Alone in my journey, advice?

I’m in between psychiatrists/therapists rn and I am not yet receiving medication or actual therapy for the OCD itself. I’ve been coping alone this whole time. I can’t avoid situations like when I was a kid anymore… The burden of doing this without telling anyone is so difficult. I explain it to close people and I feel like they don’t care. They don’t have advice for me. Nobody is there to hold my hand… and I’m stuck trapped in my head. I’ve used this app greatly to look for coping skills and I’m only seeing a counselor that’s only familiar with life skills things like making friends or box breathing to cope. Nobody tells you how lonely it feels trying to recover. I’m sure it feels better with someone understanding and rooting for you though. I don’t even understand my own OCD that much and looking at others describing their experiences I’ve realized how much these fears have run my life and made it so hard to live. I finally have an appointment with a psychiatrist next week and I am relieved but I feel like there’s so much ahead. I feel less alone here though. Thanks to all of you. If you have any advice for me in the meantime please let me know. I would *really* appreciate it!!!

livimarie

Date posted: Yesterday

i’m sorry you’re going through it. OCD can be very rough, especially when it feels like nobody gets it. in the meantime between appointments, just focus on distancing yourself from compulsions. i’ve been trying to make myself wait at LEAST 15 minutes before completing a compulsion. a lot of the time, i forget about it or the obsession fades enough it doesn’t bother me as much after 15 minutes. today im extending it for the next two days. it’s hard but i believe i can do it. and you can do this too! best of luck!

oliviabroewn

Date posted: Yesterday

@livimarie That’s amazing that you’ve avoided your compulsion for so long! I’m gonna try this the next time my anxiety spikes and I begin to spiral. Thank you :)

Gabrielle<3

Date posted: Yesterday

I totally understand getting overwhelmed about how long the journey to recovery seems. If you need to start small with resisting compulsions that is ok, consistency is the most important part and you can always work your way up slowly. If it seems too overwhelming at first, start small instead of pushing yourself too hard before you gain more confidence!

oliviabroewn

Date posted: Yesterday

@Gabrielle<3 Thank you, I was having a hard time starting I kept thinking if I start at the wrong place I’ll make things all worse since I began doing that. I’ll try to start small. Thank you again :)

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Date posted: Yesterday

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