How do I get out of a Flare Up

Im having a OCD specifically contamination OCD flare up all month and I don’t want to feel this way going into March, I’ve thrown out clothes, towels, stayed up for hours doing compulsions, washed my hands till they crack and bleed, I have washing pilling up cause I’m so overwhelmed by all the extra things I’ve added cause I thought it was contaminated. It’s completely draining me to the point where I’ve become sleep deprived and are avoiding part of my home because they are deemed contaminated to me…I only moved in a few months ago, I had a roach problem and using baits and insecticides really messed with my ocd too. anyone have any tips or tricks to make this easier? I wasn’t doing this bad in January :( thankyou in advance :)

ShellyMint

Date posted: 25d ago

For me I always find that when I can’t convince myself that something isn’t dirty, just dealing with it as soon as possible is best because when I avoid things it tends to spread. I know it is super hard. I wish you luck♥️

tig.chi

Date posted: 25d ago

In my most recent flare up, I felt like I lost my mind for about a week. I think I was in a constant alarm response. After getting support from family, my therapist, walking a lot, and journaling a lot, I decided that the problem wasn't the trigger. The problem was ocd. (And then had to keep deciding that, since ocd is such a doubter). I slowly started challenging the compulsions, reducing them. Or if I couldn't reduce one yet, then observing how ocd reacted when I did one. It's been a gradual process and I'm not back to baseline yet. But I'm doing so much better. You can do this. One step at a time. Trust yourself and your skills.

learningtore...

Date posted: 24d ago

@tig.chi Thankyou, I’m sorry you’ve had a recent flare up, I appreciate you sharing what you did to feel better and I’m very glad to hear you’re doing better too! Go you! Thankyou for the advice, just know you’ve helped me :)

Kinu

Date posted: 25d ago

I know its very hard, my ocd flare up usually in winters because of too many clothes. Just start telling yourself that everyone around us does not even clean their spaces for months, but still are so calm and relaxed. Why should i bother. Also, start dropping one by one compulsion from your routine, such as sanitizing or cleaning any stuff of yours on daily basis, touching surfaces which are triggering you, start with baby steps, don't go for any bigger exposure first. Give yourself time after performing that exposure, sit with the anxiety. Also, try breathing exercises. It really helps.

learningtore...

Date posted: 24d ago

@Kinu It’s so hard to comprehend sometimes that ‘other’ people don’t worry or think as much as people with ocd, it’s so drilled into you. Thankyou for your comment, it has inspired me to stop a compulsion one by one like you said, I will take on what you’ve shared, thankyou :)

user2826728292

Date posted: 21w ago

My ocd is taking away my life

I’m losing it completely, I’ve never had a flare up like this with contamination. I’m so burnt out seriously , I feel like I’m going insane. My hands are cracking and bleeding from washing them and my family’s getting very tired of me , they think I should go stay in a hospital or something for a while because of how bad it is. OCD as taken away my relationships with people , I can’t sit on the couch anymore with my family , I can’t hug my dog anymore , I can’t relax ever. I just needed to write this down as I really can’t process my feelings right now as I have too many thoughts , any advice?

EllieH95

Date posted: 16w ago

How do you do ERP without spiraling?

I have contamination OCD that causes me to excessively wash my hands/clean items with disinfectant wipes. I know I just need to start with small exposures but how do I do that without spiraling? I tried a while back by just touching the outside of my dishwasher and not washing my hands after and it led to me being unable to even exist in my house. I basically lived on my couch for three weeks as it was the only 'safe' space that I had not touched with my dirty hands. I had to take a week off work to clean my house to make it somewhat liveable. I still haven't got round to cleaning everything though so things like my kitchen are still no-go zones that I don't enter. I just don't know how to start ERP without it making everything worse. Any advice would be appreciated. I am not seeing a therapist at the moment due to financial constraints.

Contamination OCD

hopefulxmess

Date posted: 14w ago

Mama struggling with a bad flare up pls help

I’m going through a really bad flare up. I developed ocd many years ago when I had my first child. Postpartum ocd. I suffer from harm and pocd. At first I had mostly mental and some physical compulsions but the physical faded away pretty early on and i’ve just done mental compulsions since. My ocd was in remission for alot of years and if the ocd would pop up now and again, I was easily able to shrug it off and not engage. A few years ago I went through a stressful time in my life and the ocd came back to stay. At first it was bad but then it got better and has been pretty mild until now. It’s been really bad this week and the physical compulsions are even back. I never thought it would ever get this bad again. My ocd is making me doubt who I am and how I feel. I know it’s all ocd and not real or true but the ocd makes it feel so real that I can’t easily dismiss or disprove it. The more I try to disprove it the more real the ocd makes it feel. I’m really struggling and don’t know how to get back on track. I don’t have access to a therapist because there are no ocd specialists near me and my insurance doesn’t cover online therapy. That’s why i’m reaching out here. Has anyone been through a rough relapse? How can I get through and past this??

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