Hi, so I’ve recently found out that asking for reassurance isn’t a good way to help OCD (that’s understandable), and I was wondering to what extent is reassurance bad? Eg, reassuring yourself that things will be okay, or that some of the things you obsess over are untrue and aren’t helpful things to think about? I probably sound a little stupid so apologies! I’m just unsure as to what is healthy and what is not! (Sorry if this is confusing, I have just splatted my thoughts down!)

You don't sound stupid at all.. this is a very important topic. Here's a great article on seeking reassurance for OCD. Hopefully some other people can give their input on this too! https://ocdla.com/reassurance-seeking-ocd-anxiety-1952

Think about this way: everytime you seek reassurance, you are temporarily reducing your anxiety and making the “OCD beast” grow stronger. So while it may help you feel better in the short term, all you are doing is completing the OCD cycle. Soon enough, another obsession/thought/trigger will occur and you’ll be desperately needing that anxiety-reducing reassurance once again. What if you can’t get reassurance at that time, then what are you going to do? It’s so important to learn how to face fears on your own, deal with the anxiety on your own, and accept the uncertainty/doubt that comes with it. This is how you can really recover and start living life regardless of the OCD being there or not.

My psychologists told me to use “self talk” which is a form of self reassurance. I’m confused too!

You’re fine dear! Reassurance is a big compulsion of mine and many others. A lot of times the ones like reassurance and rumination don’t seem like compulsions but sadly they are. In a sense a little reassurance can go a long way with ocd, I think the occasional “it’s all okay” while having an anxiety attack is normal and natural, especially if it’s a bad one, but if it’s stuff like “no I love my partner, no I’m not gay” etc. those are what you could call the “bad” ones. If that makes sense

Many psychologists who don’t understand OCD make it worse

Reassurance can make your ocd grow really severe