My ocd kicks in so strong this tine of year. My teaching job ends for two months and my ocd moves in to make me miserable. I can and will get through this but it sucks so bad right now! In therapy but still it’s kicking my ass. Any thing besides just sitting with it??? It’s definitely in the drivers seat and I don’t like the way it’s driving! Also it’s exhausting
That kind of mental crash after structure disappears is something a lot of us feel, even without OCD — so with it, yeah, it can feel like a tidal wave. It makes sense that it’s hitting hard when you’re suddenly left with space and no daily rhythm to drown out the noise. If sitting with it feels unbearable, maybe give your brain something neutral to do. Not necessarily productive — just engaging enough to take the edge off. Puzzles, audiobooks, walking somewhere new, even volunteering once a week — not to escape, but to give OCD less empty air to fill. And hey, you’re allowed to be frustrated. OCD is relentless, even when you’re doing everything “right.” That doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong — it just means it’s loud right now. Ride it out, be angry, be tired, but don’t let it make you think you’re back at square one. You’re not.
@J-NOCD I just wanted to say that your reply was so spot on and a true blessing to me. I don’t know who you are or if you go through this but I cannot even begin to express my gratitude 💞💞💞
@vgb Yes, I go through this soooo often that it annoys the hell out of me. Throughout the past few months, I’ve been gaining a sense of control with myself—being more aware when my mood swifts or if I’m doing something with no thought and randomly hella thoughts come up—I make sure that I catch it. Then after that, I start my moving in little steps to navigate how to get out of that headspace in whatever setting I am in. It helps so much, but the main thing is to never act upon or feed into those thoughts that appear! That’s the main thing!!!! Like I said, we’re all not perfect. If we were then we would have one conscious. The battle between your sub conscious and conscious can be overwhelming, but figuring out which is your sub & which one is your actual one, helps beyond measures!
bonsoir comment allez vous j'espère que je ne vous dérange pas du tout c'est toujours bizarre d'envoyer message a quelqu'un que on ne connait pas tu sais ma présence sur votre profil c'est que je suis nouvelle sur le site donc je veux me faire des nouveaux amis si cela ne vous dérange pas vous pouvez me laisser un message privé et me laisser une invitation ☺♥
I was overwhelmed with the free time too and didn’t know what to do despite being able to do more. I have been making an hourly schedule and trying to stick with it as much as I can but not compulsively. I needed more structure. I added in hobbies and time to read and am adjusting as I see what I like/enjoy and don’t. Kind of like behavior activation for depression. The free time was making me miserable too. You’re not alone.
@S.Y. Thanks. I really appreciate your words. It’s as if when you are feeling well that ocd is just a foreign concept, but when it resurfaces it’s always so darn hard to deal with. I’ve been here so many times before but it always hurts.
@vgb You’re welcome. I’m just starting so looking forward to feeling well more often. The ebb and flows are hard. I feel like my therapist would bring up value driven activities. Maybe there is something you can’t do during the school year you can now? Sorry you’re having a hard time.
@S.Y. Again thanks. It’s so nice to have people who get it but at the same time I’m sorry you and everyone else on this platform have to struggle w ocd
@vgb You’re welcome. I feel the same way.
@vgb bonsoir comment allez vous j'espère que je ne vous dérange pas du tout c'est toujours bizarre d'envoyer message a quelqu'un que on ne connait pas tu sais ma présence sur votre profil c'est que je suis nouvelle sur le site donc je veux me faire des nouveaux amis si cela ne vous dérange pas vous pouvez me laisser un message privé et me laisser une invitation ☺♥
I understand that it can be hard when we do not have a routine or maybe feel isolated. I am sort of dealing with that right now and my OCD feels VERY loud lol. I am trying to find bits of joy and do a lot of self care and therapy.
@Court Self care is a good idea. What works for you in that department? And thanks for being here too
@Court Thanks. I really appreciate your words. It’s as if when you are feeling well that ocd is just a foreign concept, but when it resurfaces it’s always so darn hard to deal with. I’ve been here so many times before but it always hurts.
@vgb - thats actually so true. I have been thinking lately like "wow, my OCD felt so far away before almost as if I never had it" and now I'm like okay I remember this....this sucksssss
@vgb - I need to move my body so that even if I dont feel well inside I at least know I am trying to take care of my body. So yoga, jogging, walking is something I do. Spending time with friends helps take my mind off things too and talking to my siblings. I also started a painting class that I love. I bet you can find some small ways to help yourself
@Court Thanks!!!!
bonsoir comment allez vous j'espère que je ne vous dérange pas du tout c'est toujours bizarre d'envoyer message a quelqu'un que on ne connait pas tu sais ma présence sur votre profil c'est que je suis nouvelle sur le site donc je veux me faire des nouveaux amis si cela ne vous dérange pas vous pouvez me laisser un message privé et me laisser une invitation ☺♥
I work part time during the summer to help me. During the pandemic I didn't have the option so I volunteered a couple of times a week.
My last and almost life long theme/sub-theme largely subsided recently and my ocd felt like it wasn’t even an issue. Then I went on winter break from uni and being alone made my mind come up with a whole new topic to obsess over. TLDR on my fears, my advisor wouldn’t email me back for a while about signing up for classes so my mind started to worry “what if he doesn’t in time and you can’t enroll this semester and you lose this whole life you just built and all these new friends” So when that issue was resolved my mind found other scarier ways I could be uprooted from my current life and friends that I’ve grown so attached to. Then my mind remembered back when I was struggling with false memories and scrupulosity and I essentially made a post on a forum 2 and a half years ago saying I did something or was convinced I did something that I never actually did. Now I’ve been spiraling about someone finding it reporting me and I either get seen as a horrible person or arrested or something over something I never actually did but “admitted” to out of fear of going to hell. My mind won’t let it go and keeps finding new reasons for it to be “valid” “logical” or even inevitable. I feel like it’s just hanging over my head and I can never rest easy. Especially when I try to focus on my daily tasks or plan for the future I get this horrible flair up of “why plan for the future when this could come back in that future and you get uprooted from all of it” my mind won’t rest without certainty being uprooted won’t happen but certainty doesn’t exist, at least not with ocd. This sucks and I miss being care free.
As the Chief Clinical Officer at NOCD, I like to check in with our community when we enter a new season, especially knowing how OCD responds to change. The arrival of spring can bring many changes—longer days, increased activity, and breaks from school or work. These shifts from the pace of winter can be refreshing, but they can also affect our energy, emotions, and stress levels. As a result, OCD symptoms tend to ebb and flow during this season, just as they can during any time of change. I encourage you to pause and check in with yourself in these early days of spring. If you're noticing OCD feeling more intense, know that you're not alone. Instead of judging these feelings, try to focus on how you respond to them—because no matter how OCD is showing up, there are tools and support to help you through it. Here in the NOCD Community, you're surrounded by people who relate, who care, and who are rooting for you. I hope you'll lean on your support system and seek care if you're feeling stuck or overwhelmed. Therapy can be a powerful way to gain skills for navigating life's changes, and our team is always here when you're ready to take the next step. Have you noticed any changes in your OCD as we enter spring? How are you managing them?
i’m in college and on my summer break now. i don’t have a job yet or much to occupy myself with and im finding it really difficult to keep my ocd under control. if i have nothing to do, i find myself sitting around and ruminating heavily and getting severely anxious and my thoughts just keep wandering. i don’t really feel peace of mind unless im with my boyfriend or my best friend, both of which i don’t get to see often because they’re very busy or live far away. im not sure how to keep myself busy and how to occupy my brain with something other than worries :(
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