Does anyone try to do a compulsion and it doesn’t work not even for a minute? I know we shouldn’t do compulsions, it is just that usually I ruminate and I feel relieved for a second but this time I have an urge of figuring it out something and I try by checking my memories and it doesn’t work, like I don’t feel relieved at any moment.
Yes, this can definitely happen for me -- where a compulsion no longer relieves anxiety (often it increases it) -- but I will still do it, hoping that if I can just do it enough, or replay it enough times, or problem-solve it enough, I'll get relief. It's such a nasty trap. I think OCD is sneaky like that -- it keeps moving the goal posts further and further out until we're completely consumed by the compulsion and still don't find relief. The only answer I know of, is just to not do the compulsion, no matter has distressing I feel.
Sometimes I will tell myself I only have to do this once today and everything will be fine. But the thoughts keep coming it’s horrible. I found meditation has helped to stay present and focused on just breathing
Ocd always wants more. If it can get you to ruminate for 5 minutes it starts asking for 10. Don’t feed it. See https://drmichaeljgreenberg.com/rumination-is-a-compulsion-not-an-obsession-and-that-means-you-have-to-stop/
Feel guilty for not giving into compulsions like rumination and confessing? I feel guilt for having an intrusive thought, trying to shrug it off or just giving it a few seconds of thought and moving along. This sounds like improvement but I still struggle with the anxiety and the guilt. The shame. I’ll be okay and then I’ll remember I have OCD and my stomach will drop and I just want to curl up and cry.
sometimes, to try and prove my fear wrong i’ll be like “ okay, let me think of this REALISTICALLY. would i REALISTICALLY feel this way or do this thing? “ then i come up with scenarios in my head on how i think i would realistically ( or logically ) do something but then my feelings go against that thing i thought of then i start getting anxiety and start to fear that i would actually want my fear to happen or that i’d feel a certain way that proves my fear true. it’s basically just checking how i feel about something i think of to try and prove my fear wrong, checking my emotions or checking how i think i’d realistically feel towards it.. but then i may react “ unrealistically “ it goes wrong and i freak out
When an intrusive thought comes I can’t just say “that’s not true” and just move on. I always feel like I have to disprove the thought and be able to say it with confidence but the problem is that the ocd doesn’t allow me to feel and say it with confidence so I get stuck for hours or even days. How can I stop feeling like I need to do this?
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