- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
I heard before that ocd is creating a false threat for us, it doesn’t actually mean anything and there really is no danger. People without OCD can see that easily because their brain doesn’t jump straight to the OCD thought patterns and anxiety. Everyone has all kinds of thoughts because our brains are so good at imagining things
- Date posted
- 6y
It’s normal for everyone to have intrusive thoughts. It’s easier for them to just get rid of those thoughts because the brain doesn’t create the ocd cycle like ours does. They know it’s irrational and it requires less energy for them to get rid of those thoughts
- Date posted
- 6y
I do stuff like that! I rub my nails because they are smooth too. What I do a lot is rubbing each of my fingers to my thumb, I’ve done it for as long as I can remember and I don’t even think about it. I thought it was maybe a compulsion, but I’ve never done it to neutralize a thought or anything so maybe it’s not? Thank you for your reply though. And lol at the shampoo thing ?? I’m happy to know the self soothing is a good thing, sometimes it so hard to differentiate between that and compulsions!
- Date posted
- 6y
Yesss the threat! That really makes sense to me. I just talked to my therapist about this self-soothing thing that I do almost always but happens more when my stress is high. Apparently that’s something that soothes the amygdala, which is where our brain remembers trauma, and where we decide “fight or flight”... I’m thinking that just all of the trauma and anxiety I have caused me to habitually self soothe. I’m trying to NOT stop myself from doing it anymore since it’s actually a good thing and not a compulsion. Interesting. Sorry I went way off track there. But that comment made a lot of sense to me.
- Date posted
- 6y
What do you use to self soothe? I would like to try it if it isn’t a compulsion!
- Date posted
- 6y
Well mine is something I’ve done since about age 3 that I could never stop- despite multiple attempts. It’s taking a section of my hair and turning it into a loop so it’s super silky, and smoothing over it repeatedly with my thumb in the same hand. Sometimes i even just pet a nail of mine with my fingertip because it’s smooth. But it can be any sensation that brings you a sense of satisfaction/peace. Usually to do with your senses, and always something you can call on because you’re using yourself. Typically it’s something you can do mindlessly, so for me it just happens as soon as I feel stress. Sometimes I don’t even notice because I’m so lost in a worry wormhole —until someone asks if I’m petting my hair ?. Not fun spouting off excuses to coworkers so sometimes I’m like “yeah my new shampoo just makes my hair so silky” ?
Related posts
- Date posted
- 23w
I feel like a lot of my fears are actually just centered around what other people think of me because I'm scared of being abandoned and no one loving me anymore. I don't actually feel like my fears are about being a good person. And then when I have this thought it makes me feel even worse because many people here genuinely seem to be scared of being a bad person. I feel like an actual bad person who's more concerned with appearances than anything else :(. I keep having these thoughts like what kind of person am I when I'm alone and with my thoughts. And then I get scared to be alone.
- Date posted
- 19w
I honestly can’t tell when thoughts are being affected by OCD. Sometimes I think I have what I think are normal “grey” thoughts, but then OCD adds so much weight to them and I spiral. I had this thought that I wished my boyfriend was more confident or independent. I felt so guilty for thinking it. I told him, and of course it hurt him. He told me it’s a normal thought to have, I just dwell on it too much. And that it’s the kind of thought most people keep to themselves. That’s the thing. I don’t know what’s okay to keep to myself and what isn’t. I think sometimes I say things out loud not just to relieve anxiety, but because I genuinely don’t know what’s okay to think or say. I do not know the line between a normal grey thought and something that’s “bad” to think. I don’t know how to tell if it’s something I should process privately or something I need to be ashamed of. I get this confusion with intrusive thoughts too, but those are easier to spot and evaluate. This is harder, because again, it is *my* thought. That makes it harder to sit with. Maybe the intrusive part is the voice that questions what kind of person I am for even thinking it. I don’t have the same telltale signs anymore. My physical anxiety isn’t there anymore, it’s all in my head and that makes it so much more confusing. But I don’t know. The line between honesty vs compulsion is so blurry. I just feel lost
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- Date posted
- 17w
Input please. Whenever I have a thought or come across something like news about pedophilia or other awful things, I feel like I try to make it okay in my head. Like I am trying to explain it away, excuse it. And when I look at that from a more compassionate lens, I think maybe I am just trying to process something bad. Maybe I am trying to make something horrific feel a little less horrifying so I can keep existing in a world where it happens. Because the truth is, whenever I hear about something terrible, it does not just go away. I do not have that ability to shove it aside and move on. I have to live with it. I carry it. I live my life alongside these awful things that exist. But then, when I look at it through a different lens, it gets darker. Maybe I am not trying to process something bad. Maybe I am actually trying to justify it. Maybe I am trying to convince myself it is not that bad… because deep down I agree with the people who do it. Or maybe I am afraid that if it were not so stigmatized, I would somehow be okay with it. And that thought worries me. I know that why someone holds moral values is not as important as the fact that they do. I know that what matters is your actions and your commitment to being a good person. It still scares me. I keep asking myself: am I trying to justify something awful just so I can mentally survive it, or am I trying to justify something awful because some part of me agrees with it?
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