I'm feeling so upset today because OCD keeps stealing my joy and my peace. When I'm having a good moment or good day, I feel like there's only a short time before the what ifs start to throw me off. I just want to be happy
My joy has been sapped from me ever since this began for me. You’re not alone. Little by little every day, that joy and your authentic self will stay present in the moment longer and longer. You got this!
Happens to me too. I have moments of normal and happiness but because my OCD is so bad, it questions those moments and those feelings.
I am sorry that you are struggling. Ocd has a tendency to to attack us at vulnerable moments, including when things are going well. I have this happen to me often when leaving for a vacation - or a long weekend for work - or a holiday. What if this or that - maybe something bad will happen - and I have learned with ERP to say maybe or maybe not - but I am going to continue to live in the present moment and enjoy it. It doesn’t magically take away the anxiety but I don’t allow ocd to tell me what I can and cannot do. I hope this helps.
A lot of people with OCD feel this same way, I know I have. Whether you’re currently experiencing anxiety/discomfort/intrusive thoughts or you’re currently feeling well but are worried OCD will come back around the corner, it’s all just another way for OCD to keep it’s claws dug in you. When you’re focusing/analyzing how you feel or don’t feel, you could be engaging in a compulsion. The best practice via ERP is that when those what if thoughts strike, lean into them and respond with a maybe, maybe not. It won’t magically make the feeling of discomfort go away, but with time you’ll stop paying as much attention to those thoughts and they might not bother you as much. I’ve found that when I focus on feeling unwell/spend time checking how I feel, it’s sometimes a self-fulfilling cycle. You are strong, you can handle this, and you’re not alone!
I feel like my life isn't my own anymore. I live by OCD's rules. I can't ever switch it off. I spend most of my day mentally reviewing and constantly checking myself. I have to do things in a certain way or i dont feel safe. All this time that i've lost and for what? Idk how I let thoughts have so much power over my life and yet here I am. Every day. I can't even get away from it in sleep because i have dreams about it and I wake up anxious if i manage to get any sleep at all. I'm so over it all.
One of my biggest struggles in overcome OCD is that in moment where I feel invincible and feel really good, my mind itches back at me telling me that it’s too good to be true and I need to feel back on edge. I call this my OCD homeostasis, and my mind just needs to revert back to this. How has everyone dealt with this effectively?
So I recently met this girl and honestly she is amazing. She’s beautiful and her personality is perfect. She lives only 15 min away from me and I feel blessed to have a chance to get to know her, we both feel the same. But here comes OCD to ruin it. My OCD has latched onto a friend of mine. He’s a pretty close friend and we talk often. He’s never really one to let out a laugh so I always like to hear him laugh and just be able to have a good time. Partially it’s because I just don’t want to think I’m annoying and unfunny, I’m pretty self concious about myself. OCD is turning this into some sort of scary what if I like him question. I don’t have romantic feelings for my friend and I don’t actually want to be with a man. I am a straight male and getting to know this girl has been a blessing. OCD makes me feel in denial and as if I’m lying to myself. I hate this. It feels awful, when I haven’t felt this way about a girl in a long time
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond
