This isn't an overly urgent matter or anything just curious what you guys think. So a compulsion is anything you do to reduce ur anxiety in response to obsessions. But is there anything you can do to ease ur anxiety or make it more manageable at the time while you do ur erp? Or I can't do anything to make myself feel more comfortable at risk of it becoming compulsive? Just curious about ur experiences
One thing that helps me ease anxiety I feel without being necessarily reassurance or compulsive is reminding myself that anxiety is a feeling and all feelings are transient. That helps me to ride it out and willfully tolerate the discomfort knowing that in the longrun it will help :-)
I think the point of ERP is so your in that situation, and although it may be super uncomfortable you should stay their
I'm having that conundrum a bit too. The point is to not make it more manageable. You ride out that unmanageable feeling until it's manageable again. I guess what you can do is just remember to breathe and know anxiety in itself is not going to kill you. I read on someone's post once the word "willingness" and I liked that perspective of power. Like, are you willing to feel the whole anxiety and shown yourself in the end that yes, you can feel the feels and be okay.
It can just be so unbearable painful
@Bayliespeaks And it's not necessarily that I'm afraid anxiety will kill me, I'm worried that it will destroy my sense of self and everything I value
I struggled with this at first too! Something that helped me was just to acknowledge the uncertainty. “Maybe this intrusive thought is true, maybe it’s not?” And then telling the OCD that this isn’t something I can figure out in this moment, and I have things to do. Then just going about my day. Sometimes the OCD and anxiety scream in the background but eventually it becomes manageable. The empowerment that comes from riding the wave of it is really incredible. Like, wow, I really can do this!
I tried this today and ur right, it does feel empowering to ride it out
@Bayliespeaks Oh that makes me so happy! You should be so proud of yourself!
i would like some advice please and i didn't get any responses 😭.. apologies for reposting but just need some thoughts on this 🥲 //// after frustrations with erp not working, i intentionally brought up the intrusive mental images as well as sensations during an exposure in trying to practice desensitizing myself to them. but now im scared that me purposefully bringing on the images and especially the disturbing outward sensations means that i did something bad or acted on my thought since i took the action to purposefully create and bring the disturbing intrusive images and thoughts and feelings. now it feels like not just a fear but reality. and my anxiety levels are just too much. i'm just feeling terrible and would like some thoughts or support
Hi everyone. I'm feeling kinda scared because I have to wait a whole month to start ERP therapy, but I feel like I need to start doing exposures now because the longer I wait, the more anxiety I get. It just feels like the OCD monster is getting worse. One thing that helps me is asking one person about an obsession I have...asking a person that I trust, and then doing an exposure after I get the "ok" to do it. I feel like I do need 1 reassurance and then I can go ahead and do it. I know i'm not supposed to ask for reassurance at all, but i dont think you're supposed to do ERP on your own right? Does anyone have any suggestions for what to do while waiting for therapy? PS-the reason there is a wait is bc she's on vacation. After she's back we will meet regularly.
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