- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
Your mental compulsions will strengthen because you are giving up your physical compulsions. Your brain is telling you, "hey, we stopped doing this thing that made me feel safe so now we need to constantly focus on these thoughts so nothing bad happens." This is normal. Dont fight the thoughts. Dont argue with them or analyze them, just let them be there. I know its hard, day after day. Checking every morning to see if they are still there and then living everyday stuck with these unpleasant thoughts that make you feel like a prisoner in your own mind. I can promise you this, it will get better! Accept these thoughts as nothing more then thoughts. Learn about cognitive distortions and understand which ones you are using. Mine was thought-action fusion mainly. Labeling them in this way takes some of its power away. Know you are not alone and that many, many people suffer from OCD. You will get through this by doing the hard work so that you will finally habituate yourself enough that your mind will set you free, a little bit at first but then you will start getting whole days, then weeks and eventually you will feel like yourself again, for the most part. Relapses will occur, that is completely normal but it wont be as bad. You will learn how to overcome this.
- Date posted
- 6y
Phisch, thank you for the link! It was very helpful!
- Date posted
- 6y
Ocd is such a sneaky little bugger!! It will move around and effect us in different ways! It’s the same thing as physical compulsions! The book “ overcoming unwanted intrusive thoughts “ is an amazing read for this! In the book it explains how your brain does 2 things you have panic mode and false comfort and they fight back and fourth and keep you locked in a mental compulsion. The same with physical compulsions, do erp and refuse to listen to the anxiety or the comfort! Mentally say to yourself “ this is all well and good but I think I’m going to continue on with xyz” and continue with whatever you were doing before the thought. it’s hard at first but the more you practice it the easier it will be! I think of my mental compulsions in 2 ways if it’s a thought and I’m starting to go deep into the rabbit hole of “could I, would this, what if” then I simply tell myself this is ocd and I’m not going to panic or comfort myself I’m just going to watch the thought come in and go out and not judge it, or I allow the thought completely and invite it in without judgement! Both ways work!!
- Date posted
- 6y
You guys gave such great advice! Thank you so much for all your answers!!
- Date posted
- 6y
Following this. I ruminate automatically as well and would like to know how to knock it off
- Date posted
- 6y
Im at similar place in treatment dealing with similiar issue. Here some good articles about compulsive rumination: https://drmichaeljgreenberg.com/articles/
- Date posted
- 6y
Weeping ...what is thought action fusion? Is it the same as magical thinking? Need some help with that
- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
Yes! So relatable! Rn I’m trying to purposely think of the thoughts for a period of time to habituate to them but any other tips would be much appreciated
Related posts
- Date posted
- 25w
I struggle so bad with intrusive thoughts. They can be so bad that I'll cry because I KNOW that's not how I feel or want to do. (Too embarrassed to say what they're about) I'll constantly try to figure out why I have them, and constantly figure out what they mean, causing me to constantly circle around and around. I had to get on anxeity meds, which helped a little but the thoughts still happen. How do you help yourself with this? How do you know that you're just not some physcopath? 😅
- Date posted
- 22w
OK, this might sound really dumb, but when you guys get intrusive thoughts, do they just come once and then go away? I’ve heard that repeatedly thinking about an intrusive thought is considered ‘checking,’ but it doesn’t feel like I have any control over how many times it comes up in my head. It’s not like I’m trying to check anything—it just keeps showing up, almost like it’s terrorizing me every time. I can’t seem to stop it from looping, stop remembering it, or prevent it from coming up. Every time it does, I feel horrified, and I already know it’s going to horrify me. I don’t think I’m actively trying to see if my feelings have changed, so is this still considered checking? How do other people get an intrusive thought and just move on? Doesn’t it pop up a million times for them too? I always thought that was normal, but now I’m hearing this could be a compulsion, and I feel really confused, scared, and lost. Is this why my OCD feels so extreme? Because I really don’t feel like I can control how many times the thought pops up.
- Older adults with OCD
- Mid-life adults with OCD
- OCD newbies
- Relationship OCD
- Young adults with OCD
- Harm OCD
- "Pure" OCD
- POCD
- Date posted
- 22w
I cannot for the life of me stop ruminating or checking how I feel about thoughts or focusing on thoughts or creating more thoughts. I feel like I’m losing my mind. I want to scream. I try not to ruminate about the thoughts, but trying not to just makes me think about them more. I try not to check, but somehow, I still check. I want to let a thought sit in the background, but the more I try not to focus on it, the more I end up focusing on it. I don’t want the thought to expand because that feels like engaging with it, but I can’t just stop it from expanding. It feels impossible. People keep saying I’m in control of my compulsions, and maybe that’s true for the physical ones. But when it comes to the mental compulsions, I swear I have no control. It feels like I’m missing something that everyone else seems to have, like there’s some tool they’re using that I don’t have. Controlling mental compulsions has never felt possible for me. I’m starting to fear them. And every time someone says I’m in control and can just choose not to do them, I end up beating myself up even more when they happen. Or when I *choose* I guess. I don’t know anymore. If this is my fault, if I’m responsible for this, then what does that make me? I feel like a monster. I am at my wits’ end. How am I supposed to control mental compulsions when it feels like they control me? I freak out when they happen. They don’t bring me relief, they just make me panic. I want it to stop so bad.
- Older adults with OCD
- OCD newbies
- Mid-life adults with OCD
- Harm OCD
- Young adults with OCD
- POCD
- Religion & Spirituality OCD
- Relationship OCD
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond