- Username
- KevinL
- Date posted
- 1y ago
Reassurance
I don’t want to voice my OCD because I feel like I am reassurance seeking! But not voicing it makes you feel so alone! Any tips?
I don’t want to voice my OCD because I feel like I am reassurance seeking! But not voicing it makes you feel so alone! Any tips?
I know what you mean, this is so hard I look at being willing to have this feeling (knowing it’s another attempt of our lovely brains to motivate us to do compulsions or really it’s our brain’s misguided attempt to keep us safe😀). So, I will often say to my husband, I’m struggling, but I won’t get specific as to the content. That way I get support without reassurance. Please know, though, there are many of us here who totally get it and are rooting you on!
I think a big part is recognizing when you are trying get the reassurance for OCD or just trying to seek out those who have the same understanding as to who debilitating this can be. It’s important to share and connect with others who have a similar condition because connecting with someone who doesn’t have it is hard and rare in some cases. I think the thing to remember is your intention when posting something or saying something when it comes to OCD. For me, I am pretty aware when I am reassurance seeking vs when I am just trying to connect with others who struggle too.
I feel you on this. It feels so lonely to not be able to talk to anyone. If you have a spouse or a friend to confide in it’s helpful to coach them to be able to listen, and express empathy, without reassuring you that everything will be alright. Because, it might not be alright. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. Stay strong friend.
So true! I value all the responses here. Ditto.
Hey, this is my first time posting… so I am a little nervous. I have OCD, along with Bipolar 1, and Autism (autism was assessed by a therapist and psychiatrist but not an official diagnosis cause of the cost). I used to have my OCD treated with Effexor until it revealed my Bipolar disorder and instead I can only be on low dose Prozac (alongside other meds for bipolar) One of my biggest and oldest OCD symptoms has been a constant need to confess everything hidden about my life to my parents. It started when I was 15. I suddenly would become so stressed about something I did in the past (usually regarding more private topics, stuff no one wants to talk to their parents about). It would be so bad I would struggle to keep food down if I was fighting those thoughts. Although it’s gotten better, it hasn’t left without leaving me completely exposed, and it still pushes me to want to confess my private life to them. I always think “but X or Y was wrong of me to do, or was private” and then I’d feel like NOT confessing was me “lying by omission.” It’s hard to explain it… but I just wondered if anyone had and advice or just messages of solidarity. Thanks to anyone who read this long message, I appreciate it.
My ocd convinces me that no one else has the ocd thoughts I have. I am newly PP and had an intrusive thought about my baby that sent me into the worst panic attack imaginable. I went to OBGYN and she said “but you aren’t having thoughts about harming yourself or the baby right?” I had to lie. I obviously didn’t want the thought, it’s my biggest fear. But how can we be honest with our doctors without being locked away. I had visions of them taking my child from me or me being locked away and now I’m just spiraling. I went down the rabbit hole for sure. How do we know what intrusive thoughts we can tell our doctor/therapist??? If I can’t share what’s going on in my head, then how am I supposed to know that I am not alone 😭. I want to find a therapist on here to work with but my ocd convinces me that no one else has struggled with what I have for some reason or that my ocd is “different” and I’ll be reported. This is miserable. Can anyone else relate? It’s like it convinces you that you are the “worst case” & what If it’s not even ocd. This has kept me from getting the therapy I know I need. Hope someone can give me some insight…
I was doing so good, but over the past few months, the OCD has returned with a vengenace. I try to explain what I'm experiencing to my family, but they don't understand. I just need to hear that people get it and know that I can make it out the other end alive and in one piece I've had many themes over the years, but right now, scrupulocity is taking over my life. It takes the normal day-to-day things I do, and twists them into compulsions to feed the insatiable monster that tells me if I don't do enough, be perfect enough, that I'm not a good partner-- not a good person. I'm not working hard because it feels satisfying; I'm doing it because I feel lazy and worthless if I don't. Everything has been taken to an extreme. It's making getting in the way of eating and sleeping. I'm suffering, but I feel like I need to try and pretend that I'm fine (even though I'm terrible at hiding it) because I feel like my husband will think I'm crazy, whiny, and dramatic, and eventually, get tired of it and leave. I'm not asking for reassurance. I just want to not feel so alone.
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