Anyone else ever wonder if since other people apparently have these thoughts and don’t feel guilty then are they just a bunch of terrible people?? I have a hard time distinguishing what guilt is relevant or not and I’m struggling to see other people as “good”.

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

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

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!

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.

What do you use to self soothe? I would like to try it if it isn’t a compulsion!

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” ?