I am working on overcoming one of my themes, and one of the things I have to tell myself is that no matter what I do (compulsions, etc) I can’t stop something bad from happening to me. I almost feel like I am grieving the loss of “control” / “safety” that my OCD has falsely provided me with all this time.
That is so normal! It's hard to adjust to the part of you that doesn't compulse as much anymore. It's a new you that you're embracing.
Hi there! I completely understand the feeling of grieving the loss of "control" that OCD once gave you. Often it can be hard when we start to feel better and get a handle on our OCD. It sounds like you have been practicing ERP - how is that going for you?
@Emily Cruce Hi! Thank you for your reply. I am actually looking into talking to a therapist for more guidance with ERP, I’ve kinda been trying to wing it on my own but have been dealing with a particularly hard theme as of late.
@vmcgee - You are so welcome! I completely understand, it can be so difficult to navigate OCD on your own. I always suggest getting started with a NOCD therapist because they specialize in ERP therapy which is the gold standard for those of us with OCD. You can even book a free call to find out more about ERP therapy! Would you be interested in that?
@Emily Cruce Yes, definitely! I think I’ll book a call
Yes
same here friend
Same
Grieving the loss of control, loss of feeling “normal” ..all common!
yes i’m going through this right now! it feels like when i was super anxious and worried about it i had more control because i was always thinking about it and stuff but now that i’m moving forward from it it’s like i’m losing this safety net of “compulsions” and it’s a difficult feeling. i heard it’s OCDs back door trick and makes you start questioning whether u need that control in your life still which leads to obsessing
@Roccoxx555 Wow I didn’t think of it like that! Thank you so much for your reply
Hmm interesting
I feel like yes it is a kind of grieving process. You are grieving what you have always known & done to ensure you felt safe. It makes sense that you did what you knew, but now you know more, you know something else & what you know now can help you recover. Before it was just doing what you knew, unfortunately what you knew kept you stuck & in this Repeating cycle of doing what your ocd wanted. Now that you know more, you can take those skills & your ocd no longer has to control your life forever. I very much think it is a grieving process of what you knew & that you thought those things were keeping you safe, when in reality they weren’t.
🤔
I consider myself recovered from OCD. i still have intrusive thoughts but they no longer upset me. some days i really dont even remeber if i had any thoughts. I am so thankful to be better because it was SO bad at one point. However lately i have been grieving the 2.5 years of my life that i lost to constant intrusive thoughts and compulsions. It makes me so sad that i wasted so much time stuck in my own mind. does anyone else ever feel this way?
I think I realized (probably too late) that I’m scared of losing myself to one of these themes. I’m not sure if it’s like this for everyone but sometimes when I have intrusive thoughts it slowly erodes my own sense of self. Intrusive thoughts become so muddied and virtually indistinguishable from my own. I have this idea of myself that all of my intrusive thoughts go entirely against, and I’m afraid I won’t be me anymore. I am trying to practice more self love, and more self care in general. I’m trying here. To gain a self esteem, to not be in control but to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
My sweet sweet dog passed away today and I’ve noticed my OCD has been through the roof. Actually my husband noticed- he said what I’m doing is OCD related. I have felt the need to remember every moment with her in her last days with extreme clarity. (Which is something my OCD has fixated on) I am fixated on all the ways I messed up in the 10 years I had with her. I guess what I’m asking is- is this normal with fried and having OCD? I feel so lost.
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