katia7
- Date posted
- 6y
obsessed obsessed
- Date posted
- 6y
Start off by labelling your compulsions ... i.e. what is it that provides you relief with anxiety or reassures you that you are your “old” “normal” self. For instance, for me, when I’d come near a trigger/obsessive thought about being gay, I’d automatically imagine myself in the situation and see how i behave ... sort of like checking my hetero/homo behavior. I labelled this as compulsion and established that I will stop with this checking. The first week was ofc hell. I would unconsciously perform this. And then I started to notice how sneakily the mind suggests newer thoughts where we just HAVE to check. I caught that and worked on it as well. And with time performing no mental compulsions became a habit ... and i was able to sometimes catch how my mind wanted the reassurance and I was justttt about to give it, and then I would just say STOP. It’s simple but not easy. But within a week or so you start catching on to your mistakes and strengths. But what it comes down to is having the willpower to stop yourself, correcting yourself, being kind to yourself when you falter, and keeping at it till it becomes a habit. When it becomes a habit, you really start to become desensitized to the trigger. It takes time, but you’re very conscious of the progress.
scaredbunnyscaredbunny
- Date posted
- 6y
Wow, it sounds amazing!! Thanks for sharing. You’re so strong ?? I will try to do this too.
scaredbunnyscaredbunny
- Date posted
- 6y
@scaredbunny Also the sneaky mind got me like ??
obsessed obsessed
- Date posted
- 6y
@scaredbunny I have/had no choice. The first therapist I went to asked me to snap a rubber band around my wrist and hit myself every time a “bad” thought came ??♀️??♀️? that’s when I decided I can self-help myself. I have a child and husband to think about as well. I am also pregnant ? Can’t take meds to ease recovery as well ... literally just exposures can help me now. I am now with a therapist just to ensure that I am doing things right. My OCD tells me I will do things wrong and will make myself gay/pedo/trans if I don’t get a professional therapist. Surety! Surety! Surety!
obsessed obsessed
- Date posted
- 6y
@scaredbunny It is sneaky. Watch out. You’ll see how sneakily it pushes in possible compulsions. But you’re better than your brain. You can catch it just when you’re about to do the mental anxiety relief thing. YOU CAN!!!! I am no pro at this and I have so much on my plate as a grad student and I am doing all this all alone. It’s literally the power of belief we need to cultivate.
obsessed obsessed
- Date posted
- 6y
I just started off with a therapist, but I stopped my avoidance and mental compulsions on my own. But as soon as I did that successfully, my theme changed, and now I have a therapist ... better do it with a professional.
trnctktatrnctkta
- Date posted
- 6y
Any tips on overcoming mental compulsions?
lukevvolukevvo
- Date posted
- 6y
@trnctkta I think that generally speaking, we, the OCD sufferers, attach too much importance to the thoughts we have. This is a wrong coping mechanism and very often dates back to childhood and some sort of trauma we survived, which changed the way we process thoughts.
Related posts
fl5
- Date posted
- 19w
Is self recovery possible at all?
I don't have an official OCD diagnosis, although I am near enough certain I have it after a long year of distressing intrusive thoughts and compulsions that have strongly affected my life. Unfortunately though, I do not have the opportunity or the finances to get checked or go to therapy for a good few months at least. Due to this, I have taken it upon myself to teach myself techniques to tackle it and to reduce and not engage in compulsions, as I did not want to take the risk of getting even worse before being able to get help (and desperation lol). For the first time in the past year I feel like I'm finally making some progress in getting better since incorporating these techniques into my life as my symptoms have become more manageable (minus the obvious bad days) at the time being. Is self-recovery actually possible? Has anyone managed to recover without a therapist's help?
James Hancock
- Date posted
- 16w
Question, who has felt better?
Like to the point of your mind being yours? And not being anxious or harassed by your thoughts 24/7? I just wanna know if escape is possible?
Anonymous
- Date posted
- 15w
I promise the recovery is worth the work…
3 years ago I got a job that was fully remote. Pay was great, but it took a few months for my life to change. Without getting into too many details I thought I was a full blown schizophrenic that cried in the fetal position every night. As a 27 year old young man who thought I was tough as nails, this crippled me. Learned more about OCD and did some therapy sessions on here. Sessions were great and I highly recommend. However, the exposure and response treatment they recommend is really all you need. It all boils down to facing your fears. No amount of supplements (I spent thousands on them) will get the job done. I said fuck this and just started doing everything I dreaded. Even sat in my own head and let the intrusive thoughts play out on purpose. Harm ocd and psychosis ocd was my main issue. Still is, but whenever I get any intrusive thoughts, I purposely think of something worse and say “top that” (it sucks I know, but it has helped me). I got a new job to where I’m fully back onsite and around people daily. I make it a non negotiable to move everyday even if it’s skipping lunch to take a walk. ALSO… and this is huge. I stopped drinking and smoking and put a huge focus on exercise and nutrition. (Still casual drinks with friends every other weekend, but only light beer. No shots no hard liquor. The socializing is good for me) Dr. Paul saldino and Dr. Chris Palmer are my go to for getting on track. Focus on protein and healthy fats and limit the carbs / processed oils. It’s simple everyone. Face your fears, move around as much as possible, and fuel up and real food. (Cars need gas, not soda). OCD is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. It’s way worse than anyone unaware can imagine. BUT….. recovering is the best feeling possible.
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