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Thank you for your reply! I think you might be right — maybe my exposure is turning into a compulsion. Basically, my intrusive thoughts are sexual or “dare-type” thoughts that tell me things like “look at that person” or “I dare you to look at the manager.” So when I do exposure, I try to look normally at people instead of avoiding them, but sometimes I’m not sure if I’m doing it to face the fear or to prove something to myself. For example, when I’m at work, my manager’s office is near mine, and sometimes I feel a lot of pressure. My brain says “don’t look” or “look now,” and I’m stuck between both. I’m trying to learn how to look normally without turning it into a ritual or making people uncomfortable. Does that sound like a compulsion to you? And how can I tell when an exposure becomes a ...

And also, challenges — sometimes they’re not dangerous, sometimes they’re inappropriate. Sometimes I feel relief when I avoid a challenge, and other times I feel anxious. I feel anxious when I do the challenge, so I’m confused.

@Anonymous Don’t be afraid to look at people but it’s also very important to not argue with your intrusive thoughts For example if an intrusive thoughts comes and says look at that person perhaps inappropriately then just go about your day doing the work. Another important question is do you feel uncomfortable when just regularly looking at someone? If so is it because of the intrusive thoughts?

--- Yes, I understand what you’re talking about. You can read my comments — they are above. Sometimes I feel that my situation is somewhat complicated. Regarding classical exposure… I always tell myself to focus on it. Also, the place where I work — because I had exposures there — was considered by me as the second most anxiety-provoking place.