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Hi Booperbear 👋 OCD can be so tricky to navigate alone. I waited until I hit rock bottom and became completely dysfunctional—please don’t make that same mistake! I didn’t know it at the time, but ERP (exposure and response prevention) has an extremely high succcess rate. That means *there is hope, and this condition can be managed*. With professional help, you can get your life back! Lots of people try to do ERP “on their own”, but honestly, OCD can be almost impossible to navigate, and there is high likelihood that you may end up *feeding* OCD, making it worse over time. I highly recommend using NOCD’s hotline to set up a free consultation instead. They can answer any of your questions and even get you connected with a therapist who is a great fit. If the therapist doesn’t work out, you can even switch for free, and they will help you do that!

You are definitely not alone. I’m about one month into one medication and about two months into my medication journey in total. Back in June, I had an OCD episode that was pretty severe. It lasted basically until August, and there were days that I would have been totally bed ridden had it not been for my partner making me go on walks. Medication has absolutely helped me with my intrusive thoughts and general anxiety. I’m no longer feeling depressed and hopeless, my intrusive thoughts aren’t as loud, and I’m able to actually do my ERP practices. My biggest advice is to find ways to make your life as simple as possible. Buy food that’s easy to prepare, snacks you like, fun non alcoholic bevs, etc. Make sure you’re eating, even if all you can eat for a few days is cup noodles and cheez its. Hydrate. Find a cute water bottle you like, keep it by your bed, and if you like tea, keep a box of caffeine free stuff to help you wind down. (My episode made me a big tea drinker LOL) Find easy ways to regulate. I read a lot of books and took baths with bath salts and bubble bath most nights. It was a way to take care of myself that did t take a lot of effort. If you have a support system, use them! I started talking with my family about what was happening and started calling them more frequently. It has been super helpful. Lastly, one thing that has been super hard for me is allowing myself to have these spirals and accepting that I’m not doing well mentally and emotionally. Sometimes we want to punish ourselves for not being able to function “normally” when we’re in these periods of life, but I’ve found that accepting I’m having a hard time and giving myself a break has helped a lot with my recovery.

ERP changed my life, medication is a personal choice and no wrong answer for me I chose not to take it and with ERP for a year I was able to get my life back from OCD 🤍 stick to it sometimes it gets worse before it gets better I am a completely different person than I was a year ago and a good therapist will help you figure out what your compulsions are even 7 months in I was learning some of the things I thought were normal were in fact compulsions 😂 ocd is a trickster