- Date posted
- 6y ago
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Sure! Coping mechanism: The chessboard analogy. Imagine the rivaling thoughts in your head as pieces on a chessboard battling it out. One thought could be, “Oh no, I’ll get HIV if I walk near this bandaid” while another could be, “That’s ridiculous. This is ocd, why do I keep thinking of this”. The idea is that you let these thoughts battle it out on the chessboard that is separate from you. You are going about your life while this is happening. To help you visualize, you can imagine the chessboard floating above your head as you go about your day. As for the therapeutic technique, ERP is the most effective, at least it was for me. I recommend finding a behavioral therapist to do it properly. I am not a professional, but I can at least give you the basis of what ERP is. ERP is Exposure Response Prevention. You essentially expose yourself to the trigger that causes you anxiety (walking near a bandaid). That makes your anxiety peak. You prevent yourself from ritualizing or performing whatever action that reduces your anxiety such as washing your feet or walking away. Do this for X minutes a day and slowly increase X. Gradually, you will habituate to that level of anxiety and it won’t be as cumbersome. Now, this is a very difficult technique. When I did it, I was at an Institute where I had coaches guide me through it for 2 hours a day. I’m assuming you don’t, so don’t try this yet is what I recommend. Definitely try the coping mechanism and tell me what you think! I have more if it doesn’t work, but give it an honest try. It’ll work out bro. You got this.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I used to have this when I was a kid. I even was convinced that i had aids because i touched some things in a hospital ???♀️ I still get grossed out and avoid walking on or near bandaids, needles and stuff, but it doesn’t get me that anxious now, cause now I know how it does and how it doesn’t get transmitted
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Thanks Tqh. I find it very hard. I have got a lot better though
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Thankyou smiley. I have been tested numerous times and only the first time was for a proper reason. That is so sad how scared you were as a child. It's good to know though that we are not alone in these OCD thoughts
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Well, would you like some ideas for coping mechanisms or for therapy to help reduce those obsessions? The difference is that coping mechanisms help you in the moment so that you can focus on what you’re doing at the time. The therapeutic method is a long term solution.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Sorry to be a pain but both if possible!!:-)
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Wow thank you so much! I love that chess board idea, seems a great way to visualise it while getting on with what matters. Did you learn that while you were at the institute? I will definitely let you know how I get on.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Nothing helped me until I got tested by a doctor. Grated this was after actual sexual activity. I did an at home test and then I halfway believed it. Then I went to the dr and got a blood test and it was negative. I have a compulsion to google search for reassurance but HIV can be treated to almost undetectable levels so even if you were contaminated, think about whether it really really would be as scary as we think it is in the middle of an attack. I don’t recommend getting tested unless you actually have a risk factor like sexual activity with someone who’s status is unknown. Otherwise it falls into reassurance seeking. When I was a little girl, I was about 9 and my mom and I were watching this movie about these girls who were kidnapped and they contracted HIV during that time. I was extremely triggered and washed my hands a lot. I was little and internet wasn’t something I ever used much At the time but I lost years of being afraid to cook, swim, and I had cracked hands. Just know you’re not alone. I think labeling it as what it is would be a good first step. “It’s not me, it’s my OCD”
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Don’t ask if you would get HIV, look into researching the facts about HIV. How it’s transmitted etc. having at least some actual knowledge that HIV can’t live outside the body was helpful for me as a starting point
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Yeah I definitely recommend just fact checking yourself as the situations come. HIV is SO preventable now days because research has come so far. :)
Related posts
- Date posted
- 23w ago
I have contamination OCD that causes me to excessively wash my hands/clean items with disinfectant wipes. I know I just need to start with small exposures but how do I do that without spiraling? I tried a while back by just touching the outside of my dishwasher and not washing my hands after and it led to me being unable to even exist in my house. I basically lived on my couch for three weeks as it was the only 'safe' space that I had not touched with my dirty hands. I had to take a week off work to clean my house to make it somewhat liveable. I still haven't got round to cleaning everything though so things like my kitchen are still no-go zones that I don't enter. I just don't know how to start ERP without it making everything worse. Any advice would be appreciated. I am not seeing a therapist at the moment due to financial constraints.
- Date posted
- 15w ago
Trying not to seek reassurance, but rather connect the dots on my OCD and possible reasons as to why I am the way I am. I have severe OCD (or at least I hope I do) mainly surrounding POCD. I've had symptoms of OCD the majority of my life but this theme has come up more recently. When I was a kid, and i'm talking 6-7, I was first exposed to some really gross adult content online. It was introduced to me by a friend of mine around the same age of me. I saw some really disgusting things that a 6-7 year old should definitely not see. This was not a one time occurrence, as I had been exposed to taboo topics online years to come after that, such as the same friend introducing me to Omegle... And i'm sure you can imagine how that went, theres a lot of genuinely disgusting human beings on there. Coming back to the reason for making this post; is it possible to early exposure to this content could be one of the reasons I struggle with POCD? It genuinely scares me to death because you hear that real p*dos dealt with simular situations when they were kids, so thats kind of making me feel that this could be more than OCD, and I could be a genuinely bad person. My POCD feels so real, that at times i'm fully convinced its not OCD. Sometimes I can't even distinguish the feelings of attraction between a younger person and an older person, except for the feeling of anxiety and fear. Its really hard to explain without going into detail, but it just feels so real. Some feedback on this would be great, thank you all.
- Young adults with OCD
- Students with OCD
- False Memory OCD
- Mid-life adults with OCD
- "Pure" OCD
- POCD
- LGBTQ+ with OCD
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 14w ago
Does anyone imagine they are doing their harm thoughts during an action, making you feel like you acted on your thoughts? For example, someone gave me a hug and at the last second I imagined I was touching something I shouldn’t during the hug? I want to make it clear it’s something I have zero desire to do! But the problem is, I thought it on purpose and it makes me sick !! Obviously nothing happened but my mind is telling me that was me trying to do it. Even though it was physically impossible to do. Am I a monster or could this be OCD? I’m freaking out and don’t want to be here anymore. I feel like I’m the exception and that this isn’t OCD. I know I post about this stuff a lot but I’m struggling and don’t know what to do.
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