How do you tell friends and family about ocd? Like it makes me so anxious and I feel like such a terrible person. A lot of my intrusive thoughts are on my kids. And I hate every single thing that comes into my head.
i feel u ❤️ First of all, you don't need to tell everyone (I say this because I also felt the urge to tell everyone at the beginning), but I didn't feel understood, and this only made me feel worse. Only tell those you know will understand and be there for you (I only talk openly about it with my husband). You're not alone, I'm 36 weeks pregnant and it's horrible to have these thoughts about children 🥺
I'm so glad you said that you don't need to tell people. That's so true.
@altair8800 I think this is also a compulsion, constantly seeking reassurance from people and expecting to feel understood... but unfortunately not everyone can understand us🥺
Everyone can relate to uncomfortable or unwelcome thoughts or images popping into their head. Most people can dismiss those thoughts easily and understand that they come from our worst fears. People with OCD tend to assign special significance to those thoughts and they can send them into a spiral that defies all logic, as if those thoughts have a deep meaning. We worry endlessly that they mean something about us. But really, just like anybody, the intrusive thoughts are just manifestations of our worst fears. So that's how I usually describe it.
I feel like its really common for a lot of us to feel this way. Certain ocd fears are difficult to talk about without feeling judgment. I experienced a lot of harm ocd, hit an run ocd was terrifying for me. I think general education is the best way to approach this. Perhaps you can find a really good video on YouTube that goes into ocd. Describing what an obessession is and compulsion. Also if you can find a video that goes into the subtype you are experiencing. You are not alone I always felt it was difficult to describe my thoughts. Sometimes finding the right words is hard. We are here for you. Side note its brave to discuss your fears and its admirable!
I feel like one of the worst things about ocd are the disturbing images or the ‘little movies’ that replay in your head over and over again. I have the worst sexual images with one of my family members that actually so bad that I can’t even look in the mirror. And it’s even worse that I have a lovely boyfriend and I’m so disgusted of myself that I feel like I don’t deserve him and I feel like I can’t be with him because of these thoughts, even he is the most precious thing in my life. These sexual images are so horrible and what makes it even worse that in these pictures I always see myself as someone who enjoys it. I know how to deal with this anymore. My mind is trying to convince me that that I actually like these images and thoughts and this is the hardest part, that I’m doubting myself. These images pop up in my head so naturally that I always question myself if I actually don’t like it why it comes so naturally or how can my brain picture things like this if I don’t like it. It’s getting worse day by day. It’s in my head 24/7, can’t concentrate on anything else, I can’t eat because I’m constantly throwing up. And my mom has to sleep with me every night because I’m so disturbed by my own mind. My parents know that there’s something wrong with me, they think I’m depressed but sadly It’s not something I can talk openly about with them. I’m seeing a therapist next week but I’m genuinely scared to open up about these thoughts that I’m having.
i’ve been dealing with this “thing” since i was 15. (i’m 23 now) if i have a bad memory that i have done when i was really young or just an intrusive thought i feel like i need to tell my mom or boyfriend. it’s been on and off ever since but since January hit it’s been an everyday thing about the littlest things. mostly about my relationship. an example is i was talking to someone random at my job and we were talking about taxes and when im in deep thought or just thinking i do a thing where i bite my lip (not in the sexual way) and i had a thought when it happened “was that sexual?” and i felt like i did something wrong and i went for a while thinking that until i told my boyfriend about it. or like my ex’s face has popped up in my head in the most inappropriate times and i feel the need that i have to tell him. (my ex was not a good person) i feel like im a prisoner in my head everyday, trying to justify thoughts or remind myself that its just a thought. i didnt know that this was or could be a form of ocd. it runs in my family but i’ve just never considered it being this. i always called it anxiety or depression but i always felt like it is more than that.
My OCD has become so bad and I feel so alone. I have religious OCD (Christianity) and I’ve been doing okay with letting the blasphemous thoughts go in the moment, but I’m so overcome with guilt and shame I can barely function. I can feel okay and hopeful for a few minutes and then I’m reminded of the horrible thoughts and how nothing can take them back and I can’t handle the guilt. I’m becoming a burden to my family and feel so alone. I do not know what to do. Please help.
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