Tips on Overcoming these OCD Symptoms?

Hello, I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar experience with OCD to the one I recently had, and how you got through it! I have dealt with a variety of intrusive thoughts and OCD symptoms for many years now, and recently learned that these symptoms were actually signs of OCD. These symptoms bothered me now and then, but the didn't really impact my daily life, relationships, or joy. That all changed over this summer when I experienced a stressful life event. The event sent my OCD symptoms into an intense spiral where I could literally not stop thinking about what happened and kept going back to try to "solve it" in my brain by reliving each detail. This only made me feel worse. However I felt like I had to keep thinking and talking about what had happened in order to process it and make my thoughts calm down. I then started freaking out and feeling as if I had lost control of my mind. My emotions started to rotate between numb and intense anxiety, and I felt like I couldn't focus in conversations with loved ones or be present anymore because my mind, body and emotions were constantly racing down a dark spiral. I felt no rest or peace and had 5 nights of literally zero sleep during this intense period of my life. As of recently I have started medication and meeting with a therapist. I only have a few intrusive thoughts per day about the life event now, and seemingly random things trigger those thoughts. It feels like the days and people surrounding this event are always in the back of my mind, wanting me to think about them. Other symptoms spiked up after this event that have not gone down as much as I would have liked. For example, I am constantly checking to see if I am truly present with whoever I am with, if I am truly being myself and saying what I would normally say, or enjoying myself as I normally would had I not gone through the stressful event and been left with these strange side effects. Its like a mental trap, because the checking to see if I am engaged and enjoying my time with friends and family is what keeps me from being engaged and enjoying times with friends and family. Have you experienced anything like this before? Any tips and support would be appreciated!

Username: Joey92

Date posted: 9d ago

Hey! So I have definitely been through what you are going through. So a few things that helped me: - ocd is kinda like an uncontrollable sickness (to me a least), in that you can never truely know what triggered your symptoms or how long they will last but the goal is to just keep pushing on and not questioning why it’s worse now than before (my opinion atleast) - it sounds kinda like Real Event OCD so maybe have a browse of that sub of NOCD and see if theirs any applicable advice - everything around it, like the symptoms you experienced, like zoning out of convo, checking if your present, etc etc is essentially a compulsion (Ruminating) and as I like to remind myself Compulsions fuel Compulsions, so and this helped for me atleast, as soon as I notice myself ruminating, I start to sing the first song that comes into mind, and I focus on that (essentially medicate) until the anxiety spikes and while you could argue that it’s still a compulsion I don’t really do it in that manner and I find it help me pass those intense moments of rumination - also one other thing someone posted that helped me was that with real event ocd was time and patience can make it better - finally I’m really sorry to hear that you are going through this, honestly what I hold onto and to summarise, just try to do as little as possible, just accept that it’s a shitty time and hope that eventually it softens. I have found that when I just say “hey I feel shit and guilty etc” but I don’t do anything and just try to march on, it kinda makes it easier. Like almost accepting your just sick and that your mind and body just do their thing, kinda helped me. Hope that’s not a triggering statement for you and hope my advice helped! Stay strong, you can get through this!

Username: Jesse M.

Date posted: 9d ago

This is beautiful 🙂

Username: Joey92

Date posted: 9d ago

Sorry above I meant until the anxiety dwindles, not spikes* and the more times you beat it, the less you compulse and ruminate (in theory!)

Username: Becca1996

Date posted: 8d ago

Thank you Joey! This was very helpful <3