can someone tell me how i can start stretching again without it turning into a compulsion? i do acrobatics and whenever i practice without someone dragging me out of there, it takes hours and i get horribly upset if i can’t do something. a few weeks ago when i stretched it took me 4+ hours just to do splits.
Try setting aside a specific time of day and a set amount of time for the activity. As long as you maintain those boundaries and don’t allow the compulsion to present itself outside of your set time, it’ll become a part of your routine rather than a compulsion so be avoided. Hope this helps!
@KarsynJ i’ve tried to do that but i keep going over and not being able to control myself
@anonymousyyvvyhvbb Gotcha, I guess that is the frustrating thing about ocd. When you say your stretching becomes a compulsion, do you mean that your stretching to the point of discomfort or injury, or just that your doing it for such long periods of time that it’s taking away from other things? Or both?
@KarsynJ yea for a very long time. if i still can’t get it right after a long time i’m usually in a lot of soreness and pain by that point but i keep going if it didn’t feel right
@anonymousyyvvyhvbb For me seeking that “just right” feeling is usually what causes me to snowball into compulsions. I don’t have any advice regarding alternatives since that’s something im still learning as well. But forums like these have helped me a lot. I struggle with skin picking, and reading posts on here helps me find resources and links to other videos/articles that offer some pretty good information. I do sometimes do it compulsively when I’m anxious but for the most part there’s a lot of people here to remind me that I’m doing okay and that it is possible to get better.
@KarsynJ same i do skin picking, with my lip, it didn’t used to be ocd and then it became a bit like it. how have you been doing?
@anonymousyyvvyhvbb I struggle with managing it. My current plan is to avoid trigger areas like mirrors and the bathroom, and when I catch myself picking I apologize to myself and then either sit in my hands or find something to preoccupy them with like arts and crafts. I enjoy making bracelets since those projects are easy and low commitment. I have made progress and relapsed so many times it’s not even funny. It is incredibly frustrating watching my progress come undone when I start picking at one spot subconsciously or consciously, but instead of being upset with myself I’ve started giving myself grace when I mess up. By allowing myself to make mistakes, and allowing room for the discomfort of trying and failing to break this habit, I’ve found it much easier to bounce back when I do relapse
@anonymousyyvvyhvbb Sometimes the goal for our type of disorders isn’t to be completely cured of them, the goal is really to find ways to manage and cope with our behaviors so that when they do arise they don’t consume us.
It may take some time to get to the place you want to be, but the best way to get there is one step at a time. For now, it might help to have someone be there. But you can also work on doing this by yourself, starting with wherever you feel able to start. An imaginal script might be a good place to start. But also, don't forget to take everyone's advice with a grain of salt, including mine
@Anonymous even if someone’s there i tend to get mad and they leave and i hv like no control over it once i hate how it came out
@anonymousyyvvyhvbb Our compulsions sure can annoy us and make us angry -- I have a lot of experience with that. I think it might be helpful to place the blame for the negative feelings on OCD -- NOT on yourself or others -- and use that as motivation for ERP. But take that advice with a grain of salt, and do what you think is best. It can also be upsetting when people leave you while you are doing compulsions. I'm rooting for you, and I hear you!
@Anonymous yea omg i hate when ppl leave during a compulsion- but at the same times it’s my responsibility to stop. thanks for your advice
@anonymousyyvvyhvbb No prob! I'll be here! And yeah, it can be hard to keep in mind that they might have somewhere important they have to be, but sometimes it just feels like they are being impatient tbh, even if it is our responsibility. Idk, that's just how I feel sometimes
@Anonymous yess omg. they’re like “hurry up already”
@anonymousyyvvyhvbb Yeah! So where do you think you should start to tackle your issue of stretching as a compulsion? In other words, what do you think your first step will be? And there are no wrong answers, of course
I know I just posted, but can someone please tell me how to stop compulsions and ticks? My OCD is really bad and my compulsions are getting really repetitive and I just I can’t stop them. I’m scared because I keep ticking and doing compulsions and I can’t seem to stop it and it feels like I’m having a seizure but I don’t have epilepsy so I don’t know what that feels like, but all my muscles are tensing and I can’t stop squeezing and tensing up. It’s really really not fun and it feels like I need to be putting a straight jacket or something. I’m scared anyone please.
i didn't get a response so i'm reposting, i'd really like another persons perspective... idk if what i write will make sense but i am scared of my ability to prolong and intensify / increase the vividness of the physical and mental feelings and thoughts i am experiencing to the point i think since i am doing something willingly that feels so horrific it makes me a bad person who did actually something bad. especially when this has to do with sxual thoughts that i absolutely despise. idk if it's a compulsion but it almost feels unavoidable (is it a compulsion?) let me explain like once my brain feels/knows i'm extra scared to imagine and feel something i get this anticipatory anxiety that just won't leave me alone until i undergo / get through what feels like the most disturbing, vivid level of my own thoughts and feelings and i can control that to a degree where i hyperfixate on my sensations and thoughts and it plays out and prolongs which feels so awful and real and then i'm like hold up i really just did that intentionally i feel traumatized and so grossed out. esp if i hold my breath for some reason i noticed my bodily feelings and mental images are more vivid and i feel so guilty for it. i've done so many exposures and i can't get over this fear of my own ability to purposefully be able to think really hard and manipulate the intensity of my most darkest thoughts that it disturbingly impacts both my body and mind, physical and mental reactions. is this common? is it a compulsion? what am i doing wrong and what should i do.
it’s like when i fix one thing a new fixation comes along. how can i prevent this from happening? how do i keep my progress intact instead of making progress in one thing and going back on another?
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