OCD/Intrusive Thoughts

Knowing I have anxiety reminds me it’s ocd and even when I don’t have anxiety ocd is still there trying to loop you back in with oh you might like it then your back to anxiety and the best thing to do is to sit still and watch the thoughts through your awareness it’s kinda hard sometimes but you start to recognize it when you do it and you don’t wanna respond to the thoughts just sit with the distress. Prevention message helps too

One thing that has helped me from a broad sense is that when you notice you’re having an intrusive thought that is half of the battle. You’re watching yourself become aware of that in the moment and that moment in time is the space where you can create a gap between the thought and the reaction whether it is internal or external with the reaction.

When I have intrusive thoughts I really struggle because they are so out of character for me and I hate that I even have some of the thoughts I have. I have gotten halfway decent at identifying them and labeling them as intrusive thoughts, which helps a little. I know how scary it can be to deal with such scary thoughts that do not reflect who you are at all. I deal with it every day. Remember you are not a reflection of your intrusive thoughts.

I know. I just joined today and I am glad I did.

It's very important to ALLOW the thoughts to flow freely through your head. At first, everyone with OCD is afraid to do this. But this is a foundational step toward freedom, and it is part of ERP therapy. My therapist described it like this: Imagine a tree planted by a river. The leaves fall off the tree and float down the river. You can notice the leaves, but you don't fight them off. (And you don't rush around and gather them and try to put them back on the tree.) You just ALLOW the leaves to come, and then you let them float down the river. The same is true for the intrusive thoughts. Just ALLOW them. Don't try to fight them off. Don't try to fix them. In fact, the more you try to fight to fight them off, the worse they will get. We can talk more if you want. This is a HUGE and scary step to take, but it will change your whole life.