How do we just ignore this?

I think I’m in another OCD episode but this time it feels so different even though when I read my old posts I’m describing the same thing somehow that doesn’t register in my brain and I feel like I haven’t ever felt this way before. Even the obsessions are the same but it feels like it’s more threatening because of this feeling that it’s different. When my obsessions take over it also feels like I’m almost in a trance or like I’m not really present, I’m just in a bubble of panic that I can’t control and I don’t feel like the same person I am when I’m not in an OCD episode. I know the way to actually get out of this is to accept all the feelings and continue doing things normally instead of giving in to the avoidance and compulsions and I’ve even successfully done it before but how am I supposed to ignore the sense of impending doom and the distressing thoughts that make me feel like I’m not in my body and the feeling that it’s different and it’s dangerous? Does anyone else feel these things and have tips on how to accept it? I don’t want to be sucked back in to how bad I know this can get, I want to try to get out of it sooner than previous times.

j vv

Date posted: 19h

Hi frannyb 👋 I can tell from your writing that this is feeling terribly overwhelming and scary. 🫂 You’re doing a great job at being aware of your symptoms! What I am hearing is a lot of fear—fear of slipping into old patterns, fear that OCD has morphed into something you cannot control, and fear that you will lose control of your body. These are all terrifying concepts, and any of them may or may not be true. Living with this uncertainty is hard, but if you can, lean into it. What helps me when I’m in the middle of an OCD storm is a simple question I learned in therapy: “where are your feet?” I feel where my toes are and what they are feeling. Socks? Carpet? Flooring? Immediately, I begin to become grounded in the present moment. I start to check in with how other parts of my body are feeling (what are my fingertips feeling? Is there a slight breeze I wasn’t paying attention to?). Soon, I’m noticing and being grateful for my surroundings instead of lost in a rush of anxiety and intrusive thought. I’m calmer. A 5-10 minute pause like this that is full of intentional curiosity and wonder helps me reduce the anxiety and dread substantially! It takes the *urgency* to act compulsively out of OCD and helps me think clearly. On really bad days, I intentionally move slower and more mindfully from task to task, making sure to pause if I am overwhelmed. I’ve seen so many benefits of this—I’ve improved at it over time, and I enjoy my life moment-to-moment so much more! Small details like sunbeams and the beautiful view from my window bring me so much joy that I was missing when rushed about by OCD. It might be very tough today, and that is ok. Keep doing your best and being thankful for yourself for sticking with it!💜

Hi_1

Date posted: 24w

Advice?

I’ve been stuck in this cycle for the last month or two and am not sure how to get out of it. Basically, I will work on ignoring the thoughts and not responding or engaging plus limiting/completely eliminating compulsions. After a week or two of constant work, the amount of intrusive thoughts in a day goes down. The anxiety each thought causes also goes down with some, but not all, thoughts passing without notice like they would for a normal person. The thoughts that do stick cause anxiety and make me want to ruminate or do other compulsions but I make sure to limit them. After a bit, I’m in a pretty good head space. This is usually when it goes down hill. I’ll start to question if I even have ocd because some of the thoughts (once again not all) pass without notice. The difficulty resisting compulsions goes down and so does the anxiety, only increasing the questioning. I spend a while questioning if I’ve ever had ocd in the first place and then something sets me off or the questioning itself becomes a trigger and I get stuck back into the same ocd cycle with constant rumination, anxiety, and other compulsions. This lasts for a week or two before I know I need to stop and try and work hard to get back to ignoring the thoughts. And the cycle just restarts over and over again. Does anyone have any tips to stop this from happening? It’s really harming my recovery as every few weeks I dive back into the same negative place I was.

Holl1

Date posted: 24w

OCD

I’ve tried living in the uncertainty today & kept myself busy but I can’t shake this feeling that I’m about to lose control & act on my thoughts. I keep feeling like I need to check in to see how I feel & keep my self safe & when I’m near my trigger it feels like I’m being pulled into doing it & feels like I want to but I’m not using compulsions. My thoughts feel like my own & feeling like I’ll be like this forever. Can someone relate or give advice 😩

Harm OCD

issphra 🫶🏻

Date posted: 21w

I feel like I am OCD

It is not the thoughts or urges that scare me anymore. It is the way I feel like I’ve absorbed the compulsions into my identity :( I am doing them so automatically that it feels like I am choosing them freely and they’re me. and because of that, it feels like I AM the OCD now, not just someone with OCD. I think I’m just deeply trapped in a loop. I was trying to survive unbearable fear so I started scanning. Then I started pre-scanning. Then checking if I pre-scanned. Then I check how I feel during all that. I run to beat my OCD to the “punchline” (intrusive thought, urge, sensation) because I’m so scared all the time. So scared that I don’t even feel it anymore. I feel numb and all that’s left is this jittery residue and numbness. Now it’s all tangled together in a huge knot. I feel so extremely lost. I think this may just be meta OCD, but I’ve never ever felt so gone before :( I’m really scared.

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Share your thoughts so the Community can respond

How do we just ignore this?

Related posts

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Be a part of the largest OCD Community