- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 40w ago
Has Anyone Beat OCD?
Hi friends! Has anyone actually beat this disease once and for all? What’s your best hack or secret? ❤️
Hi friends! Has anyone actually beat this disease once and for all? What’s your best hack or secret? ❤️
What do you mean by beating it once and for all? Because there’s no cure for it.
@Nica As Thal17 said down below…the intrusive thoughts stop scaring the 💩 out of you. The relapses or spirals stop coming as often. It has improved significantly, don’t get me wrong. But, I run into my main trigger three days ago and 💥 I’m back to Red Alert DEFCON 4. I really dislike this, but I wish I could learn to love it. Maybe that’s the only way to take its power. Thank it for making me want to cry and hide…it’s trying to keep me safe, right? 😖
@Joey_867 Have you spoken to your therapist about this? You sound like you need more coping mechanisms, possibly curbing mental compulsions as well. And maybe lots of life style changes.
@Nica Agreed. I will definitely speak to my therapist about this. I do need more coping mechanisms and absolutely need to curb mental compulsions. Do you have any suggestions? Distraction? Music? Is that what you mean? Choose to disengage from the thoughts? I’ll say this, the frequency of the relapses has improved. My OCD is locked on an ex associate of mine who is sick and dangerous. I fear they’ll ruin my life because I’ve cut ties… I know, my OCD thinks it’s different and unique. I saw the person for the first time in 6 months the other day on the street. It sent me spiraling. I’m not sure what type of lifestyle changes you’d recommend? I was exercising, saw them and💥. If I could move, I would. My spouse, family, and therapist say that you can’t move from OCD and it would just find something else.
@Joey_867 Okay, here we go… it’s a lot 😆 and some things might work and other won’t so you have to try it out and see how it goes: -Drink more water/stay hydrated, -Cut back and eventually all the at once mental compulsions, -Minimum 7 hours of sleep per night, -Get on a daily and nightly routine (as in you have a schedule and you go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time unless you’re sick or on holiday), -Cut back on sugar and carbs and focus more on protein, healthy fats, and veggies, -Go outside for at least 30 minutes a day, -Exercise every day or every other day. This includes weight lifting, cardio, and stretching, -Pick up a hobby or two (or more!) that can be done with others and by yourself, -Check out Yoga with Adriene on YouTube for free yoga content, -Check out either the Calm app or Insight Timer app for meditations (20 minutes per day as the end goal but start with 5 minutes and work your way up. It WILL take time), -Practice mindfulness all day, every day. And this is a life long process, -Seek out therapy (also for life), -Medication if it works for you, -Look into grounding techniques for when things get hard, -Spend more time with loved ones (it does not have to be blood related if you have abusive family members).
@Nica Thank you!!!!!
I don’t think it will ever go, but you learn to manage it, you don’t let it overcome you, when those intrusive thoughts and feelings fill you, you know it’s just your OCD so you get on with it, it doesn’t consume you like it once did. But you won’t ever get rid of it completely, that doesn’t mean you can’t live a happy, fulfilling, peaceful life :)
@thal17 This…this is all I want. What has helped you the most?
@Joey_867 Realising that it’s OCD and no matter how real it feels, it’s just not. You have to be stronger than your mind otherwise you fall victim to it each time. Recovery is the way, you have to be committed to your recovery/ healing journey, once you learn more and more on your type of theme etc you can notice it as just that, a theme. Nothing more nothing less. And don’t half ass anything, don’t work on your bigger compulsions or obsessions and forget the little ones that don’t bother you so much because that’s your gateway back into a deep spiral.
@thal17 Thank you!
I had a remission for years. Almost 0% OCD thoughts. I felt "normal". Living life and doing most things OCD wouldn't usually let me do. Unfortunately I had a relapse. And here I am. So you can go years without any OCD impacting your life. It's definitely possible. I can confirm that. But as for it going for good? I'm not sure. I'd love to think so though!
@djkaz I am right with you. I had 10 beautiful, amazing, incredible years! I suffered with health OCD bad for three challenging years. Finally, I broke down and gave it…I accepted I was dying. Well, I am still here and very healthy. A year ago, I thought I didn’t need meds anymore. Wrong. I wish someone would have told me that I’d need it for the rest of my life.
