How can I tell the difference between avoidance and fighting a compulsion. I thought check ALOT I’m constantly checking the thoughts are there half the time I don’t realise till I’m mid doing it. So I’ve just been really trying not to and even when I’m watching something I’ve been really confused on concentrating and not thinking the thought that I’m not sure if I’m just avoiding thinking at all or trying to fight the compulsion to check 😐😐
Yeah I can relate the intrusive thought urge feels like a freight train coming and you want to stop it. I am learning now after years of trying to do this as the other person mentioned you have to let them come in and not try to figure them out or put meaning to them as that is what OCD wants. I getting a lot better at it and it is making a positive difference. I still have a way to go but there a little wins everyday. Keep walking forward one step at a time. You got this!
@Nitro929 It really does!! I don’t know if you get this to but if I hear certain words mt brain automatically films in the rest of the sentence but sometimes I can’t decide if I do it myself 😩😩😩
Just lean in to not engaging with that. OCD again is the bully and wants to pay attention to those thoughts. Start slow and begin to not pay attention those thoughts and you will see it gets better. I am still just working through this and have really good days when I do really well at it then pay attention to one and it gets me thinking again. But the little wins will add up this will take time to heal you will get there. If you have a therapist really work on your hierarchy and focus on your tools they work even though sometimes you don't think they are. You got this.
But fighting not to thought check I’m basically trying to not think of anything
This is a tricky one but Avoidance: being afraid to think the thought so doing anything to not think. It’s like when someone tells you not to think if a pink elephant you’re going to do it regardless Thought checking is a compulsion, you have to ask yourself what’s the purpose of it? Are you checking to see if the thoughts affect you, are you checking to see if you still feel the same? The key to breaking this cycle for me is to notice the thought. You can’t stop them from coming in. Just say oh I notice I’m having this thought/sensation urge etc. and Try to continue living life in the present. Meditation helps
I don’t even know I feel like maybe I’m doing it to see if I feel the same and sometimes to see if I can fight it before it fully goes into a horrible thought if that makes any sense but it also feels like a bad habit like I’m doing it constantly without realising half the time!! So I try and be really present but then on the other hand if I’m watching somethjng and feel a thought creeeping I’m instantly try to put a stop to it because I don’t know if it’s me checking for it or an actually intrusive thought it’s draining. But then if I just let it enter I feel like I’m definitely doing it on purpose
I get such strong urges to think something awful to!! To the point I try so hard to be present and distract myself but always Leeds into thinking something
Do you ever get stuck trying to figure out whether your thinking is a compulsion,obsession or normal thinking. Im stuck for the last 3 hours. The question keeps posing itself. Question is how do i do erp for this?
I couldnt word it before but now i can so i write it down. I always feel like im avoiding and now i know why, because people say dont go there, dont think about the thoughts, just notice it then focus on somethinh else. And for me when i try to not go there i feel like ik avoiding cause the urge of thinking about it is so strong that i have to fight to not go there and it becomes a fight then my mind sees that im having a problem so it gets worse. And then when i try to ignore or shift my attention it becomes an avoidance like its just too much power on trying to not focus on it. Also i start to say i dont want to think about this cause i know its ocd and ita bad for me but it gets worse and worse and then i feel like nothing helps cause i still avoid even if i try to do what i should do... any advice?
How do you stop mental checking???? I dooooo this all day to the point I don’t even know when a normal intrusive thought happens becuse I check they are there that often I cause a lot myself. I don’t want these thoughts but feel like I’m making them happen all time because I check for the thought without even realising
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