Have you heard about strangler figs? They are parasitic vines that live in the rainforest. At first the tendrils they send out onto the host tree are small and thin, but over time they grow bigger and cover the whole tree trunk, literally strangling the tree underneath until it dies. Imagine the tree as something that you value (your spirituality, relationship with loved ones, a favorite hobby, etc). When the OCD starts growing on it, we aren't concerned at first because we don't see the end result coming. Even as the OCD starts strangling the thing we care about, we sometimes resist treatment because we have confused the OCD strangler fig for the thing we love underneath. But, if we don't tackle the OCD compulsions wrapped around the thing we care about, eventually the OCD will overpower our interests and kill them. All's that is left will be the rituals of OCD. Luckily, it takes a long time and we can intervene witch ERP and ACT, just like we could cut the vines off the host tree. What has your OCD taken from you?

I'm sorry to hear that. It took playing clarinet from me

Oh my ocd manifests in that way too. Perfectionistic obsessions around my writing which perversely lead to less time and energy for writing.

@NOCD Advocate - Katie Just wondering, what would happen if you just took a clarinet out and started playing right now? Would it give you anxiety?

Cut back on rituals and see if the enjoyment returns

@NOCD Advocate - Katie First of all props to you for being so active in your responding. Hope your aware of how much value your providing to people on here

@dcd10 Then my next question would be ... how do I really cut back on rituals when the OCD rituals have grown from my everyday activities. For example checking emails, setting up my calendar, using my phone or computer (anxiety spike when using phone or computer)....these activities turn into a rabbit hole for OCD and carelessness repetitive actions but they are necessary to do daily to an extent

@dcd10 Yes I agree that side of it is so tricky. My triggers are basically my main work. So it can be really hard to untangle what's obsessive and what's not.

@dcd10 You can start by doing the ritual differently than usual. Then you decide what is a reasonable way to do those things and do it that way. Maybe you think that it's reasonable to check your email three times a day, so you set a limit on opening that app so that you can't do more than that

It's not something I'm super confident in my knowledge of. Here's a link instead https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/acceptance-and-commitment-therapy%3famp

Not directly. But if something becomes too painful, it is common for us to just give it up