Flare-up around holidays

Do you have any favorite NERs? I personally like “yep, OCD, maybe I did maybe I didn’t” or “yep, OCD, that would really suck. I’m going to be extra gentle with myself while I experience these thoughts and feelings.”

Ur welcome😊 If I have time later today or tonight, I may want to write a post about that idea to help my OCD. Hope you have an an easier day today.

Hi …I don’t have ROCD …so I’m not sure if my idea will help you but here goes….what if you after you get the thought that you kissed the worker from Target, you ask yourself something like …was he a good kisser or try to remember how he reacted to your kissing him ? Because if you actual did kiss him wouldn’t you remember what happened right after the kiss or wouldn’t you remember if he says something back to you ? Which he would not have because it is the OCD part of brain playing tricks on you. So what if you ask yourself questions like that right after you think you kissed him and then when there is no answer you say right back to the OCD …sorry I know I didn’t kiss him…don’t worry OCD I know I didn’t kiss him. And even if OCD says back but are you sure what if you did…you say again …don’t worry I know i didn’t. If you actually did kiss him you would remember what it felt like too wouldn’t you ? Again im not sure how these intrusive thoughts work …do you just have that one thought of did I kids him ….or do you already have other detailed thoughts and doubts about the imaginary kiss…can the OCD also trick you and also tell you what the worker said back? Gosh I really don’t like OCD. Which me trying to help you with your trigger is reminding me of an clever idea I had as a more positive way to look at and help my OCD me. It will take some time to explain my brilliant approach…so hopefully when I get more time I will write a post explaining my idea. Ok back to your situation….

It’s hard to explain thru text what the advice I just gave you …texting is tough. So I hope my advice made sense. My primary theme is contamination OCD so my triggers are almost always tangible objects that are really there that I have to walk near.. like a garbage dumpster for example. Well so maybe I do get some intrusive thoughts that then cause me to feel contaminated. Like if I throw my garbage bag in the dumpster even tho I know I didn’t touch the dumpster because I stand outside the gate and throw the bag from a few feet away from the dumpster …OCD Makes doubt that I was far away from it and makes me think maybe I touched the dumpster or what if something splashed out from the dumpster onto me…and even tho my friend told me “yuk don’t jump” meaning nothing is jumping out of the dumpster onto me, my OCD me will make me think that something could have got on me or OCD will think I touched the dumpster. So I guess those would be the intrusive thoughts in my dumpster story. I say what if I did touch it or what if I got too close and garbage particles jumped onto me? Then if I ask my friend for reassurance she would say “what are the chances” something got on you …and then she says even if something did get on you…just say “who cares” I haven’t been able to tackle the dumpster trigger…I had my boyfriend drive here to put my garbage out for a long time …but we broke up …then I tried to do it myself but it takes me 8 hours from start …to finish between putting protective clothing and gloves on etc…to decontaminating my apartment after I go to dumpster. and then to shower. So now I pay my neighbors son to put my garbage out…which is the best money I ever spent …it is saving me so much time and energy and dramatically reducing my anxiety about the garbage. The dumpster is too big of an exposure to tackle right now …I need to start with small exposures and work my way up to conquering the bigger ones. OCD is so difficult to live with …I feel your pain. So I get how you could think maybe you kissed the target worker …just like I could think maybe I touched the dumpster or got too close to it. I could talk about this for hours but I really need to go to Sleep now …and now I’m behind on my tasks I need to do in order to get to bed because I’m taking alot of time to write these posts. Hopefully my advice made sense to you about asking the questions after you get the thought that you kissed the target worker. If you have any questions or want to discuss this more with me …I will look back when I get a chance to go back on this app and then answer you back. We have to start talking back to the OCD instead of saying “what if” Maybe if I say “I know I didn’t touch the dumpster” and you say “I know I didn’t kiss the target worker”. AND when OCD says back to us “What if I did ….” We say “i know I did not touch the dumpster because I would have physically felt it. And you would say “I know I didn’t kiss the worker because I would have physically felt it. Then we say “what are the chances I touched it …and “who cares even if I did And you say “what are the chances I kissed the worker …and who cares if I did” We can say “OCD you are robbing me of precious time by Worrying about stupid dumpsters Or imaginary kisses in the target parking lot” and then say “OCD I am done worrying about this ..STOP…and then I’m going to say Jesus please help me…give me peace” I don’t know if you believe in Jesus. But it helps me to ask Jesus to help me. I hope I helped you in some way That was my intention…and in trying to relate to your story with my dumpster fears …you helped me 😊