- Date posted
- 22w
OCD or just anxiety and inner conflict?
How do you know if it is OCD or just anxiety caused by inner conflict that needs to be resolved? Thoughts - discussions?
How do you know if it is OCD or just anxiety caused by inner conflict that needs to be resolved? Thoughts - discussions?
I am also wondering
I mean I know there is a uncertainty component but not everything should be ignored if its a conflict that is unresolved. I mean, if you have the answer to what's ailing you and you still doubt and obsess over it and need reinforcement that's another thing. Merely ignoring inner conflict that's causing anxiety and leaving it will just continue to haunt you no? I mean some things resolve on their own but some things need action to process certain concerns and troubling experiences in my opinion. Ignoring things or assuming everything is OCD or intrusive thoughts - for me the thoughts are thoughts and are labeled intrusive because they have a negative influence on you that you are obsessing over. I am definitely not discounting obsessions and compulsions especially when they are that but merely that some things need to be addressed and naturally if you cant find the answer readily you will obsess over it because it is bothering you and it needs to be processed and integrated so I can move on. I am afraid this platform may hyperfocus on OCD when it may not all be OCD and yes, I think OCD co-exists with anxiety or a trigger but ultimately doesn't the anxiety or trigger need to be focused on. Our response to anxiety and inner conflict or mainly uncertainty can be dealt with via OCD but where is the balance. I don't want to treat the symptom without facing the cause if you know what I mean.
Any chance you live in NY? I am looking for a circle of domestic OCDers.
For safety measure, you don't have to answer of course if you are not comfortable.
I know what you mean. You can’t put all in one box right? And no unfortunately I don’t live in NY
Exactly. In my experience, I had elevated levels of OCD when I had intense anxiety about a subject; usually the same thing mostly, a phobia I have and fear of public speaking. The rituals of constantly checking and repeating would heighten as well as it co-existed with my anxiety. Now, yes, I would obsess over what I am worrying about - maybe it is a theme under OCD but still I think primarily an anxiety trigger. I definitely think our tolerance level for uncertainty plays a huge role in both, but again I don't want to like you said put everything in one box. I always looked at OCD as a extension to anxiety; if I have a trigger or just merely inner conflict and need help processing it, education and clarity would be my go to to help me process what I am dealing with. I feel like the "obsession" generally comes when I cant get resolution to my conflict and thus maybe "compulsive" researching coupled with -because of lack of control, isolated checking and repetitive behaviors with reading or light switches to name a couple manifest as well because I ultimately don't have that equilibrium of control when I am struggling with matters that take the front seat. In turn, over a period of time with no resolution of my own or help, breakdown! That is where I am now except in this time I have multiple conflicts that by chance unfolded. I would be honest and say a couple of them would be OCD obsessions and compulsions because I think they derive on the basis of false memory theme and contamination theme of OCD but with the contamination OCD it is I still believe partly ambiguity. To conclude, I am not denying OCD, especially now that its at a level I never experienced but it is quite recognizable.
This is exactly what I also think about quite often. I don’t have the key yet either
Naturally with therapy, we can be helped and work through these inner conflicts and fears lets say too. In this platform, I seek a community to share our concerns and offer ideas (two heads are better than one) to others to work through our issues. Of course definitely to have community, join together so we are not alone and show compassion; I think this is a byproduct of coming together. We understand each other that no one around us in our circle understands and I like the idea of a smaller more intimate circle so there is a sense of better connection when you get to know the person and that to me is feeling like I am not alone and I have a group to be apart of and come together and heal and grow together with our shared issues. If that makes sense.
@Mike6060 - I haven't tryed ERP but I am planning on it with a therapist when I can get one who takes my insurance. Maybe this could help us a little on the OCD where a key is not needed; OCD and ERP therapy seem like a paradox that: less is more.
I feel like my whole life I’ve been overthinking everything. I remember having really bad intrusive thoughts as a kid but I thought I had gotten over it. I feel like I’m starting to see that it’s just not manifested in different ways. I tried to bring it up with my therapist but she thinks it’s just anxiety. I feel like it’s something more. Does anyone have any advice on what personally showed you what was the difference
I struggle to understand when a thought is an intuition or intrusive, especially with relationship OCD. My problem is I have a great intuition. There have been many times when I thought something that made me anxious, and said to myself “it’s only OCD”, but then that thought turned out to be true. But there have also been times when it turned out it was just OCD.
Hi! It’s pretty difficult for me to get the courage to post this but I’m really struggling to figure out if what I’m experiencing is OCD or Anxiety or neither. I think I have the “pure O” type of OCD where most of my compulsions take the form of ruminating and trying to figure out something all in my head. When I hear this talked about in forums or online the intrusive thoughts don’t really match mine- I worry often about things that seem more “grounded” if that makes sense. A common one for me is my own identity- i will spend long amounts of time stuck in my head trying to figure out my feelings (often sadness or other real emotions I have and patterns I have) and why I feel that way and what in my life caused that and how it’s impacting other things in my life. I also think often about which parts of my personality are the real me and which aren’t. Sometimes this takes the form of strictly ruminating and sometimes I have fake conversations with people I know. It’s intense and I feel I have to figure it out but with no specific intrusive thought that says something like “you have to figure this out or all of your loved ones will die” but it’s very intense. I think also often of all of the decisions I need to make in the future and how they’re going to affect those I love and care about as well as how much I’ll regret them. I imagine all of the ways I think my actions will emotionally hurt others and how to make the least harmful decision, but to me this feels like a valid concern but go over and over and never come to a conclusion. I often just get scared and never make any move because I don’t see an option that doesn’t hurt someone somehow. But again I’m having a hard time identifying the intrusive thought behind it. But I also don’t choose to think about these things most of the time. This is almost all decisions but especially big life decisions. It’s such a struggle because they are things I eventually do have to make decisions about. There is so much more to it that would take too long to explain but in general a lot of my fears revolve around pleasing others/ understanding others emotions to ensure they’re okay, my own identity and personality, and work/school performance. Someone mentioned OCD to me because in my head it feels like I have to solve these things and will go over and over them but I seriously can’t figure out if it’s anxiety, OCD, or none of the above. It’s all very disruptive to my life. I am never not thinking or not trying to figure something out and I feel as if I have no control over it Anyone have any insight?
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