- Date posted
- 1y
- Date posted
- 1y
I sooo feel this!! I worry about that with doctors. I go into urgent care/doctors appointments/the ER all presenting “real” symptoms and almost always leave with a diagnosis of anxiety. I’m scared that one day something will be actually wrong and no one will take me seriously. You’re not alone. I also worry that what if I don’t know the difference? Because I truly don’t. I can’t tell if I’m actually unable to breathe or if it’s just another panic attack): but I can assure you, you didn’t ruin your reputation. With time you can repair it! I understand the feelings and am looking for relief with this myself. It is hard, but we gotta keep fighting. That’s our only answer.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 1y
I think a good majority of OCD people feel this way — I know I do! I’ve said it to my family, my boyfriend and my therapist multiple times. But here’s the thing: if people love you, and I mean truly love you, they’ll be supportive. My family dealt with my obsessions, my ruminations, compulsions for 16 yearssss. I think the most important thing to realize is that frustration doesn’t mean they consider you a burden or similar. Frustration shows up in many shapes and sizes — maybe they’re the most frustrated because they see your distress and can’t help. Point is, you don’t need the reassurance but you do need the support from loved ones. As for the shame and guilt, you should look at ACT workbooks (if you have a therapist, then ask them about it). It helps and I’m in the beginning stages of utilizing that alongside ERP. You got this! Don’t feel shame for your disorder, but feel empowered to try and kick it to the curb.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
I want to go do something I enjoy so badly but I feel like I don’t deserve it. I’m full of guilt, shame, and anxiety. I wish I felt okay like I did a few days ago. I feel so awful right now. I hate OCD. I HATE pocd. I hate all of it. I wish this was easier. Sometimes I have the thought that I wish I was the things my OCD makes me afraid I am out of desperation to stop the anxiety, but then that thought makes me panic bc I don’t actually mean that or want that I just want the anxiety and urgency in the compulsions to stop. I’m so tired
- Young adults with OCD
- OCD newbies
- Relationship OCD
- "Pure" OCD
- Older adults with OCD
- Mid-life adults with OCD
- Harm OCD
- POCD
- Date posted
- 19w
Has anyone experienced their reputation affected or misunderstood because of a societally taboo OCD theme? Others catching wind of your obsessions and misinterpreting it, assuming the worst? I’m intentionally keeping it vague because I don’t want my specific situation to get reassured, but it’s been a real tough pill to swallow knowing that people close to me (and anyone else they might talk to) think of me differently. I’m unwilling to share about my OCD because I feel pretty confident it will be taken as an excuse or denial, and feels compulsive and reassurance seeking. Let me know if anyone here has experienced anything like it, how they handled it, exposures you did.
- Date posted
- 11w
My mom will sit and listen to me for quite a while, but she interrupts a lot and gets angry/upset. While I appreciate her passion, it's often stressful. Every time I come to her, if I even *mention* OCD, she gets frustrated and says, "Everyone deals with these issues, you know. It doesn't mean it's OCD." And I repeat, "I'm not saying my issues are unique — I'm saying the way I respond to them is a problem." But she just shakes her head and says, "Okay, I need to get back to my day." Full context, I'm an adult, and I live with my boyfriend, but I'm staying at my mom's for the next month. After living away from home for years, I went back to living with her during the pandemic, and I only recently left to live with him. Honestly, I think living with her for so long in my adulthood really messed with me and made me feel like a teenager all over again. I feel like my mental growth is stunted, and that's part of why my OCD is so bad lately. Not blaming, just noticing. She doesn't seem to understand how relieving the OCD diagnosis has been for me, because it explains so so so many things I've struggled with for years, and it's exciting to have more resources that can help me. But I think she sees it as me finding an excuse to *not* work on myself, which is just untrue. I'm not going to let OCD hold me back or use it as an excuse, but I'm also not going to pretend it's not a problem when I know it is — I was even diagnosed through NOCD. The whole point being to fix it, not use it as a crutch. When I have an issue, it's unbearable. Any issue, big or small, feels just the same. I feel a sinking feeling, my mind races, my heart beats out of my chest. I end up running to my support systems, crying, ruminating for days on end. Then, months later, the same exact issue can feel like nothing anymore, because it's no longer an obsession. I'm sure everyone deals with issues in a similar way, but I *know* there is something specific and debilitating going on with me. This is reassurance seeking, but in the face of being told I'm making a big deal out of nothing, can someone diagnosed with OCD tell me if they relate to the specific intensity of these feelings??
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond