OCD can turn even the smallest choices into towering dilemmas, leaving you trapped in a cycle of second-guessing. Everything feels much bigger than it is which can lead to indecision and confusuon! How has this shown up for you?
One of the biggest things I second guess is actually having ocd. I know that I do but my brain just keeps telling me that I’m bothering all these people around me with my ocd and that I don’t even actually have it so I’m just wasting their time
@morganr10 I get that sometimes
@morganr10 I second guess that too sometimes. Whether it’s OCD or not
I'm in the process of figuring out if I have it. I definitely have obsessions, but I don't believe I have any compulsions? Any suggestions?
I can relate. One example of what I deal with on a daily basis is when I set my cup down and have to move it several times to just the right spot. Sometimes my mind will look at the table I'm trying to set it on as a puzzle, as well. Once I find the right spot, I feel like I can breathe. Sometimes I will get intrusive thoughts telling me that if I don't move the cup to a specific spot, I will have bad luck. I try to ignore it, but I end up stressing about it, because it's such a simple thing to move the cup to prevent possible bad luck. I do find that if I don't listen to the intrusive thought, the day does actually start to go downhill, and in a way that I don't have any control of (like the car breaking down, finding out your babysitter is sick, some natural disaster, etc.) I do it with other random items, too. Anyone else? 😆
When ruminating I often second guess the outcome of my thoughts even if I’m in the clear
I always question what I'm doing and if it's harmful to someone in some way. I worry that my existence itself is harmful. I'm exhausted
@ninjastone me fr. anything i do leads to me questioning if i like made someone feel bad or i made their life more difficult and that i should have done it better
Same. Every day I worry about using too much water or wasting food or causing too much pollution with any task that I do. It builds up and eventually really stresses me out and I feel like there isn't anything I can do to keep from harming the planet or potentially other people. I hate it. I just want my thoughts to chill out.
@Aerylyn Seriously!! I feel guilty abt leaving the light on. I feel like this is a type of ocd people should talk abt more! Like are we good people? Idk
@Jewelsandgems I'm the same way with the lights. >_< I totally get it and agree that it should be talked about more. We ARE good people! It's so stressful thinking that we aren't!
@Aerylyn Yeah one of my exposures is like thinking i am a bad person and i am a bad friend but idk i can get too meta abt the whole thing
I have been through this but managed to cope and stick with my first choices since last year. The best way to do it as I found that choose the first positive choice that makes a positive outcome ❤️❤️
I read too much into things and this makes me think I have to apply rules that don’t really exist to my life. I take meds now so it sort of stays at a level but tbh every now and then it gets overwhelming and restrictive.
Why‘d you just brush your teeth, man???!🤣
I'm reaching out in hopes of finding others who might relate to my experiences or offer insights. I'm dealing with a complex interplay of OCD, depression, and existential anxiety, and I'm struggling to make sense of it all. Here's what I'm experiencing: I have OCD with various manifestations, along with episodes of depression. I find myself in a cyclical pattern where, after a few weeks, I start to remind myself about my depressive tendencies. This reminder seems to trigger a cycle that actually makes me feel more depressed or at least more aware of depressive symptoms. When this happens, I often experience feelings of nihilism and existential dread. I try to think about my family - my two young boys and my wife - to find motivation or a sense of purpose, but this strategy often backfires, making me feel even more anxious and depressed. I constantly check my feelings, wondering if they're depressive or anxious. At the same time, I fear that my feelings of anxiety and panic might spiral out of control. I think about my emotions and thoughts on a meta-level, which means I'm not just experiencing feelings, but I'm also constantly analyzing the fact that I'm experiencing them. There's an existential component to my struggles, a fear of depression and anxiety itself, and a sense that this might be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Perhaps most frustratingly, I often have feelings, thoughts, or sensory experiences that I can't explain or put into words. I feel like I've never heard of these before, which leaves me feeling deeply misunderstood. Does anyone else experience something similar? How do you cope with this complex web of symptoms and experiences? I'm particularly interested in hearing from those who've found ways to break the cycle of meta-cognition and self-fulfilling anxiety. Any insights, shared experiences, or strategies would be deeply appreciated. Thank you for your time and understanding.
That’s kinda my question. All my thoughts feel so realistic and so now I doubt if they are ocd and if I just can’t make my mind up about something and I’m using ocd as an excuse or something idc I feel like this post is word vomit.
Hey guys! So I struggle with OCD, especially harm, relationship and moral stuff and I am somewhat recovered now. However, my current girlfriend has started showing signs of OCD but it’s abou5 something I don’t know much about so I wanted to see if anyone on here had thoughts about it. She is constantly thinking about food (when to eat it, what is healthy, what is too much, what is too little) and controls the thoughts by giving in and controlling her entire day around food. She don’t really know the feeling of being full. She never starved herself and always eats, but then she feels extremely guilty afterwards. Her thoughts do have to do a lot with her body image and not gaining weight but also not losing any either. Does this sound like ocd or an eating disorder?
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