I wish I had a friend that had OCD so I could talk about this in-person with them. Over the past few months, I’ve been so happy with my ERP progress & medication. I went home to my parents house for a week, and it’s like my months of progress have been erased. I feel stuck in the same loops again. How do you guys deal with relapse ??
i usually just try to remember that relapses are bound to happen and that it’ll clear up eventually. specific coping skills can also be really helpful
Appreciate you ❤️
Thanks! What coping skills work for you? @stellaocd
@Lexilex for perfectionism distancing and distractions work the best for me! getting out of the room/house, switching tasks, taking a walk, etc. there’s also breathing exercises on youtube you could try!
Home dan be really hard - I’ve gotten worse when coming home after treatment. In some ways it’s like I have to do some exposures starting at a lower level to conquer them at home. It’s partial because OCD like routine and there are routines around being home. Changing up your home routines could help.
I have contamination OCD that causes me to excessively wash my hands/clean items with disinfectant wipes. I know I just need to start with small exposures but how do I do that without spiraling? I tried a while back by just touching the outside of my dishwasher and not washing my hands after and it led to me being unable to even exist in my house. I basically lived on my couch for three weeks as it was the only 'safe' space that I had not touched with my dirty hands. I had to take a week off work to clean my house to make it somewhat liveable. I still haven't got round to cleaning everything though so things like my kitchen are still no-go zones that I don't enter. I just don't know how to start ERP without it making everything worse. Any advice would be appreciated. I am not seeing a therapist at the moment due to financial constraints.
Hi everyone. I'm feeling kinda scared because I have to wait a whole month to start ERP therapy, but I feel like I need to start doing exposures now because the longer I wait, the more anxiety I get. It just feels like the OCD monster is getting worse. One thing that helps me is asking one person about an obsession I have...asking a person that I trust, and then doing an exposure after I get the "ok" to do it. I feel like I do need 1 reassurance and then I can go ahead and do it. I know i'm not supposed to ask for reassurance at all, but i dont think you're supposed to do ERP on your own right? Does anyone have any suggestions for what to do while waiting for therapy? PS-the reason there is a wait is bc she's on vacation. After she's back we will meet regularly.
I’m having a big OCD relapse and would like to hear anyone’s tips on how to be present and healthily deal with these intrusive thoughts and the “need” to preform compulsions. Thank you!!
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