Anyone have any tips for dealing with intrusive thoughts?? I don't want to accept them... I'm having such a hard time. POCD is making me doubt if I'm truly attracted to adult men and women... I keep telling myself that I am and I always have been but it doesn't help. The thoughts are horrible. I'm tired from all the anxiety. I can't even enjoy anything anymore..

Try not to be judgmental of them. Lean into them and explore them, and the fear will dissipate therefore and consequently the ruminations will lose their power. Here for you!

Some people find it more helpful to think of it as also agreeing with the uncertainty rather than just the thoughts. A tip I learned in therapy is that when you’re saying something like “maybe I’m not attracted to adults” you’re really saying “I’m uncertain and I’m going to be okay with that uncertainty.” At the bottom of every “what if” question is not only the fear of being bad or deviant in some way, but also the fear of not being able to say anything with 100% certainty. That’s what we need to be okay with, too.

Accepting them isn't the same as agreeing with them, you should just accept that the thoughts are there and not fight them. I myself have struggled for the past 8 months with the thought that I might not love my partner. Trying to prove to myself otherwise just made my anxiety and obsessions worse. I've been doing better over the last couple of months. It was very hard at first but I had to just let the thoughts be there, acknowledge them, don't agree with them, but don't try to disprove them either. I'm finding this easier and easier each day and noticing more and more how happy I am in the relationship. I do still get the thoughts though but I'm hoping they'll continue to decrease in frequency. Even if they don't it's fine.

Try to accept them if you can and let them be there dont fight them or change them in anyway if you can

Ocdont I'm trying to do the same aswell it's hard but I'm trying just gonna keep trying