I’ve gone through so many themes and seen the pattern so many times that I’m getting to a point where, new themes come in and I automatically identify my compulsions and the potential ones and then choose to not engage. OCD now is like a thorn in my side rather than a boulder suffocating me. But still that annoying little thorn that will always be there dispositionally
Right honestly.. I've had almost every theme under the sun and at this point it no longer affecting my quality of life... it's just exactly like a thorn by the side and I've accepted there's no guarantee it would wax or wane, change it's obsession tomorrow or not change again and Idec I just want to become a psychiatrist and help ocd people and other neurodivergent people
@Annoying_OCD Focus on what youre presently doing when those thoughts come. Let them exist while you focus on the present moment. The present moment is the antidote for many mental illnesses. Identify your compulsions and do not engage with them. Heres a list of some common compulsions with pocd: • Checking reactions around children (e.g., “Did I feel anything inappropriate?” “Did I look at them wrong?”) • Avoiding being around children altogether (even family members) • Mental reviewing past experiences to reassure yourself you’re not a bad person • Seeking reassurance from others (“You don’t think I’m dangerous, right?”) • Researching online about pedophilia, laws, OCD symptoms, etc. • Praying or doing rituals to “neutralize” bad thoughts • Confessing thoughts to others for relief Avoid engaging with any of these if you have them. These are all compulsions and further the cycle.
Know exactly where you’re at. I describe it as an annoying mosquito following me around in my day to day life. I can see the patterns and don’t go down the rabbit hole as far now but it’s still bugging me all the time.
Yeah that’s how I feel as well. My ocd used to really kick my butt. Now that I have a better understanding of it, it is my thorn in my flesh. I’m a believer in Jesus and I believe it’s my thorn and it’s something God has allowed me to have for whatever reasons He has. I am content with that.
@Zeedle-D Me too❤️
Anyone else feel that when they aren’t experiencing a theme that their ocd is almost non existent. It almost makes me feel like I’ve been faking it, and also makes me feel ridiculous for obsessing over things. I feel sorry for myself :/ I know that my themes are valid and felt very real in the moment, but after I “get over” them I just can’t believe that I was obsessing over something that either wasn’t true or didn’t apply to me. I would also like to know how to prevent themes from reoccurring. Health, religion and existential OCD themes tend to take turns throughout my life, I just didn’t know that was it ocd. Trying to break the cycle.
Hello all! Yesterday I had another event, and I recognized it immediately and was able to calm down a bit. Unfortunately it's still on my mind today, but I realize how absolutely silly it most likely is. Most people would shrug something like this off and move on; so I'm going to just move on. OCD really tries to grab and pull me away from experiencing life. Yes, unpleasant or gross things will happen, you will do those things, and there is no sense in hiding away in a locked room all day in fear of those things happening. If you do that, you miss life.
I was just thinking about how OCD tries to be tricky and switches themes on us!! The amount of times I have said to myself in the past, IF ONLY I HAD THE OLDER THEME I USE TO WORRY ABOUT BECAUSE THIS NEW ONE IS SO MUCH WORSE!!! Has anyone ever experienced this before? Once I started ERP therapy, I began to really start understanding what mental/physical compulsions I was doing to really keep my OCD alive! While I did this, I would also tap into my self-compassion bucket, even when it felt like it was dry at times, because it was SO easy to judge myself for because of the sheer presence of my thoughts. I would also have the most self-compassion for myself for those taboo intrusive thoughts that really felt so strong, ego-dystonic and real!!! My OCD would hop around from theme to theme and just when I thought I figured it out (compulsion) it would hop again and make me discouraged! I noticed for me that once I really understood my compulsions, it didn't matter when the theme switched as I could tackle it at its core. If I was able to stay steadfast and resist compulsions the best I could, I started to notice that my CONFIDENCE increased in the long run! I also noticed that some of the core fears were the same for different OCD subtypes. OCD treatment is hard BUT living with OCD is harder. I have experienced subtypes including Harm OCD, ROCD, Moral Scrupulosity, Sensorimotor, Contamination, Perfectionism/Just Right, Hit and Run, Magical Thinking, Real Event/False Memory. ERP therapy allowed me to really work on stopping these compulsions and switching from theme to theme. I was fed up with what OCD took from me and I needed to do something about it. I talked to an ERP therapist and it was one of the best decisions of my life. If you are struggling, keep pushing and get the help you deserve!! You got this!!!
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