- Username
- Betterdays_ontheway 🙂
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 1y ago
Uplifting each other
What is something you say to yourself or do that helps you get through OCD?
What is something you say to yourself or do that helps you get through OCD?
Honestly the NOCD community has been so helpful to be in. Being surrounded by people that understand what your going thru really helps. I always tell myself that this is not forever. I will not always feel like this. I imagine freedom from OCD. What it will look like for me and feel like. I meditate on that and I know i will be free one day. We all will. 100% recovery is possible!
I tell myself that I’ve recovered from other themes in the past, so I’m capable of recovering from the one I’m going through now. I know this is no different than the others, even though my brain wants to convince me otherwise.
Remembering that each time I was in an OCD flare, I became convinced I would never have a good day again, but that’s never been true.
I know it’s who I am meaning that this is part time of me. I can’t run away from it but I also can be aware that it hasn’t stopped me from having a beautiful life career family etc. I experience true joy and sometimes my struggles are isolating and hard as hell but I hang on because I LOVE THIS BEAUTIFUL LIFE IVE BEEN GIVEN. I love being able to check in with all of you and also respect and appreciate all your voices and energy. Do yes I have OCD and I guess in its own way it contributes to making me who I am but I am not OCD! I am a human being with lots of love to share and everyday I get to be here w my family and loved ones is a miracle to behold!!! Rock on my fellow warriors. 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Be brave. Be calm
“None of this makes any sense sometimes, but it also doesn’t have to. Life is strange and existing can be such a struggle sometimes, but I know that whatever happens I’m going to decide to be okay. I will adapt, privet, and work through the ups and downs of life because a life fully lived is a life filled with ups and downs. Right now I’m having a down— but my up is nearing soon” That’s an old passage from my journal ♥️ hope it suffices
Math... therapist said it uses a different part of the brain and well I aint a fan anyways so I do drug calculations. Singing even if I'm bad at it.
Hey guys. So I just had a pretty big relapse in my ocd, the first one since I started going to therapy. At first it was hard to accept that I had gone back to old patterns, but I’m trying to look at it as a chance to do better for myself this time. A chance to handle it with compassion, kindness and regard for myself rather than the disgust and shame I felt during my first big ocd episode. Here are some things I’ve been doing that have helped: Epsom salt baths- what I’ve realized is that it doesn’t serve me to be anxious all the time. I need to calm my body down so I can feel hunger, and have moments of clarity. And these baths help a lot - the magnesium really helps relax and give you a moment to be comfortable in your body. Remember to eat and drink enough water. Right now, your mind is running wild and your body is responding as if it’s in fight or flight mode- make sure you’re taking care of yourself. Gratitude practice- I know that it can seem really hard to find the positive during a really intense OCD episode. But what I’ve found is that if I make the effort to recognize the good in my life, even if it’s as small as “I had the money to buy myself some epsom salts to take care of myself” or “I’m grateful for that sunset I just saw” has helped me keep my spirits more alive even if my brain wants to pull me into rumination. Crying - let yourself have a release. One thing I like to do is imagine my mom or an older version of myself coming in the room and comforting me. It helps to imagine what you would say to a loved one that just had the day you had. For example: if my head really hurts from ruminating all day - I’ll take the time to drink water and take some medicine. Then I’ll think about what I would say to someone who dealt with the stress, anxiety, and rumination that I just had that day. Well a lot of times (and we want to stay away from reassurance with this) I’ll say to myself “I can’t tell you whether or not your obsessions are true. But I can tell you that I love you and I’m here for you no matter what.” And I find this is a great way of reinforcing your relationship with self as you learn to trust your ability to navigate difficult flare ups. Holding your own hand, being the support you need, can make the world of a difference. Doing exposures in real life. I’ve found that doing exposures have made me feel empowered again, even if that only lasts for a little bit. I’ve found that not planning exposures as much and just going about my life saying “Right now, what would I do if I didn’t have ocd?” Or being spontaneous anyways even if it feels uncomfortable has helped. Look objectively at your day. Are you spending two hours laying in bed in the morning before you get up? Maybe eliminating that or paring it down intentionally will help you reduce rumination. Taking supplements - fish oil, b6 vitamin, vitamin c, vitamin d are all ones I take every day and help keep my immune system up and my brain functioning a bit better. Keep a feelings journal. Staying in touch with your emotions is really important. I’ve found it to really help me break out of ocd as I can say to it “I hear you, OCD. But my inner child is really sad right now, and I’m going to direct my attention towards her rather than engage in rumination.” At the end of the day we can’t help what our brains might want to do. They might want to ruminate, mentally review, make us afraid and anxious and have irrational doubts. But we can control the ways that we treat ourselves, and what we direct our attention towards. May we direct our attention towards the good in our lives, towards care and love and moments of peace, because that will start to being more of that in. You know what they say “What you focus on gets bigger”. And I would say that especially if you are dealing with ocd - you deserve even more love and compassion - and hopefully I’ve been able to give you some tips that might help foster that as well. Feel free to add your own methods of dealing with OCD below. And hey, to anyone struggling through their own relapse right now - I get it. It sucks. But it’s also within your control to make it better - and I believe in you. I’m so proud of anyone out there fighting ocd right now. Fighting for the big, beautiful life that you deserve. Stay strong ❤️ You can do this.
OCD is a struggle, what has personally helped you to get past it? I am going to see a therapist soon once my insurance starts up, but in the meantime, what are small tactics that help you?
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