Brian :)
- Date posted
- 2y
Tips
How can I accept the uncertainty ?
Maddy211Maddy211
- Date posted
- 2y
Exposure for me feels like a leap of faith. Whenever I do an exposure I choose to sit with the feeling of uncertainty even though it’s hard work and invest my attention in anything else (for example peeling chestnuts in my case) and let the “what if’s unanswered jn the back of my mind. The more experience you get with these exposures over time the more you will learn that eventually you can handle uncertainty, in my experience. You got this!
Brian :)Brian :)
- Date posted
- 2y
@Maddy211 Thank u
Lauren12Lauren12
- Date posted
- 2y
!Good question Brian:)
Lauren12Lauren12
- Date posted
- 2y
Would you like to connect Brian? I am dealing with Scrupulosity, religious ocd etc.
Brian :)Brian :)
- Date posted
- 2y
@Lauren12 Yes I would absolutely love to ! I could use some ocd friends .
Lauren12Lauren12
- Date posted
- 2y
@Brian :) What would you like to connect with?
Anonymous 99Anonymous 99
- Date posted
- 2y
@Lauren12 Hi Lauren, just saw your comment. Are you doing ERP for your religious/Scrupulosity OCD? If so, how’s that going? I’m struggling with ERP for this theme feels so hard. (I am a Christian)
Lauren12Lauren12
- Date posted
- 2y
@Anonymous 99 I haven't started it yet! I am tracking my symptoms first! What about you? Would you like to connect?
Anonymous 99Anonymous 99
- Date posted
- 2y
@Lauren12 Oh ok! How can we connect? Is there a way to message on here??
Lauren12Lauren12
- Date posted
- 2y
@Anonymous 99 I don't think so! Snapchat, FB, email, Telegram, text. What would you like to use?
Anonymous 99Anonymous 99
- Date posted
- 2y
@Lauren12 I just downloaded Telegram! How can I message you on there?
Lauren12Lauren12
- Date posted
- 2y
@Anonymous 99 My username is @Lauren4you
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 2y
Recovery is a gradual progression and it takes time and practice of the accepting what already exists, which is uncertainty. When you're feeling the urge to seek the certainty, lean in to the uncertainty of "maybe or maybe not". OCD wants you "trick" you into seeking the certainty when it is unattainable.
Brian :)Brian :)
- Date posted
- 2y
@NOCD Therapist - Ruthie B. Thank you! I’ve told my therapist how even though I’m so aware of being tied into this scenario million times, it’s still tempting to give into ...one after one . It can feel quite degrading sometimes on the aftermath of an exposure . My brain will automatically signal me I should worry or be anxious just for not giving into the normal routine when something is alerting
Brian :)Brian :)
- Date posted
- 2y
@Brian :) So many years :/ battling this monster . I just turned 20 and I’ve been dealing with this since 14. High school was hard to maintain and prioritize while having rumination in mornings . My themes switched up on me during sophomore year . Pedo ocd c contamination, real event wws one of my worse ones to deal with , and now I have 3 years with TOCD.
Twelve Squirrels in a TrenchcoatTwelve Squir...
- Date posted
- 2y
I use neutral statements for my "what if's". In a way it makes them seem less scary while letting them exist. Overtime the questions feel unimportant, like you don't need to answer them because let's be real: how many times have you tried to answer them and you were just led in circles? Enough times to be diagnosed with OCD 😅 (Same here!) So it's more of, "I don't know and I don't care". Eventually you won't need to reassure yourself
Related posts
eugeniodepalo
- Date posted
- 24w
Double standards for certainty?
Do you ever feel like people without OCD have an easy time just saying “you need to accept uncertainty” only because they’re not subject to the same level of fear and anxiety as an OCD sufferer would? I feel like they don’t really accept uncertainty, they’re just naturally more certain about things. For example, if you ask anyone whether they think their loved ones are real or not, they will never answer with “maybe, but I’ll never know for sure”. They’ll just say “of course they are”. Isn’t that what certainty is? For me, as I’ve been suffering from existential OCD most of my adult life, such a question absolutely terrifies me. The mere thought of my loved ones and the world not being real sends me into a spiral of anxiety and depression and never ending certainty-seeking behavior. I just can’t stand the thought of that horrible scenario being true. How can one accept uncertainty about such a thought, when it completely undermines all my values and beliefs and world view? Can non-OCD sufferers really accept those nighmarish scenarios? Am I misunderstanding what ERP and therapy is about?
Mher545
- Date posted
- 20w
How to “sit with uncertainty” HELP
I hit the SOS, and I’m just scared. If I sit with the uncertainty, then I could honestly sit here all day crying. I just can’t accept I’m not a bad person and ruined my relationship, no matter how much grace I give myself. What makes me feel better is knowing that I’m not a bad person, and trying to rationalize my mistakes - understanding everyone makes them. But then it feels like i can’t validate my good feelings because it’s “bad” and I should just accept I COULD be a bad person. It honestly sends me into a full panic. Please help!!!!!!
Anonymous
- Date posted
- 18w
Any tips for leaning in to uncertainty
I need tips on how to really accept the uncertainty the ocd causes, even if it feels so bad like I might get in trouble for something , do I wanna be okay with that?
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond