What would you tell yourself?

Stay in the present moment. It’s harder than you think but it’s absolutely worth it.

I wish I knew then what I know now. Information on ocd has come a long way over the years. Instead of identifying myself as these crummy thoughts knowing the intrusive thoughts are common to all people and are really JUST thoughts and thoughts are harmless. Our actions are what defines us.

Not every single thought has a reason that needs to be figured out! My ocd specifically likes to try to figure things out. Every thought I have. My ocd always thinks that there is this special meaning behind every thought I have, figuring out that special meaning means then being able to work on it & then come to a healing that will be somehow final. 10 years of talk therapy has not helped with this at all. Thank goodness I found nocd this year & discovered that what I have is ocd.

The anxiety of uncertainty is so much more worth it than suffering in OCD.

OCD is universal. Whatever your theme is. This and that theme requires the same treatment. It all comes back to uncertainty. You want 100% proof of something. You won't get any. Accept that you won't know everything. It is not important.

I love this post Casie! I would tell younger me that I am not a bad person, I am not broken and irreparable. I would tell myself to reach out and ask for help- you don't have to carry this alone.

Something I would have told myself: Take meds if you need it! Keep trying if they don't work. It doesn't mean you're broken!

Stay optimistic, and find the right therapist. It took a while to find a trained therapist who understands OCD.

You're not crazy! You are a good person that struggles with intrusive thoughts adn hyperempathy. It is called OCD. Also, you should listen to that one person who was convinced you had ADHD. Go get a diagnosis! Start researching mindfulness while you're at it. Most importantly, you will live a life not interupted by you current obsession. Time will heal everything.

As a group maybe we are too compassionate to others and not enough to ourselves. Maybe the ocd thoughts have power because we are the types that care waay too much what others think of us. Self care helps. It’s hard. Can I get an amen?

You can survive and live a happy life without “figuring it out”

You can improve

Don’t self diagnose because symptoms can overlap with other conditions. It can hinder your treatment. Get the proper diagnosis first and then seek therapists/specialists that cater to your specific condition. Also, something that works for others may not work for you. Be patient and kind to yourself.

Your not crazy

Stay the course of treatment. I realized that a big part of why I keep relapsing is because I didn’t get the proper amount of treatment I needed to make a sustainable change. Back in therapy again and trying to do that

I think for me it would be knowing that NOCD has so many understanding and kind-hearted people that I can turn to for help. I spent way too many years thinking I was just an abnormal freak.

To get away from certain providers and to keep looking for the right answers

That sitting with uncertainty takes practice, but it’s always worth it to try

I would tell myself to stop wasting time, that I don’t have to live like this forever. I’ve been to therapy before but I was scared to tell the therapist what was really going on, I felt like they wouldn’t understand. Thanks for sharing your story Casie, very relatable 😊

That it’s possible to get your brain to change how it functions, to try and get myself to act differently.

Before I sought out therapy and help I had people in my life (or a particular person) try to talk me out of getting the help I needed and not the help THEY wanted me to have. They told me that they didn’t think I needed therapy and that I didn’t need medication. Don’t let anyone dictate what you know your body and yourself needs. Talk to a professional. Get the help you need to help get you in a better place. I felt so alone after being told that I didn’t need a therapist when I was at my all time low in my life. And then I took it upon my self to start my journey of therapy and medication through NOCD and it has saved me. You are not alone. If you feel like you need help, help is out there. Don’t be afraid of talking with someone. My therapist helped me so much and my current one has helped me even more. You are not alone in this. You matter. Everything will get better. It takes time and a little work but I will never forget telling that person when I actually got diagnosed by a professional and they still didn’t want to believe me that it was OCD. I will never regret doing the right thing for myself.

I would tell myself that it is okay & normal to make a mistake. That showing my humanness in making mistakes is okay & expected as one is working on themselves in therapy.

I think it’s even harder to talk about some of the deep fears we have and share them with others. I think this shows our firm dedication to getting help, and for that, you should pat yourself on the back.

That you’re not alone even if you feel like it at the time. Everyone has issues and you’re not crazy. Be your own advocate in time of need. Don’t be afraid to share what you’re going through, more times than none someone is dealing with something similar if not the same things and if you can help just one person and for them to know they aren’t alone then you have done it all! ❤️

"You don't have to run away from anything. Thoughts are thoughts and they are not the true reflection of yourself."

That i am not defective or broken. I have always been so hard on myself and how i process it. We are all unique and just have to work at things differently

Your thoughts don’t define you.

Sustain the ERP after treatment, at home: keep doing the exposure pages that I got in treatment! “Live uncertain!” Be kind to myself and seek therapists who specialize in OCD!!

You will never have a hundred percent certainty on past or future actions. You can’t let yourself hyper fixate on every action you take out of fear of hurting someone or being hurt. Stop trying to please people who will never care about you and find people who actually reciprocate your feelings and who like and respect you.

It will get better and there are people and approaches that legitimately know how to help make it better

It’s going to be hard. That’s the point of the therapy. If you go in thinking it’s going to be easy, you don’t fully understand ERP. But while it’s difficult, it’s also at YOUR pace. There’s no rush and it’s crazy how quickly your brain starts learning to accept the anxiety/uncertainty and just be okay with it. Also, this won’t “cure” your OCD, but it will teach you to recognize, understand, and cope so you’re better and better prepared each time.

You're not alone. Lots of people have thoughts like this. It's called OCD. Don't put too much stock in your therapist's Jungian shadow self ideas. You don't have to buy in to these thoughts as much as they are suggesting. Also, it's going to take a while to feel your feelings fully, but it's so so so worth it.

I’d tell myself to work through my grief first.

Do not give up!!!!

Recovery is not linear but its worth it

I want to tell my younger self that i deserved a better childhood without developing depression and thinking im crazy while its just ocd and they are just thoughts

Don’t settle for a good enough easing of symptoms. Continue the work, push yourself to learn how to handle uncertainties without needing to cope or control. A better way is possible and you might as well try and get there since the OCD spikes will show up again eventually, perhaps even with a different theme

That you aren’t this monster that you think you are because of some of these thoughts.

That recovery will come. This is not forever

I would tell myself that the ups and downs are real and I shouldn't let ocd take back my life the moment it gets harder to resist compulsions. Also, if I really need help it's ok to ask for it.

I wish I had known that I wasn’t alone. I wish I had known how many people have these exact same thought processes about the same things and how it’s a treatable illness.

Don't be afraid to ask for help and to advocate for yourself. If you think you have something, find out. I wish I'd found nocd earlier. Getting an official diagnoses to something I thought I'd done to myself was sad, but it also put me on the path to healing.

Hard work and consistency will pay off.

I definitely know that if it wasn’t for community and other suffers to relate to I wouldn’t be in a very good place at all today. OCD is so serious at times and you never know when it will pop up and throw you into the thought mode.

I don’t know if anyone else experiences this but with me I think back to the past if even recently and tell myself how could I have been happy I was so stupid to think that. I’ve always thought that way and now I realize it’s probably just an ocd thing

Obssesing and doing the complusions feeds ocd

I just started therapy and what I would tell myself looking back is to get help sooner. It is not a sign of weakness to seek therapy, to join a community of people who have similar experiences, and to take steps to feel better

I’d tell myself to take my meds and don’t take the street drugs. It has taken me a long time to nail that down.

you are strong as a mountain

There are therapist that specifically help with OCD. There’s hope.

I would have told myself to get into therapy sooner in college when it's free. I waited until the last semester or so.

I’m not out of the woods yet so I’d wait until I’m in a better place before sending back a message.