Trying to not feed emotions makes me feed it more

Its weird but its true. I try to notice emotions and not feed it but when I try the not feeding it part I feed it more. And i get angry cause it feels like its automatic cause I try to stop it but it gets worse. I say to myself stop feeding it then that gets triggered and now im in a cycle trying to tell myself not to feed the emotion. It was the same today with anger. I told myself to leave it alone and then more anger came and i told myself not to feed it and then more came, and it took my focus. I understand that its normal that it gets stronger but for me it goes to the depressive way where the thoughts are so dark that it takes away my focus... It gets me more triggered. What can I do about this. Also noticing every emotion like these responses too feels exhausting cause they come and go and noticing it just makes them stay... Also I heard it helps to ask yourself kindly why do you feel this emotions, I always get lost in more pain and shame if i ask myself that

User type: Therapist

Date posted: Yesterday

That sounds incredibly frustrating and aggravating PRIV8! It's really hard to just try to avoid "feeding" these emotions without having something to do rather than feeding them (because unfortunately if we don't have the other skills, then we're unintentionally going to wind up feeding them). It absolutely can be very exhausting at times trying to manage triggers, while still trying to live our lives. You deserve to be proud of your efforts, though! You're doing really hard things! Are you currently working with someone here at NOCD? We specialize in helping with these very situations. If not, would you be interested in going through the intake call to learn more?

PRIV8

Date posted: Yesterday

And i forgot to add that many times i try to calm myself down, then a huge respons comes that says no im not okay and then i go to that path. Like im intentionally choosing to feel bad. I reject to feel better. Idk why, i want to feel better

Piggy23

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: Yesterday

Trying not to think about it can make it worse. Acknowledge the thought/feeling and keep responding over to it over and over again like "I don't want to give this attention right now, or I'm choose not to give this thought attention right now. I don't need to figure this out right now. Nothing I do will give me 100% certainty." Eventually the thoughts/feelings are going to lose intensity and you'll engage less with them. I know it's hard but keep standing up for yourself and don't let those thoughts bully you around. You cannot help thoughts or emotions.

PRIV8

Date posted: Yesterday

But i have automatic depressive thoughts or anxious thoughts that makes it worse and i want to stop those too. Or the judging. Its jjst automatic. I tried to just sit with them but I just felt worse and start to feel depressed

PRIV8

Date posted: Yesterday

@PRIV8 It latches to anything if i say I wont feed this then i feel like im avoiding or im doing something bad and if feel that, it just feeds itself

PRIV8

Date posted: Yesterday

@PRIV8 Im feeling like im pushing away emotions if i do that and then i feel guilt

Chels0212

Date posted: 22w

Intrusive thoughts

I struggle so bad with intrusive thoughts. They can be so bad that I'll cry because I KNOW that's not how I feel or want to do. (Too embarrassed to say what they're about) I'll constantly try to figure out why I have them, and constantly figure out what they mean, causing me to constantly circle around and around. I had to get on anxeity meds, which helped a little but the thoughts still happen. How do you help yourself with this? How do you know that you're just not some physcopath? 😅

Young adults with OCD

issphra 🫶🏻

Date posted: 20w

I don’t know what this is. Help please?

Two things are happening: I get thoughts that just keep looping. They almost feel like song stuck in my head. Also, I’ll imagine something and I feel my stomach drop. Then as the seconds go by I keep getting fragments of the this thought but with different details. For example, it’s kinda like how a “vision” is portrayed. I’ll get a glimpse of the thought and then it’ll rapidly expand into something worse every few seconds. I don’t know if I’m causing this or if it’s just an automatic thing like any other intrusive thought. It feels unavoidable, idk if this is a compulsion or if it’s just another manifestation of an intrusive thought. Apart from that remembering an intrusive thought triggers the full thought again and then it just keeps looping or expanding. I don’t know how to stop any of this. Help?

Andi 🤓☝️

Date posted: 11w

What is this?

Recently ive been getting very scared to even be angry bc of the horrible thoughts I have and it feels even more real when I'm angry or even annoyed. Rn I was not even super annoyed at my neice but I felt a twinge of annoyance since she went up to my face and was yelling at me while I was resting on the bed and I got this image of doing something bad to her and I felt my hand twitch very little. I got nervous and felt relieved when her dad told her to stop screaming for no reason. I've been hyperfocusing on my bodily reactions (mainly my hands or how I'm feeling like did I just enjoy that? Was I considering???) And I've noticed the small twitches whenever I'm mad or annoyed and it's scaring me so bad! Like do I want to act out? Am I holding back??? I used to not even twitch at all when mad and I felt 100% sure I'll never act out but now it feels like I don't know bc what do these twitches mean?, I do know I don't want to ever act out but it's so scary. Recently whenever I feel angry once the argument is over I cry really bad after I'm alone and I pray so i never want or act out. And when the annoyance passes I also feel so guilty and want to stay away. Im scared these are real urges and i research for many many hours to make sure they arent urges or impulses and i also tend to ask chatgpt or here if the anxiety gets so bad 😕

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Trying to not feed emotions makes me feed it more

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