How do you guys cope with uncertainty? Today I was on my phone and then my sister came into my room, and as soon as I saw her I got an intrusive thought and got tense. I don’t want reassurance, I would just like advice on how to reduce the intensity of the thoughts, as we all know we can’t get rid of them

I meant to say ... If you didn't know that there is more OCD themes than contamination then you gotta be a newbie

Which is OK - lots of things to learn :)

When the thought comes, acknowledge it. Say “hey thought, I see you. Hello.” But also “that’s enough.” And refocus on what’s in front of you. Use mindfulness to allow the thought but ultimately move on rather than dwell.

Yeah I always tend to feel guilty if i don’t ask for reassurance, but it doesn’t help because it feeds back into the stress and the ocd gets stornter

Stronger

Don’t ask for reassurance. If anything, THAT is what should make you feel guilty. When you ask for reassurance from others, you’re essentially asking the people you care about to provide temporary relief that actually hurts you in the long run. Don’t put them through that.

You’re right, I’ve been doing less of it, but every now and then it gets hard not to ask

I don’t have contamination ocd, it’s harm ocd

Welcome to the rest of your life, Adi230

Just keep working on doing it less any less. The more you can resist and just deal with the anxiety, the better. That’s what shows your OCD who is boss. And that’s what’s best for your sister.

Yeah ocd expands way beyond the roam of contamination, pure ocd, is a lesser known form which is often obscured by the media

Themes like: harm, pedophilia, relationship, sexual orientation are forms of ocd

@Adi230 - That is a great question - The answer is YES, if you let it. Ocd is like a plague, if you let it grow it can expand to other areas of your life that are important. Believed me, I've been through almost all OCD themes. That's why it's so important to get the right treatment with the right person (ERP with a behavioural especialist).

I am afraid that if I tell you then you are going to start obsessing about it - ALL OCD themes suck bullocks! Because it does not matter what it is, it targets what is most important to you so it's always Hell. However take my years of suffering as a gift with this piece of information, if you want: The only way to Stop suffering (And I said suffering not the thoughts) is to become best friends with the OCD

Hopefully you can find a good therapist specialized in OCD. Your exposures need to be gradual. If you do Clorox and Lysol and spend 'x' amount of time washing, then you could start by just using one product and by decreasing the amount of time you wash a little bit every day. Then keep on going with your life even if you are in the middle of a panic attack. That's the hardest part. However you gotta have the right attitude - "OK OCD, bring it on" - You have to be empowered. If might take a couple of minutes or even hours before the anxiety goes away but it will and then you will have shown your OCD who is boss - From there it gets easier. You need to accept that may be you actually are contaminated. Who knows, may be.

My theme revolves more around "moral cleanliness" and the ultimate solution is to accept that may be I am a bad person (contaminated) and that my life is a fraud. I am trying to accept that possibility and keep going with my life.