- Date posted
- 1y ago
Yeah
Took me 20 minutes to brush my teeth today 2 hours in the shower and i still feel dirty. Any tips?
Took me 20 minutes to brush my teeth today 2 hours in the shower and i still feel dirty. Any tips?
Allow that feeling to be there. You need that unclean feeling to get better. Don’t engage with it in any way. Engage with your life, what you have to do today. Every time the thought pops in your mind, label it “OCD thought- moving on”. Don’t rationalize with the thought in any way, don’t try to remember what you did. Just “nope- moving on”. It’s not going to feel good☹️. It’s going to feel so hard, irresponsible etc. that ok, you need to feel those feelings (and do nothing about them). That’s how you get your life back. I’m here to tell you, if you do this( and it takes practice) you will start to feel better. The trick is doing this hard work has to come first. All the best! You are stronger than you know and there are lots of people on here rooting for you!
I think the best route would be to go the rest of the day feeling dirty without showering again.
I agree! No matter what your mind tells you. Tell yourself. I showered. I’m clean! Because you truly are! You showered for 20 mins that’s plenty of time- and you are clean.
Yes, no matter what the theme, it is ultimately about uncertainty. That was/is my theme (health). I used to think, oh I can’t take a risk with my health, I needed to know “for sure”. The truth is, to get better we have to be willing to take a risk, allow uncertainty. My NOCD therapist gave me the tools, after a lifetime of compulsions around health anxiety. Also “Needing to Know for Sure” Seif &Winston helped. As did this https://youtu.be/RPH27Z3IzNY. Take care!
Even with health OCD? ^ that’s what I’m struggling with so much right now.
I have contamination OCD that causes me to excessively wash my hands/clean items with disinfectant wipes. I know I just need to start with small exposures but how do I do that without spiraling? I tried a while back by just touching the outside of my dishwasher and not washing my hands after and it led to me being unable to even exist in my house. I basically lived on my couch for three weeks as it was the only 'safe' space that I had not touched with my dirty hands. I had to take a week off work to clean my house to make it somewhat liveable. I still haven't got round to cleaning everything though so things like my kitchen are still no-go zones that I don't enter. I just don't know how to start ERP without it making everything worse. Any advice would be appreciated. I am not seeing a therapist at the moment due to financial constraints.
Does anyone have tips on good sleep hygeine? What does everyone use to relax and wind down before bedtime?
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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