Ocd

I definitely feel this. Sometimes my mind is like I'm definitely straight and other times i feel like I'm lying to myself completely!

Sometimes I feel numb, sometimes i feel anxiety, sometimes it's something, but i always feel like its true? X

@beckalouise OCD is really good at making us feel uncertain, doesn’t it? Have you tried any TIPP skills, grounding skills, or mindful to challenge the true feeling?

@Yourmindislyingtoyou I'm just trying to let everything be there!x

@beckalouise That’s amazing that you can do that! You’re doing a great job

@Yourmindislyingtoyou Its not nice but im trying

@Yourmindislyingtoyou hi what are tipp skills please?

@dand_eli_on So, basically you use these skills in an emotional emergency. When your OCD feels true and you can’t reason with it, can’t separate your OCD from reality. TIPP skills are to help you calm that panic and emotion down. T is for temperature. Squeeze an ice cube. Put your hands/head(be careful of your temples) in cold water. Take a walk when it’s cold outside. Especially helpful to put an orange in the freezer. It’s cold, you can pick at the peel and it’s aromatic. I- intense exercise. Even just setting a 10 minute timer and taking a brisk walk until the timer goes off. It doesn’t sound appealing but the heart rate/breathing and the endorphins after are worth it. P- Paced breathing. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, out for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, repeat. P- progressive muscle relaxation. You can use any muscle group but for me I use just hands. Make a fist and squeeze as hard as you can for 5 seconds and then release for 5 seconds. You can do as many times as you need and coordinate it with your paced breathing. Hope this helps!!

@Yourmindislyingtoyou Can I ask a question?

@beckalouise Yes

@Yourmindislyingtoyou Why is it when everything's calmed down it still feels real?

@beckalouise It’s a doubt disorder right? And it’s exhausting because OCD will always be trying to scare you into believing it is correct even when you challenge the crippling fear and anxiety. I guess for me it comes down to my OCD having control over me vs me being in control of my OCD. Which is taking away it’s power and resisting compulsions, you can sit with the fear and anxiety because OCD is false so and nothing is going to happen if you resist compulsions. In therapy I started practicing mindfulness. Observing and describing the fear and anxiety when an intrusive thought/image/bodily response/anything happens. Acknowledge it came up, categorize it for what it is, either a thought or a feeling. Remind myself that thoughts/feelings are not fact, they’re not good or bad, and it doesn’t mean anything they happened. I haven’t done ERP yet so this is a DBT approach, but it has been keeping me from being drowned by OCD again. It’s a really helpful temporary fix until ERP. You have to be confident in yourself to call the shots. You are strong enough and knowledgeable enough to call out OCD on being incorrect, intrusive and accepting compulsions aren’t necessary. Avoidance, reassurance, any compulsion. You just have to do it once to see that nothing bad happens when you don’t participate in OCD routines and it gets easier each time. OCD’s persistence does not mean it is true. It means it sucks at boundaries and can’t get the hint. Stay strong, it sucks that we not only have to do the hard work but we have to do continually because OCD has no mercy. I feel your pain.