lizxx
- Date posted
- 1y
Intrusive thoughts
Does anyone have any advice for intrusive thoughts and "what ifs"? How can I try to care less?
EFFMYOCDEFFMYOCD
- Date posted
- 1y
All I know is for a couple years I have desensitized myself to my intrusive thoughts by looking at them with curiosity instead of facts. I would literally just be like “interesting. Oh well” when I would get an intrusive thought instead of battling it or trying to make it stop. Even for the worst ones. It was so hard but it was what my therapist told me to do. Over time, I started noticing I was having them less bc I wasn’t alarming my brain to be afraid of them anymore. Now I still get them occasionally but they pass so much quicker and don’t rule my life as bad. Hope this helps you!
lizxxlizxx
- Date posted
- 1y
@EFFMYOCD I loved this, thank you!
charissepisces2021charissepisc...
- Date posted
- 1y
I did this too! Just let the thoughts be there even if they were terrible. I used to have dreams too, and i dreamt i even liked it. Did the same thing, worked.
charissepisces2021charissepisc...
- Date posted
- 1y
Do you ever try to answer the what if questions, like exposing yourself to the reality you fear, and then coming up w a solution?
lizxxlizxx
- Date posted
- 1y
@charissepisces2021 I usually get random what ifs and sometimes they are so bad like what if I did this and I don’t know if I did or not. They usually are pretty bad so trying to expose myself to them is pretty hard. I’m going to try to just not focus on the thought.
lizxxlizxx
- Date posted
- 1y
@charissepisces2021 Do you have any tips?
MikecicleMikecicle
- Date posted
- 1y
Simple, don’t engage. Focus on literally anything else, don’t try to suppress the thought but just acknowledge and move on. If you experience anxiety because of them, that’s okay it’ll pass, just don’t interact with the thought.
lizxxlizxx
- Date posted
- 1y
@Mikecicle thank you!!
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Ellen_l
- Date posted
- 24w
Advice?
I’m having a big OCD relapse and would like to hear anyone’s tips on how to be present and healthily deal with these intrusive thoughts and the “need” to preform compulsions. Thank you!!
nae nae
- Date posted
- 24w
New intrusive thoughts
So, if I'm retelling a story or relaying information to someone, after I'm done speaking, my brain will send me thoughts like, "What if you lied? You might have told the story wrong! You're lying!" I've started second-guessing myself, even when I know I'm not lying or telling the story wrong😭 This has also bled into twisting my intentions behind certain actions... For example, the other day, I'd been babysitting my younger brothers. I'd gone to use the restroom and thought, "What if the door isn't locked or closed all the way?" Because this has happened once in the past. Turns out, it didn't lock correctly, and one of my little brothers almost walked in on me, but luckily, I shut the door in time, and we laughed it off. But then, I kept getting thoughts like, "You knew that would happen, and you didn't double-check! You wanted that to happen and for him to walk in!" :( I know this isn't true, but it's so annoying! Has anyone dealt with this? If you have, do you have any advice on how to deal with these thoughts?
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Chels0212
- Date posted
- 23w
Intrusive thoughts
I struggle so bad with intrusive thoughts. They can be so bad that I'll cry because I KNOW that's not how I feel or want to do. (Too embarrassed to say what they're about) I'll constantly try to figure out why I have them, and constantly figure out what they mean, causing me to constantly circle around and around. I had to get on anxeity meds, which helped a little but the thoughts still happen. How do you help yourself with this? How do you know that you're just not some physcopath? 😅
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