- Date posted
- 5y ago
- Date posted
- 5y ago
I'm still overcoming ocd and make mistakes all the time, but the biggest things I've learnt that have significantly improved my way of life FOR ME ( May not apply to or help others and u can just skip past my comment if it doesn't) with perseverance: — I've learnt accepting uncertainty reduces the threat of fears. And if your worst fear coming true is hard to even imagine and makes you feel sooo anxious and uncomfortable, I try to accept it anyway. You can still feel confident about something not happening whilst also accepting uncertainty that it might. - Headspace app, meditating every morning (I used to think meditation was rly pointless and just a fashionable thing to do but it's genuinely helped out loads) - Learning that my thoughts aren't mine was the biggest thing, that I held no responsibility for them because they just happen without any effort or input from me. - I've learnt/learning to accept that my intrusive thoughts may never go and obsessions may come back because that comes with the uncertainty of life. - I've learnt that the more you fight your intrusive thoughts, you're giving them more attention making them more stressful and anxiety inducing. An intrusive thought loses its power over you slowly if you accept the thought and not react. - lastly I've learnt that reassurance seeking is your enemy when it comes to ocd. ALL OF THE ABOVE are easier said than done and literally took all my effort to understand and remember to practice, I slip up alllllll the time and make mistakes but I try to just carry on. When I get an intrusive thought (I'm having one right now whilst Im writing this: about sounding like I'm boasting/a know it all/annoying because I've learnt all these things hahahaha) but I just try to accept the thought and give it space in my mind to think about it but I try not to engage with it, even if I do engage with it and start wondering what it means, it's not a lost cause and I haven't ruined my whole recovery - I just try and refocus and let all the thoughts I'm experiencing sit in my mind. It can makd you feel sooooo anxious but (a bit like ERP THERAPY) eventually my brain calms itself down and I just try to move on with my day.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Yes and no, wouldnt say close but def further than i have been. What i will say helps is reading up on everything and anything on OCD and help. I have so many articles, insta pages, and books that really make a huge difference
- Date posted
- 5y ago
I’m recovering right now but I’m not fully recovered. But some things I’ve learned are, I think looking stuff up about ocd helped me like learning what ocd is so I can get better (make sure looking stuff up doesn’t become a compulsion) Another thing I do is know that the thoughts aren’t actually what I want, they are just thoughts. I also label my thoughts like a thought will come up and I’ll say, “that’s an obsession” or “that’s a compulsion” If you label it the thought will only become obsessions and compulsions nothing else
- Date posted
- 5y ago
correction **** I just try to accept the thought and give it space in my mind to EXIST.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
@ lizard20 thank you so very much for this. I needed to hear all of that
- Date posted
- 5y ago
@allgood — Thank you for that insight! So on point! Blessings & love to you all ❤️
Related posts
- Date posted
- 22w ago
Those of you who have overcome at least a bit, if not all, of your OCD. When you went through the CBT and ERP, did it feel like the end of the world? And how did you face the fact that your fears and uncertainties might actually come to life?
- Date posted
- 15w ago
I’m having a big OCD relapse and would like to hear anyone’s tips on how to be present and healthily deal with these intrusive thoughts and the “need” to preform compulsions. Thank you!!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 14w ago
Looking back, I realize I’ve had OCD since I was 7. though I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 30. As a kid, I was consumed by fears I couldn’t explain: "What if God isn’t real? What happens when we die? How do I know I’m real?" These existential thoughts terrified me, and while everyone has them from time to time, I felt like they were consuming my life. By 12, I was having daily panic attacks about death and war, feeling untethered from reality as depersonalization and derealization set in. At 15, I turned to drinking, spending the next 15 years drunk, trying to escape my mind. I hated myself, struggled with my body, and my intrusive thoughts. Sobriety forced me to face it all head-on. In May 2022, I finally learned I had OCD. I remember the exact date: May 10th. Reading about it, I thought, "Oh my God, this is it. This explains everything." My main themes were existential OCD and self-harm intrusive thoughts. The self-harm fears were the hardest: "What if I kill myself? What if I lose control?" These thoughts terrified me because I didn’t want to die. ERP changed everything. At first, I thought, "You want me to confront my worst fears? Are you kidding me?" But ERP is gradual and done at your pace. My therapist taught me to lean into uncertainty instead of fighting it. She’d say, "Maybe you’ll kill yourself—who knows?" At first, it felt scary, but for OCD, it was freeing. Slowly, I realized my thoughts were just thoughts. ERP gave me my life back. I’m working again, I’m sober, and for the first time, I can imagine a future. If you’re scared to try ERP, I get it. But if you’re already living in fear, why not try a set of tools that can give you hope?
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