Simple Things That OCD Makes Complicated?🙃

What’s something that seems like second nature for people your age but is harder for you because of OCD? Something that seems to come easier to others around you—but takes way more effort, hesitation, or mental energy for you? It can be the simplest thing, like not taking 2 hours to do a 15 min task, being able to easily respond to or keep a text conversation going without letting hours, days, or weeks go by(me)—or a common small or big milestone for people your age that you haven’t reached yet. Basically: What’s something you can do, but OCD currently makes soooo much harder than it seems for everyone else? 😭

Cyoung23

Date posted: 4d

Mine is just constantly intrusive thoughts and then something I can’t really explain but it’s like a darkness following me waiting for me to finally give up.

jay101

Date posted: 4d

@Cyoung23 I hear you. I don’t think there’s a single person with OCD who hasn’t experienced a feeling like this weather is often or comes and goes. You aren’t alone. 💚 I know how dark and scary it can feel when you’re at your lowest points. Give yourself lots of grace. Try to remind yourself of your better moments, even if you can only remember a few. That’s proof it’s possible. Try to remember what you’re fighting for, not just what you’re going through. Something that helps me is remembering that there are people out there whom we don’t even know who dedicate their lives to helping people with OCD get better. It makes me think, “If they’re willing to fight for my well-being, maybe I should fight for myself, too.” Sometimes I think of recovery as simply: try. No matter where you are in your journey, if you can even imagine the possibility of things getting better, just try. All you can do is try. It can get easier, and no matter how hard the journey is, you deserve the chance to at least try—to try to get your life back. Maybe you need to reframe what recovery realistically looks like for you, too. Recovery doesn’t mean perfection. No one’s journey is perfect. Maybe you can’t see your progress or appreciate certain aspects of your life right now because you’re focused on what you don’t have rather than what you do. Whatever the case may be, try. Better days are coming. 💚

Amy B.

Date posted: 4d

I can't work a full time job. Both of my teenage sons work a bunch, and I can't 😭 I feel like such a failure as a mom, and the financial stress makes life really hard too. I started ERP therapy with NOCD in May, and I'm hoping things get better down the road.

jay101

Date posted: 10h

@Amy B. Give yourself some grace. ❤️ Your ability to work full-time doesn’t determine your worth as a mother. You’re dealing with things that make life and work harder, and that doesn’t mean you aren’t trying. Starting ERP is a huge step, and I really hope things get easier for you. You’re doing the best you can, and that’s what matters. 🫶🏽

Amy B.

Date posted: 8h

@jay101 Awww, thank you so much. I really appreciate the kind words ❤️

jay101

Date posted: 7h

@Amy B. Of course! 💚

julesiemarie

Date posted: 4d

going outside, putting on my shoes, touching a doorhandle. i have horrible germ ocd, if i touch even one thing i consider dirty with outside germs, i immediately feel so disgusting and filthy after and have to take a shower. even when i see people just wash their hands once i get such envy cause how r u comfortable with that, cause when i try to just wash my hands once my mind will go insane until i do it at least 3 times over.

jay101

Date posted: 9h

@julesiemarie I hear you. ❤️ It’s so hard watching other people do things that feel completely impossible and wondering how they’re comfortable with it. Sometimes, it helps to give yourself some grace by looking at things from the other side. You never know—there may be things that you’ve never realized feels easier for you than they do for someone else, and they might be wondering the same thing about you, whether it’s health-related or something external. We work with the cards we’ve been dealt, and no one has everything. I’ve learned that we’re all working on ourselves, just in different ways. 🫶🏽

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