friend) because I’m very hard to live with and it stresses us both out
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Anonymous
- Date posted
- 25w
intrusive thoughts about being a caring person
I’ve been having intrusive thoughts that I am a bad friend. There’s no reason in particular, just this nebulous feeling that I am an overall shitty person and terrible friend. That maybe I haven’t asked how my friends are enough times, did I show them how much I care enough, did I show enough interest in their lives, am I empathetic and compassionate enough, etc.? Another thought is that “it’s no wonder my friends don’t really text me often, who would want to be my friend and have to deal with my anxiety, depression, and ocd.” My dad has told me that I no one would want to be my friend due to my fears of contamination and germs. I’m trying to tell myself they’re just thoughts and that doesn’t make them real, but my anxiety and depression have spiked recently due to my job and I feel like I’m a liability instead of an asset. I’m terrified of ruining people’s lives. However, I know that I am a genuine person who is very compassionate and empathetic and cares a lot about others. I am a volunteer manager and I genuinely care about my volunteers as people, so in emails and conversations, I always ask how they are and that their families are well and I hope they’ve enjoyed their weekend. I have recently learned that that is one of their big complaints about me— they find my “how are yous” and “I hope you are well” to be abrasive and mechanical. My volunteers trigger the anxiety, depression, and OCD. Does anyone have any other tools they use to help with intrusive thoughts? Am I alone in this? I feel so alone.
m1p3
- Date posted
- 24w
Social Implications of OCD
Has anyone experienced their reputation affected or misunderstood because of a societally taboo OCD theme? Others catching wind of your obsessions and misinterpreting it, assuming the worst? I’m intentionally keeping it vague because I don’t want my specific situation to get reassured, but it’s been a real tough pill to swallow knowing that people close to me (and anyone else they might talk to) think of me differently. I’m unwilling to share about my OCD because I feel pretty confident it will be taken as an excuse or denial, and feels compulsive and reassurance seeking. Let me know if anyone here has experienced anything like it, how they handled it, exposures you did.
Deborah Ward
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 22w
Relationships and OCD
Relationships can be challenging for everyone. What are some ways OCD has come into your relationship and added extra struggles?
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