If you look back on a timeline of your life, did you have OCD symptoms and not know it?

Sometimes it can be a good reflection moment to take time to notice patterns in your life. What have been some of your patterns? How did you cope throughout those periods? What is different now than back then? For me, I totally have had ROCD periods. Compulsions included checking, ruminating, and asking for reassurance. Sometimes it's hard not to believe it all. The distress can get so high. If I had worked on on my values and the things I cared about sooner, I would have worked through my ROCD so much sooner. What works for you? What do you value? Doing this work and focusing on my family helps!

Username: Khensani

Date posted: 95d ago

Yes, I used to have a lot of sticky intrusive thoughts, but they were very taboo themes so I felt too much shame and I would isolate. Now that I know it’s OCD i feel less shame and understand that it’s a common thing and I’m not just weird

Username: Anonymous

Date posted: 95d ago

In my early 20s, I would obsess over whether or not I would be single forever. I thought it was common worry for someone who was young, but I would obsess over it because I couldn't tolerate the uncertainty. Only realized that when I got diagnosed 15 years later. Sexually taboo intrusive thoughts I didn't recognize while going through it. I didn't know what was happening.

Username: Anonymous

Date posted: 95d ago

I coped by asking my mom and friend for reassurance a lot.

Username: Nica

Date posted: 95d ago

My mom noticed when I was around 4 years old. She beat me to it.

Username: Lindsay RM

Date posted: 95d ago

I had many anxious episodes as a kid, and I realized what they were after my diagnosis, but what really brought it home to me is a conversation I had with my boss once. I relayed a story from my childhood that I thought was amusing, and instead of laughing, she said, “Wow, you were an anxious child.” It reset my thinking.

Username: ChaniLB

Date posted: 95d ago

I can think of many examples! ROCD probably my biggest, crossing over into harm and magical thinking. Even as a child I would always worry so much about if something bad would happen to the people that I love, my family, my relationships with friends, etc. I would imagine/ruminate on all sorts of possible scenarios and try to gain certainty about them.

Username: FunkyFred

Date posted: 95d ago

As a child I had a couple compulsions I used to do.. I guess it was “religious OCD” I would pray so many times, to make sure the Lord knew I loved him.. I didn’t quite understand what was going on tbh. But fast forward after I got into a horrible accident and idk if that made things worst or what but my mom said a very triggering word for me that I had no idea would be that triggering and I latched onto harm ocd for months.. that theme scared me so bad, then it was pocd, which had me in distress.. that’s when i finally found out about “OCD”.. and now i’m dealing with ROCD.. but in most of my relationships i’ve never felt super secure, I would always ask for reassurance.. I never thought I would find love.. I was super scared to lose my virginity.. I constantly think bad things are gonna happen.. i’m just a mess lol.. i don’t really know my values anymore.. I don’t know truly who I am as a person.. it’s scary.. but i’m trying to work on that right now. I feel as though OCD has definitely made me question who I really am as a person.. I’m obsessed with not being a bad person..

User type: Therapist

Username: Alessandra Rizzotti

Date posted: 54d ago

Good awareness re your Core Fear being a bad person. I hope you do a bunch of imaginals /exposures just on that!

Username: Schroder

Date posted: 95d ago

I isolated for 5 years (never left the house)before I had any idea what I had was Ocd, I just thought I was a dangerous person whom didn't belong in society.

User type: Therapist

Username: Alessandra Rizzotti

Date posted: 54d ago

Yes it can be so scary. I'm glad you got support so you could refrain from isolating.

Username: Purr

Date posted: 95d ago

Yes

Username: vmcgee

Date posted: 54d ago

Yes, I’m 32 now and I can look back and notice behaviors I did as a child that were definitely my OCD

Username: worrier 24

Date posted: 54d ago

When I was younger I was obsessed with checking the dates on food because I was scared I would get food poisoning if I ate something out of date not sure what triggered this or when it stopped.