@Joey_867 That's it. You don't know when it'll strike. I can also relate to that. I had bad Health OCD. Exact theme. I was dying. Guess what? I wasn't. Still here. And the thought of dying doesn't even phase me now. I'm already onto a new theme. But OCD was kind enough to give me a 3 year break before coming back stranger.
@djkaz That is it exact. Hey, I’m here if you need to talk! We got this. We can handle the hard stuff!!
@Joey_867 Thank you! I appreciate that. :)
Getting better
I’m wondering if this has happened to anyone else… I’m 28 years old. I was diagnosed with OCD when I was very young and it took a while, but I overcame it. I haven’t had any compulsions in 20 years. I’ve had some horrible things happen in the past, but nothing brought back my OCD. The only thing I struggle with is overthinking and making decisions. Im about to take a sabbatical from my work for a year to travel because the last year of my life has been by far the happiest and most confident iv ever been. I went to see a therapist a couple weeks ago who was an OCD specialist, I just wanted some tips and tricks for decision-making while I’m on my trip. She warned me that my OCD might get worse before it gets better, but I thought that she just meant with decision-making and overthinking. They have this program set out that I didn’t really wanna do but she told me it works really well so I decided to try it. It’s two sessions a week and the first two sessions were sort of just talking about my old OCD and doing questionnaires. I really related to some of the questionnaire questions, and the therapist was actively telling me that I definitely had OCD the whole time which made me feel bad. After our second session, my OCD came back full swing like when I was a child. I cant stop thinking about doing compulsions every waking second. It’s been two weeks. I’ve been to her several times and nothing is helping, I’m resisting the urge to do compulsions as much as I can and I feel like I’m fighting for my life. Nothing is helping and I’m burning out. I wake up and cry everyday because of how uncomfortable and out of control I feel. I never thought this would happen and im so mad at myself for ruining my trip. I feel like I’ve ruined my life tbh and even if I do get better, I’m always gonna be bothered by the constant fear that even at the highest and most happy points in my life it could just come back at any second with no warning signs.. I thought I knew how to deal with it and had the tools, but nothing is working this time and its ruining my life. Today I asked about cancelling my trip altogether, and I might be going on medical leave. Has this happened to anybody and do you have any tips for me?
Those of you who have overcome at least a bit, if not all, of your OCD. When you went through the CBT and ERP, did it feel like the end of the world? And how did you face the fact that your fears and uncertainties might actually come to life?
hi. so one big factor of my OCD is rumination. i met a guy who i have a crush on the idea of (idea bc there are red flags). my biggest fear is not finding true love, my ex told me no one else would deal with what i have (my ocd, specifically reassurance seeking and getting overstimulated after intimacy). a few weeks ago, my friends and family all gathered and tried to give me advice that sounded like “you’re shy and you’ll never find someone.” after that, i’ve felt off. i’ve been using an unhealthy coping skill, daydreaming, and i’ve just felt unbalanced. my ocd makes everything feel different sometimes, i can’t explain it. life, myself, almost like being in a dissociated state. has anyone else experienced that? i don’t know how to remain balanced during my off times and i know pms exasperates it all. i take ashwaghanda and omega 3s in a multi vitamin daily. i take them all together in the evening but i’ve missed three days recently and also messed with my rocky sleep schedule because of fun times with friends. i hope these supplements work, because i don’t know if i’d be brave enough for medication. i had a bad reaction on prozac and often am forgetful. i just have been battling my OCD consciously for almost ten years now and unconsciously for longer. i am so tired, as my mental health extends beyond my OCD. i’m in talk therapy with some cbt aspects but i only see her twice a month. i’ve broken down so many times and promised myself id get on track or that certain things would work, but it’s like i am stuck in a circle that gets smaller when i’m able to help myself. i just want to be normal. i want to be able to mess up my sleep schedule to enjoy good times and not suffer horrible consequences or fear that i will be entirely thrown off balance. i don’t want to worry or doubt or feel so dissociative that i squint my eyes for a moment and wonder why i feel so unreal. i will never understand why god has allowed me to go through this. i cannot let it be for nothing but i don’t know how much more to bend and contort my body and brain to get somewhere stable but how lovely it would be if i could. i don’t have much of a schedule right now, i get apathetic and give in with things from time to time. one thing can trigger me and i am back to square one wether in a week or month. any advice, any and all is so helpful. your stories, your thoughts. maybe feeling less alone and knowing what has helped you is exactly what i need right now. thank you 💗
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