Does anyone Else’s ocd flare up bad when in stressful life situations? I was doing amazing and now that I’m having some drama with my life it seems to have come back with a vengeance. Anyone else?
Yup! Or big life changes, even positive ones, also cause an increase!
@laurenalyssa13 I’ve noticed even when big positive things happen it flares too! It sucks lol!
Yes, but don’t forget that you’re not the same person you were when you first started dealing with OCD, and fighting it will be different this time. I’m sure it’s trying to take control *because* you’ve been doing such an amazing job, which shows you’ve got the tools to beat this. I believe in you and your strength!
@flyana Thank you so much! 💗
Sounds about right.
No yea it happens guys ! I graduated college and I even left home for an internship the summer after graduating and came back and was doing fine . Normal. Nothing . But then like 2 months later thoughts just came flooding in . The job I was in was pretty boring and the fact that I had completed college and the fact that it was dark and gloomy outside since it was Winter contributed to my thoughts and I wasn’t eating well either. I had lost track of my fitness a bit . I felt stuck in life not gonna lie , like it’s all up to me now to figure it out since I graduted college and ouufff it’s gotten better thank god , my OCD was like at a 9/10 . Now it’s gone down to like a 5/10 over the course of a couple of months . And this has been due to starting a new job at a new company and literally just waiting it out . Just patiently waiting. And honestly changing up my routine again . Getting the new job made me feel alive again , like I actually have an important job where I’m needed, before I was sitting behind a computer all day working as an assistant and it made me feel terrible cuz it was so boring. Not saying working as an assistant is a bad job , but to me made it wasn’t it, especially because it was only part time and it could be better . But anyways I been though this before when I graduated High school. And I already know I have an anxious mind so I know it’s all a false alarm 🚨.
@Anonymous The main thing helping me right now is reminding myself that I’m stressed and this will pass. It seems to always get really bad when I’m having something stressful going on, so I just have to talk to myself a lot and remind myself it’s going to be ok!
@LnB90210 It’s all anxious thinking 💭 remember that . OCD is all just a spiral of thoughts that feel very stuck . I get it . A couple months ago I thought I wasn’t gonna be able to get to the point I’m at now . I was crying every single day . If it makes you feel any better my boyfriend of 4 1/2 years is a police officer and I told him to arrest me because I feel like I’m going crazy and he always told me NO. I’m a huge overthinker and it’s ridiculous what I’m asking him to do. My OCD has gone down just with time and changing up my routine a bit and I know if I don’t pay attention to it , it will fade away again . You will be okay
@LnB90210 What exactly is stressing you out right now?
@Anonymous I’m going through some legal stuff right now. Nothing I did wrong, I’m pressing charges on someone for harassment, and that’s got me super stressed out.
This is so common. Happens to me, too. OCD is triggered by a lot of things, chief among them stress. Recognizing that is a huge win, though. The more conscious we are of the machinations of OCD, the better we are at catching its tricks!
Yes! OCD knows exactly when to show up. I tell my to go kick a bucket... it helps :)
Hello LNB90210, As others and yourself have shared stress comes with both positive changes and negative changes in our lives. These periods of transitions inherently challenge us, due to the change taking place. Weather due to a break up or even planning a wedding, there is stress due to the change taking place. To your point, stress does impact symptoms, just like it impacts our mood. This is why I always recommend taking time out of your day for some self-care. This can be spent doing anything you find relaxing or enjoyable. So that you can return to the changes taking place in your life, with a full battery. I hope this helps. If you are struggling with your OCD and would like assistance in making space in your life, don't hesitate to reach out. Know that at NOCD we are always here to help!
I’ve been dealing with a really bad flare up the last 2 weeks and i’ve been dealing with ocd on and off for years. I was finally feeling better today, So of course my ocd decided to bring up an old intrusive thought that was really upsetting and now i’m stuck on it again. The reason why I struggle so much to conquer my ocd is because I developed ocd as postpartum so my ocd targets my kids, the ones that mean everything to me. The intrusive thoughts range from mild to really disturbing. While I know deep down the intrusive thoughts aren’t true or me, the ocd makes it feel SO real and true which makes me feel like I HAVE to disprove the thoughts and with confidence but the ocd won’t let me. It also makes me question analyze and judge everything I do. It’s an endless cycle of pain and I just want to be a mom without ocd telling me i’m a horrible person all day every day. 😪
im having a unusually hard flare up for two months. ive never had it this bad before (ive had this on and off for many years - thank god not constantly.) lately, i keep having these images in my head and scenarios in my head of me "coming out" in the future and ending my relationship with my amazing fiance who i love dearly. he knows everything but i still feel like i am constantly lying to him, my family, and friends. i need to know that this is something the SO-OCD can do to you? the weird thing is, is that i have never been attracted to woman. i do admire their beauty and wish to LOOK like them or have a specific feature they have, but i dont have any urges to like be with them yet i am dealing with this really bad flare up. My brain keeps telling me that since i have never tried it, i would never know, and i am just getting really distressed from it. i just want to be happy again and it seems impossible. I am convinced i am only person that is using SO-OCD as an excuse. Any guidance or advice, or anything really, will help. i just feel alone and scared and sad all the time.
Does anyone else ever feel like they don’t feel “bad enough” to have OCD, or that they don’t feel “the right way” for it? Or like they’re just saying they have OCD as an excuse? Because i was so much better for like 3 weeks now and now im on my period and i started doubting again. So because of that im scared that i was feeling to good and that my fear is actually true.
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond
