Have others had the experience of having an ocd relapse? I have felt that my ocd was fairly under control for a few years but I have recently been struggling and would say I have fallen into a relapse. It is very disheartening not to mention I am so tired and a bit scared. I am triggered all day long by all kinds of different things. Things have felt like they are exponentially unraveling.
Hi, yes. I experience this all the time, and I consider myself recovered. Well, actually, what I have all the time is intrusive thoughts, feelings, sensations. Where I get into trouble is if I look for certainty around those thoughts, feelings or sensations. If I try to know for sure, figure something out, relieve the distress of a thought, then I quickly fall into doing compulsions which never ends well. Once I realize I'm doing compulsions, I will do my best to stop, it usually takes several days where the urges and thoughts are pretty strong, but then they start to fade. If I just let the thoughts, feelings, sensations be there, don't do anything to get rid of them, they pass rather quickly. Like last night, we got home from a business trip, I was triggered my medical info in the mail, a warning of possible identity theft, some odd bodily sensations. I was so tempted to try and figure all of those things out. But, it was late, I knew OCD was trying to latch onto these things. I went to bed, woke up in the morning and got some exercise and had a ton of clarity. Had I tried to figure it all out last night, I know from experience, it would have ended badly. Sorry for the long story. In your case, try to allow all the feelings without doing anything about them specifically. Maybe to some self-care, do something for yourself, that you enjoy. OCD recovery is hard work, it's ok to be kind to yourself.
Wow thank you so much. This is reaaallly great advice. I understand what you mean about trying to solve something quickly when you are triggered and how that can lead to not so great results. This is such a good reminder. Im grateful for your words. Thank you.
Ohhh yes. I am so sorry you are going through this. I’ve had a bit of a relapse as well. It’s not fun and it feels discouraging but it’s all good. I’ve had my share of experiences with it. Just do what you were taught, and use the tools to help. If you need anything else, just ask
@✨Pennyroyal✨ Thank you so much. I will do exactly this. : )
@Hannah.mf Also treat yourself. Just because you got a relapse don’t mean you can enjoy life! Go and eat a meal you like or watch a show. Treat yourself tomorrow. Get ice cream, or hang out with some close buddies. You have a great day tomorrow on purpose🍄
Wow thank you so much. This is reaaallly great advice. I understand what you mean about trying to solve something quickly when you are triggered and how that can lead to not so great results. This is such a good reminder. Im grateful for your words. Thank you.
hey there, i totally get where you're coming from and just want to say that you're not alone in this. it's really tough when you feel like you've made progress and then ocd decides to crash the party again. i've had my own battles with pure o obsessions, and even though our experiences might differ, that overwhelming feeling is something i can relate to. i'm here to listen, and it's okay to feel tired and scared, but you've got this. 💪 i wanted to share something with you that my therapist recommended and it's been a game-changer for me. it's a free AI OCD therapy tool called "unstuck" (www.AIOCDtool.com). i think it might resonate with your situation because it's like having a mini therapist in your pocket, especially when things feel like they're spiraling. it works by having you input what's bugging you and then the AI guides you through steps to manage those overwhelming ocd moments, kind of like what an actual therapist would do with ERP. i'm not into promoting stuff, but this has honestly been a lifesaver for me, and i really hope it can offer you some relief too. if you have any questions or just want to chat about it, i'm all ears. 🌟
Have you ever experienced a relapse on ocd? I think im having one right now (i had my worst period a year and a half ago, i had to start Zoloft and therapy. Now it’s happening again but im feeling stronger than before and with more ways to cope. Someone that lived the same thing?
Hi all! I’m experiencing a bit of a relapse after thinking I had it all figured out! I think that I was actually avoiding a lot of things and not really putting that much pressure on myself to do ERP and accept uncertainty that I allowed what was a small ball of thoughts to turn into a life shattering obsession again. I’m feeling a little discouraged, and constantly questioning the meaning of existence again. This always happens when life gets hard and I lose my footing, I question the whole world and become dangerously obsessive and it makes me suicidal. I also feel like I forgot all my tools, or I’m scared that my ERP skills won’t work anymore because I thought I got rid of it so that means it’s back to stay. I just was wondering if I could have some encouragement and reminders on how to best approach this situation and stay positive. No reassurance pls 🙏🏼
I’ve been doing really well the past few months. I’ve been consistent with ERP therapy and other exercises to help manage my OCD. However, something triggered my OCD to come back in full force last week and while I know that the journey to recovery isn’t linear, and I know that this is something I will always have to work on, it’s been very disheartening and it feels like all the progress I’ve made has been for nothing. It’s exhausting and I’m struggling with intrusive thoughts that I will never get better again. Anyone else relate?
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