- Date posted
- 2y
Pure O
What is an example of replacing a bad thought with a good thought for pure OCD?
What is an example of replacing a bad thought with a good thought for pure OCD?
I try to shift from the images that keep disturbing me to thinking about jellyfish or š¦¦.
@Erin P what if I donāt do it to get rid of the bad thought? For example Iām thinking of something good maybe because I went to a place that reminds me of good memories not because I want to replace the bad thought
@cantstopthinking I donāt have any suggestions, but it sounds like you have an idea of what thoughts will work for you.
@Erin P I mean if Iām not thinking of good things to get rid of the bad thought, I just happen to think of them, then is that still a compulsion?
@cantstopthinking Not sure I can answer this one. Iāll leave it to someone with more personal experience on this. Iāve only had compulsions with negative thoughts. Happy thoughts that pop up for me donāt get stuck and repeat the way negative ones do.
@Erin P I mean unintentionally thinking of good memories doesnāt count as replacing a bad thought right?
@cantstopthinking Yes it does not count for that in my opinion.
Don't panic, you're still the same girl, your OC gives you a lot of intrusive thoughts that aren't you and that disgust you and scare you and that you don't want and that you don't think are true, and your OC gives you the false feelings.Also, don't forget that whatever comes to mind, whatever intrusive thoughts you have and whatever you feel, is all yours.
So maybe the title wasn't the best to to put it but when you guys start having obsessive thoughts how do you stop them before it turns into compulsions and anxiety?
When I was a child, before I knew this was OCD, I struggled with constant "magical thinking" compulsions (don't step on the crack or mom's back will actually break, etc). When I later learned this was OCD, it almost immediately solved it. Any time I got a magical thought, I would say to myself "that's just an OCD thought. ignore it." and it just stopped coming! Like seriously it fixed the magical thinking stuff forever. But of course the OCD has resurfaced in other ways. So naturally, I've tried to use the same strategy since I had so much success with it previously. But I wonder sometimes if telling myself "that's just OCD" is almost functioning as a reassurance compulsion? I hate how meta this gets. For example, I have ROCD that comes and goes. So sometimes I'll get a thought like "what if i'm still in love with my ex?" and then I'll tell myself "that's obviously just an ROCD thought" and will feel relief, almost like reassurance. But it comes back. So is telling myself that it's OCD a reassurance compulsion ?? It's just so weird because it worked so perfectly as a kid with the magical thinking thing.
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