ocd and veganism

is it ocd? i’m trying to become vegan but after a couple of days, i started getting such scary and confusing thoughts. my brain is telling me that from now on, i’m not allowed to eat animal products because they suffer so much, and therefore i feel terrible pressure and a sense of responsibility. my brain is telling me that i will quit and for some reason, i’m very scared of it as well. probably because i don’t want to look away from the issue even though thinking about it and searching for information makes me anxious, upset and mentally exhausted. my brain is telling me that i won’t be able to do this, that i won’t handle social pressure, that if i make a slight mistake, i will become a terrible person. i really don’t know what to do. eating vegan diet feels normal for me, but my brain tries to tell me otherwise and sabotage me. it feels like it’s become a new obsession for me

Anonymous

Date posted: 20h

Try to do "Maybe, maybe not" and see if it helps

Scaredycat C...

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 20h

I can relate. I’ve been vegan for 9 years and my ocd definitely tries to latch on to it. From what I’ve learned here ocd will latch on to anything we value and try to make it all or nothing thinking. For me what’s helped is remembering I value veganism to help the animals and the earth. And to stay away from perfectionism with it. Lots of vegans have gone slowly to transition. It’s ok to do it your way. Every bit helps! Maybe transitioning slowly by changing just one meal for a while or adding in more vegan foods will help. I also have had to learn to stay away from whole food plant based content online because that is very diet culture like and extreme. Good luck and I hope you can find a peaceful way to honor your values. I know it’s so hard with ocd.

Tanya.L

Date posted: 18h

@Scaredycat Carole thank you so much for your support! but could you please elaborate more on staying away from food plant based content? because i didn’t really understand this part (i assume this might be because of english is not my first language). for me, i feel quite comfortable with surrounding myself with vegan content, i feel supported and less alone. but i would like to hear your opinion on this and also, if you don’t mind me asking, was it hard for you at the beginning to refrain from animal products? especially when someone was eating it beside you? i find it quite hard sometimes because my whole family eats animal products so i get surrounded by it pretty much all the time

Scaredycat C...

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 17h

@Tanya.L Yeah it was definitely harder in the first year or so. It’s a big adjustment like you said because family friends our cultures etc are all still eating animals. For me I felt it was easiest to stop eating meat. Dairy was the thing I had harder time giving up. I really like the advice to focus on what you’re adding in not taking away. So I tried lots of vegan versions of cheeses and meats and desserts in the beginning. It can help to transition and so you don’t feel left out at parties. It’s really a personal experience so I’d say just go slow and try things to see what you like or don’t. I also like getting support from vegan online sources to keep motivated! What I meant before is that there has been a huge takeover in the vegan community online by people who say you can only eat Whole Food plant based foods for your health. And it’s really unhealthy for me. Just my personal experience but it gets very restrictive and like a diet and makes it seem like that’s what veganism is about. But really being a vegan is about helping free animals and heal the earth. I hope this makes sense. Good luck and just take your time. Think of it as a life long journey. And thank you for caring about the animals ✌🏻🐷

Tanya.L

Date posted: 13h

@Scaredycat Carole ohh okay now i get what you mean, thanks for explaining! and yes, i agree with it, although ocd makes it hard to not fall for this mindset of “all or nothing" way of thinking. but i will try to combine these two things and live according to my values. and i hope it’ll get easier for me over time. thank you and good luck, i wish you all the best🫶

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