- Username
- quentin
- Date posted
- 5y ago
I'm going through the same thing it's so confusing
Testing yourself with pornography is a compulsion (it’s called mental checking). And it’s going to keep driving your obsession. You have to stop. You’re doing it to find 100% certainty, but OCD brains don’t feel 100% certainty, that’s the part of our brains that just don’t work the same as other people’s. Stop seeking certainty that you don’t or never will find a man attractive. Stop testing yourself with pornography. Just live and let whatever happens happen. When you have a weird thought pop up, don’t follow it. Acknowledge it, accept that it’s there, and move on. If you try to disprove it, reason with it, understand it, etc you’re just doing more mental compulsions. Someone without OCD would get a thought like that and just go “huh, that’s weird,” and move on. You have to learn to do the same. The more you can make peace with the fact that your brain is going to send you weird thoughts sometimes, the better you’ll be able to start feeling normal again. Intrusive thoughts are normal. Our reactions as people with OCD are not.
Thanks to all. Just tired of this. Today’s been tough bc I just can’t believe my insecure mind.... I will move thru this.
I don't think it's denial because if it was denial we wouldn't try to fight it we would just know and try to hide it. But you never know, anyway we have to try to not focus on that and just try to live our life and keep our minds distracted, as hard as it sounds, it's what we need to do because looking for certainty just triggers OCD even more.
I don’t really get aroused by what I used to, at least that’s what I fear. I now get anxious. The weird thing is I want to I just can’t, it seems. I’ve had eight years of this. I can’t date, get anxious about it when it comes up - I’ve had one relationship that’s just broke down because of this. I blew a chance with someone nice feeling so freaked out about whether it’d just all happen again - the anxiety, the guilt and low self esteem. It’s like there’s no joy anymore and I don’t know what to do. This has ruined my twenties, and I can’t help but feel that somehow I’ve helped that.
You can’t find the line really in my experience. Don’t be in denial that you have problems with the thoughts for now, I’m still clearly having trouble with my own. You can only move on by practicing knowing the fact that they are thoughts and that your anxiety over them is amplifying it. It’s managing in any way you can to let the anxiety subside and accepting those thoughts as those that any person regardless of sexuality can have. Your response has just got messed up.
You got this man, you're not alone.
I feel exactly the same, I started to feel better about myself and two weeks later I’m back feeling like this. I just wish I went back to how I was and have been for the first 32 years of my life. I check porn daily and never get aroused by gay stuff and then to straight porn and bang I’m aroused. But the thoughts come back 10 minutes later. This is crazy!
Maybe it’s deep denial? I don’t think HOCD works like this
Wow. This has changed views. I refuse. I’m done. Idgaf anymore.
I feel the same way, the only things that arouse me are pornography and gay thoughts and that's so weird it makes me so confused but I know it's not real, however I read an article online that talked about how porn can desensitize your brain and induce HOCD that's why I'm taking a break from porn and masturbation, you should try as well.
Yup. Deleting this app. I can’t anymore. Y’all have a good one. I’m going to just go.
