- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
This is pretty classic ROCD. I’m sorry you have to deal with this. I can’t tell from your story if you have prior experience working through OCD — you mention images so maybe you’ve dealt with it in a more visual way before. Many people experience it as thoughts, not images, or even both. You’re going to want to do a few things: (1) learn about ERP therapy and mindfulness, so you can deal with the thoughts and anxiety they cause. (2) forgive yourself and give yourself some compassion. I’m concerned that you think she “deserves better” when this is something difficult happening to YOU, not her. In fact, this probably has nothing to do with her other than the fact that you really care about her and your brain works a little different because of OCD. The road ahead isn’t easy, but you can do it. Next time you’re facing these thoughts, don’t engage with them by trying to answer or understand or reason with them. Just let them happen, acknowledge them, sit with the anxiety until it passes, and then move on.
- Date posted
- 6y
It’s so hard not to! But that’s the whole point: have the thought, don’t do the compulsion, slowly get better.
- Date posted
- 6y
Let ask you this, say your good friend came to you with this exactly story? What insight would you tell him or her to help them. Really think about this question and lmk.
- Date posted
- 6y
Don't quite understand your comment
- Date posted
- 6y
As in, your friend comes to you with this exact story and is asking you for your help. What is it you would say to him or her
- Date posted
- 6y
Wish I knew. Because I don't fully understand it. Usually I can try to understand or formulate my thoughts, but not sure what this even is.
- Date posted
- 6y
Thanks for this pureolife. I do suffer from unique thoughts about things travelling fast (like sped up) and I can't shake them, I'll try to find a way to calm the thoughts, avoiding some things that trigger me. Although they're unique to me and trauma I experienced at a young age, they're essentially intrusive thoughts. So this is something new, but I feel so guilty about it. I never OCD manifested as thoughts like "I hate you" (for example) when you see someone you love. So if true, this is something new I have learnt. Although my thoughts are never usually anything like this, tend to be as described previously. So scared that something else may be happening to me. Thanks for your comment, really appreciate it.
- Date posted
- 6y
I actually WOULDN’T recommend avoiding these thoughts. OCD is by nature paradoxical: the more you avoid or suppress the more you tell your brain “this is clearly important!” which makes them happen more often and intensely. In fact, the only way to overcome an OCD theme is to expose yourself to it purposefully: think it without responding, analyzing, or trying to neutralize it. Sit with the anxiety until it diminishes. Repeat. Over time, your brain becomes habituated to the thought and doesn’t provoke anxiety anymore. And it stops meaning as much to you. There are sections in the app on ERP therapy and ROCD. Do some more research, don’t just take it from me. The treatment is hard, but it works.
- Date posted
- 6y
So what your saying is purposely think about the thoughts that trigger you and sit with the distress?
- Date posted
- 6y
Yup! Over time, your distress levels will go down. It can take weeks to months, it totally depends on the person. It takes a lot of bravery and grit to sit with negative emotions, but it’s the only way to heal and you’ll be a much stronger, sane person for it.
- Date posted
- 6y
I made a post about this before where i asked if i should set a timer for a period of time think thoughts that upset me to try and habituate to them. Your saying i should do this?
- Date posted
- 6y
Lots of people start off with a timed session, yeah. Start with 5 min everyday for a week. Then 10. Then 20. You may find that you like the structure and feel safer in a timed “bad thoughts” space. But you may also decide to take the practice into the real world as it’s happening: you’re looking at your gf and think something bad, rather than try to push it away or explain it, you sit with it until it dissipates. You may use mindfulness to watch the thought happen, acknowledge it, and then let it keep floating away without holding onto it. Different techniques work for different people at different times: experiment! But never avoid. That doesn’t work.
- Date posted
- 6y
Just know: it may take awhile to start feeling better and no one is perfect. If you are struggling for awhile, it’s okay. This is a sucky process but it gets better. Good luck!
- Date posted
- 6y
Ok, i struggle with magical thinking ocd. So my thoughts are all over the place but ill try thinking of things that trigger me and think if them for about 45sec i think i can do that. Just going to be hard not to do a compulsion afterward lol
- Date posted
- 6y
So i just set a timer for 45sec and did some erp with my obsessive thoughts, wasn’t fun lol but now the thoughts wont leave. Any suggestions?
