Does anyone feel the need to “reset” their life

This may be a trigger for some so I’ve marked it, but I feel the need to “reset” my life when my triggers become too much. What I mean by this is that I’ll have these phases where things are going “perfectly” and I’m almost doing something every second throughout the day that feels productive to me. What leads to this phase is me resetting my life after going through an “imperfect” phase where I’ll completely shut down, binge eat, not go to classes, not shower, not brush my teeth, basically the exact opposite of how I want to be. This phase will typically last a week or two at most while the “perfection” phase will last around the same time, but there have been times where it has lasted months which has given me hope, but it always ends the same way. My way of “resetting” my life consists of making sure everything is clean, clearing out my entire phone, making sure everything is “in order”, and finally performing some sort of ritual that seems like the silliest thing I’ve ever done, such as pretending I’ve woken up on an entirely different planet or slightly burning myself with a flame like I’ve just been reset. I want to find a middle ground, and I feel that this app is the first step for me, does anyone else have this feeling?

Juliette26

Date posted: Yesterday

I definitely experience this as well. Unfortunately, I have been stuck in the rut since I began college. When I started my first semester I didn't know I had OCD, so I was terrible at prepping or fully understanding the transition. Since then I got a diagnosis, but can not seem to drag myself out of the mess. I want to do well, and put my life together but every time I try I spiral harder. I am glad im not the only one experiencing this, thank you for sharing.

Michael Wilbert

Date posted: Yesterday

@Juliette26 This makes me feel better, my OCD has definitely gotten worse since I’ve started college, I try to be hopeful everyday that it’s getting better but nothing changes, I’m still optimistic I can get through this and I hope the same for you

sjduda

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: Yesterday

Hi there friend. I don’t want to be prescriptive in any way, so I really do recommend you mention this to a professional! But in my experience, I had very similar phases and my “perfection” phase ended up being categorized as low level mania. While this didn’t change any kind of treatment for me, it did help me understand that chemical changes could spark periods of highs and lows, and could help me make plans to better manage them.

Anonymous

Date posted: 19h

@sjduda Adding to this, would highly recommend sharing this with a professional! I also experienced these high highs and low lows, with longer periods of “perfection” leading to very low lows. Managing it as its own thing has helped with letting me focus on my OCD symptoms.

scrambledmegs

Date posted: Yesterday

Yeah this has been my thing for years. High high and low lows. Life is great life is not worth it. But over this past year I started dating a really awesome guy who has challenged me in so many ways and it sounds crazy but being very close to another human being and receiving their love and letting it push me to do things I don’t always want to do during my “off” week(s), has led me to be able to have a routine that is SUSTAINABLE. Meaning, I have adapted two things that have become habit and have changed my entire life. There is a rough guideline to what I “do”, but I do not always follow it. When I do F up, I get back up gently and either do it again or move on. No matter how many times I F up, I do NOT get worried or spend excess time thinking about how/why I F’ed up. (What that amount of time is for you will depend on what you see fit for the specific circumstances). That’s one habit. On the other side of it, when I’m doing very well, I remind myself that I will in fact mess up eventually in this area, and that is certain, but NOT ever an excuse for me to give up. I have created RIGID values that have given me freedom to CHOOSE to continue practicing these values. That is my second habit. Now, I am less rigid, and my values have less room for choice. The me who chooses how to react to my mistakes and my successes has become much more gracious and also much more humble at the same time. I have to speak to myself gently every single day as if I were speaking to my own daughter- firmly, but realistic and gentle. Wishing you the best. You can do this.

scrambledmegs

Date posted: Yesterday

Also, I’m college age as well. Nothing is impossible. I never would’ve imagine I could be living this way. But now, even when I’m feeling depressed, lifeless, and chaotic, I can RELY on myself to do what I need to do. And when I am feeling on cloud nine, no worries, and and unstoppable, I can RELY on myself to remain gracious and humble. Having a circle of people who’ve treated me both with challenge and with gentleness has developed my own inner voice that speaks to me in both of these ways whenever I need it. YOU GOT THIS. And I know that for a fact, because if I can do it, you can do it.

Tea and Honey

Date posted: Yesterday

I highly recommend ERP therapy with good therapists (like at NOCD). Then you can train yourself to be productive WITHOUT needing to reset. Have you considered ERP? Do you want me to explain it?

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