My ex and I broke up a few months ago.I learned his license plate number while we were dating as it was silly, and I had some joke about it with him. Anyways now I find my self checking license plates as cars drives by ( as I live on a small island ) worried I’ll see him. But like even cars that aren’t his make and model. Also… what does this even mean.
To me that seems like a pattern or recognition type OCD. I've also found with my OCD that I process things differently than I should-- maybe that's what you're experiencing with the plate number? Like it's stuck in your head and you've linked the number with him, so when you subconsciously think of him you consciously think of the number. Hopefully that makes sense
Slightly traumatic events like breakups can trigger some obsessions, even irrational, in everybody. If you never had previous history and this is your first episode I think it’s a bit too early to say whether you have OCD or not. I’m not invalidating your experience, but also it’s very early to tell and that’s a specialist’s job nonetheless. My advice is: if this is your first experience try not to worry to much about it, don’t fight it and just accept it, let it exist and kinda let it go, it’s there, it happens, it’s weird, but hey, let’s get on with my day. Is it ocd? Is it not? Is that really important to my experience? Again, let’s get on with my day. Try approaching it like this and see what happens maybe it I’ll go away by itself, maybe it won’t but it won’t bother you at all, but if the thoughts keep coming up and are distressing to you and interfere which your well being then there’s a lot of help available out there, therapy being the most notable one. I hope it helps :)
I appreciate both of you responding to this. I think for me I just never realized this could be a form of OCD. But perhaps as I heal it will pass. This small details in my life I never possibly viewed as ocd until recently I saw a post about what ocd looks like. I’ve got intrusive thoughts for sure, and now just seeing other details. So I’m like whoa… is this that? I’m not being hard on myself inside tho. And actively in therapy as well.
@ocdami I wish you the best of luck. Just keep in mind that everybody has intrusive thoughts not only OCD patients :) but keep that in check with your therapist and she’ll know what to do 🐼
Im in a relationship for 4 years, but i had been in contact with my ex a few times. WORSE DECISION, after confessing i developed ocd. Different themes, i literally quit my previous job because i believed that i was going to fall in love with just anyone from there, female, male, kid etc. It was very difficult, but that theme is not loud anymore. I noticed how my ocd attached to the mistakes i made, and now is torturing me by reminding me every day with hard evidence i dont love my partner, or love songs remind me of my ex. Almost as if i see him everywhere, there are days that my bf says something and my mind tells me oh it sounds like your ex, or if i see my ex in him, its so weird, next year we planned a trip, same country/neighborhood where i met my ex, i feel like going back to where i met him might trigger my anxiety. How do i get rid of these ex thoughts, i dont want to be with my ex. I just want to erase these thoughts and everything is annoying me
I’m in a relationship, 8 months now, and my narcissistic (diagnosed) ex and I had broken up about 6 months prior. We would sometimes drunk call each other but that’s about it. Anyhow, my current boyfriend is everything I could ask for. He treats me better than my ex ever could and I love everything about him. I randomly got a feeling about my ex the other day and hyper-fixated on it. I know continue questioning if I still have feelings for my ex even though I know I don’t at all and want nothing more than my current boyfriend. I don’t want reassurance because I know that won’t help, I just want to know if anyone else has ever had this OCD obsession of convincing themselves they want a toxic ex or just an ex back while with someone else? Most of my OCD obsessions are so obnoxious I’d know they couldn’t be true, but this one, while still obnoxious, isn’t as crazy as the others but it hurts 10 times more.
Hello, I'm new here. I went through a really intense and traumatic breakup about a year ago and I'm currently working with my university for a SA/Title IX case against him as he was abusive in varying ways and very manipulative. I have the need to check and search the parking lots, the spaces around me, etc.. for him and his very distinct car frequently. It's been getting a lot better as I'm seeking therapy and back on medications. But some days I still have frequent urges to check, I feel like if I don't check, then something bad is going to happen. Aka, I'll run into him, and I fear he'll hurt me or say something to purposefully distress me. I get incredibly nauseous, panicked, obsessive overthinking if I don't which doesn't allow me to be present and learn in classes. Something that has helped me cope is having headphones and sticking to a strict routine and limiting my time on campus.
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