- Date posted
- 11w
Horrible week.
Triggered 7 days ago. No relief yet. Suggestions please, Im running on fumes now from fatigue, on ways to reduce my mental stress?
Triggered 7 days ago. No relief yet. Suggestions please, Im running on fumes now from fatigue, on ways to reduce my mental stress?
Wait, I actually have a whole document. Ill copy paste it! When Starting to Spiral: 1. Recognize I am spiraling and having intrusive thoughts 2. Label though or action as a compulsion (example: the action of washing hands, the thought of mentally checking if I did anything immoral that would align with intrusive thought) 3. Set a small timer to stop doing the compulsion (example: don’t wash hands for five minutes, don’t mentally review for five minutes), then gradually increase that time as it becomes more manageable (push yourself also) 4. Engage in the present and continue what I was doing while not engaging in compulsion; take deep breathes; distract myself; do NOT engage with intrusive thought or try to sneak in a compulsion by asking if they’re rational or not 5. Do compulsion when you can’t wait anymore but set a limit on it (Wash hand three times INSTEAD of five times), then accept being uncomfortable and tolerating it Saying When I Have Intrusive Thought: Thought about contamination: “Maybe I will get sick, maybe I won’t. I don’t know.” “Maybe that doorknob did have germs, maybe it doesn’t. It’s not an emergency.” “Everyone touches doorknobs. This is a compulsion. Not an emergency.” Thoughts about POCD “Maybe I am a bad person, maybe I’m not.” “I don’t have to believe this thought.” “I can observe this thought without having to label it as good or bad; it’s just a thought. I’m going to let it exist and not do anything.” Thoughts about general intrusive thoughts: “Hi intrusive thought!” “That’s so silly.” “Hmm, that’s something.” Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable Do's-- Sit with an intrusive thought without labeling it as good or bad Sit with an intrusive thought without trying to think about if it's true or not Sit with an intrusive thought without judging it, just let it be there Sit with an intrusive thought without engaging with it and move on Sit with an intrusive thought and don’t try to become more comfortable, be uncomfortable Don'ts-- Don’t label is as moral or immoral, that’s attaching value, and you focus on it Don’t say “That thought is so wrong and disgusting!” even if it's with something ethically wrong; that’s attaching meaning. Just sit with it without judging. Don’t try to think about if it’s true or not; it’s a thought and that’s all it is and will ever be Don’t try to lessen the fact you’re uncomfortable, that comes naturally with tolerance Needing to Ruminate if Severely Triggered: Set a time for twenty minutes, two times a day, then let yourself overthink, review, check, panic, cry, etc., for twenty minutes. Once the timer is off and your brain wants to go back to reviewing, doing compulsions, or checking, simply say “I need to wait until my second set time to do that.” If it wasn’t already resolved in those twenty minutes with whatever you did to “fix” it, then it can’t be resolved for extra hours ruminating with a fictional thought that holds no meaning. NEVER set an extra timer. For example: You only get three and you should only be working down to one a day, NEVER four. Distractions: TV Childhood show Gameplay AVOID Tik Tok and shorts Video games Something that you have to think quickly (FPS, cooking game, etc.) Something with repetition (but stop if you get too into the rhythm your= thought start to drift) Avoid games that make you question morals Reading fluff Avoid content that contains themes Physical Go for a run Lift something heavy a lot Go sit on swings Scream into pillow Punch something
No ideas but I’m in the same place. Not eating, constant tachycardia, terror and sense of doom. Sorry you’re there with me
@itsmehi17 Ok. Ty
@Greenjellybean Are you in treatment?
@itsmehi17 Just re started therapy. Stopped several years ago but because of my medical groups business practices. Having a bad time now. Out of desperation giving it another try. Fingers crossed.
Practice saying "Maybe or maybe not" when your OCD is trying to make you look for certainty! You will never get certainty and accepting uncertainty is the best thing you can do!
im getting so annoyed i cant stop thinking about time and death and everything how do i stay present and cope literally almost everything is triggering me its been weeks it feels like everything is moving so slow yet so fast and i can feel every second and i keep getting random memories of things i usually wouldn’t even remember they aren’t bad but its just another reminder of time passing and the only thing that helped just enough is xanax but i cant keep taking it every day cause i dont wanna get addicted i need like natures xanax or something how do i produce the same effect a xan gives without taking one for the love of god bro as soon as i think its getting better i start spiraling an hour later and wont be able to stop and its making me feel like i need to go to a psych hospital or something but then i feel like what if im not bad enough to go to one
I’ve been feeling a little bit better these past few days but today it’s been very stressful for me having a lot of hard thoughts and unable to release tension mentally giving me a headache and feelings of panic. Having a hard time connecting with reality. Any ideas or suggestions on how to grab myself and release tension?
i am nearly constantly extremely anxious and i don't want to live like this. my family and friends are so done dealing with me to the point that i feel that i'd be better off completely alone. every small twinge or pain in my body sends me into a panic, and if it's not that it's something else i manage to be worrying over. i'm fairly certain my stress has caused an ulcer to form. i try to sit with myself and not seek reassurance/check myself for issues but it is genuinely agonizing at times. most days i sleep 12-14 hours a day because it gets to a point that i cannot deal with it anymore and i take something to sleep. sometimes i do feel that i would be better off just not around so i wouldn't have to feel this any longer. i do a lot of unhealthy things to cope (drinking, smoking, and otc sleeping pills being the main culprits) and those habits end up hurting me in the long run and making me more anxious. i do have a counselor and she is great but i'm having a really hard time finding a medication provider under my insurance. i really really do want to get better because this is the most miserable i have ever been and i hate being like this and exhausting myself and the people around me. i've been told a big part of the healing process is to make yourself sit with your thoughts and deal with the uncertainty and fear as it comes, but it feels torturous to do that. sometimes reading through these posts does make me feel better knowing that i'm not alone but lately i have been unable to pull myself out of this frantic state. what are some healthier ways to cope/distract yourself that you guys find to be at least semi-effective? i am genuinely willing to try anything to make this terrible feeling go away
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