Sam0506

Date posted: 7d ago

Any tips for staring ocd?

Hi everyone, I suffer from a really embarrassing form of ocd and it’s one of the worst ones-staring ocd. I quit my job last year because of it and I’m going back to work next week and I need some tips as my job is very customer forward. I have really bad anxiety around people wearing anything that shows their stomach or cleavage. My ocd always fears I’m going to look at the wrong places and it even goes to their movements randomly and makes me look like a weirdo because my eye darts to their hands. It’s gotten so bad it’s become a habit and now my eye instantly goes to those areas. It’s very frustrating and it’s ruining my social life. Please no judgement, I know it’s a weird form and I wish I never developed it. Any help is appreciated.

issphra 🫶🏻

Date posted: 7d ago

I have this too, a lot of people on here do so you’re not alone. My advice is to attempt to not look when you catch the urge to forming. If it happens, don’t beat yourself up. It’ll get easier, and it can fluctuate a lot. I’m sorry you’re going through this. It happens a lot with cleavage, crotches, stomached, butts, feet, and even necks for me. Family members, kids, all of that. Unfortunately. You’re not alone. It’s a form of OCD according to my therapist. It’s a mix of normal human behavior, compulsions, habits, and anxiety. You’re not crazy, I don’t have the best advice but just know you’re not alone

Sam0506

Date posted: 7d ago

@issphra 🫶🏻 Thank you for sharing that with me. I definitely remind myself often that it’s ocd and not me and sometimes that helps. It’s become so habitual for me unfortunately, so my eye goes to the part I’m not supposed to stare at and it’s so annoying. I wish i could get a new brain lol.

limabeanie

Date posted: 7d ago

oh my god I found someone with the same problem as me, except I find that my staring issues are very, sexually focused? which makes me feel so awful!! because I feel like I make everyone around me so uncomfortable.. :( I'll either do that or stare at what my brain would consider an "imperfection" on someone (ex: missing tooth, pimple, etc.) I unfortunately won't be much help as I'm still trying to figure out how to fix my issue myself, but hey at least we're not alone in this 🥲

Sam0506

Date posted: 7d ago

@limabeanie Lollll the missing tooth made me laugh. I def relate to what you just said and it makes me feel crazy lol. I have to always remind myself that it’s not me and it’s ocd.

limabeanie

Date posted: 7d ago

@Sam0506 exactly!! I'm glad you put a name to it though, cause I was like ???? am I just a weirdo or something..? LOL

Sam0506

Date posted: 7d ago

@limabeanie I didn’t know there was a name to it until early last year when I read up about it and made it worse 🫣🥲lol but now I know I’m not alone

limabeanie

Date posted: 7d ago

@Sam0506 exactly! that's the good thing about this app. it's a good reminder that you're not alone and that you're not a bad person!!

imafoolforyou

Date posted: 7d ago

no worries! this isn’t anything embarrassing. I can’t really help on preventing this urge but in situations I’ve been in I found saying something like “I like your shirt!” when I catch myself staring at someone’s chest can help relieve them feeling uncomfortable. obviously it only works on certain people in certain circumstances however that may help you in if you find yourself in an awkward situation! best of luck to you!

Sam0506

Date posted: 7d ago

@imafoolforyou This is good advice, I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, thank you! I need to make sure this doesn’t happen when they’re in their bra now as my job requires people to be half naked (I work in health) 😢🥲

Clare ity

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 7d ago

You gotta get good at looking there and not caring that you did. That’s really it!! Most of it is you thinking they feel weird or noticed. The more you do it and see nothing happens because of it, the easier it gets. You got this. Also get a nocd therapist.. they are a lifesaver for this.

Sam0506

Date posted: 7d ago

@Clare ity Thanks for responding. I saw an article basically saying what you said and I can’t get myself to do it because I don’t want people to think I’m a creep and it causes me so much paranoia this form of ocd. I do see how it could work but it’d kill me to do it.

Clare ity

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 6d ago

@Sam0506 start small. Sit in a parking lot and just watch people walk by at a distance, even wear sun glasses if you have to. Then take teh glasses off, then walk by strangers on the street etc. baby steps. Carve out practice times where you go and do this for like a half hour at a time. consistently.

Falilv2511!

Date posted: 23w ago

Does anyone struggle with Somatic OCD?

I’ve been struggling with this for the part year and it’s been horrible I hate my life and I feel like nothing works , please help or feel free to share tips or your own story

hopefulxmess

Date posted: 18w 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??

hopefulxmess

Date posted: 17w ago

Moms/dads with pocd pls respond struggling mama

Every day my ocd makes sure there’s a new reason for me to stay trapped in my mind rather than being the mom I want to be that my kids need. Instead i’m stuck in my head depressed and pushing them away. The other day I was braiding my daughter’s hair like I always do and her hair is really long so when I get to the end of the braid I can see her butt in my peripheral vision and I looked down and I immediately got upset asking myself why did I look down?(the ocd has made me question everything I do now). I know it’s just because I was at the end of the braid and I just looked because I was already looking in that direction. A normal person wouldn’t even think twice about it. There was no inappropriate reason behind it at all but of course my ocd latched onto the situation and said I looked down because I wanted to look at her butt. I was so upset and said to myself “I don’t understand how the ocd started an intrusive thought because she was wearing baggy pants. I could understand if she had on tight pants and her butt was more noticeable” and the only reason I said that is because usually the only time my ocd starts intrusive thoughts telling me i’m looking at my daughter in a wrong way is when she has on leggings or a crop top or bathing suit ect. Now my ocd twisted what I said to mean that I like looking at her in tight pants. Nooo! That’s not what I meant but now the ocd won’t stop trying to make me believe that. I don’t ever look at my children in any inappropriate way. I hate this. I hate ocd and I can’t live like this anymore.

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