Connecting with others when ocd impacts mood

OCD is unfortunately a huge part of how we go about our lives. For me, my mood is very obvious and fluctuates throughout the day and my loved ones pick up on that and in turn give me space or feel like they have to walk on eggshells around me which can hurt and make me feel isolated. The thing is i feel like it’s probably best to be alone because i can get cranky and moody which makes me feel bad, but i also don’t want to self isolate as a compulsion. How can I have meaningful connections when im in moods? Id love any tips or advice on what y’all do when faced with this. I want to have connections and talk about things that aren’t surrounding my mood due to ocd. It’s hard because I see how my ocd impacts my partner that I live with, and how he struggles to approach me when I’m feeling down, which the perpetuates the anxiety because my main theme is rocd. Does anyone have any advice?

Anon849

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 46w

With my partner, I've found it imperative to remind him my sad mood is not because of him or anything he has done. Telling my partner that I need to be able to still be with him even when I'm moody as an exposure to get better. This in and of itself is an exposure to say it's the symptoms of ROCD and not you who wants to be distant and moody, but your relationship will be better for it. Like my boyfriend internalizes my nonengaging mood to be that I don't want to be there with him or I'm not happy with him, but I do and am. I am simply in fight/flight mode because of HOCD and ROCD so it's hard for me to engage how I want to because HOCD and ROCD will say that I'm just performing how I think a girlfriend in love and don't actually mean what I say or do.

Anon849

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 46w

@Anonymous Here's a comment I received from another user on my post asking for tips navigating HOCD/ROCD while being in a relationship that really helped me: So i was hit with ROCD right at the start of my relationship to who I am now married to for almost 2 years. At that time I didn't even know what ROCD was I just knew what I felt didn't line up with what I knew. It did go away with medication and therapy but as of lately, I did have an OCD relapse and it involved things I wanted to confess to my husband but after one or two confessions I quickly realized there is a line to what he can and cannot know. He can't know my specific thoughts, he cant fully grasp that someone can have thoughts that are not their own, SO when I'm in the grips ( I have cried at restaurants too lol) I just tell him " sorry baby, my OCD just has me right now, just give me a sec" he is usually good about changing the subject to something I'm interested in ( Halloween, Rock Music, Horror Movies) he pulls me forward. AND he knows that is is important I face my fears and sit with discomfort. So I would just communicate the condition, not the specifics, so he can support your healing, not contribute to its continuation, ( and that also protects him from the confusion behind not fully understanding our thoughts which , heck if they are scary to us and we KNOW they are OCD, imagine how scary they are to someone who has no understanding of them! Yikes lol)

bb.99

Date posted: 46w

@Anonymous Thank you for your response! I know these things when I hear them from others but when it comes from my own thoughts, I don’t think they’re right ( typical ocd lol🙄 hope it’s not a compulsion). It’s always nice to have that reminder so thank you for you’re input and tips ♥️♥️♥️

m1p3

Date posted: 24w

Social Implications of OCD

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.

Christy Str...

User type: Therapist

Date posted: 21w

OCD & Isolation

OCD can be an incredibly lonely experience, especially when people around you don’t understand the thoughts and fears you’re facing. But you’re not alone—others have been there too. What’s something about OCD that makes you feel isolated or alone?

AJ__

Date posted: 21w

OCD & social isolation

I remember reading a comment someone had made to one of my posts on an OCD subreddit and they told me how they believed their OCD symptoms got worse during a time in their life when they were socially isolated. Reading this comment made the brightest lightbulb go off in my head because it basically summarized most of what I’ve been going through. In addition to OCD, I also struggle with depression and social anxiety. I feel like these three things and the profound sense of loneliness I’ve felt throughout my years in college (undergrad) feed off of each other. I know that OCD can manifest in so many different ways regardless of what your social life looks like, but I can’t help but feel like the lack of relationships (specifically friendships)/community in my life has something to do with my mental health and the delay in my recovery. Side note: I’m still relatively new to NOCD, but I’m happy to say that I’ve been making some good progress in my therapy sessions <3

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Connecting with others when ocd impacts mood

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