- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
Ha, honestly same. I've been a bit better lately so I've been able to ignore them or overlook them. But this time last year, if I'd had snapchat, all the Pride Month stuff might have scared the life out of me ? Try not to avoid it, but don't click on stuff just to test yourself. Use it as an exposure to help yourself habituate!
- Date posted
- 6y
Hi! I'd say firstly - I've been in the bottomless pit stage, but I promise you it does not last forever, and it's worth remembering there's a way out even when you feel like you're at your worst. To help you, I'd say do as much research on OCD and treatment as you can. Don't make it into a compulsion, just see it as a slightly boring homework that you need to achieve what you want (ie recovery). The more you know, the more equipped you are to fight it. If you can find a therapist, do it! If not, at least find somebody you can talk to honestly. I had my parents and a counsellor - they both helped me through the miserable times. Then, you can start on the exposures. Get yourself used to your triggers and allow yourself to let thoughts come and go. That will be insaneeeely hard at first, and it will make you anxious. But anxiety goes away as long as you do nothing to react to the scary thoughts. Don't fight them, don't think about them. They're just thoughts! They can't harm you if you don't get close to them. And slowly...the anxiety will decrease, and the obsession will start to fade. That is scary too - you might feel anxious about not being anxious about the thoughts any more! But then, you'll be on your way to recovery. Good luck ❤
- Date posted
- 6y
@RayLiVerified Basically as it's June there are a lot of sponsored stories about Gay Pride month, which can cause anxiety for people with HOCD! And also, as Love Island is on at the moment, there are probably also a few sponsored stories about that, with pictures of the guys and girls in not very much clothing... Again, potentially anxiety-inducing ?? OCD really is mad
- Date posted
- 6y
thank you so much? I’ll update you and I’ll try my hardest, I do agree about feeling anxious about not feeling anxious, I feel like if I start to feel better I’ll get a trigger and it’ll ruin all my work or I’ll feel weird not feeling scared. Thank you so much though?
- Date posted
- 6y
Thanks Spiral and fantastic advice again! You're right that advertising for Pride month is everywhere. Love Island seems to be everywhere too and even though I don't have HOCD, it's quite intrusive. I think I should just watch an episode so I won't think it's something it's not. Getting out of the bottom is great and for me, the best part is realizing that where I am now is much better than where I was. I think you don't realize the bottom until you're on the way up!
- Date posted
- 6y
Great advice Spiral! I don't use Snapchat so what are the sponsored stories about that are triggering?
- Date posted
- 6y
Pride month is a great time for exposures!
- Date posted
- 6y
Spiral, what would you recommend in order to lead to the road to recovery? I’m stuck in a bottomless pit and in desperate need for advice, if you have any. I’m glad you’re getting better, I’m proud of you:)
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
So my ocd theme changed to sexual orientation ocd last December after I heard a popular video "hi, I'm Gibby" and I went like the Gibby sounds like "gay", then I started saying the phrase and over days, I started getting intrusive thoughts "I'm gay" .(I have had other ocd themes: (magical thinking ocd, symmetry ocd, health concern ocd, religious and spirituality ocd and harm ocd ever since I was 12, they just come and go)....I struggle with other conditions(ASD and bipolar disorder). I have never struggled with sexuality or questioned it because I have only liked males right from when I was in grade 1🥲...I still like them. SO-OCD is very frustrating because deep down I know I'm straight and there's no evidence I'm not but the intrusive thoughts and compulsions to get relief (the cycle) won't stop. I'm on fluoxetine(Prozac) and it did help my symptoms but lately I realised I'm more consumed with compulsions and idk but I think it's reducing the effects of the drugs?.. I see an attractive female and my mind goes like you found her attractive you must be gay or I want to go out and do sumn"what if you discover you like them or are gay" ...idk it's frustrating, very and I'm tired. I don't even get turned on by same sex or any😭that what even makes it more confusing.+ It's almost like I'm now hypervigilant when Watching videos or Instagram reels...it making me forget that finding someone physically attractive≠sexual attraction...idk if anyone gets me...(Rn my ocd themes are SO-OCD and religious and spirituality ocd) SO-OCD is frustrating, I'm tireddd...how can I never have struggled with sexuality for almost a decade and half but I'm having it now(it's started two months ago)...who has had/have this theme??
- Date posted
- 23w
straight girl suffering from hocd, okay so when i was younger i looked at like a girl corn star insta for like 2 weeks and like did get aroused by it, didn’t think much of it still fancied boys, girls were like ew no to me, but its triggering my hocd so badly, like is it normal that i could look at a sexy pic of a girl n get aroused by it, but like a shirtless pic of a boy i wouldn’t, however i have insane attraction to men irl, i love my boyfriend, i love the idea of being with a man and hate the idea of being with a woman, this really freaking me out!
- Date posted
- 19w
Like I can’t think straight. This is making me doubt everything I’ve thought about myself and even makes me feel like I like the thoughts when I know I don’t. Like I would be less anxious at a time while I still have the thoughts and my mind would go “oh so you like it you must be gay” or the other one where I’m not anxious and I think of my attraction for girls that I’ve had my whole life and my mind goes “see now you’re not into them you’re gay” like it’s so stupid but so effective. I clearly remember being into girls my whole life but my mind is making me believe that all these attractions and feelings for women were all fake or “a thing of the past”. But I can still get aroused by women but I have this weird anxiety going on which brings these sensations/feelings and it’s so weird. Today I’ve spent my whole day thinking about it like I’ve been doing for 5 months now. I know that this aint normal but my mind just won’t let me live in peace. I never cared about my sexuality cuz I simply liked women my whole life but now my sexuality is a fundamental philosophy. I hate this.
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