ERP

@Robyn🪴🧘🏻‍♀️🧠 It’s just so weird because I was doing the ERP and it wasn’t really giving me anxiety so I tried to test myself to see why I wasn’t getting anxiety and then I got scared bc it should be giving my anxiety. Idk it’s just so weird. I am doing a lot better than I was a couple of weeks ago bc life has calmed a little but I just don’t know why it didn’t give me a lot of anxiety. Now that it’s the day after I just keep thinking back to that video and it is giving me a little bit of worry bc it was kinda triggering but I’m not trying to figure out (which I get is a good thing bc I’m not doing the compulsion)

@Nica It’s just so weird because I was doing the ERP and it wasn’t really giving me anxiety so I tried to test myself to see why I wasn’t getting anxiety and then I got scared bc it should be giving my anxiety. Idk it’s just so weird. I am doing a lot better than I was a couple of weeks ago bc life has calmed a little but I just don’t know why it didn’t give me a lot of anxiety. Now that it’s the day after I just keep thinking back to that video and it is giving me a little bit of worry bc it was kinda triggering but I’m not trying to figure out (which I get is a good thing bc I’m not doing the compulsion)

@takingmylifeback The exposures were probably not high enough levels TO induce anxiety. But testing yourself is a compulsion which will make OCD worse/act up. You have into it so now it’s showing itself and wants more.

@Nica Yea I guess. One of them triggered me a bit but I had ranked them a week ago and said it would be extremely triggering but ended up not being that triggering in the moment. Today I keep thinking about the video and comparing myself to that situation which I need to stop. It just makes me anxious as to why it didn’t make me as anxious as I thought it would

@takingmylifeback We can ultimately only guess what will or will not make one anxious. Sometimes it’s obvious and other times not at all.

@Nica Yea & I guess I am in a better mindset than I was a couple of weeks ago. Which should be a good thing but it makes me doubt if I have ocd. It’s like I can never win

@Anonymous Yea I just made me sad bc I don’t want that to be me. It didn’t help that the person that made the video was also crying so I was like well she’s crying and so are you so that means that you can relate

@takingmylifeback A lot of our obsessions are not only scary, but sad too. I've been told that our response to the obsessions doesn't have to be simply anxiety, but can be any negative feeling -- sadness, anger, disgust, etc. When I did ERP and got sad, I took note that I was sad rather than simply anxious, and I continued doing ERP with that knowledge in mind and sat with that sorrowful feeling -- of course, doing my best not to slip into rumination over those depressing thoughts as well. But of course, take all of my advice and comments with a grain of salt.

@Anonymous I appreciate this! Thank you

@takingmylifeback No prob :)

@G.M I feel the same. It’s like I do the exercise and it doesn’t scare me until a day after so it makes me wonder why it’s not scaring me

@G.M Your exposures are probably not high enough. Ask your therapist about that.