HOCD and intrusive feelings

I find the best thing to do for me is to try and refocus back on the present moment. Do your best not to add meaning, read into, or argue with the thoughts. It’s definitely easier said than done but the more you practice the easier it gets.

I’m the same.

You can hear the thoughts but you don't have to listen to them. When i'm in these kind of situations, non-engagement responses are the best for me. When i hear these thoughts, i allow them to speak for like couple minutes, feel the fear and anxiety and after couple minutes i say "yeah, OK, i may be gay or i may not be gay. I don't know and i don't care. So, goodbye!" you don't have to %100 believe it, just say it.

Hi! I struggled with this same thing for a long time. The best treatment I found was to think “what am I missing out on by focusing on my intrusive thoughts” every time I felt compelled to perform a compulsion. For me that played out like this “Am I gay?… Hmm let me check… Wait… What am I missing out on by worrying about this… I am missing out on connecting to the present and with my girlfriend… Let’s try to do that instead!” This only worked for me once I radically accepted that I have OCD and did it every time you have an intrusive thought! It feels so real when you’re going through it! You are strong and you’ve got this!