Overwhelming and annoying people because of ocd

has anyone else lost friendships due to ocd? i’m 21 years old and recently lost a friend i have had since i was 14. my ocd has become severe during college, i was even hospitalized at one point. since then it felt like they completely retreated emotionally . i tried communicating my expectations and needs but it didn’t seem to work. it felt like i was a constant burden or annoyance. it felt like my friend viewed me as a different person, a person who is just a walking problem waiting to be fixed. i was told i’m always at a “level 20” while they are at a “level 5”. i don’t want to be their friend either because the friendship made me unhappy towards the end. but does anyone have advice on how to be less annoying or overwhelming? should i speak about my ocd less so that people are not in a place where they feel like they don’t know what to say or do? i feel depressed about this because i genuinely believed i was keeping a lot to myself but it still is too much for most people. what should i do? someone please help me, i don’t my ocd to be an issue for others socially. i know some people might think “don’t change yourself for others” but what if i genuinely need to change? how do i come off as less pushy or obsessive? should i not go into detail about my mental health or should i try to ask less questions? does anyone relate to me? i’m worried i’ll feel like an outcast forever, i know i’m not like most people but i’m tired of feeling weird.

anxious artist

Date posted: 2y

If your friend refuses to hear you out during your struggles with OCD, then they're not a real friend in my eyes. I vent to so many people about my frustration in dealing with the intrusive thoughts and they were super supportive. My advice is to reach out to as many people as possible if you're struggling. OCD can be so isolating especially when it latches unto a certain theme. There's nothing wrong with expressing yourself to somebody else, but on the other hand, I would also advise you to be careful when it comes to talking about your intrusive thoughts. Some people who aren't familiar with OCD or trained in ERP may not know or understand your situation. You can just say that you're going through OCD in general but don't keep it all in if you're truly in pain because it'll only get worse later on.

celineabily

Date posted: 2y

@plutosghost so in general when you have intrusive thoughts, do you just tell people the theme rather than what the actual thought is?

anxious artist

Date posted: 2y

@celineabily - I don't say the theme because it can resort to confessing, seeking reassurance, ruminating, etc. so I usually just say that I'm currently struggling with intrusive thoughts in general. You don't need to be specific or say the theme at all. I only tell my intrusive thoughts to a licensed therapist because they're specifically trained to deal with scenarios like these and heard millions of the same intrusive thoughts people have on a daily basis. There are stories of people losing friends because they didn't know what intrusive thoughts are and assumed that's what the sufferer actually believed in. It's depressing really, but many people are so misinformed about OCD to the point that things get thrown around and taken out of context too quickly because of how grossly uneducated this country is about mental health.

celineabily

Date posted: 2y

@plutosghost thank you for listening and offering advice i appreciate it

shirleyCstar

Date posted: 22w

Advice and Unbiased Opinions Please!!!

This isn’t OCD related so I’m sorry, but I don’t know another platform like this where I can talk to other people and actually get responses. OCD has been a huge fucking setback for me in life. I had to drop classes, wasn’t able to do things, and just felt so shitty all the time because of it. I feel like I blame OCD for everything I’m not. I constantly feel like I’m not good enough. Just today I saw someone I once knew and felt all of those feelings I used to have that made me miserable. Anyways, I tried taking my driver’s test a couple days ago but I wasn’t able to. The DMV only accepted cash. I felt upset but it was whatever. I’m almost 19, and I don’t have a driver’s license. So passing it would mean a lot to me. I compare myself to others my age; they have cars, hobbies, friends, go to college, etc… I don’t have any of that. Maybe comparing myself and all of that is my fault. My family says it’s my fault I’m sad because I just wallow in it. Hearing them say that makes me frustrated and hurt, but maybe they’re right. My mom texted a couple of my siblings in a group chat I wasn’t a part of, “He wants to wallow and be depressed. And woe is me, wah wah wah.” That made me really angry because my siblings were agreeing with her. Maybe they are right. Maybe I am selfish and think the world revolves around me. My sister tells me I need to advocate for myself more, I just don’t want to be a burden. I’ve only been a burden my whole life. My OCD created this whole issue in my family and I hate that. I don’t know what to do anymore. I just want an answer. Am I really a loser? Do I really wallow in it? Am I not trying like my family says? I just want to talk to someone.

AJ__

Date posted: 21w

OCD & social isolation

I remember reading a comment someone had made to one of my posts on an OCD subreddit and they told me how they believed their OCD symptoms got worse during a time in their life when they were socially isolated. Reading this comment made the brightest lightbulb go off in my head because it basically summarized most of what I’ve been going through. In addition to OCD, I also struggle with depression and social anxiety. I feel like these three things and the profound sense of loneliness I’ve felt throughout my years in college (undergrad) feed off of each other. I know that OCD can manifest in so many different ways regardless of what your social life looks like, but I can’t help but feel like the lack of relationships (specifically friendships)/community in my life has something to do with my mental health and the delay in my recovery. Side note: I’m still relatively new to NOCD, but I’m happy to say that I’ve been making some good progress in my therapy sessions <3

speedymind23

Date posted: 20w

Ocd and anxiety

I’ve been dealing with ocd and anxiety since I was a kid, but these recent years have been the worst it’s ever been. It’s hard to communicate with people about your mental health so I’ve been self isolating by accident lol, my social anxiety is terrible and it’s extremely stressful for me to hangout with people and my friends don’t seem to really understand even when I try my best to explain. They notice I don’t hangout as much but to them it’s “me being weird “ or “ a fake friend” I don’t know what to do and it’s frustrating

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Overwhelming and annoying people because of ocd

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