Does anyone have recommended tips or tricks for stopping their ruminating compulsion? I’m stuck on the hamster wheel and would like to get off now.
This may sound ridiculous, but let yourself stay on the hamster wheel! The more you try to get yourself off, the more your brain will try to fight you on it. When you give into the ruminations, your OCD knows that it's got you. Sit with your thoughts and prove that they don't bother you. When your brain realizes you don't care about being on the hamster wheel, you'll realize you're suddenly off it!
@Anonymous So much this!
@Anonymous Sounds like a good approach.
Hi , I’m so sorry u are stuck, I know how that feels. Try not engaging in the thought, let it be there, and you can say “maybe, maybe not”, or “ i don’t have to figure that out right now”, and then continue doing what u were doing before the intrusive thought came up. Sometimes I have to just keep doing this a ton of times when the ocd/ rumination cycle tries to get me stuck, but overtime by resisting the compulsion to ruminate, it gets less and less, and then I build confidence that I can handle/ sit with the uncertainty, it teaches my brain something new. Be kind to yourself, move towards your values, try to just be in the present moment, these are just things iv learned, hope it helps💝🤗🙏
@one step at a time😊🙏💝 I still am trying to build confidence of sitting with uncertainty. I don’t ruminate as much. Certain things activate my intrusive thoughts, more than others. I try to stay in the present.
I feel like I need to ruminate to prove I wouldn’t do anything bad
@em24# I feel need to ruminate at times to prove to myself that I actually did things, got things done during the day.
If you had a magic mirror or a crystal ball that told you the future, would OCD even believe it?
@lexaprowoes Good question. I guess so when any future events occur.
I've been doing well the past month in cutting down on compulsions and have been feeling better however, last night I had a set back that carried on into today. I had gotten very poor sleep (4ish hours) and then something triggered my memory. I think with the sudden anxiety spike and lack of sleep I didn't have the strength to ignore my compulsions. Last night and today I've realised I've gone back into rumination and mentally reviewing the event excessively again and comparing my situation to other people's, but most of the times that I start going down these rabbit holes I don't even realise I'm doing it? Also been fixating a bit on the fear that I've ruined my progress and that I will fall back into the deep end of it all again, that I have done so much work getting myself out of, although trying my best to not be too discouraged. Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with rumination more specifically?
I've been told it's impossible to "push intrusive thoughts away", but also that rumination is a compulsion. What is rumination vs. overthinking? And how do I stop ruminating properly and healthfully?
Anyone who struggles with real event, rumination, and guilt. Please please please tell me your tips and tricks and maybe some words of encouragement.❤️
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