- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
Here's something that has helped me- "Mistake No. 1: not realizing that love and fear go hand in hand. Love is the biggest risk we take. When we love, we open our hearts, our minds, our bodies, and our souls to another, and as such, nothing renders us more vulnerable to being hurt and to experiencing loss. And when we feel vulnerable, fear juts up like a fortress around the heart to protect it from these risky possibilities. The heart knows that love hurts, for it's not possible to grow up on this planet and not experience hurt in some form from parents, siblings, friends, or other adults. And here's another tricky element of fear that we're not taught in the culture: Fear doesn't often show up as pure fear but instead as its sisterhood of emissaries, which are irritation, doubt, numbness, and indifference. When these feelings show up, it doesn't mean you're in the wrong relationship. On the contrary, it means you're quite likely in the right relationship, and the fear-based self-knowing the inherent risk of sharing love with an available partner is trying to protect you from getting hurt. If you believe fear's lines-which often appear as statements like "My partner irritates me, so she must not be the one for me" you will likely walk away from someone with whom you have a high potential of growing a lifelong, loving relationship." Try to allow yourself to experience joy and lean into love. Don't feed into the worries and thoughts, let them just be thoughts and let them pass. They don't need to have power over you. ❤️
- Date posted
- 6y
So much great advice on here!! Thank you so much every single one of you for your input and we’re going to come out on top, just remember that
- Date posted
- 6y
I feel like my fear/anger has covered up what love and compassion is suppose to feel like... ?
- Date posted
- 6y
PaigeYve: thank you very much for this, a May not be able to fully understand at this moment, but your words stick with me, and they strengthen me; I deeply appreciate this ? Cat_Attack: it’s not a type I hear of too often u too I got on this app, and it all made perfect sense. What I’ve started to conclude is that I’m angry: I’m angry at myself for going through this, for feeling like I take it out on him, guilty for questioning my relationship, and much more. I was reading a story about a guy going through the same thing and how his fear got so intense that it started to cover up his feelings of love/compassion etc. And I could relate more. I think what we need to do is address the issues inside of us BUT that doesn’t mean we need to be alone to do that. I feel like people these days need to not have anyone in their life in order to work on themselves, this link explains it all and I found it very understandable: https://www.google.de/amp/s/amp.mindbodygreen.com/articles/why-you-can-be-in-a-relationship-still-focus-on-yourself--17560. We need to be kind to ourselves and that all relationships go through a rocky point, right now what I’m dealing with is mine, but that okay because the strongest, long-lasting relationships, are the ones that go through shit that’s meant to tear them apart but only end up being stronger. I know being alone might seem like the easier option, but I feel that may be guilt talking, or maybe that’s just my situation. Look to your heart and you will truly find your answer
- Date posted
- 6y
Another issue I have is that I associate love with the “sparks/butterflies” feeling...I have to constantly remind myself that that’s not what determines love, it’s much more than that; keep that in mind (note to self)
- Date posted
- 6y
I think it’s hard to tell if u “lose feelings” but honestly as I see it, if u enjoy his/her company and u also know in ur “logical” brain that u love him then u do. My bf and I got very toxic at one point Bc of my ocd and he broke up with me and I never saw it coming but he wanted me to work on myself and it pained me to leave and now whenever I have doubts I think of how I felt when he left and It brings me back and I’m like “wow I never wanna kiss someone else or go on road trips with another guy” and ya people will be like what if u just attached? But like what is love without attachment? Without becoming fully attached to someone u love and never wanting to let them go? That’s love. And u gotta remember love is ALWAYS a choice and NEVER only a feeling. If I left every time a doubt came up I’d be losing my best friend
- Date posted
- 6y
Blu_kangaru! Thank you I will read through that in a bit ☺️ And I totally get that! I feel like I need to be alone too, as in idk who I really am so how do I know he’s the right fit. But that’s stupid. I don’t understand why people think this way, no one will ever really know who they are because we as humans change throughout our entire lives!