Yeah man...maybe this just triggered me bc I was thinking I let this foolishness go on for too long and then I heard you. Im going to just try to live authentically. No matter what we say..there’s a fine line between HOCD and denial....and I’m just trying to find that line
First off it was hocd now I'm having doubts if I'm bisexual or not. I've done so much googling trying to find out what I am and so far I've been able to label that I'm Aesthetically attracted to everyone which has nothing to do with sexuality and is normal but sexually I've only been interested in women. My sexual and romantic attractions are interlocked meaning I can't have one without an other. I know I shouldn't be doing so much compulsions but there is one doubt that's glued to my head and it's making me feel like I'm attracted to feminine men (twinks, femboys) even during hocd this was the case and what caused it to begin with. I can't figure it out no matter how much I research. Sexually it would be uncomfortable and without the feminine makeup on I wouldn't be aesthetically attracted. This is all confusing to me because I always saw myself as straight and found interest in just women. I just want these doubts to go so I'm able to have a girlfriend (broke up with mine few months back) I want to be able to be doubt free and feel secure in my own identity. It's getting to the point where I feel like I need to experiment just to find an answer even though I know I would be uncomfortable the fact I'm no longer disgusted fuels this theme too:(. I really need answers I feel like I'm close but then the anxiety comes back
My dumb ass has been reasurance seeking so much, researching, Reddit, quizes, gay Vs denial, bisexual Vs denial, and checking aesthetically good looking men and now nothing reassures me for long periods of time. It's ruining my relationship I'm losing attraction I have porn addiction too not compulsively checking but I do check alot of the time and it's also escalating onto things I wouldn't do in real life. My life feels ruined by this relapse because life was finally good I finally got a beautiful amazing girlfriend, went gym, got new clothing, haircut and was overall happy but just finding men handsome, liking their voice etc causes me alot of anxiety because it's not every so often it's a very common thing now and it makes me so upset not because being bi or gay is wrong but because I don't want sex with men it doesn't make me happy or excite me I wouldn't even do it for money. Women make me feel so good inside, excited, butterflies I just want to be married and spend my life with a beautiful women but with this shit I doubt everything I can't even have same sex friends out of fear that it'll be more than platonic. I wouldn't care if I was 10% bisexual and 90% straight because id always be straight over everything I love women even though they make me nervous my response has always been positive. I really REALLY need help I can't live like this I'm not suicidal or anything but I'm extremely depressed it's causing my girlfriend to become distant we don't do nothing sexually even though before this relapse I was craving it all the time cuz of how much I love her. How do I stop this anxiety and doubt? Why is there even anxiety around this? I'm confident enough to say I find men handsome but that's all it is? So why can't I figure this out? No matter how much research the next day I just find myself repeating it trying to solve the big question if I'm gay or not. Even though logically I'm attracted to women exclusively I may have done things growing up as curiosity but crushes have always been women, sexual fantasies always women, women have always made me excited I loved it even growing up I was obsessed with wanting a girlfriend not because of society but because that's what I wanted? A romantic and sexual relationship with a woman. If the cure is to sit with this discomfort why do I have the discomfort in the first place? Because I can find men handsome? But that doesn't make me attracted to them sexually I've never looked at a man and thought "I'd love to have him all to myself and fuck him" I've only said that about women? Groinal responses as well they're a pain in the ass especially when I check porn it's a massive anxiety trap and makes me question shit even though it may cause a physical response I don't like it mentally I want it gone I want this all gone without any doubt. If anyone spent their time reading this thank you. I feel so alone at the moment and isolated with confusion with no one to talk to
Why can't I figure this out and why when I try to it makes me feel like I am gay? I feel so depressed I was starting to be myself again and I was so happy even got a girlfriend and was working out and about to get a job too but now it's all lost I hav wno motivation to do anything, when I check gay porn I get aroused, when I imagine scenarios no matter what I get aroused I guess I've lost. I've never been homophobic or saw it as wrong but I also was never interested in men I always had crushes and fantasized about women and wanting to only be with women but now it feels like I can't even do that. I'm also noticing men alot more now too as handsome or pretty boy faced and it's making me feel even more in denial ): I fucking hate this so much I would do anything to go back to my comfortable happy self who was straight and girl crazy. I really hope this isn't all real I don't want any of this i just want to be straight not because of society but that's what made me the happiest and most fulfilling version of myself. I just don't understand why it all feels so real? Why I can't no matter what have certainty that stops me from checking? Why does porn cause arousal? Why do I notice men alot more? Even now I still don't want sex or a relationship especially a relationship because the thought of being intimate with a man isn't something I want and would make me uncomfortable and sex causes arousal but it's not something I want unlike women I desire it I want it. It makes me feel all fuzzy and good inside.
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond