i just feel like i can’t do it. i don’t know how to simply observe the thoughts. or engage with them through ERP. i feel relieved then anxious day in day out and i know this is something that i need to stop. but without affordable therapy it’s super hard. my compulsions are often covert too (rumination, unpacking the past, figuring out ‘why’, reassuring myself in my head) so it’s hard to cut them out.
Be kind to yourself. You may understand OCD, understand what you're 'supposed' to do/not do, but OCD doesn't respond to logic. It is hard. Really hard. I don't say this to demoralise you but to validate your experience. It's a long journey. We are all so strong for facing it.
"rumination, unpacking the past, figuring out ‘why’, reassuring myself in my head" that could be me describing myself too. I'm finally realising that when I spend time 'thinking about my theme one last time and this time I will figure it out' - it never works and drags me further down. One thing that started to help me and then got me to find this site was reading Michael Greenberg's articles about rumination
@JustShe that’s very true. no matter how much i think about my worries, i never gain more clarity. just more distress. i’ll look into the articles, thanks
@JustShe wow i just read one of his articles and it was so helpful. thanks for recommending
my god, yes! i have a lot of difficulty with just having doubts and not discovering the reasons. 👺 i keep letting my head think about a long story just because of an intrusive thought that i had, and it's not that i don't know what i should do to stop, i've read several tips and i heard professionals talking about ocd...but at the time of practice it just seems like i can't do it, i get very anxious!! 😿
See if either of these ERP methods work better for you - for me the acceptance of the I certainty / risk in the first link helps. The second link is helpful for me for things that are not as high on my hierarchy. https://www.shalanicely.com/aha-moments/erp-scripting-for-ocd/ https://www.shalanicely.com/aha-moments/shoulders-back-the-man-in-the-park/
@Erin P thanks!
@garden 😀
It’s odd to say, but you have to be willing to play the game! Try not to take the shifts so intensely observe and accept. It’s NOT easy but very doable!!
@Anonymous but how 😭
I am right here with you.
I missed out his initial J! Glad you found him. It just kind of makes sense. There are a few youtube videos too. That plus this site is really helping.
I have severe Pure O. It’s around my OCD thoughts themselves (OCD about OCD). I can’t stop noticing my thoughts - 24/7 - and it brings me deep anxiety. I fear my life is to be lost to this looping existence and the longer this goes on the more evidence accumulate that this is true. My compulsions include deep rumination about the problem, Googling, buying books on OCD and well, doing posts like this. I’m with an OCD specialist who specialises in ERP. I’ve done a lot of the E but I think I’ve been struggling with the RP. I’ve reduced the active/positive compulsions but I really cannot stop my brain looping and ruminating - which is by far the worst of it. In a situation like this - do I (a) try and stop the thinking/rumination or (b) learn to accept that thinking/rumination? Because I find it almost impossible to do (a) - it tends to get worse when I try and stop it. Any help folks can give would be gratefully received.
It's too much for me right now, and I'm really struggling. Like really bad. Right now, um going to just focus on letting thoughts go, like... IDK MINI ERP? I'm going to try not to analyze them. It's too much for me, trying to figure out what's a compulsion, what's ocd, what's not... I've gotten worse, I is thinking. I don't know if I'm doing it wrong or something, and I have a therapist on NOCD and stuff, but it's just not working. Not now, at least
So I’m starting therapy this week but I’ve been trying to use ERP myself, my main compulsion is rumination which I wasn’t even aware was a compulsion. I’m trying to do ERP but when I focus on observing the thought it goes, I dunno if I’m focusing too much on actually how to follow ERP or is this normal? I feel like I might be subconsciously blocking thoughts because I know how bad it is when I go down the rabbit hole, but then I also worry that the anxiety goes too quickly and that I’m finding it too easy to ignore the thought?
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