Does anyone else feel like there intrusive thoughts go away when the are deeply involved in some sort of work? Then when I come out of it, my mind goes straight back to my rocd. It makes me feel like it’s not actually rocd.
Hi Jigjon, I’ve noticed that sometimes when I’ve been busy with work or life events, I don’t notice my OCD themes as much. And sometimes stress/busyness with work can exacerbate my anxiety + ocd. Just because you don’t always notice it/it’s not as loud doesn’t mean it’s not OCD. OCD is a rollercoaster, there are times of high prevalence and times where things aren’t as noticeable. It’s the doubt disorder, so it’s going to make you doubt things, even doubting that what you’re experiencing is OCD! My best advice to you is to accept the uncertainty; maybe it is ocd, maybe it’s not. You may never have a concrete answer. But worrying, ruminating, over thinking won’t get you any closer to an answer. If you’re not in therapy, I definitely recommend giving NOCD a call for their free consultation!
Often the best way to deal with Intrusive thoughts is to accept the uncomfortable thoughts/feelings and not engage with the OCD. Since that is so hard to do, sometimes redirecting can help. It sounds like what you are describing is a form of redirecting. Perhaps you just need to add in a step prior to redirecting, where you let the thought come up and sit with it for a moment prior to redirecting by focusing on work, etc. I am in ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) therapy for my OCD. It's helped me to deal with thoughts in a clearer way.
Yeap!
of course, I think it's kind of a coping mechanism
For the past 3 months ish I’ve been struggling on and off with this anxiety and fixation over my relationship. To wondering if i still have feelings for an old friend, wondering if i actually love him, wondering if the thoughts are all real and im just trying to cover it up with ocd. It sucks, when im talking to my boyfriend i feel fine. The words i love you and talks about the future come naturally. I can’t imagine myself with anyone but him. But this constant rumination on my relationship is KILLING me and I’m scared it’s going to ruin what i have. It makes me numb and disconnected which therefore makes me believe the thoughts even more. They just feel so real sometimes and it’s so scary like why can i not just enjoy it. We’ve been together for a while so i know there’s periods of like feelings ebb and flowing but this is so much more. It’s just constantly sitting on my chest with anxiety. My compulsions are coming on this app, looking at photos of us and confessing it to him. He’s very understanding and helpful. I love him so much. I just need help / I’m also just starting new meds as well ..
Anyone else feel that when they aren’t experiencing a theme that their ocd is almost non existent. It almost makes me feel like I’ve been faking it, and also makes me feel ridiculous for obsessing over things. I feel sorry for myself :/ I know that my themes are valid and felt very real in the moment, but after I “get over” them I just can’t believe that I was obsessing over something that either wasn’t true or didn’t apply to me. I would also like to know how to prevent themes from reoccurring. Health, religion and existential OCD themes tend to take turns throughout my life, I just didn’t know that was it ocd. Trying to break the cycle.
So, yesterday while I was laying in bed, I was relaxing when suddenly I had an intrusive thought about someone, but the thing is that it brought me a sense of enjoyment or calmness for a few seconds before it went away. Once it did, it was only until hours later when I realized what had happened and I began to freak out because I'm reading everywhere that when someone experiences this type of thing, the anxiety happens shortly after the enjoyment or "false" enjoyment. Can OCD do this?
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond
