Wow - last night I had a terrible night of sleep and the OCD symptoms today are really strong and harder to deal with than normal. For those who have experience in preventing response to exposure, I could use some encouragement (not reassurance) today. How did you get through your hardest days during recovery?
You have got this. I went for a couple weeks with 2-4 hours of sleep per night and it was definitely a bit of a nightmare. You just have to look at days like this as opportunities to grow stronger rather than obstacles. I know that's easier said than done but I find if I can get into that mindset it helps me see the anxiety as a neutral experience rather than a bad one.
You can do this!
Ahh I am the same! Whenever I am tired or not sleeping the hours I need I am deff more anxious and my thoughts are there more!! It’s so hard cause there are so many things that can help ocd and anxiety and so many things that are kinda triggers like sleeping, drinking enough water, sugar intake ect. I think just recognizing that bad say are Normal, is what helps me. And that it truly is just ocd and the more we sit with it the easier it becomes.
I’m working with an ERP therapist right now - we just started working together. I’ve done ERP before but now it’s been years and the OCD symptoms have come back because I gave them too much room to thrive. The last few days have been hard because these have been some of the most intense OCD symptoms I have ever had AND I am also attempting response prevention. Not a great time to have a night of insomnia. Lack of sleep seems to be one of my biggest anxiety triggers.
Sometimes doing something as simple as drinking Sleepytime tea helps me wind down.
@Chase615 Tonight I’m going to take some melatonin and lavender/chamomile tea and try to go to sleep early. I know a good night of sleep will help me feel a lot better
It’s awesome that you are self aware enough to see a spike in anxiety! The same exact thing happens to me when I don’t sleep enough. I would say lean on breathing exercises, stay hydrated, get some fresh air, and squeeze a cat nap in if possible. Calming tea always helps too. You’ve got this it’s temporary!
@olivespeak Thank you so much!! This is exactly what’s needed - we all have hard OCD days and just feeling like I have others cheering me on is helping
Today I was officially diagnosed, and a lot of my thoughts all day have been “man, what if I actually don’t have it and I exaggerated my symptoms or something.” I had this thought especially because I hadn’t had a really bad episode in a while. But then sure enough, I had a little episode tonight. I feel like I might’ve brought it upon myself, at least in small part. Having difficulty separating OCD paranoia from real life problems to be considered with at the moment 👎🏻 Gonna sleep on it! 🙏🏻❤️
I’m going through a really bad flare up. I developed ocd many years ago when I had my first child. Postpartum ocd. I suffer from harm and pocd. At first I had mostly mental and some physical compulsions but the physical faded away pretty early on and i’ve just done mental compulsions since. My ocd was in remission for alot of years and if the ocd would pop up now and again, I was easily able to shrug it off and not engage. A few years ago I went through a stressful time in my life and the ocd came back to stay. At first it was bad but then it got better and has been pretty mild until now. It’s been really bad this week and the physical compulsions are even back. I never thought it would ever get this bad again. My ocd is making me doubt who I am and how I feel. I know it’s all ocd and not real or true but the ocd makes it feel so real that I can’t easily dismiss or disprove it. The more I try to disprove it the more real the ocd makes it feel. I’m really struggling and don’t know how to get back on track. I don’t have access to a therapist because there are no ocd specialists near me and my insurance doesn’t cover online therapy. That’s why i’m reaching out here. Has anyone been through a rough relapse? How can I get through and past this??
hi. so one big factor of my OCD is rumination. i met a guy who i have a crush on the idea of (idea bc there are red flags). my biggest fear is not finding true love, my ex told me no one else would deal with what i have (my ocd, specifically reassurance seeking and getting overstimulated after intimacy). a few weeks ago, my friends and family all gathered and tried to give me advice that sounded like “you’re shy and you’ll never find someone.” after that, i’ve felt off. i’ve been using an unhealthy coping skill, daydreaming, and i’ve just felt unbalanced. my ocd makes everything feel different sometimes, i can’t explain it. life, myself, almost like being in a dissociated state. has anyone else experienced that? i don’t know how to remain balanced during my off times and i know pms exasperates it all. i take ashwaghanda and omega 3s in a multi vitamin daily. i take them all together in the evening but i’ve missed three days recently and also messed with my rocky sleep schedule because of fun times with friends. i hope these supplements work, because i don’t know if i’d be brave enough for medication. i had a bad reaction on prozac and often am forgetful. i just have been battling my OCD consciously for almost ten years now and unconsciously for longer. i am so tired, as my mental health extends beyond my OCD. i’m in talk therapy with some cbt aspects but i only see her twice a month. i’ve broken down so many times and promised myself id get on track or that certain things would work, but it’s like i am stuck in a circle that gets smaller when i’m able to help myself. i just want to be normal. i want to be able to mess up my sleep schedule to enjoy good times and not suffer horrible consequences or fear that i will be entirely thrown off balance. i don’t want to worry or doubt or feel so dissociative that i squint my eyes for a moment and wonder why i feel so unreal. i will never understand why god has allowed me to go through this. i cannot let it be for nothing but i don’t know how much more to bend and contort my body and brain to get somewhere stable but how lovely it would be if i could. i don’t have much of a schedule right now, i get apathetic and give in with things from time to time. one thing can trigger me and i am back to square one wether in a week or month. any advice, any and all is so helpful. your stories, your thoughts. maybe feeling less alone and knowing what has helped you is exactly what i need right now. thank you 💗
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