Question

@j vv Thank you for sharing. I get real interested in other peoples themes! OCD really knows how to attack everything lol. That sky diving feeling is so real lol. I be feeling that shit whenever I start ruminating and I get absolutely terrified. I’m honestly so grateful for this app. I remember before I downloaded it I felt so alone with this disorder I didn’t realize that there’s so many people going through this shit …. reading your story makes me feel in a sense that we’re all connected through this! How long have you been in recovery and what made you seek help if you don’t mind me asking?

@Rrego1500 You’re definitely not alone! What was a huge breakthrough for me was learning in therapy that OCD is essentially just an overactive fear center in the brain. It’s doing way more in normal situations than it should…so you have to train it to “normalize” by walking into the jaws of your worst fears over and over until it realizes “oh, we’re totally ok…got it, adjusting fear levels to normal for next time”. I hit rock bottom when I was unable to open my blinds or leave my house due to the overwhelming fear—I started failing at work, all of my relationships…fear completely shut down my life. I’ve been in therapy for a year now and have had a 70% reduction in symptoms and have squashed pretty much all physical compulsions…it’s the mental compulsions that I’m still working on! If you do your very best in therapy, you might be surprised how quickly you can get better. It is hard work, but the amazing news is that OCD is very treatable and manageable!

@j vv Me reading this while fulling fucking triggered at work right now. 😔 I swear days like today all I wanna do is go home and lay in bed, the fear could be so intense, anxiety really does a number on the body but I still get up and go to work every day! All I wanna do is get better, not force it but just keep chipping away at my core fear. I know it’s not an over night thing but I always tell myself “slowly but surely” Thank you for sharing and also thanks for the advice.

@Rrego1500 Keep pushing in therapy. OCD makes any small downturn look like sliding off into hell…don’t believe it! There are ups and downs, but things do get better by consistently doing ERP guided by a therapist (in my experience).