Friendship OCD

OCD, and the theme of relationships/friendships within OCD can be so tricky. The thing about OCD is that it likes to latch on to the things we value and turn them into a source of anxiety, which can be so stressful and disheartening. But the good news is that we can work towards taking our life back from OCD through ERP (exposure response prevention). ERP is really the current gold standard treatment for OCD. The way OCD works is that it is a cycle- we get intrusive thoughts/images/feelings related to our obsessions, which causes our anxiety to go up. We want relief from that anxiety, so we engage in compulsions or safety behaviors, which do relieve our anxiety for a time. But the issue with engaging with these compulsions and safety behaviors is that the more times we do them, the more we are reinforcing the thoughts and anxiety which only makes the OCD worse. Exposures interrupt that cycle. We can't control our thoughts or emotions, but with practice we can control how we respond to them. By doing exposures, we sit with the feelings of anxiety and uncertainty without engaging in compulsions or safety behaviors. We ride the wave of our anxiety until it comes back down naturally. It is unpleasant and uncomfortable and scary- but it ultimately helps us fight back against our OCD. Generally with ERP you start with "smaller" exposures- addressing the less terrifying more manageable stuff first, and then work our way up to the "bigger" stuff. You are not alone. Best of luck to you in your journey! I know you said you don't have access to therapy at the moment which definitely sucks. I hope you get access to resources that can help you, and I hope my explanation was clear & somewhat helpful!! I'm happy to answer questions if you have them but keep in mind I am not a therapist, just someone who's been in a lot of treatment for OCD for many years . 🫶