the past 3 ish weeks have been an ocd flare but one i can't seem to get out of anxiety has been high so i think it's time i speak about upping my medication see if that's what will help me. having to deal with thoughts and anxiety and just the ocd loop in general has been so tough for me kinda makes me feel like i wont be free from this loop
When I was extra stressed, it was useful to up my medication
@Tea and Honey i'm hoping it'll help me if they up them
Good afternoon, Thank you for sharing what you're experiencing. Could you share with me what you have been doing to help with the anxiety spikes? Maybe I could provide some other recommendations also. Speaking to your provider is definitely something I would recommend. It is possible that medication management / dosage change may be in order but you never want to make that change on your own. It is a great idea to reach out to the provider and share with them your distress and experiences the past few weeks!
@Ursula Wright i've tried telling my self this is just ocd, thoughts and anxiety, deep breathing keeping active nothing just seems to help reduce the anxiety
@NaggingOCD - It sounds like youâve been carrying a heavy load lately, and I want you to know that what youâre experiencing is a common part of living with OCD. The loop can feel endless at times, but reaching out and considering adjustments to your treatment is a sign of strength. One thing I will note, keeping active to "avoid" the anxiety may actually be making the anxiety worse. Have you attended ERP therapy before? If so, you may remember that keeping our mind busy sometimes can worsen anxiety because you are trying to avoid the thoughts. Part of ERP therapy teaches us that the thoughts are going to be there no matter what we do. It's sort of like, an elephant in the room that someone says "don't look at it." There's no way to "not look at the intrusive thoughts" that come into our minds and day. Accepting that they will come ... and eventually they will go, can be huge to moving forward day to day without fear. Maybe something like "this is OCD and it really sucks, however, OCD is a bully trying to make my life miserable. I'm not going to fight the way it makes me feel, I'm just going to let the anxiety be present and carry it with me today and go do my life focused on what's important to me and allow the discomfort to be there also." Then picture you throwing that anxiety in your pocket and taking it with you wherever you go. In this way YOU are in control of what you are doing with the thoughts and anxiety. If you continue to struggle and need more assistance, remember that help is available. Please donât hesitate to reach out to us at NOCD to find out how we can support you. Also here are some helpful resources: https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/benefits-of-deep-breathing-exercises-8-exercises-to-get-started/ https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/severe-ocd/
@Ursula Wright thankyou, i'm going to try the "maybe" saying and continue with what i'm doing see if that's any help along with the mindful breathing
@NaggingOCD - I'm very proud of your resolve. I know this is hard. If you cannot attend therapy you may look for some books online that could provide guidance and maybe some additional tools. There are OCD and ERP workbooks and books that may help. I hope the best for you. Feel free to reach out at any time for support at NOCD!
@Ursula Wright thankyou for reaching out, unfortunately i can't have nocd therapist im in the uk
@NaggingOCD - You're so welcome. I did want you to know that NOCD does offer therapy in the UK. We are not able to take UK insurance, but if a person has the means they can cash pay for therapy. Just wanted to let you know. :)
my therapist isnt avaible for a this week and this weeks been hell, cant focus, i keep getting stuck in my thoughts, if i predict something will happen and it doesnt, my brain gets stuck on what if it did and then my obession keeps going, i keep trying to not pay attention or let go of my thoughts but feels like im in a trance when the thoughts come up and feels hard to snap out of it. also since my ocd is to the point of disability (despite social security keeps denying me) i cant go out much and my fears have been getting more and more dehabilitating and i dont know how to properly fix it, i dont know the right way to respond to these thoughts, i dont know how to let go, its just been super rough and demoralizing...
man these few weeks have been so hard. iâm in the process of getting diagnosed with ocd, im almost positive i have it because everything on here relates to me on an insane level. but im just so scared dude. these thoughts of me harming someone are so scary and im so scared im gonna eventually act on them and i know i never want to but its still so scary. like sometimes when i talk to my mom about it i think in the back of my head âyou know you want toâ when i dont, and it makes me think or gets me scared that i do. these thoughts literally just happened out of nowhere and it messes me up so bad my literal perspective on life in general is just messed up. like i view life as its more common to be a bad person and its rare/hard to be good. can someone please just pray for me or just wish me better days. i dont even like looking at myself anymore and im scared i give off creepy vibes to myself or others now, this sucks so much
I am having an appointment with my psychiatrist this afternoon and I am obsessing about what to do with my medication. I think itâs also very ocd like obsessing. I am currently on 30mg mirtazapine. Ive been on this for years (because of insomnia, anxiety and depression) (15mg) and after we tried to switch to another (amitryptiline) because of nerve pain, I went down the road of insomnia and later on ocd again. So I am back on mirtazapine, and weaning off of the amitryptiline. This is/was a very traumatic experience. Because the switch caused a mental breakdown. Now my psychiatrist has mentioned to up the mirtazapine to 45mg. And my obsessive self has done a lot of research and a lot is saying that the higher the dose, the more you can experience anxiety. And for ocd itâs obviously not the first choice. I am obsessing all morning about it. I am too scared to go up. But I am also too scared to try another and to wean myself of off mirtazapine. I feel stuck at this point. Taking two meds is also not something I want. I could really use some words of encouragement right now I think. đ„č
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