To bring some positivity in: what is something everyone has done this week that they are proud of? I would love to hear! Please share whatever you are comfortable with!
I talked to my mom last night about how thankful I am that she has been so supportive of me while I'm battling with this. She has been my biggest supporter and I don't know what I would do without her.
Wow! Beautiful! Great mom, great son. 👍👏😊
I at least made it through the night without confessing!
Hello. Congratulations! 👋 I am sorry, but your answer put a smile on my face after a long while. I don't mean to make fun of your problems. Please do not see it that way. But something about not confessing makes me want to laugh. It sounds sweet although I know it is not funny for you at all. Could you sort of satisfy my curiosity and tell me what things do you normally confess? Thanks for making me smile, even if I know it is not nice to you. But I do appreciate it. Big hug.
@NODA No worries! I suffer from ROCD, so any time I feel an attraction or have a thought about someone other than my partner, I feel really guilty and anxious, and worry that I’ve betrayed him in some way. My ex was emotionally abusive, and equated thoughts to cheating, so that is really ingrained in my brain. Co-diagnosis with CPTSD from my ex.
@LittleBird Oh, dear! That must be soooo hard! Wow! The urge to confess. Doesn't sound funny anymore. I am sorry about the emotional abuse. I had it in life from almost everyone but my husband. Even he did it to an extent when he hated me because of my ocd before he understood what ocd is. Do you feel like that only with people in your life, "real people", or do you feel like you need to confess even if you watch a movie and find an actor attractive or sexy? How does your now partner feel about your urge to confess? Is that sth ok for him or does he get upset when you tell him you found someone else attractive? There is a beautiful song by Reba McEntire - Have you ever cheated on me? If you can, listen to it. She points out the difference between real cheating and just a thought. Real cheating would break his heart, but having a passing thought about someone else means nothing, it's just what people do. As long as they don't act on it, it means you are faithful and you love your partner. You choose not to cheat on him, not to act upon your thoughts. I am sure, even if the thought turned into opportunity, you would choose your partner. You are a nice, faithful person. And extremely honest. More than your partner wants to know or wants you to be, I am sure. 😉😊 Nice to know you. Believe me, you don't cheat. You worry about your thoughts. A person who cheats, puts themselves first and doesn't care much about honesty and their partner's feelings. You are great. Now just tell your OCD that I said so! 😁. If it has any questions, let ME set it straight. 😁🤣. Are you feeling at least a bit better? I sure hope so. 🤗❤️
@NODA That made me tear up a little 🥲 thank you for replying so kindly. My current partner (fiancé!) is honestly wonderful. Every time I’ve confessed he’s reassured me that I’m okay. Now, I’m trying to get him to use more non-engagement responses to help me break the confession cycle. He knows how I feel about him and that I’d never actually betray him, and knows it’s also totally normal to find other people attractive - you just choose to stay committed to your person. He’s also super confident in how pretty he is, so that helps too, haha. But he’s been super patient with me and tries his best to understand my OCD even though it’s nothing he’s personally experienced. I’ve done a pretty good job educating him and explaining how my brain works to help him understand because I really don’t want him to take anything I say personally. I really only feel the urge to confess when it’s real people - coworkers, friends, his friends, people at the gym, etc. Celebrity crushes have always been totally fine.
@LittleBird I am so happy you are getting such a nice man for a husband. And he knows he is getting a great woman. You are doing everything right. You 2 are a team and you will beat ocd together. What more can a person with ocd ask for, than for a partner who cares enough to listen, understand, support and do what is necessary to help. Life is great. I don't know if you realise it, but I think you have won a future husband lottery. So did he with you. You care so much about him, that you worry that even your unwanted thoughts might hurt him. Isn't that something. Big hug to both of you. 😘🤗❤️
@NODA Thank you 🥹❤️
I found NOCD and other resources and got an OCD diagnosis which gave me so much clarity. I feel terrified but also less alone. Will be starting ERP soon which scares me but I also realized that it’s possible for me to learn to live a life without the need for certainty or constant reassurance. Before I learned about OCD I a) didn’t know that that was even a thing LOL and b) never thought about how much better my life could be without it!
@Anonymous78 My diagnosis made me feel so seen and happier!
I didn’t ask for reassurance if my boyfriend loves me!
I have sent my psychiatrist to hell in a polite but "don't mess with me anymore" kind of way. For the 1st time in my life I did for myself what I usually do for other people and animals, I stood up for myself. I still haven't received her reply. But knowing her, she doesn't give a damn anyway. She hardly ever answers. I think she is bipolar. One meeting she is all nice and talkative, the next all quiet and in a bad mood. I never know what to expect. I have no idea if she's going to understand what I am telling her in my mail or will she just lash out on me, but at least I spoke up. What a nice idea, dear hi.im.mol. Thanks. Would you share your experience as well? 😊🤗
I was going to ask for advice and vent after i just had an episode but reading through everyones post on here. I can see that everyone is collectively struggling at the moment and i think we need to utilize this community for more than just sharing our sadness. Nothing is wrong with venting of course but i feel like there isnt enough positive energy here to encourage everyone to keep going. I know asking for reassure feels like a must sometimes and trust me everyone has asked for it, it was a heavy compulsion of mine. But reassure is not what you need. It will make it worse everyone please trust me. Instead of letting out mind win we must support each other, understand our struggles but also share out wins. I feel like we dont use this community enough for finding friendship among us or spreading enough happiness. OCD Is not a happy disorder but seeing that everyone here is just here either hating on someone, people being too afraid to ask for help or no one reading peoples post. This place isnt just for our negative thoughts and events to fester we need to support each other here too! Ask for help, comment on peoples post with love everyone is struggling. In this community we should help pull each other out from dark places not let them stay there. I hope everyone who is going through it right has a better night/day/afternoon. You’re loved deeply your not a monster, your not evil, your not dirty, your not a heretic your Nothing your thoughts tell you are. Peace to you🤍🤍🤍🤍
I've had this app for awhile and was really nervous to post,comment or like anything.I still am,and frankly I've been having a really rough time which mostly includes ocd symptom,guilt/shame and agoraphobia which is not a fun combo but a small part of me is so tired of hiding and feeling awful all the time,even if at times I feel like I deserve it.I've been wanting to dabble into my hobbies like drawing or gaming but even my hobbies have been stressful & these negative feelings have been so awful for so long that I feel like I'm standing between two roads all the time yet feel horrified and worried either path when it comes to almost any decision will be wrong or not worth it in the end(and I hate that I feel like so.).I'm sure people can relate but the heavy loneliness and dehumanizing feelings is so awful,it's so good at it too.😭 I'm not diagnosed yet but I share alot of symptoms (interested to figure that out about myself soon.),but until I get medical insurance figured out I don't think I'll have access to professional help yet so for now I've just been watching some professionals online and I might finally read 'Freedom From Obsessive Personality Disorder' and see what it can offer.ANYWAYS,I'm trying to force myself to post so I can to people irl and online in any way I can train my brain to not stay so terrified of everything/everyone so,how has your day been?I hope it's been going well,if you've read this book or have any good suggests please feel free to let me know!
What’s one small win or act of bravery you’ve had this week, even if it felt really hard? **OCD recovery isn’t about perfection—it's about progress, even if it's tiny. Maybe you delayed a compulsion by 30 seconds. Maybe you showed up here today to express you struggles or support others. These are wins, and they matter. Let’s celebrate them together.
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