- 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
- 22w
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.
- Date posted
- 16w
So my OCD has been bad lately. I’ve been ruminating and obsessing over my sexuality again. And it just keeps getting worse. I hate it so much. I try to sit with the discomfort but then my ocd does the backdoor spike. And the groinal response is what keeps me looped. It SUCKS. I am not attracted to men, but my OCD is trying SO hard to convince me that I am. There have been days where I’m just so mentally exhausted that I “accept” what my ocd tells me and I just walk around a hollow, lethargic shell. But then I rethink it and I feel better. It feels like I can only find my TRUE self when I tire my nervous system out enough that it literally breaks down and has me suicidal and hopeless. And then accepting my OCD’s “truth” (that I’m attracted to men) feels like a burden and a chore. I woke up today from an OCD dream, tried to go back to sleep, and my stomach kept cramping bc I was so anxious and ruminating over my intrusive thoughts. I’m starting to doubt it being OCD anymore. My brain is too tired to fight and cry about it anymore.
- Date posted
- 16w
This is killing me slowly day by day, im a straight female 20 years old, i started getting hocd after a break up with an ex and coming off intense use of 🍁🍃 for a few years on and off, i think it has messed up my brain so bad… my hocd is weird because ive been with men my whole life always wanted to be with men.. i also used to always question every relationship “do i love him? Does he love me? Am I with the right person?” Anyways after my hocd triggered my tocd due to researching hocd and finding they can often be linked, I started getting tocd and it’s worse then ever because it’s not who I want to be and I’m going back to situations where my abusive ex partner called me a “man” during a fight. I’ve always been a tomboy but never had same sex attraction. Help. This is killing me. I haven’t been able to study or leave the house most days, and work! I’ve lost motivation for everything and I’m in a dark hole. I need some success stories please
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