Username: QueenE1998

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

help!

Is it normal for me to focus all day everyday on my mental health? Checking to see if I am going to have thoughts and get anxious before I even do? Always looking up stuff to find more information about OCD? I’m in recovery of OCD and I always check my symptoms around my daughter, before I even have thoughts I get anxious I’m going to have them or something will trigger it, all day I’m looking up stuff about OCD , why am I so focused on my mental healthy every single day! What can I do!? Practice mindfulness? Nothing on the internet says anything about this

Username: bjornkattbjornkatt

Date posted: 1y ago

Practicing mindfulness is a good idea. What I think is important to remember here though is that mental illnesses only matter as much as they impact your life. Maybe you have dementia, schizophrenia, or Alzheimer's. If you haven't noticed any detriment to your life because of those things then I'd say that's a win :)

Username: QueenE1998 QueenE1998

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

@bjornkatt What’s a win? Practicing mindfulness? Because I for sure don’t have any of those lol.

Username: bjornkattbjornkatt

Date posted: 1y ago

@QueenE1998 - Maybe I misunderstood what aspect of your mental health you're focusing on then? I assumed you were wondering if you had any other conditions in addition to OCD, which is a pretty common fear

Username: bjornkattbjornkatt

Date posted: 1y ago

@QueenE1998 - Reading your post again I'm kind of embarrassed that I missed the point so badly lol

Username: QueenE1998 QueenE1998

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

@bjornkatt Lol no, only anxiety

Username: Wolfram Wolfram

Date posted: 1y ago

So you're checking if you have the thoughts, which then causes you to have the thoughts? Mindfulness and grounding techniques help but is only part of the solution depending on your individual needs. I'll get some videos to help you understand

Username: QueenE1998 QueenE1998

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

@Invalid Thanks so so so much!

Username: amos.bamos.b

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

It feels normal to me sometimes, on days when mental health is in a particularly bad place. Other days not so much. I definitely spend a lot of time researching OCD, so maybe that’s a new compulsion 🫠

Username: Wolfram Wolfram

Date posted: 1y ago

https://youtu.be/7d9c0jeXjSk?feature=shared https://youtu.be/xoSlOnUuw-U?feature=shared That first video, the guy in it helped me a lot to understand ERP in another speech he did. It was a really good explanation. I understand the need to try and figure out your mental health issues. I was doing it for a long long time. Hopefully these videos shed some light. If you want help to understand anything on them, let me know

Username: Wolfram Wolfram

Date posted: 1y ago

https://youtube.com/shorts/dk_NI1jfdzE?feature=shared Another one. It takes time and practice to undo the now current mindset but as you keep doing it, it will get easier and easier. Three will be bumps on the road to recovery, it isn't a smooth one. Don't beat yourself up if you one because its inevitable, just keep going

Username: Wolfram Wolfram

Date posted: 1y ago

Also, anxiety and stress will cause the intrusive stuff to pop up as it activates the fight or flight system. https://youtu.be/BJshegpcFv8?feature=shared

Username: Wolfram Wolfram

Date posted: 1y ago

There * don't beat yourself up if you hit one*

Username: QueenE1998 QueenE1998

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

@Invalid Thanks so so so much this helped me a lot ! Totally get it !!! I just didn’t understand why each and everyday my mind goes straight to focusing on my mental health?

Username: Wolfram Wolfram

Date posted: 1y ago

@QueenE1998 No wore, glad it helped. I wish this information was my widespread. Some people can fight the thoughts all day long and not get anywhere without this understanding. Same goes for ERP, and CBT. It can work just for a bit, but if you don't have the understanding of how the mind works there's a higher risk of it comeback and you won't know why. This to me was part of the mental foundation for me getting better. You can do it too. No hole too deep to climb out of 💪

Username: Wolfram Wolfram

Date posted: 1y ago

@QueenE1998 Also, your focus on your mental health may be due to wanting to figure why something feels off. Like a word on the edge of your tongue, or a dream you had but trying to remember it. It's frustrating but it's like you're looking for answers , and you feel you're almost there but can't quite grasp them right!

Username: QueenE1998 QueenE1998

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

@Invalid Yes! Like why it happened but I know you have to just keep pushing through the anxiety .

