This is one of the worst ocd days I’ve ever had. I’ve tried to do exposures, I’ve tried to not reassure myself, I’ve tried to be more social and go to lunch with coworkers, I’ve tried to not do any compulsions and I feel like crap. I keep wondering why I’m not getting better .
it’s also part of what it is. you’re gonna have ups and downs and you’re gonna ask yourself “am i getting better?”. it sounds like you did a lot today so get some rest and relax. you did your best for the day and the fact that your trying is good, and you also prob feel like crap bc your brain is mad that you’re not doing your compulsions that you usually do. i like to do things i like to do and just fall asleep to alleviate any negativity my brain tries to give me
Get some rest. That’s what I’d do.
Hi there! I'm so sorry that you are having a bad OCD day, that sounds incredibly difficult! I've been there myself and have had terrible days with my OCD as well, so I know how you're feeling. My biggest thing to note is that ERP therapy is difficult - and that's okay. It isn't meant to be easy, so if you are ever feeling like "I can't do this" or "this isn't working", we've all been there! That doesn't mean it won't work. It means that you just have to keep pushing through. It is normal to have good days and bad days during therapy - you are working so hard to create a better pattern with the thoughts. Practice and consistency with ERP is so important! The more you challenge OCD with exposures, the more you are showing yourself "I can do this". Over time, all that practice can add up to big change. Another piece of advice is to be compassionate with yourself. It was easy for me to get down on myself for feeling like I wasn't doing a good enough job. But you are always doing the best you can! Positive self encouragement is important, and changed everything for me once I started being aware of it.
I’m sorry it’s a tough day. One of the more difficult things for me to get used to with ERP is that you will have bad days, ups and downs etc. what helped me was to take these days in stride, know these feelings wouldn’t last forever (as long as I made progress with not doing compulsions). You are creating a new way of being, and your brain notices and you don’t feel great because you’re trying to NOT do what used to make you feel better. Believe me, keep trying, it does get better. You are putting in the hard work now and it will pay off. Hang in there❤️
Hi there! I am so sorry to hear that you are having a really bad OCD day, today. On hard days I try to give myself extra compassion and remember that some days are better then others. We can just do our best, practice what we learn in ERP and eventually things will improve!
I agree with others here - you are trying and OCD is just knocking you down so if you can do something you enjoy.
im not diagnosed, but these past two days have been terrible. i constantly have this underlying feeling that i might do something that i think is gross and i feel like i can’t do anything on my own because otherwise i might do something wrong. like i feel like i constantly have to be in front of people so that i can make sure of my every action. this is so exhausting and I’m so confused. and like i keep getting terrible images and stuff replaying in my head. i also try to recall what happened but i feel like i have false event too. i used to have religious ocd and that eventually stopped completely, but now it feels like all my work getting over that was pointless. also like i feel like i might have contamination ocd but not the typical germ type. I just get terrible images and I can’t remember if those images are true or not even though they’re impossible and i feel terrible. I don’t know if i could ever get over this because even the thought of it is terrible.
Hey today I’m feeling very tired because of my OCD I’m just so tired of it. I feel I’m doing everything to get better. I disregard the thoughts, I’m trying to do things like I don’t have ocd but it doesn’t want to go away. I was doing fine for a long period of time and now I feel like I’m back a square one. It’s been almost 2 months now I’m battling with OCD and I’m just tired. Sure I have moments where it’s better than others, I also have days where I barely have OCD but I also have really bad days like today where I just don’t want to get out of bed. Last time I had a relapse it took my 4 weeks to get out of it I don’t understand why this time it takes me more. I’m starting believing that I will never feel better again. Anyway I’m gonna try to find the strength to get out of bed and to start my day. But I just wanted to share. It’s such a horrible illness.
I have come so far in my therapy and days like today feel like I’m just still buried in OCD. Sometimes it is so insidious and I don’t realize I’m in a loop. Once I do realize it, it’s hard to get out. I thought sharing here may help, as I never have, but I know you guys will understand. It’s so hard to decipher between regular anxiety and obsessions and compulsions. It has all just become one big ball of panic. Anyway, I’m just struggling today - so thanks for listening.
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