- Date posted
- 6y
If you’re trying to make the thoughts “leave” you’re doing it wrong. The whole point is to have the thoughts. And sit with the anxiety they make you feel. Eventually, the anxiety will dissipate. Repeat. There are a few steps to recovery but the first is learning to have the thoughts without anxiety or responding to them (ie trying to get rid of them, understand them, check how they make you feel, etc.) Keep at it. You do the exposure and the thoughts are happening and won’t stop. That’s okay! Let them come. They’re thoughts. They won’t hurt you. And you’re going to feel anxious. Anxiety won’t hurt you either. It’s just going to feel uncomfortable for while. When do the thoughts stop? When you actually stop caring about whether they happen or not anymore. And that takes time. You’ve done one session. Give yourself a week or two and check in to see if there’s a difference. Think in weeks, not minutes or days.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
I've been in this relationship for 1.5 yrs on and off and what I like about her is She's smart, beautiful, cleans, she says she loves me, she cooks for me. But what I noticed about this person from the beginning is that she is negative about her past, such as getting her things stolen, going to mental hospitals back to back and people did her wrong. And I was there to be there for her such as when she is in pain, I take her to doctors, or whatever I can do to make her feel better. But I've noticed throughout the relationship that she checks on my phone and checks if im talking to someone. And always mixes up with her memory thinking I cheating on her on the relationship.. honestly her memory is not clear. Most of the time she would ask me am I talking to a girl or when I do uber do I casual talk to them, and the conversation I have is just about, How's the neighborhood here? The food around here. About God.. Nothing flirtatious what's so ever. But she always give me a conversation about other women. 2x I spoke to her about my ocd. (1st time I broke up with her because she was angry at me, and I can understand and so I broke it off) One was sexual thoughts during sex 2nd time (is an ex theme) Because I know she hates these subjects so I avoid it. This is why I tell myself don't have these thoughts, the more I don't want them, it appears in my awareness and it causes me emotional distress. I've told her about it (it could be a compulsion) she wasn't happy and seemed mad about it. So I just feel like just call it quits... because I've tried my very best to get rid of these thoughts and don't want to give her pain. I can understand why she is angry and that she loves me ( she reaches out and wants to work things out ) But what I truly do not like is when she gets mad when there are no problems such as that uber issue, she would say ok if you do that I'll talk to guys then, (in my head, what do you mean? In what way? I wasn't flirtatious or anything) What I believe is how we grew up and raised different. Throughout the relationship, when we argue (mostly about women, about her issues like who are you texting is it a girl? She would vent all the time about how she hates her workplace and jumps from job to job) My beliefs if we love each other, we should encourage each other to grow. there is no reason to opposing us from growing - to be angry, jealous, arguments etc. I do believe in God. That is why most of the time I feel like she is always talking about the past mistakes - she talked down on me about being with a prostitute - 7 yrs ago (way before this relationship started). She curses alot.. And for all these reasons I should quit the relationship. But she has the nerve to say I am unstable and that she is tired of hearing I keep kicking her out the house (it didn't happen, but she doesn't realize my needs - as in why aren't we growing from this area? - as in why are you always mad at people from work? Or why do you get annoyed all the time? I give her advice in these areas but she knows im tired of hearing about this. So she talks to her family about it. But i realized she wanted me to care for her... i do but i also do tough love... we cant just vent 24/7.) And when I told her about my ocd and broken up due to the fact of having sexual images ( I can't control it) She moved to TX and I visited her a couple times. She said she is suffering without me. And so i took her back. She don't like to talk about exes so the theme ex stuck in my head and I wanted to get rid of it. That's what cause the second breakup. I confessed to her about my problems of why the breakup happened and it seemed like she couldn't accept it , she does not understand ocd and she said she don't care. I blocked her and she was going to send me a message saying she will be there for me and love me alot and wants to grow together. But I am still resentful for what happened. Til this day I'm still afraid of her and my thoughts whenever I'm around her. -- Now she wants to marry me.. but I'm unsure because it seems forceful and that she doesn't understand what I'm going through. Even when we communicate I feel she will judge me for my ocd (even when i look for help) and I feel resentful because I feel like I did nothing wrong. There is no other woman involved, no cheating. It's just my ocd and she keeps saying I think of my ex all the time. I am not trying to hold on to flaws but thinking back of her patterns haunts me. I love her. We have seperated for months and she said she is having problems with the landlord.. So it tells me something why is she having problems with other people alot?? Whenever she's around my ocd flares up, when she's not around I feel ease but in a week, I would feel like I miss her and want to be back with her again... it's really confusing -- Today, I did ERP and the thought appeared less but she wants to be back with me and move in with me. And also marry me. But today I've been thinking of her flaws (angry, suspect me alot if there is another woman, use petty things when there arent any real issue.. the real issue is she is annoyed all the time). We say we love each other. I do love her. Sometimes I want to quit permanently, sometimes I don't. I'm confused, is this OCD? I don't know if I should stay with her. Thanks for reading my post. Any advice is appreciated. I'll also message this to my therapist. I dont feel distressed about breaking up, but can these thoughts lead you to breaking up? ( I think I answered my own question but need to know)
