Is being unoccupied the worst thing for ocd

See I think it depends on what drives your ocd and what your anxieties are as I have heard some people say that watching tv has been recommended to them as it can stop them from sitting in a room and ruminating for hours on end. I do think watching tv all day every day month after month and having not much else going on in your life would be bad for everyone's mental health though. I also agree with you on the social media

Thanks for your answer it even seems weird that I ask some of the questions that I do but then that is ocd for you isn't it. Always wanting an answer or certainty but never being satisfied. Like when I think about it even if going back to work and excercise doesn't cure my ocd then at the very least how I feel about myself and who I am should improve and therefore it's a no brainer that the sooner i get back to them things the better. Would you agree?

@Joe87 I agree with you . Not making any excuses but here in Florida it is an employers market , the minimum wage went up to 12.00 an hour back in 9/23 . The employers many of them here want the sky and moon from the employees to hire you , LOL !

@777Q Yes I totally get what you're saying. I live in the UK and here things are the exactly the same minimum wage is poor, the cost of everything is through the roof and employers expect the world from employees. I still believe that forcing myself back to work will be better for my mental health and all round well being than continuing to live off the state benefit which of course is also really low. Can I ask does the usa have a similar payment for people that are unemployed? I'm guesimg there must be something similar in place

Yes I think overthinking is really bad for anyones mental health and I'm prerty sure that has also been proven and therefore I think if you are not working or occupied in some way with at least 6 hours of your day then surely you are going to overthink and therfore start to feel rubbish. Do you agree with that?

Do you feel like you're waiting until your ocd is fixed or at least better until you go back to work? I have been telling myself this for the past 4 years and I believed it was possible that I would fix it or at least get it better for about 3 of those years but nope I was wrong on that and I suppose for the past year I have just been going through the motions. I think as scared as I am about it I am just going to have to take a leap of faith and go back to work and hope that doing that will be part of my recovery

@Joe87 - I have waited for my ocd to get better ive been out of work since last august, but I think your right taking a leap of faith is a good idea, but so is volunteering because its like work without the pressure and u have to adjust to volunteering, kind of like prepping for a real job. I volunteer at my library and its helped me

What happens after the 12 weeks or if the unemployment rate is lower than 5%? Do you completley lose your benefit and then have to go back to work no matter how ill you are? Unless of course you have savings or family who are able to financially support you through? I'm asking out of pure curiousity really as I have heard that unemployment benefits in the uk are amongst the best in the world but I really find that hard to believe

@Joe87 Whilst UK benefits aren't terrible in most cases it literally covers a persons rent and a massive proportion of people on them have to rely on food bank donations to be able to eat

So it's fair to say then that without any savings or insurances that it's almost impossible for people in Florida to stay off work for long

That is a great attitude to have I was brought up exactly the same. Honest work and getting paid is good for our mental and physical health no matter what the work is. We all tell ourselves that work sucks at times but it's definitely better than not working

@Joe87 I think with a matter of showing myself some self discipline and to make a little money I am going to start applying for jobs that I normally wouldn’t. And just tough it out and do what I used to do as a young person, try to hold onto to it until a better opportunity presents itself.

I tried zooloft and it made me feel worse. I used to work 50 hours a week and excercise 4-5 times per week and although I think I had ocd back then (just didn't know it like I do now) I think because my self asteem was preety high because I liked my job, worked really hard and kept myself in shape I never felt the need to act on intrusive thoughts or feelings

@Joe87 Try Lexapro! Its worked so well for me. Its time to take your life back.

Cheers man. What improvements have you had whilst on lexapro and have there been any negative side effects?

@Joe87 To he honest Lexapro has been great the past 15 years. I am currently spiraling and I think it's because the Lexapro is no longer working. Apparently that happens a lot with meds. I still found a lot of peace with it though. I am needing to try a new one myself.