- Date posted
- 14w
- Date posted
- 14w
Omg I do the sammmmeee. Sometimes just truly getting lost in my work helps, but then it feels like I’m avoiding the “true” thoughts, and they creep back in again. It’s so tricky. But I do think ERP is the answer. I just haven’t gotten good at it, but practicing sitting with the thoughts is probably the best thing to do. Do you have a therapist?
- Date posted
- 14w
@Ali$t@ir2021 Awesome!! I hope they can help you find ways to practice facing those thoughts! I definitely need to do the same
- User type
- Therapist
- Date posted
- 14w
I have a hopefully helpful - but kind of gross - bit of information to offer here! The original definition of "rumination" is "to chew over and over again." It's the word used for cows when they "chew their cud." If you're not familiar, this is the process where cows will eat their food, swallow it, then un-swallow it, chew it some more, then swallow it again, then un-swallow it, chew it some more... you get it. When I first learned this, it made ruminating (the human form) make so much more sense. We're basically bringing up old thoughts and chewing on them in an attempt to problem-solve or feel like we're getting somewhere, but it's a never ending cycle. We're just thinking for the sake of thinking, in hopes that we'll get some new nutrients out of it or come up with some new solution, but it's all the same stuff. Recognizing this doesn't make interrupting rumination any easier, but it can be a helpful start. This is where responding with uncertainty can come in handy, this article gives some examples toward the end! https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/the-rumination-trap
- Date posted
- 14w
Yeah it’s very on and off for me /: idk when I’ll truly feel back to myself
- Date posted
- 14w
In addition to the already great comments here, I often experience a boost of confidence followed by a spike in symptoms after therapy appointments. I’ve accepted that it’s just part of the process—there are lots of highs and lows to recovery. When I hit a low, it’s nice to appreciate how far I’ve come. I’ve improved so much the last few months, and I’m sure you have too. Celebrate your wins, and stay strong when you stumble. You’ve got this ☀️
- Date posted
- 14w
Yes I'm sorry to say allll the time, I try so very hard to think good thoughts, but all of a sudden, I have been an hour sometimes thinking on bad things that happened to me when I was younger ughhh, I'm so very sorry
Related posts
- Date posted
- 22w
So, I know my capacity to get fixated on things. And it's normally something that's relatively remote but, my latest issue is really getting to me and I was wondering if people have any advice. I'm avoiding getting too into specifics, as I don't want this to get reassurance-y but, in essence.. I came to the realisation recently that people who I'd been "friends" (feels like the wrong term now) when I was younger were not very nice people, and normalized a lot of very unpleasant behaviour towards other members of the group. They really normalized it, sold themselves as figures of authority, as older and more responsible and grown-up than others, and looking back, they acted horribly. And coming to this realisation, that I'd been manipulated into just accepting their behaviour has just... broken me. My OCD has latched onto it and I can't stop feeling irreversibly tainted by it. I've talked to others about it, and they've reassured me, told me it's not a big deal and that I hold myself to too high a standard, but none of that sticks. I feel better for a bit, then think 'Maybe when you told them you were skewing it to make yourself look better' or 'Did you leave out a crucial detail'. I keep ruminating over and over, trying to remember exactly how everything played out, trying to figure out if I fed into the behaviour, if I did something bad myself (because y'know, I feel like I was accepting of it at the time, so what does it say about my own values?). I know I need to stop doing all this if I want to improve, but then some part of me keeps saying 'So, you're just going to let yourself off the hook then?' Normally, I can rationalize my own fears to some degree, assure myself something won't happen, but the realness of the situation, and the fact I only came to understand the reality of it because the thought had been bothering me means it feels so much more all-encompassing. I know confessing in itself is a compulsion, but I keep feeling that if I'm not I'm somehow concealing what I 'really am' from others around me, and any positive interactions are me deceiving them in some way. I feel like I can't enjoy anything in life right now, and a good part of me feels I should not enjoy it ever again. If anybody has any advice on it, I'm all ears. Or even hearing if you relate to these feelings, I might appreciate the solidarity at least.
- Date posted
- 15w
How can I deal with False Memory OCD? I am struggling with ruminating thoughts, and trying to figure out false memories! How can I enjoy my day without figuring it out?
- Date posted
- 6w
I ruminated too much this morning and got distressing mental images (and confirmation) which sent me spiraling again. How do I stop thinking about this and how do I get back to myself? I feel destroyed.
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