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Hi there, I’ve recently been diagnosed with OCD after seeking help because of worsening performance at work. I’m a nurse practitioner and work in a busy clinic. Throughout the past few years I’ve become slower and slower as a clinician because I’m so scared of making a mistake. I constantly recheck things that I know I know, recheck my charting and make it as perfect as possible, re-review medical history, obsessively follow patient’s charts, consult the on-calls even though I know the answer, and call patients outside of working hours to check in on them. I’m wondering if there any other healthcare providers who have OCD on this platform? I feel like my OCD symptoms have in someway made me a great provider but it’s getting to a point now where I’m afraid I’ll lose my job because I’m not meeting my patient numbers. Since I can’t see as many patients my coworkers have to pick up the slack and I feel horrible about that. Curious if anyone has similar experiences. Thanks so much for reading :)

I always recommend seeking professional help because it’s safer and way more effective to do it with a professional since they know EXACTLY what to do. But if you can’t see a professional right now and you have no idea when you’ll be able to seek help from an OCD therapist due to money or where you live, here’s an extensive list of tools and resources to help you get better and/or stay recovered. -Look into OCD and Anxiety’s YouTube channel. They have an OCD course you can do for a fee, -Download either the Calm app or Insight Timer app for guided meditations, -Read ALL the books by Lee Baer and Martin Seif on OCD and anxiety, -Look into Therapy in a Nutshell’s YouTube channel, -Start doing yoga! Because exercise is good for you. I suggest the YouTube channel Yoga with Adriene, -Subscribe and follow the YouTube channel, Psychology With Dr. Ana for great mental health content, -Start watching Thich Nhat Hanh’s guided meditations and talks on mindfulness. Also, buy his books on meditation and mindfulness, -Look into OCD International’s website if you’re international (or is the US but having issues finding help outside of NOCD) for help, -If you are looking for inpatient treatment for extreme OCD, look up Rogers Behavioral center’s website. You can even reach out to them for help, -What’s Pure O OCD? https://www.verywellmind.com/pure-o-primarily-obsessional-ocd-4159144 -How To Stop Rumination Video: https://youtu.be/CkcspsmLh9k?feature=shared -Confessing compulsion vs. healthy sharing: https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/ocd-compulsive-confession-vs-healthy-sharing -ERP scripting: https://www.shalanicely.com/aha-moments/erp-scripting-for-ocd/ -The Hidden Power of Swearing at Your OCD: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/beyond-the-doubt/201711/the-hidden-power-of-swearing-at-your-ocd -Taking The Power Away From OCD: https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/taking-the-power-away-from-intrusive-thoughts -Worry Script: https://www.anxietycanada.com/sites/default/files/WorryScript.pdf -What is ERP therapy: https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/ocd-treatment/erp/ -What’s An OCD Trigger? https://psychcentral.com/ocd/what-is-an-ocd-trigger -Differences Between OCD & GAD: https://ocdla.com/ocd-vs-gad-7071 -The Psychology of Seeking Reassurance: https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/reassurance-seeking-ocd-anxiety-how-to-stop-cycle -Grounding Techniques: https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/grounding-techniques -OCD vs. Phobia Differences: https://www.treatmyocd.com/what-is-ocd/info/related-symptoms-conditions/ocd-vs-phobia-how-to-tell-the-difference -ERP Techniques for Reassurance video: https://youtu.be/D1O3RGnLjRM?feature=shared

This was my response to a bulletin post asking something along the lines of, “what helps you fight back to OCD” and i thought I’d share for a wider audience. I have overcome so much of my OCD and i attribute it to ERP therapy accompanied by all of the following: 1. With every negative thought I am aware of, respond to it by trying to think of the opposite, positive version. Ex, I’m going to fall down the stairs, horribly injured myself, and my life will be forever ruined <-/+> I’m going to walk down the stairs with strength and poise and have a wonderful day and life with the same grace. Even if you don’t believe it, practice the possibility of having different thoughts. You’ll get better and better with practice. 2. Morning journaling following the Artists Way method, definitely check out that book. It’s a workbook of wonderful writing exercises, whether you’re an artist or not. 3. Listening to positive music and not indulging in negative music or content, including signing out of social media for a while. I had to completely “rebrand” the type of music i listened to and it look about 4 years to finally find what didn’t trigger my OCD or rather, brought me peace. So many lyrics are toxic! City Boy by Donkeyboy lifts me up :) 4. Ask positive people you admire what helps them stay positive. Steve Harvey and Snoop Dog surprisingly have good tips. You’ll learn everyone has their own tricks of curating good thoughts and that it’s a constant process for anyone to practice positive mindsets. 5. If I find myself experiencing an exposure that’s distressing me, I try to be aware that I’ve entered an emotional reaction to something that hasn’t happened yet, and I try to soothe myself by observing and asking myself, “does this warrant this much emotional stress?” if yes, feel it, practice tapping, somatic shaking, vagus nerve humming, journaling, exercising, or breathwork. if it doesn’t warrant so much emotional stress, still feel it for a beat, observe, do box breaths, name colors and things you can hear to change your thoughts, and then try to shift your perspective of the situation: ask, if you weren’t controlled by OCD in the situation, how would you ideally handle it? how would someone you admire handle it? breath, try to embody the powerful, ideal version of you or see it as protecting the inner child version of yourself. look up these keywords if you don’t know what they are. 6. HOLOTROPIC BREATHWORK, can’t stress this one enough. Find a studio or classes online to be guided on this incredible, life changing practice. This is not Wim Hoff but it’s similar. Holotropic is the way to go 👍 7. Jarrows Formula MagMind magnesium, period. 8. Abraham Hicks 2005 Orlando Florida Lectures. it’s on YouTube, I cannot stress enough—go listen. 9. Genomind genetic test for anxiety/depression medication to find the best suited treatment for your genetic makeup. After years of working myself, chemically i couldnt completely control my anxiety and after using Genomind, i was able to find the exact medication compatible for me. I’m on Cymbalta and it’s completely changed my life. I don’t experience anxiety anywhere close to what most of my life was like prior. 10. Whether you believe in the universe or God or nothing, trusting that you are protected and there are invisible sources of love protecting and conspiring in your favor, might help. Practice “trust” and that you are safe and will continue to be safe will let you win some fights, start small. Stay away from negativity. Give your OCD a name (mine is named Emily Dickens or Quail woman lol). Recognize when it’s in the drivers seat and that it’s not allowed to anymore! Inner child meditations help too. Fight back by falling in love with yourself. Would you let someone verbally abuse you like OCD does? No, at least not anymore babes. Even if you think you don’t know how to love yourself right now, practice what you would do if you did. Take up ukulele or photography. I hope something here helps you on your mental health journey ❤️ we’re all rooting for you!