- Date posted
- 6y ago
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Thanks for this. Trying to explain an obsessive rabbit hole to some people and they go “sometimes I worry about things like that too” it’s just proof they think you’re being negative and just not viewing it in the right attitude. Like no it’s not a matter of how I am viewing the situation it’s how deeply I’ve dissected every second of it and how fast it raises my heart beat. you cannot relate looking at the world with sunglasses versus a microscope.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I felt a rollercoaster of emotions reading this article but I think Patrick ultimately wrapped it up in a balanced way; “You can view OCD recovery as a fight or a battle or a constant struggle, just like you can view your life in this way. But, in my experience, it’s going to keep you stuck right where you are. Respect yourself, avoid suffering more than you already do, and build the skills you’ll need anyways throughout your life. You don’t have to be a warrior to feel determined about getting better. If that concept really helps you, keep it around. If it’s just making you feel more trapped or more aggressive, ditch it. Keep the things that serve you well; leave the rest behind.” At first, I became extremely defensive while reading this article because I felt that may have unintentionally been invalidating the authentic experiences and feelings of OCD sufferers and labeling the “warrior” mentality as dramatic. I personally use this vocabulary as it has been a cathartic metaphor for me. I do not know other words in which to express the all-consuming and destructive force OCD has played (at times) in my life and that is separate from my healthy self. I think this article may have been better received by me if it had been positioned as “the pros and cons of the ‘OCD Warrior’ mentality.”
- Date posted
- 6y ago
This App also is a good start but has to be much much improved. I can't favorite your comment. I can't favorite you as contact. All comments and messages vanish within 7 days. I can't see a comment or response what majority liked this month, day, year. This comment section is pretty much useless other than get instant feedback or whine about my situation in this moment.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Pros of the “warrior mentality” ?Narrative therapy which is often used for mental health recovery frequently recommends using externalization of the disease process ?Externalization helps create mental definition between healthy cognition and unhealthy ones (ie distinguishing OCD influenced thought or cognitive distortions) ?By viewing OCD as something external and ourselves as warriors and NOT victims/ sufferers we regain power and autonomy in our recovery ?Warriors recognize that there are intermittent losses but they may be part of a greater scheme of victory- a helpful metaphor for recovery
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I agree that “fighting” your OCD is a polarizing term but it is healthy when used to mean: ✅Taking healthy actions towards recovery ✅Doing things which feel uncomfortable that our outside our realm of comfort which our compulsions have created ✅Doing self-advocacy or practicing self compassion It is unhelpful if fighting means: ?Thought suppression or experiential avoidance ?Self-criticism ?Over attribution of OCD to causing all types of unhappiness in our lives / development of a negative worldview (as mentioned by Patrick) ?Black and white thinking or use of other cognitive distortions which ultimately inhibit recovery
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Sorry if this was an excessive response but I think this is a good dialogue starting here ?.
Related posts
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 14w ago
Looking back, I realize I’ve had OCD since I was 7. though I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 30. As a kid, I was consumed by fears I couldn’t explain: "What if God isn’t real? What happens when we die? How do I know I’m real?" These existential thoughts terrified me, and while everyone has them from time to time, I felt like they were consuming my life. By 12, I was having daily panic attacks about death and war, feeling untethered from reality as depersonalization and derealization set in. At 15, I turned to drinking, spending the next 15 years drunk, trying to escape my mind. I hated myself, struggled with my body, and my intrusive thoughts. Sobriety forced me to face it all head-on. In May 2022, I finally learned I had OCD. I remember the exact date: May 10th. Reading about it, I thought, "Oh my God, this is it. This explains everything." My main themes were existential OCD and self-harm intrusive thoughts. The self-harm fears were the hardest: "What if I kill myself? What if I lose control?" These thoughts terrified me because I didn’t want to die. ERP changed everything. At first, I thought, "You want me to confront my worst fears? Are you kidding me?" But ERP is gradual and done at your pace. My therapist taught me to lean into uncertainty instead of fighting it. She’d say, "Maybe you’ll kill yourself—who knows?" At first, it felt scary, but for OCD, it was freeing. Slowly, I realized my thoughts were just thoughts. ERP gave me my life back. I’m working again, I’m sober, and for the first time, I can imagine a future. If you’re scared to try ERP, I get it. But if you’re already living in fear, why not try a set of tools that can give you hope?
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 11w ago
Looking back, my introverted nature and struggles to find belonging in high school may have set the stage for how OCD would later impact my relationships. I had my first relationship in high school, but OCD wasn’t a major factor then. It wasn’t until my longest relationship—six years from age 18 to 24—that OCD really took hold. The relationship itself wasn’t the issue; it was what happened after. When it ended, I became obsessed with confessing past mistakes, convinced I had to be completely transparent. Even when my partner was willing to work past them, I couldn’t let go of the intrusive thoughts, and that obsession landed me in the hospital. From there, my struggle with ROCD (Relationship OCD) fully emerged. For years, every time I tried to move forward in dating, doubts consumed me. I would start seeing someone and feel fine, but then the questions would creep in: Do I really like her? Do I find her attractive? Is she getting on my nerves? What if I’m with the wrong person? I’d break things off, thinking I was following my true feelings. But then I’d question: Was that really how I felt, or was it just OCD? I tried again and again, each time hoping I could “withstand it this time,” only to fall back into the same cycle. The back and forth hurt both me and the person I was with. By the time I realized it was ROCD, the damage had been done, and I still hadn’t built the tools to manage it. Now, at 28, I know I need to approach dating differently. I recently talked to someone from a dating app, and my OCD still showed up—questioning my every move, making me doubt my own decisions. I haven’t yet done ERP specifically for ROCD, but I know that’s my next step. Just like I’ve learned tools for managing my other OCD subtypes, I need a set of strategies for when intrusive doubts hit in relationships. My goal this year is to stop letting uncertainty control me—to learn how to sit with doubt instead of trying to “figure it out.” I want to break the cycle and be able to build something healthy without my OCD sabotaging it. I know I’m not alone in this, and I know healing is possible. I’m hopeful that working with a therapist will help me develop exposures and thought loops to practice. I don’t expect to eliminate doubt entirely—after all, doubt is a part of every relationship—but I want to reach a place where it doesn’t paralyze me. Where I can move forward without constantly questioning whether I should. And where I can be in a relationship without feeling like OCD is pulling the strings. I would appreciate hearing about your experiences with ROCD. Please share your thoughts or any questions in the comments below. I’d love to connect and offer my perspective. Thanks!
- Date posted
- 11w ago
I want to beat OCD because I have seen and felt the benefits of clearing my brain from unnecessary, pointless, thoughts. OCD is like 0 calorie food. It’s pointless. No nutrition or benefits come from my obsessions or compulsions. I don’t care to have answers to everything anymore. I catch myself just trying to stress myself out so that I have some worry to feed on. But like I said, it’s a 0 calorie food. I get nothing from it but wasted time and energy. My brain feels more spacious when I’m not consumed by OCD. I’m present. My personality has room to be herself without making space for bullshit. I tell myself now that worry is poison. I think Willie Nelson was the person I got that quote from? Anyways, that imagery of worries being poison for the mind has been transformative for me. I’m evolving. 💖 Thanks NOCD community.
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