Is this common?

One thing I’ve learned is OCD isn’t truly about the theme. It’s about uncertainty and can attach to anything that is important to us or that we feel responsibility towards.

As the person above said, OCD is not defined by the theme. It can be ANYTHING. And I mean that. In your ocd journey, you'll find yourself fearing things you've not even necessarily read other having before. OCD is not defined by the theme, it is defined by the behavior that the theme causes. For me, I've had so many different themes/worries pop up I can't even keep track. Sometimes multiple in a day. Right now I have about 5 or more "themes" that keep weaving in and out or even happening simultaneously. It's a very ruthless disorder. But I think the more you and all of us embrace ERP and what we need to do, we will manage! In fact I know that! ERP has helped me many times and in general is why I'm able to still function despite being a wreck on the inside sometimes. And I'm far from perfect...I still give into compulsions despite me knowing better. But as you probably already know, compulsions do nothing to help in the long run. Often times it makes it worse...not only by reinforcing the fear, but also sometimes broadening them or creating new ones. Example being reading someone else's story, either out of a need to compulse or just curiosity, and then snowballing. You may take on their fear despite it not being yours, or it may add gas to the fire if you are experiencing a similar theme. Just stay strong and do the work! I'm sure you're no stranger to it. I believe in you and all of us!

this has completely happened to me trust me. when my ocd first started at 13 it was more aimed towards fear of loosing things so i was a hoarder to an extreme ocd level. today my ocd centers around losing people. basically i’m scared of never seeing people again which makes relationships really hard in the breakup. a lot of times you might think your ocd has switched themes but really you still have the same core beliefs and like i do in losing people or things and it takes a second to realize how it’s all connected.

hey, i can see how much you're struggling with this new theme and i know how tricky that can feel, especially if you've been dealing with other themes for so long. we're all in this together and remember, it's okay if ocd decides to shift gears on you. it's all part of this journey. 🌻 on another note, have you heard of "unstuck" (unstuckmyocd.com/try)? it's an ai therapy tool which has had quite the positive impact on me over the past month. i was actually pointed in its direction by another member on here - i wish i'd known about it earlier! 🙌🏼