If you could give someone just one piece of advice for the beginning of their OCD journey, what would it be? Maybe it's something you wish you had known earlier, or something that you think doesn't get talked about enough. Let us know what advice you'd give in the comments!
Recovery is not linerar! It is a journey. You will experience great wins...followed by times of giving into the OCD monster. Focus more on your life than "defeating OCD". You are headed in the right direction...the direction of recovery. Let it feel messy, uncertain & uncomfortable as you create more space to actually live your life!
@Kalidescope I love that line: Focus more on your life than “defeating OCD”. Since discovering I have it, I can become obsessed with how my progress is doing in tackling my OCD and what I should or shouldn’t be doing to get better. This is a great reminder to take breaks from this topic completely and just try and absorb myself in the full experience of LIFE! Thanks for the thought 😊
It’s ok to feel anxious, that’s just part of the process to overcoming your OCD! It may take a little bit of time to be able to overcome your OCD thoughts, but you will get there! Just know that you are not alone!
Focus on your ERP, try to ignore your OCD brain. There is nothing to be afraid of.
Your journey does not have to be giant leaps. I feel like everyone always says to try medications to go to therapy to try Exposure Therapy, and yes, those are all wonderful options that have great results. But you should also take it at your own pace, finding the right med can be hard, learning to speak up about your intrusives and compulsions to a stranger is hard, Exposure Therapy is hard. It's worth it, but nobody should be sugar-coating it. Even making small steps is progress, and it shows that you are so much more than your OCD. Don't let the world pressure you into a million choices you might not be ready for. One final note, getting better isn't about getting rid of OCD, it's learning how to keep living your life even when OCD gets hard
Think outside what you think you know and gain as much information on how the body and mind works and adapt this to acknowledge and cope 🙂
When you are beginning ERP, try to avoid a mindset of “there’s no way this will actually work”. ERP is a truly game changing thing so work hard on it because it’s absolutely worth the struggle
Ocd is like a radio in your head, you can hear it , sometimes the volume is really loud, but you dont have to take any notice of it. The more attention you give it the more it will annoy you.
Do NOT give up! It WILL get better!
the best thing i’ve tried if one of your compulsions is touching things evenly, don’t try and pick one thing, instead go by time, like today i’ll wait 10 minutes before i touch it with my other hand, tomorrow i’ll do 30 mins etc, it worked very well for me
It’s going to feel impossible but it’s not! It will be hard at first trying to resist the compulsions and sitting in the anxiety, but it’s so worth it. There will be days when it’s super easy and days when it’s super rough, but you just have to ride the wave and use your coping mechanisms. Just remember that it will get better and your life will be yours again!
Celebrate the small wins, and trust the process. It gets easier with time, even if it doesn’t always feel that way. You are not alone on this journey! ❤️
Not every thought you have is yours and you don’t have to tell people every thought that comes in your head because it has nothing to do with who you are
ERP sounds so much simpler than it is, and it’s actually really effective. It’s different than just trying to resist your compulsions on your own. And remember that your life belongs to you and having OCD doesn’t mean that it doesn’t.
Don’t give up
ERP takes time but it really does help!
Your diagnosis will explain a lot about your past choices, but don’t try to relate it to all of them!
ERP gives you a whole new strategy for tackling OCD. It really does work, but it takes a leap of faith, because it is the opposite of what you (ie what your OCD) wants to do. In some ways, it’s a trust fall, where you discover who you truly are on the other side (not just who your OCD forces you to be). ❤️
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