How long have you been dealing with this?

Like 10 years. I’m gonna do something about it now.

Same here! It started in 2020 for me, and I see you started NOCD therapy right about a year after me!

Hard to define since Ive probably had OCD without realising it since i was a kid. I remember compulsively going to the toilet over and over again when I was about seven. Probably other similar stuff that I've forgotten, but I've always been very 'Pure O' and worried about random stuff. HOCD since 2007. Horrendous for the first 3 or 4 years. It got better with time and by 2012 it was virtually gone. Bare in mind I had no help or assistance or medication. Just gritted my teeth and got on with it. I might have got the odd flare up if I had to go swimming or something, but generally speaking life was good and only improved over time. It got to the point where a few years ago I just forgot how bad HOCD was and thought back on the whole ordeal kind of weirdly. Like... did that actually happen? I've had other OCD stuff which tbh, I didn't really recognise as OCD at the time over the years. Constantly worried I'm dying of cancer/brain tumour/going blind and an obsessive fear of not being able to sleep. Recently had a relapse of HOCD due to medical cannabis which I was using to stave off the insomnia. Thought entered my head a month back 'what if HOCD came back' and it was enough to throw me back into it all over again. So yes there's hope. It takes time. Don't expect to be 'cured', you can't ever be cured of random thoughts - but believe me, a few months back I was a happy pervert creating lewd AI girls and never thought this would effect me again. I slipped myself up by thinking I was over it and that I could now force away the thoughts. Things are harder for me this time round because I have kids involved, but honestly the way out of it is to simply say: "No more checking. No more ruminating. Im not going to worry about anything until the day that I start enjoying these thoughts."

Over a decade. It started during an abusive relationship in college, and I never got the right kind of therapy until recently, and also got misdiagnosed a few times. What keeps me going, is that now I have a really wonderful life. I’m engaged to a great person who treats me with so much kindness, we have a dog and a cat, and want kids someday. So in order to enjoy all those things, I have to work on my recovering from OCD so it doesn’t steal all the joy from my life.

About 9 years but it’s been on and off throughout the years. Therapy, medication, mindfulness, and some lifestyle changes have helped my symptoms greatly.

Looking back, I think my ocd started at a young age. I officially got diagnosed last year, and have been doing ERP since then. Some days, I really feel like I’m making strides; other days, I feel low or like I’m not progressing. To keep your hopes up, or stay positive, try to focus on your achievements-small wins, big wins, days where you’re managing it better, etc. But also, know that it’s ok and normal to have bad days. If you’re struggling, let yourself feel your emotions. It might sound counter-intuitive, but if I’m having a low day or I don’t feel positive, I release those emotions by singing to music that makes me cry, or music that relates to my struggles. This lets me get back up the next day.

My entire life. You keep going.

13 years

3 months. Honestly don’t know if I’ve had this my whole life and if I did it was never this extreme. What keeps me going is all the people I care about. Been in a happy relationship for about 5 years now and she helps keep me sane. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without her. 😭