Sorry lately I’ve been asking a lot of questions I get worried asking questions Incase im using it as reassurance this sort of links into my questions. How do I know if I’m doing ERP correctly? Why does OCD feel so real? Why do my OCD thoughts feel so natural?
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@J.B95 This is what I mean like is me asking questions effecting my progress? Because In a way it is a form of reassurance which links back to am I doing ERP correctly. I find it so hard to sit with the anxiety I switch into rumination on auto pilot before I even realise it
The first question I would answer with you don’t know, sit with with the uncertainty and just do your best. The second 2 I would say because it comes from your own brain, and also if it didn’t feel real or natural then you wouldn’t care or take notice, which wouldn’t be ocd
I was finding myself asking questions on here everyday and I now haven’t posted anything in 11 days (that’s huge for me), I realised that actually I was looking for reassurance so I decided to stop! A couple of weeks ago my main obsession was not doing the ERP correctly, I have now learned that ‘maybe I am, maybe I’m not but I’m going to carry on doing it anyway’, this is something my therapist taught me and has massively helped. OCD does feel so real, I obsess about getting better and it feels so real to me that I have no chance of recovering, but I guess what’s why it makes it so debilitating. Hang on in there! You know what to do, the OCD is just trying to convince you that you don’t. It catches me out still
@Ellsx I feel like I am looking for reassurance too. I doubt I even have ocd and that I’m in denial of who I truly am and it makes me sad tbf. I’m not doing enough ERP I keep saying il start tomorrow and I don’t. I’ve had it with ERP before when I’ve exposed myself to something and not felt any anxiety then I’m like why don’t I have anxiety it’s like I’m addicted to the anxiety to prove that it’s ocd and it doesn’t align with my values
@Ellsx Also I’ve just seen on your profile that you suffer/suffered with Existential OCD. I had this and I didn’t even know it was OCD I assumed it was some kind of phycosis or something because I had a bad trip when I used to use drugs. But I questioned everything about my life… if I was real, if my family was real, If I was in a dream, if this was a simulation now them thoughts cross my mind and I’m like I don’t care but I don’t know how I got to not caring 🤣
@JoeG1146 The existential OCD theme absolutely terrified me and I have no idea it was OCD at the time either. I get the thoughts now and almost laugh at them like lol nice try 😂😂
@Ellsx Currently going through HOCD and to put it lightly it is a nightmare by far the worst theme I’ve suffered ! Had it bad since October
Hi this is my first time posting on here. I wasn't sure if I should because I want to make sure I'm not seeking reassurance because I heard that makes ocd worse. I don't want to talk about what my ocd problem was, but basically I was really upset about a religious ocd problem that I know isn't true. I'm feeling a lot better about it now, but when it was bad I decided to try and get better on my own. I read about ERP therapy and how you're supposed to make a list of your ocd problems, from least distressing to most. So I wrote them down on two pieces of paper. At first I started with the simple ones, like looking for spiders before leaving the room. I have a tendency to look for spiders before leaving a room but lately I've been trying not to anymore. Then I decided to try and do one of the hard things. It was a religious ocd problem. I decided to start simple, and just write the problem down on a piece of paper. So I went downstairs and got some paper. But then I thought, oh no, my ocd is probably not going to like this. What do I do with the paper once I write it down? If I think what I wrote down is bad and going to upset God and I will go to hell, (even though I know logically it's not), my ocd is probably going to freak out if I throw away the paper. It probably won't calm down unless I erase it. So I just decided to not write it down on a paper, and just type it on my phone instead. So I did, I typed it on my phone. So, even though I didn't write anything down on the paper, now it feels like that peice of paper is bad. I feel like it's connected to the problem I was having, and I was so upset I called my mom crying asking her what to do. Eventually I decided to just put the paper back with the rest of the paper downstairs, but I'm still upset. I feel like I have to throw away all the paper downstairs, the pencil I was going to use to write down the problem, and the eraser I was going to use in case I needed to erase anything. It feels like if I use any of those items I will make God angry and go to hell. I know I shouldn't do this though, so I'm not going to. I don't know what to do with the papers where I wrote down my ocd problems. They are on my desk and I'm too afraid to move them. And if I put them in my desk I'm afraid they will get mixed up with other papers. I guess I can do whatever I want with them. I think I'll put them in a folder or binder and if I make any more ocd papers I can just put them in there. I'm just really confused on how to move forward. Right now, I'm too afraid to use the papers, pencil, or eraser for anything. I feel like I can't write on them, draw on them, or anything. It's even making me feel like I can't make digital art. It's making me feel like I can't do a lot of things. I guess what I have to do is just do whatever I want to, because I know the ocd isn't true and doesn't make sense.
I was diagnosed with OCD around the age of 6, subtype- contamination primarily. It calmed down as I got older and I assumed it had gone away, but also didn’t realize it can show up in other ways, and it still had been effecting me which I know now. I’m not 31 and I’ve been in therapy for a year and it’s helped a lot, although I sometimes get thoughts that what if some of the stuff I’m dealing with isn’t ocd and I’m exaggerating. I feel like thoughts will feel sticky and I’ll do certain compulsions but then the thought eventually vanishes if I do it a few times which makes me think maybe it’s not OCD since other people/friends I know would probably do the exact same thing. Not sure if I’m making sense, but I guess my question is if that thought comes up with anyone else? Just being unsure if something you’re doing actually is ocd or not.
! 4 years OCD ! Not giving up ! Thank you for being here! Hello Everyone! I got questions about OCD. It would help so much to get the answers. 1. How do i know if a fear is a real threat or an OCD threat? What is real and what not? 2. Doing exposure, its very scary and so loud. Does anyone know how to make it more comfortable or on what to do if you are doing exposure? 3. If im not doing a compulsion what OCD wants, how do i know if im really safe for the hour, day, week or any time? I want to say THANK YOU to all the people who are helping the people! Nocd is really one of the most best things the world have ever known. It can help people so much. You are real heroes.
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