- Username
- healingispossible
- Date posted
- 55d ago
How can I manage OCD and overthinking when socializing with others?
OCD and being around people
My OCD, cognitive distortions and overthinking make it harder to be around people. Any tips?
OCD and being around people
My OCD, cognitive distortions and overthinking make it harder to be around people. Any tips?
Mindfulness techniques can help you stay present in social situations and manage overwhelming thoughts. Practice deep breathing and grounding techniques to stay focused on the present moment. When you notice yourself engaging in negative or distorted thinking patterns, challenge those thoughts by questioning their validity. Encourage yourself to consider alternative perspectives. Communicate your boundaries to friends and family so they understand your needs. Quality over quantity can be a helpful approach when it comes to social interactions. Seek out meaningful connections with people who are understanding and supportive of your challenges.
@Anonymous - Thank you so much!
@healingispossible of course 🙂
Apply 5-4-3-2-1 technique. Find 5 things you see, 4 things you hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste. Think as your thoughts floating around you not inside your brain... With the wind tossing them around...
@hanysm@gmail.com Thank you so much!
I notice that I have a more difficult time relating to others who don’t have ocd or do not really understand ocd, which had me thinking, how does everyone make friends when you are living with this condition? I’m genuinely curious. My tendency as an introvert is to just not really seek out friendships, but maybe that’s a form of compulsion and avoidance. I think it would be beneficial if i could make actual friends who could understand and relate to me. Any ideas? Thoughts?
My partner is away this week. What’s more, my period is coming up and my ocd always gets worse because of hormones. Even in the best of circumstances, I deal with feelings of loneliness and intrusive thoughts about loneliness, being a bad friend and being a bad person. I have friends, some lifelong ones even, but I never quite feel whole. Or like it’s enough. Or if I feel good while hanging out, the loneliness creeps in after I leave the hang and ocd tells me to review everything I said (I have gotten better at resisting this compulsion). The hard thing is that this loneliness makes it harder to reach out to friends or even strike up conversations with random people I might see in my day to day. Ocd tells me terrible things when I feel lonely and it’s hard to not believe those terrible things. Anyone else go through this? Any tips on exposures? I’ve reached out to two close friends just letting them know I feel down. I booked an extra therapy appt just because the feelings are intense and my partner is away. I was planning to go to a support group if the timing works out. Just feels really hard to do anything, like a big slog, but I’m just kind of dragging myself along. Thanks for reading.
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