- Date posted
- 6y
I’m just so stuck...I told my BF today that im not sure I’m in love with him anymore, but I feel so uncertain about that; I don’t ever see him out of my life! But I had time to think, and I put a lot of blame on myself and i think I’m angry and that’s why I feel the question “what if I don’t love him” comes into play so often...another thing is that away from him I think about him and appreciate him but when I see him in person, In a way I get nervous and scared...it’s just a big mess
- Date posted
- 6y
Okay I didn’t even know this was a type of OCD! I think I have this! I am so lost when it comes to my relationship. I’m very upset about it. I used to love him more than anyone and now I’m pretty sure I don’t love him anymore. Constantly thinking of being with other people, thinking I should be with someone who is a closer fit to me. We can’t even have conversations without fighting anymore, and I think a lot of that is because of me starting them. It’s very frustrating. When I think of actually leaving him though, I don’t want to. I want him in my life always. I don’t know if this is because I have ROCD or because I’m just using him as a security blanket. Plus I should mention the stress in both our lives right now is awful.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 21w
So I haven’t been diagnosed with ROCD but I’ve kinda self-diagnosed myself because of my repeated thought patterns and my way to escape them by searching for answers online (“signs I love her” or taking “do I love her or am I attached/codependent” quizzes) and asking loved ones how they knew they were in love. But recently I started to question this symptom of ROCD, wouldn’t someone in denial about loosing feelings for their partner do the same thing? (try to look for reasons that they do love their partner) I started to feel emotionless and apathy for my partner around the 3 month mark but as we grew closer and had real and emotional talks I started to regain my feelings. But sometimes when we are cuddling i’ll get this sudden emotionless feeling and it gives me anxiety. (It also scares me to think this started at the 3 month mark due to the 3 month rule phenomenon I see on social media) Our relationship has always been soo healthy, I really love my girlfriend and I know it but Im not to sure if i’m actually “IN LOVE.” I sometimes get intrusive thoughts about her looks and feel like im in love with her physical potential rather than how she looks now and that feels so wrong but don’t get me wrong either I still still think she’s beautiful regardless of how she looks. I love everything else about her like her personality, kindness, generosity, and loyalty. She’s my first girlfriend so I don’t know how to distinguish between loving someone and being in love with someone. I also don’t know how to or how it feels to move on from someone after so many emotional/special moments with them and the thought about starting a new relationship makes me feel uncomfortable and is just something I don’t want, hence the feeling that I might just be attached/codependent. I feel so uncomfortable when thinking that if we break up I might never see her again and we’ll never get to rejoice in sharing these emotional, special, and beautiful moments. I want it to be her that I spend the rest of my life with so badly but I feel like my mind is stopping me from picturing a future of us together even though that’s what I really want. (writing this sentence^ I got the intrusive thought of “are you sure that’s what you really want” and now i’m questioning myself) I also can’t help but feel this intense anxiousness in my chest and an inner gut feeling/voice telling me to break up with her without any reason other than because I have a strong feeling she isn’t the one. I haven’t acted on this feeling because In the case that I do have ROCD I know this gut feeling/intuition cannot be trusted. I also read, in the case that I do have ROCD the way to treat it is to endure the anxiety and face uncertainty but I feel like there is no uncertainty about my relationship. I feel 100% safe with her and that she won’t cheat on me, so why do i feel like this!!! I don’t want to endure this anxiety forever, I’m so confused! I’m currently looking for therapy to help decipher my feelings correctly and see if I’m experiencing ROCD. But according to what i’ve explained.. Is this ROCD or DENIAL about losing feelings?
- Date posted
- 15w
I believe I have ROCD — at least, that’s what many people here have told me based on what I’ve shared — and I really need help, because I feel like I’m falling apart. I don’t know what I feel anymore. I don’t know what’s real. My thoughts come as loud, cold statements — not questions. They say things like: “Nothing is the same.” “You don’t love him.” “You’re just staying because you’re used to him.” And even though I know I’m supposed to let the thoughts pass and not engage with them — I can’t. I get stuck in them. I try to find answers, I ruminate, I check, I cry, I panic. Everyone says “love isn’t just a feeling” — and I know that. But… I still want to feel something. I want to feel warmth, or connection, or even just peace. It’s been so long since I felt anything like that. Now everything just feels empty or terrifying or cold. My brain only gives me negative interpretations. No memory brings me comfort anymore. Nothing feels like it used to. And the worst part is — it all feels true. Sometimes I think: “What if I’m just denying the truth?” “What if I’ve finally realized that I don’t love him, and I just don’t want to admit it?” This feels like the worst version of myself. I’m so confused and scared and tired. Even therapy didn’t help — my therapist said things that made it worse, and now I don’t know who or what to believe anymore. I just want help. I want to know how to face ROCD — if that’s what this really is. I want to believe I can feel love again. I don’t want to lose myself in this forever. Has anyone else felt like this? How did you start to get better? i cant even remember past good memories with him, my head tells me that i didnt love him and i was just “excited “ to have someone. We have 2 years together and i have been dealing with this for a year and a half.
- Date posted
- 15w
I feel like I’m falling apart. I’ve been with my boyfriend for 2 years. He’s kind, loving, supportive — and I know he loves me deeply. But I can’t feel anything anymore. I sit next to him, and I feel numb. I kiss him, and it feels empty. I remember how I used to feel, and now… nothing. It terrifies me. The worst part is that I don’t even know what’s real anymore. I constantly question if I ever loved him, if I’m just forcing things out of guilt or fear. Sometimes I imagine breaking up, and I feel nothing — and that scares me even more. I keep thinking: if I really loved him, wouldn’t I feel it? I’ve read about ROCD. I want to believe that’s what this is. But the thoughts feel so real. And I can’t stop spiraling. My therapist didn’t help — she made me feel like maybe I was lying to myself. My mom either tells me to stop overthinking or gets angry. I have no one to really talk to. If anyone here has been through this — through the numbness, the “what if I never loved him?” thoughts, the feeling like it’s all fake — please tell me how you got through. I’m exhausted. I just want to feel peace again.
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