What defines recovery? Felt like I was making progress, then experienced a setback, maybe a “lapse” this week. I realized I don’t know what recovery looks like and what actually defines being in recovery.
Recovery is different for everyone and it isn’t linear. You will experience setbacks but you should notice you’re bouncing back quicker or you feel better equipped to deal with them.
@thrutheweather This is great. Thank you for your response!!
I feel this post to my core. I had a huge setback last week. I look at where I was a year ago and I'm like WTF, I was doing better then! I agree that recovery isn't linear. You will always have bad days here and there because anything and anyone can trigger your anxiety, but now you're better at handling it. I think you have to make up your own definition of recovery. Like, "To me, recovery is having mild symptoms or being symptom free 75% of the month."
I was asking myself this same question. I have had a few minor lapses in the past week but I did find I was able to bounce back quicker and that the distress levels were overall lower. I wonder if that’s something you relate to?
I think also when u start to accept uncertainty a little bit easier with fewer compulsions carried out. This is something I’ve noticed in myself. I might double check a mark I spot on my baby but I instantly know that double checking strengthens my ocd. The distress is lower and I don’t obsess over the mark as much. This morning I wanted to check on a mark on his back, but I said nope and carried on with changing his clothes. So i finally ignored a compulsion which is huge since it became an automatic thing for me. Last night I also felt a new theme possible arising. It was a horrible intrusive thought but I just said yep it’s horrible but it’s just a thought and let it be. I was able to move on and distracted myself with a movie instead.
i came out of it now i’m back in , what helps?
Does anyone else ever feel like they don’t feel “bad enough” to have OCD, or that they don’t feel “the right way” for it? Or like they’re just saying they have OCD as an excuse? Because i was so much better for like 3 weeks now and now im on my period and i started doubting again. So because of that im scared that i was feeling to good and that my fear is actually true.
I think when people are saying OCD is egodystonic is really triggering me and I was just wondering if this has happened to anyone else? I’m going through a really bad relapse and right now I’m trying to figure out if my thoughts are truly egodystonic, like I how do I know I won’t act on them, how can I trust my emotions and everything. I feel really confused and I feel like I don’t know who I am anymore or how I carry on with life because it’s so long and I’m so unsure of everything that’s going on in my head. Like how do I know that this is OCD and true desires/urges. I’m so confused.
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