When I start to feel anxious/get sticky thoughts/get paranoid I watch videos online about OCD and others that struggle with OCD. Is this a form of a compulsion? If so, what can I do to stop doing this?
Yes, that’s a compulsion.
Have you reached out to NOCD for therapy? I spent years trying to deal with my OCD by reading OCD books and watching YouTube videos, podcasts etc. I found it very difficult to be objective about my own behaviors in terms of OCD. Since uncertainty is at the core of OCD, and we can be uncertain about everything 🤦♀️ it helps to have a skilled therapist (trained to deal with OCD) guide us through our recovery. One of the most helpful insights I gained through this process of learning about OCD and how to live life with uncertainty is this: I have difficulty with uncertainty, I feel a great deal of distress when faced with uncertainty, anxiety is a natural response to uncertainty and it’s ok to feel uncomfortable. I don’t need to “do” anything about these feelings, I need to accept them and keep moving forward with my life.
@VGH I did try to have a NOCD therapist but currently they don’t have any providers that work with my insurance. I have a regular therapist but I think I’ll ask if their facility offers therapists specializing in OCD. Thank you for your response!
Yes that is a compulsion. You need to learn to sit with the uncomfortable feelings/ uncertainty and teach your brain that these thoughts are not important and disregard them.
I find comfort in watching/learning how others deal/dealt with their OCD struggles. I don’t necessarily think it is a compulsion. If it is something you have to do, you feel a sense of urgency about watching these videos, if you feel like you can’t move forward until you watch them, then, yes I’d say that watching them is a compulsive behavior. However, if you are struggling and these videos help you to move forward with your life, reminding you of tools you need to use to not do compulsions, I think it’s ok. So, I guess my question to you is, are you using these videos to learn what to do when triggered, can you watch them one time only or are you going back again, what would happen if you couldn’t watch them or had to turn it off in the middle of it?
@VGH Sometimes I do feel just like watching them to gain better insight but mostly I feel an urgency or need to watch so that I can calm down and feel like I’m not alone. I recently tried to not watch videos and it made me feel very anxious that I was making a point to not look any videos up
Here is a book that was so helpful to me Needing to Know for Sure: A CBT-Based Guide to Overcoming Compulsive Checking and Reassurance Seeking https://a.co/d/as7rfJo. Also, Jenna Overbaugh https://jennaoverbaughlpc.com/ offers master classes that are a lot more reasonable then therapy, just an option, you may already know about it 😀. Take care!
Is anyone else’s primary compulsion googling, reading articles, taking quizzes, etc? Any tips on how to stop/limit these urges to engage in compulsion?
Obsession or compulsion? I'm getting so confused. So normally something scary pops into my head and I start thinking about it. And I pull in other things, related things, or make it a lot worse than it it. I can think myself to the point of a panic attack. I thought this was a compulsion, because I can do it for hours and if I'm interrupted I have to start over. But I stop doing it because it does me no good and brings me to panic levels of anxiety. I'm really confused now because I'm starting ERP and the goal of exposure is to get myself really anxious. Well googling and ruminating is what makes me really anxious..... but it's also what I do for hours and can't stop... so.... what do I do? If I obsess and google to the point of a panic attack to "expose" myself then what? I would still just google and obsess. ? If I have the initial thought and just don't ruminate it just goes away and I'm no longer anxious. And that seems way too easy. I can't be doing this right.
Is researching ocd therapies and mental health constantly a compulsion? Even though I have always enjoyed learning about psychology and reading articles on mental illnesses or relationships and attachment theory. And I now have a wealth of knowledge of how to combat ocd... looking for hope for a cure or some relief. Is holding onto hope a secret compulsion?
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