Fill in the blank 👇

LOVE this.

I agree with this

Yes!!! Everyone remember that you CAN have peace of mind! Thank you Anonymous for reminding me of that! (Extra points for the rhyme, by the way!)

You're stronger than your OCD!

@Anonymous They really can feel that way. Been treating my ocd and I am doing a lot better. I hope you can also get relief from your ocd.

[possible trigger warning for anyone with intrusive thoughts about safety or death] A living hell... where you worry that it will soon be a non-living hell

@needtoescapetheV0ID I would love to get started on treatment. But my insurance doesn’t cover it. So I gotta pay out of pocket. But I watch NOCD videos to help me out.

@Anonymous I hope that will work out for you and help you! Best of luck on your journey! ❤️

YES!

Yep , agreed

OCD doesn't even have a license but still won't shut up with the backseat driving 😂

You're so much stronger than it, though!

It's so rude!

@needtoescapetheV0ID Right?! Like, let me live! 😅

Great one!

Perfect! 😂 They want you to give them birdseed but if you do, they'll want more...

Yes, exactly!!

OCD is like neighbors or relatives that just invite themselves into your house, then proceed to trash your home, move or lose your stuff, watch your TV and delete your shows, rack up your phone bill, eat all of your food, and STILL expect you to treat them like royalty and do anything they ask just because they're a "guest" in your home... Yep 😭🤣

Great one!!!

Never thought about that, but you're totally right on this!

Agreed!

Yep! You're not alone! 💖

Love this - thanks for this perspective!

@Brenna - NOCD Team Member I really love this perspective. Because I've been in group chats and it can be so frustrating with the messages don't stop. In terms of the OCD metaphor, Would muting it be avoidance?

Ohh I spam people in that way... Once my friend woke up to hundreds of messages from the group chat (half of which were from me) and told me that his phone pinged so much it almost fell off of his nightstand. 😅

@needtoescapetheV0ID 😂

Thanks for sharing!!

@JohnG 🤣

haha! 🤣

Thanks for sharing!

True true, OCD is a total brat

Exactly right...

YES!!! 10/10 comment (in my opinion) because: This is a very accurate comparison You made a scientific reference I like the way you phrased it for some reason

oooo nice!

(visualizes that) ooooooh I wanna paint that

Gnats are the worst!! So true!

Gnats are so freaking annoying!

ooo good one!

@dangerousgiggles Then you feel like you'll never come out on top, but that is far from the truth. 💚

I'm only 14, so I don't personally relate, but I see how many bills come in the mail, and how stressed they make my parents, so I kind of get it 😢

You're so much stronger than them though!

You're a whole lot stronger than those bullies though!

Yes!!

"pAy AtTeNtIoN tO MeEEeeEEeEEeeEeeeEEe"

Thanks for sharing that!!

Exactly

Perfect comparison! Boggarts take the form of whatever scares you the most, which is exactly what OCD does, making you believe your fears are coming true!

Exactly. OCD is a gaslighter, trying to manipulate you and control your mind, but from the inside. Being on the inside means it has access to all of your deepest insecurities and fears and exploits them. In a lot of ways, OCD really is like being abused by your own mind.

YES!

Totally!

Annoying is a great descriptive word for them!

Your words completely resonate!

I get that!

Yes!!

If you ignore it, it gets louder and louder in an attempt to get your attention, but eventually if you never respond, it will run out of energy and give up. It gets worse, but then it does get better eventually!

YES!

TRIPLEDENT GUM WILL MAKE YOU SMILE

@needtoescapetheV0ID - sorry for the spam, I just couldn't resist :)

YES! Haha!

Accurate!

OCD is that one guy booing and throwing stuff onto the stage, and for whatever reason, hasn't been tossed out by security!

@-Em- SO good.

