“What If’s” and Checking

My OCD is continuing to have me constantly check and check and check! I keep doubting and am very confused! How can I get out of this trap!!!!!

Amara

Date posted: 28w

Dealing with OCD can be incredibly challenging,understanding OCD can empower you. Knowing that obsessive thoughts are a common symptom of the disorder can help reduce the distress associated with them. Practice identifying and challenging your obsessive thoughts. Ask yourself if there is real evidence to support these thoughts and what you would tell a friend in a similar situation. With guidance from a therapist, gradually expose yourself to the situations that trigger your compulsions without engaging in the checking behavior. This can help reduce your anxiety over time. Mindfulness techniques, such as meditation and deep breathing, can help you stay present and reduce the impact of distressing thoughts. Try to limit the amount of checking you do. Set specific times for checking or gradually reduce the frequency over time. This can help break the cycle of compulsions. Recovery takes time, and setbacks may occur. Be patient with yourself and recognize that progress can be gradual.

Tony Davies

Date posted: 28w

@Amara It’s doubts everything, then has you look up multiple things, then finds another

Tony Davies

Date posted: 28w

Thank you, it’s definitely the doubting disorder

Amara

Date posted: 28w

Of course 🙂. I know that, but remember to be kind to yourself, be patient, and practice. Dr. Joseph Murphy says we are creatures of habit; when we practice something enough, it becomes a habit. As you learn anything in life like driving or playing music with practice, you can achieve this. Just believe in yourself.

Tony Davies

Date posted: 28w

@Amara Definitely true true! Why does the ocd keep guessing and doubting

Amara

Date posted: 28w

@Tony Davies often keeps guessing and doubting because it is rooted in the nature of obsessive thoughts and the associated anxiety they bring. Individuals with OCD frequently experience intrusive and unwanted thoughts that create significant anxiety. These obsessive thoughts can lead to an ongoing cycle of questioning and uncertainty. Many people with OCD have an intense fear of the unknown. This fear can make them feel compelled to seek certainty or reassurance, which often leads to more questioning and self-doubt. Those with OCD often exhibit perfectionistic traits, which can contribute to an excessive need to ensure that everything is "just right." This perfectionism fuels doubt, as anything less than perfect can be perceived as unacceptable. Compulsions, such as checking or seeking reassurance, are often used as coping mechanisms to avoid the discomfort of anxiety. Engaging in these behaviors can reinforce the cycle by providing temporary relief while allowing doubts to persist. OCD can involve cognitive distortions, such as overestimating the likelihood of negative outcomes, which can exacerbate doubt and lead to a continuous loop of worrying. Research suggests that there may be differences in brain function and structure in individuals with OCD, which can contribute to the difficulties in managing doubt and anxiety. Understanding these factors is essential in managing OCD effectively.

Tony Davies

Date posted: 28w

@Amara This is all really helpful. I’m going to read over this a couple times to help me understand. Thank you so much for your feedback. I am in therapy however it’s a very heavy weight. OCD is really habilitating.

Amara

Date posted: 28w

@Tony Davies You're welcome! I'm glad to hear you're in therapy and wish you a speedy recovery. Reading some books can also help you understand this things better.

Tony Davies

Date posted: 28w

@Amara Thank you I have a question, I keep checking over and over again and am stuck but I put my phone down but then go back What should I do

Amara

Date posted: 28w

@Tony Davies Anytime. It's not uncommon to feel stuck in a cycle of checking, one effective strategy is to set specific limits on how often you check things. You can also try to replace the checking behavior with a different, healthier activity, like going for a short walk or practicing deep breathing exercises. It might be helpful to identify any triggers for your urge to check and work on recognizing those patterns. it's okay to take it one step at a time.

issphra 🫶🏻

Date posted: 24w

I feel like I am OCD

It is not the thoughts or urges that scare me anymore. It is the way I feel like I’ve absorbed the compulsions into my identity :( I am doing them so automatically that it feels like I am choosing them freely and they’re me. and because of that, it feels like I AM the OCD now, not just someone with OCD. I think I’m just deeply trapped in a loop. I was trying to survive unbearable fear so I started scanning. Then I started pre-scanning. Then checking if I pre-scanned. Then I check how I feel during all that. I run to beat my OCD to the “punchline” (intrusive thought, urge, sensation) because I’m so scared all the time. So scared that I don’t even feel it anymore. I feel numb and all that’s left is this jittery residue and numbness. Now it’s all tangled together in a huge knot. I feel so extremely lost. I think this may just be meta OCD, but I’ve never ever felt so gone before :( I’m really scared.

flowerpetals

Date posted: 23w

perfectionism ocd?

i’ve unfortunately fallen into the cycle of trying to figure out my thoughts and find answers as to why i feel so distressed. this still pertains to the situation regarding changing my room for those reading who have seen my multiple posts over the last few days. i’ve been so distressed and in so much panic about it. i’m also panicking over my other room looking so different from when i left it. it’s been making me feel crazy because to me there’s no reason for my anxiety to latch so hard onto something that seems so minuscule. i was thinking i was having anxiety over change, but it’s like symptoms of ocd too that’s making it really hard for me to let go. SO i started thinking maybe it was perfectionism ocd? i’ve realized over time that i do compulsions to where things have to feel “just right”, but i also do that with any environment i’m in. like it HAS to feel cozy to me and provide me comfort in order for me to feel at ease. and this change is causing me to panic because there’s something wrong that i can’t find an answer to. maybe the different colored carpet? but it’s also more than that it feels like. however, now it’s spreading into other areas of my house where i’ve always been fine in and possibly to just any area i’m in at all. hence why it’s making me feel crazy because there’s no reason for me to be THIS distressed over that as i’ve never really had this problem before. and when i did it would last maybe an hour to a couple of days at most, but this has been going for over 2 weeks with my really bad anxiety being this week. i’m doing a little better, but it’s still hard when i can feel that panic waiting for me to acknowledge and just engulf me in the ocd cycle. i’m also analyzing basically any feeling i have so i just feel off in general and like i’m going insane. i’ve been so hyper focused on how i feel and that will send me spiraling too. multiple themes then start coming in like existential ocd and fear of solipsism. not to mention my harm and contamination ocd that just adds on when i’m this vulnerable. then i worry if no one is real, then no one feels the way i do. or just in general that what if no one feels the way i do. honestly, i think being out of college and in my house with nothing to do is causing me too much time with my thoughts. which is why i’m so distressed about everything that pops into my brain.

jmx

Date posted: 15w

Constant analysis of emotions

Hey guys, recently I’ve been struggling with always checking in with my emotions. And it gets very tiring right now I’m dealing with some suicidal OCD and I constantly check for negative emotions or depression. I’ve noticed it’s very hard for me to stop checking my emotions cause it’s something I’m used to doing because I have mental illness. Any advice on how to stop checking. Thanks 🙏

Suicidal OCD

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