NOCD Saved Me

If you feel like this will never get better- trust me , it will. I felt the same way. In February of 23’ I turned to NOCD as a last ditch effort. I was hopeless and I felt desperate. I’d worked with 3 OCD therapists prior but felt stuck. Looking back- I was doing exposures but also doing compulsions without knowing I was doing them as they were mental. It felt like I wasn’t living but purely existing. I felt helpless. It’s now Sept 28 24’ and I’ve been an ocd conqueror for 6 months and feel stronger daily. Sometimes I still struggle and have set backs but I realize now that the work I put in today is payoff tomorrow. Please know if you feel like you can’t hold on that there are resources available and you can be helped ! It isn’t hopeless or helpless. You’re going to get to the other side because I felt like that too. You matter. Your life matters. Even if ocd is telling you otherwise- you are loved !

ocdsucksalways!

Date posted: 46w

What do you tell yourself in the moments where you feel trapped and at a complete breaking point? —- Really really struggling with the same theme that I’ve had for a year, after being decent for a while❤️

artsygirl

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 46w

@ocdsucksalways! Great question! I would tell myself “this sucks. However, I’ve thought in the past that there were things I couldn’t get through too. I’m going to allow myself to sit in the “suck.” It wasn’t always about what I told myself but in what I began to do differently: 1. I kept a calendar called my self care victory calendar with accomplishments and only the victories I had for the day which helped me see the positives instead of just the negatives. Some days were as simple as “ate 3 meals or took out trash” while other days it was “went running, took a bath, read on the porch, did ERP.” 2. I began finding movement that felt good. For me it was swimming laps which felt meditative and helped me with mindfulness. 3. I did ERP therapy 1-2x a week and practiced outside of it. When exposures were too hard and I was avoiding , I tried to dumb down the exposure and start lower 3. I began spending time hiking or outside in nature because it makes me feel better and brings me peace. 4. I joined support groups and found a therapist who was a good fit. 5. I began “trying different” instead of harder. 6. I told myself there’s no way out but THROUGH. 7. I found a psychiatrist I trusted. 8. I stopped feeling shame for taking meds because they made me feel better. At my absolute worst, I did need MEDICATION to help me at my breaking point. I needed to have a very small dosage of a PRN or an emergency medication which was a benzo for panic attacks and for when ocd would give me cycles that were so bad I would panic. There were times I took that really small dose of a benzo and it carried me through until I would eventually get back on my feet. I wasn’t dependent on it but it helped me get through those really hard hard times. During

ocdsucksalways!

Date posted: 46w

@artsygirl You have no idea how much this response means. I am having a better day and found like moving my body helped. I was able to find glimpses of quiet in my head while running/ walking outside. It was also “easier” (not easy!!! lol) to do my responses when I was having the intrusive thoughts after being outside. I think where I struggle thw most is doing ERP on my own for real event false memory, but to your point there is no out only through no matter how painful this is. Thank you again for replying, I’ll be using these tips more than u know!

mari.201

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 25w

Just want to sprinkle some hope here

I just completed a check in with my therapist today so naturally I reflected on my journey with OCD. Summer/Fall of 2023 feels like a swath of darkness. Bombarded with horrible intrusive thoughts, I thought my life was over. I did not see the light at the end of the tunnel. I hated myself. Life lost meaning for me and it felt as if every hope and dream was shattered. Needless to say my life was lost to me during a time when I should have been enjoying it the most. I was post grad with a good job lined up. But none of it mattered- my mind was as broken. Thank God, I had some small voice in me that urged me forward and to get help. So I did. I felt so scared and unsure. Was I doing the wrong thing going to therapy? I was not. It was the best decision I made for myself. Fast forward to nearly two years later, my life couldn’t be more different. I see and feel the light. I have so much love and gratitude for myself and for everyone who helped me along the journey. My therapist, my family, all the brave content creators who openly speak about their experiences, no matter how taboo. I won’t lie, it was a lot of work. And I had to learn to be uncomfortable and deal with frustrations. I had to learn to trust myself. I still deal with sticky and intrusive thoughts but my response and my daily life despite them can not be more different. So I am here to be proof to you that there is so much hope. If you don’t have the little voice in you urging you forward, than I will be just that. Go to therapy, get help, put in the work. It is so worth it. Every time there is a setback, and there will be many, push through. Feel free to ask questions! But no reassurance will be given.

littlemiss.s...

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 23w

Thriving in School with OCD: The Power of Support and Accommodations

When I started therapy with NOCD, I was stuck in a debilitating OCD spiral, feeling lost and alone. ERP changed my life—it wasn’t easy, but it helped me resist compulsions and sit with uncertainty. Even when I had to pause therapy to move for my Master’s degree in the UK, the tools I learned stayed with me. NOCD not only helped me manage my OCD symptoms but also gave me the confidence to take on one of the biggest changes of my life. As a Master’s student, OCD made completing assignments incredibly difficult. I developed compulsions that forced me to reread and rewrite endlessly, making deadlines stressful. After speaking with my advisor, I applied for an Individual Learning Plan, which provided accommodations like extended deadlines. Knowing I had that flexibility lifted the pressure and allowed me to do my best work—I finished my degree with Merit, close to a 3.8 GPA. If you’re a student struggling with OCD, know that support is available, and it’s okay to ask for help. What strategies or accommodations have helped you succeed in school while managing OCD?

Students with OCD

dslite

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 21w

Recovery is possible

Just wanted to give some hope to those who are having ocd spikes, spirals and worries. This past year I have regained my life back. I went from beginning to isolate myself, being convinced by my ocd that my hobbies are bad and that I should avoid things I enjoyed, and having constant panic attacks. With the work of IOP, psychiatry and nocd, I have made great strives towards my future. I now don’t avoid things and instead embrace my life and ANY possibility that may come. Don’t let the ocd bully you. Yes, I have intrusive thoughts still but I am able to go about my day instead of obsessing over them. You can find this too. I encourage anyone on the fence to please seek help if you are in a tough time, it can literally save your life.

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NOCD Saved Me

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