Perfectly put

Exactly! A voice that is not your own, but at the same time lives within your head and so has access to all of your memories, fears, and insecurities, and it twists and exploits those and uses them against you. 😰 A voice that is totally separate from you, but feels so intertwined with your own thoughts. Remember that OCD isn't the real you! It's more like a super-annoying roommate that lives in your head with you. When your brain roommate picks on you, ignore it and it will shut up eventually! (Side note: thinking about this has made me wish that OCD could be forced to pay rent. After all, it contributes nothing positive to the metaphorical mental household. 😆)

Relatable! Sometimes it's "what if what if what if..." and sometimes it's like "THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN"

So true...

or nose... speaking from experience, having a fly go up your nose SUCKS

@Anonymous 25# Yes

@Anonymous 25# Yes specially when treating your ocd , that can be part of the progression of you learning to not react to your ocd thoughts.

@Brooke cookie Thank God because that’s been happening a lot lately and it’s been repetitive

Yes! The symmetry parts of my OCD (my symmetry concerns have mostly been overcome, but they do resurface from time to time) are based on more of a general feeling of discomfort and things not feeling "right"; I don't feel any fear or anxiety about it.

Spot on!

Imagine Space Mountain, but it never ends

Thank you for this eye opening perspective!!!

@Brenna - NOCD Team Member 💕

I love your outlook on this! Reminds us that we can have peace of mind after all... 😌

Mosquito bites are annoying!!

Yep

100% with you on that!

Totally! Some of my thoughts are kind of like a fully lucid nightmare (knowing you're dreaming and having control over the dream), where you know you're dreaming (you know it's an intrusive thought) but it all seems so real. Some of them are like a sort of semi-lucid nightmare (to be clear, I'm talking about the kind where you have full control but you aren't aware you're dreaming), where you can't even distinguish intrusive thoughts and rational fears.

Spot on!

YES thank you for sharing!

Haha! Love this!

YES.

that's so true!

YES - so true.

Spiders crawl inside and make themselves a home (reference to the song "Friend, Please" which I've recently learned was actually written by someone named Tyler Joseph, although the version I'm thinking of is Cavetown's cover.)

OCD is a liar!!

Yes! Everyone, remember this: Your feelings are valid, but the intrusive thoughts that cause them are not real! Feelings cannot be wrong, but the thoughts that lead to them can be. By the way, that last part is a quote from "The Asperkid's (Secret) Book Of Social Rules".

Molasses is a great metaphor!

This is a good metaphor, definitely accurate

Totally!

Yep yep yep! Super annoying, usually scams, sometimes disturbing, and filling up the screen and blocking other content!

SO true.

haha! 😂

This is awesome!

This is a GENIUS comment (and that is NOT sarcasm by the way)!

@needtoescapetheV0ID Thanks!

Perfectly put!

exactly!

Love it!

I love that metaphor!!!

Completely relatable!!

@Clare ity That’s what it felt like in the beginning. For sure.

oh my gosh YES

Yep, so true

And if you shoo it, it goes away temporarily and comes right back. If you ignore the fly (no matter how much it bothers you!) it will die eventually, so hang in there!

You're stronger than them though!!!

IT'S JUST A DREAM!!! REMEMBER THAT!

true, true 😰

We're stronger than our OCD!!!

Love this!

Relatable!

Like seeing a shadow around the corner that looks huge and scary and you think someone broke in, but it's just your cat lurking in the hallway 😭🤣

100%!!

Thanks for sharing!!

Agreed!!

True. Something all of my subtypes have in common is that they all started suddenly, rather than being gradual. Sure, some of them worsened gradually, but the way they began WAS exactly like a lightning strike. In fact, I can remember the specific instance for most of them where I suddenly felt fear, anxiety, shame, or just general discomfort about something, along with the urge to do the compulsion. Aaand I did the compulsions.

Gnats are the worst!!

Gnats are incredibly annoying.

It does feel like that

This makes total sense; the more you struggle, the deeper you sink.

@needtoescapetheV0ID Truth! Rumination, for example… makes me spiral. 🌀

or between your shoulder blades 😩

@Ghostdog hey, how did u get over your ocd?

@Anonymous7779 I worked with an amazing therapist that was paired with me from this app. We have several sessions per month. I never thought that the actual ERP work would change much. But, it definitely has helped. I still get stuck sometimes but I have the tools I need to work with my Pure O OCD. I also stopped trying to convince anyone how messed up I felt. I think this is the healthiest I’ve ever been.

You're so much stronger than your OCD!!

That's to be honest a super smart comparison, I think you're totally right!