Since I’m relatively new diagnosed with OCD the natural thing to do is get as much information as possible. However, I found myself spending hours and hours searching about OCD. I think I have a good understanding and tools so I need to just stop and do the therapy work. Anyone else experiencing this?
It wasn’t until starting therapy under NOCD did I come to realize all the researching (googling, library, etc.) were just compulsions. These days I continue to educate myself and practice what I’ve learned from ERP.
@Dee C Do you still search? I mean we still need to function right? My therapist said to stop if I find myself just searching for no reason.
@Hopeful soul I’ve stopped searching and mostly like to listen to the NOCD webinars or The OCD Stories. For OCD, I find sticking to less than a handful of sources is enough for me. Stay strong!!!
Definitely. Researching can be fun and helpful, but too much can be like going in a room full of mirrors—endless paths going nowhere indefinitely.
@CEH1984 This is such a great analogy 🤌😭
Oh my gosh yes! Same here, as well as listening to podcast about ocd over and over! It’s true, anything can become a compulsion 😀
I read way too much into things looking foe something to make me feel better. I had to stop researching myself.
@jemcu812 I’m currently reading a book called “is Fred in the refrigerar”. It’s about someone who grew up experiencing ocd. I like because I identify myself with the author and makes me feel not alone dealing with this.
I have antisapatory<sp> OCD. When my mind is calm, I'll then start, wow, my intrusive thoughts aren't there. Then, the rumination starts all over again, it's awful
@jemcu812 Interesting! I think I have that too. I’ve tried to stop me from doing that by reading a book, cleaning or going to the store.
@Hopeful soul I try all sorts of things too, ocd is relentless.
I'll check out Fred 8n the refrigerator. Funny name.
I feel like in some ways receiving a diagnosis for OCD has in some ways made things worse. I’ve always had what I called “phases” throughout life, which I now know were ocd episodes, but I didn’t really make too much of them and even if it was over several long difficult months, they’d always seem to kind of just pass. Recently I’ve begun my worse flare up in the last few years and now that I’m older I seemed professional help which led to my diagnosis. This all sounds great of course but I can’t actually afford therapy right now so I kinda just have the diagnosis but not the support so now that I realize these phases are actually this incurable mental illness I just feel like I’ve lost all hope that I’ll ever be happy and I feel like I basically obsess about obsessing at this point and it just sucks. Has anyone else had this or a similar experience?
Is it just me or is reddit and quora the worst things to be on when you’re in a spiral or just in general when you have OCD? Why is it always mostly negative replies on there or just ‘move on, get over it’ ‘break up’, ‘what’s wrong with you?’ responses? I’ve accidentally made it a habit/compulsion to go on there when I’m freaking out about something and it always makes me worse - especially when it comes to ROCD! It always make me doubt my own thoughts and emotions :(
I know a few of you saw my posts about my ERP and the googling urges. That didn’t end up going well. My therapist actually decided we needed to halt it for now. The thing is it’s almost like I learned googling is harmless from those few exercises and my brain keeps generating more things to google. Normally I would just spiral and be done but now I can barely hold back from searching for long. I eventually give in. I’m horrified because it feels like I want to find illegal content. I swear on everything I am, I don’t want to find anything even close to it. I’m freaking out because I don’t understand what’s happening. I keep compulsively searching/testing/checking or idk. I keep remembering details and I feel like I need to google again to be sure of something. I feel absolutely insane can someone please help me??? I’m petrified I’m going to get in trouble.
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