- Date posted
- 20w
I am diagnosed with OCD, ADHD, and mild depression. But my OCD symptoms are so prominent in my daily life where it feels debilitating. It comes in waves, there will be months with very minor symptoms and other times where it comes in random hitting me like a truck making me rethink life. I grew up having intrusive thoughts of all types, and a lot of them sent me over the edge because I couldn’t understand why things of such sort would cross my mind, things that I’m sure to this day that I’m incapable of or would never want to actually do. Yet I find myself in a constant cycle of trying to dig deep in the past and trying to figure out if I ever acted on any of the intrusive thoughts I can remember, yet ofc have no recollection of acting on them because they most likely didn’t happen. However, not having concrete proof of these things makes me not want to see another day sometimes. It is so hard to move into daily basis like this. I’m also in a happy healthy relationship and sometimes I get these thoughts of “what if I’ve done something awful during the relationship (for example, cheat, dishonesty, etc.) and can’t remember?” I know I would never do anything intentionally to harm my relationship and I think that maybe the idea of not having my partner sends me down a rabbit hole to think all these things. This mental fight is getting harder and harder. It feels unbearable. Does anyone have some fruit for thought, relate, or have any tips?
- Date posted
- 20w
Hi Everyone! I hope whoever is reading this is having a good day so far :) So for years now I’ve had very bad intrusive thoughts about things that I have done or embarrassing things that I’ve said or have happened and it’s mortifying and debilitating on a daily basis. Specifically these thoughts are mainly things that have occurred from 2018-2020 and some are more simple just as a stupid joke I made or being way too loud on calls while my family was trying to sleep and others being way more complex such as past relationships and how I’ve hurt some of the people I care the most about and when I have acted on intrusive thoughts and these thoughts will appear with no triggers at all I’ll just wake up and already have something I did just nagging me. I don’t want to live like this anymore and I’ve tried working through it with self compassion but sometimes the things I said or did back then it’s very hard to forgive myself for and I’ll reminisce on it for hours on hours, gaslight myself into believing that’s not how it happened and try to change the memory itself, or just suppress it entirely. I know those habits aren’t healthy and truly I want to get better but I don’t know how to overcome some of these thoughts. I have talked to my fiancé about this a few times and even today we talked about it and he fully supports me and is helping me work through it. I might also contact my sister too, I don’t talk to her overly too much but ever since I was little she’s thought I’ve had ocd and was one of the people who made me consider that I might have it (I’m still undiagnosed but I’ll try to when I have the money and time) and I know she could maybe provide some insight. Another thing that is troublesome about the situation is my other family members specifically my mom aren’t the most helpful and can trigger thoughts. To put it in perspective on how her thought process is and some background info she is an ER nurse and has been for 30 years due to this she believes she knows mainly everything there is about mental health and she gets extremely upset when I don’t take her advice or set boundaries. She’ll force me to talk to her about my problems and when I don’t want to she’ll pin me in a corner where I’m forced to and last summer I had a really bad episode and was really overstimulated and I just finished taking a shower and due to the water on me, my hair being wet (my hair is naturally curly and it takes forever to dry and it’s very draining taking care of even with a keratin treatment) and all the intrusive thoughts I was having and she forced me to talk to her and I did open up for the first time about my thoughts and brought up how sometimes I have thoughts of hurting my animals and it makes me physically sick. Her response to this was threatening to call the cops on me saying it was a behavioral thing and I was doing it for attention. I have never hurt any of my animals but later that day my cat came into my room and a few minutes later she comes up just gives me the death stare and after a few seconds just asks me “are you going to go kill snickers?” In the most condescending tone and she’s always like this daily where she’ll force advice onto me or get upset and yell and then reinforce thoughts I’m having. I just want to know first how to stop the thoughts from so frequently and how to heal in an environmental where it keeps reopening wounds despite trying to place boundaries? I’m sorry this is really long I usually do go really in detail about things and it’s just how I’ve always been. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask and I’ll answer them to the best of my ability. I really appreciate the time you took to read this and thank you for your help! 🥰
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