Username: QueenE1998 QueenE1998

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

@Invalid Thank you so much for your encouragement you are so right! Sometimes it’s so discouraging because I’m so tired of just focusing it everyday I can’t even enjoy my daughter and her birthday is tomorrow. I’m forcing myself to get up and go and focus on something else. Then I get scared that I’m not doing the right thing like mindfulness , could that be a compulsion? I don’t it’s not because I’m practicing while I’m anxious before I even have the thoughts , but after I have the thoughts , and get anxious , I just need to sit with the anxiety and that’s when it gets kind of hard

Username: Wolfram Wolfram

Date posted: 1y ago

@QueenE1998 I was like that for years. All this info cleared that up and therapy got me better. Youre right, you do push through the anxiety and sit with it until it gets bored of you. The intrusive thoughts though can be dealt with using the info in the videos. You can get better 😊

Username: Wolfram Wolfram

Date posted: 1y ago

@QueenE1998 Sounds like rumination which is a compulsion. The thought and concerns are real, and valid so don't worry about that (you're not mad, it's just ocd) , but when it feels like a broken record in your head then it's a compulsion. I hope your daughter has a good birthday tomorrow. If it gets tough remember this. When the thoughts come in, or when you catch you thinking and Ruminating, acknowledge its there and then refocus on a goal or distraction. I'm guessing you'll have a goal tomorrow. Know that you have information to help now and kind of put a pin in the thoughts to deal with another time. Grounding techniques are good to keep you present, noticing smells, sounds, how things feel etc, basically concentrating on your senses. It will bring you back to now. 😊

Username: QueenE1998 QueenE1998

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

@Invalid Thanks! So much, when do I do the grounding technique though? When I’m anxious about having the thoughts ? Or after I have the thoughts? Or both? I don’t want to do it after the thoughts and it become a compulsion.

Username: QueenE1998 QueenE1998

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

@Invalid Also, you said put a pin on the thought to revisit , so I can just let it go?? I have to revisit it later ?? And focus on it ?

Username: Wolfram Wolfram

Date posted: 1y ago

@QueenE1998 Well putting a pin in it is acknowledging the thought or concern , knowing you have info to help now you may find it easier to put it to one side for later. You choose whether to focus on it later, you want answers right? The videos I linked will help you get them. If you have any more questions after watching them all let me know or anyone else on here.

Username: QueenE1998 QueenE1998

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

@Invalid Ok thanks so so much!

Username: Wolfram Wolfram

Date posted: 1y ago

No worries *

Username: Wolfram Wolfram

Date posted: 1y ago

Coming back *

Username: Wolfram Wolfram

Date posted: 1y ago

After you've acknowledged the thoughts, or when you're anxious. Thoughts are automatic, both good bad or indifferent. You can't stop them, it's impossible. just change how you react to them. This is one way you can react to them. Always acknowledge them though. Its like receiving a message from someone you don't want to respond to. You get the message, acknowledge it but you wouldn't just sit and stare at it right? No, you'd get on with your day and ghost them. That's how you deal with it. It'll take time and practice, lots of practice. Don't expect to be cured on the first attempt. Keep at it and it will work

Username: QueenE1998 QueenE1998

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 1y ago

@Invalid Awesome, thanks so so so much for your knowledge

Username: Wolfram Wolfram

Date posted: 1y ago

@QueenE1998 No problem, happy to help. Have fun tomorrow, you deserve it 😊

Username: JB21

Date posted: 6y ago

Does anybody struggle with POCD? I’m putting things into place lately to let my thoughts be there and not having to listen to them and I do admit I feel a little better and the thoughts are less and anxiety it less when I’m around people but there’s an urge in the back of my mind to ‘make sure’ and to think and analyse about things just to ‘check’ I definitely know for certain that this isn’t true, this is making recovery quite hard! Any tips please? Also I find sometimes reading things on google can be unhelpful and disheartening, which I need to stop doing! Thanks for reading ?

Username: Anonymous

Date posted: 5y ago

I don’t want this to sound like reassurance, I’m just not sure. I’m pretty new to this and not officially diagnosed yet. But please can I ask- I am constantly thinking about this everyday, from the minute I wake up until I go to sleep. It used to ease off but not so much anymore. It’s not so much the original rOCD thoughts anymore (although they’re still there, I’m struggling to find them, I’m just feeling more lost and sad) but I’m constantly questioning is this OCD, or ‘I don’t have that symptom so it can’t be’ or ‘these therapists just want your money, there is no such this as rOCD’. I’m feeling sort of sad really- and my brain is telling me it’s my relationship but there’s nothing wrong with my relationship. Is it normal to be thinking like this, all day every day- is that obsessing? (I know this sounds like a silly question but my brain is playing all sorts of games with me at the moment!)

Relationship OCD

Username: Anonymous

Date posted: 4y ago

Hi! I have OCD in a few different subtypes. Even when my brain isn't stuck on those scary obsessions and compulsions, it seems like it is getting stuck on every thought that comes in. Like my brain is constantly and very intensely trying to find problems to solve all throughout the day no matter what I'm thinking about, even if they aren't specific OCD thoughts. It's super exhausting! Is this a common thing with OCD? Does anyone else experience this?

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