Can OCD cause intrusive thoughts without feeling anxious or stressed?

There is an entire spectrum of responses to intrusive thoughts. Often the lack of anxiety/panic in response to them is a good thing - an indicator of progress in someone with OCD. This can trick us, as in your post, to wondering again if this means we want or like the thoughts, or it's somehow indicative of who we really are? And then that can start the anxiety again. Sit with it. Stare that uncertainty in the face until it doesn't bother you anymore.

This is word for word how I’ve been feeling this whole last week. It’s like I’m not as anxious as i was so now I’m scared that that’s the actually person i am. Like i don’t feel like myself at all and am just drowning in these horrible thoughts.

Hi, From what I was taught, to learn to sit with it. It may not work with you trying to distract with it. It might make it worse. I used to try distracting it, but NOCD therapist tried to talk me into not doing that. As for the anxiety, I used to have alot that. My previous therapist said try taking a couple of deep breaths and used the 5 senses method where you use your 5 senses to get in touch with your surroundings agains. I also recommend talking it with your therapist about what should you do if the anxiety attack get too much for you and how to manage it.

I started CBT today so hoping it can help me along my journey, I suggest getting some therapy for this journey ❤️ you are not alone!

https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/why-cant-i-just-get-rid-of-the-thoughts It is important to also realize that the reason we with OCD feel anxious when we have intrusive thoughts, images, etc. is because of a faulty alarm system in our brains- it is entirely possible that sometimes our brains are trying to work "normally" and filter out the OCD noise.

I think I lived for like 7 years like this because I started getting mental health treatment for social anxiety but also not specifically OCD. Situations would flare up from time to time but I never associated it with my daily, relatively minimal anxiety because I thought I was coping relatively fine and I didn’t realize I was anxious but now I’m aware it’s all connected and is quite certainly OCD.