How do you know the difference between OCD thoughts and Intellectual conflicts that anybody could go through? especially if you're someone who loves philosophy and morality delimmas? and also as a young adult who experience a quarter life crisis and/or identity crisis and struggle with changing and growing up, How do you know if what hitting you OCD or something of those?
My therapist did a cool thing for me. He said “if you feel like you want to go down a rabbit hole on a religious topic, you can! That’s probably good for your growth. But let’s not make it compulsive, let’s, instead, schedule a time once a week when you are allowed to research stuff. Write down the question and then just set an alarm for a block of time once a week to really dive in. If it isn’t interesting by the time that research session comes around, it isn’t important. If it is, dig in but you have to stop at the end of your decided time block” This forced me out of my main religious compulsion - research! So maybe the answer is “you will never know if it’s a normal thought or not” but you can dive in as long as it isn’t compulsive!
For me, if i can -think- logically through it, vs if i have other issues getting in the way (emotional, physical reactions).
yes, that's helpful! Thank you!
Thoughts are thoughts, they become OCD when they are repetitive and disruptive and in many cases pushing the person to do compulsions. The reason for the thought to be disruptive is a mechanism in the brain trying to clean up the space in memory by testing you if you will develop feelings towards those thoughts. So, if a thought crossed your mind, and you entertained it without being emotionally reacting to it, then this is normal I guess. If you react still normal... If it becomes reparative and disruptive then maybe it is from OCD.
especially that those things are painful and makes you anxious and uncomfortable too.
How detailed can thoughts be? Can it make you question if it even is OCD or just denial? I have talked to friends and therapist in the past and they have said based on everything you've told me you aren't what you think you are. And it felt like a weight had been lifted. But doubt creeps up saying "you are a pedophile, you are just in denial!" And that feeling comes in my gut followed by intense anxiety. I've heard OCD can make you question who you are as a person and I think that's what is happening now. I'll get a thought like "even if you are one, its not that bad" the I think but I don't feel like one and I've talked about this with mental health professionals in the past and they have agreed based on everything I've told them, then my mind claps back with but what if you are? It is a back and forth I get so exhausted having. I know I have to be ok with never knowing but it is hard to not want an answer because of the fear you may become your thoughts one day.
So I think this is what I'm struggling with the most and more than likely what got me in this mess to begin with. When my OCD first took hold 4 years ago I was in a serious relationship with a girl who I loved as a person but I really wasnt happy with. I wont go into all of the reasons but it had become more and more apparent that we weren't compatiable and we wanted different things in life. I was feeling like this for quite a few months but rather than end the relationship I stayed (probably because I didn't want to hurt her and I was afraid of being alone) We finished about a year later but I look back now and see with even more clarity that I should of finished it sooner and that I am as certain as I can possibly can be that my feelings for wanting to finish the relationship were genuine and not ocd Now I see a lot of people on here asking questions about whether there unhappiness with there partner is OCD or not so my question is how to know when somethimg you're thinking or feeling is OCD or not?
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