- Username
- Kenny635
- Date posted
- 4y ago
- Username
- Breanna Breanna
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Yes all the time. I tried to explain this to my therapist. She said it’s called metacognition - thinking about thinking. (Maybe) or I just overthink, am I doing this right? I find it very hard to identify my compulsions. We even identified that my “cyclical worrying” is a compulsion. Because I “worry” in order to relieve anxiety, which sounds so weird. With that said, her advice was that it doesn’t really matter if you do it “the right way,” but just that you know you’re doing it/ trying it. It’s the practice and routing of ERP. You’ll likely figuire out your trigger —> obsession —> compulsion once you just give it a try. You can try writing it down. Remember compulsions can be mental also. Compulsions can also lead us back to triggers. It’s a very cyclical situation. So be nice to yourself and try not to think too much about it when you try it :) (says the girl with OCD to the guy with OCD)
- Username
- Kenny635Kenny635
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Can i just ask what treatment works for your excessive worrying. I think about everything excessively and dont know how to stop. Like you...i think this is a compulsion on order not to deal with my ocd.
- Username
- Breanna Breanna
- Date posted
- 4y ago
@Kenny635 Therapy, ERP, mindfulness (these 100%) , yoga, meditation, creative projects (these if you can, or enjoy them, or anything else you enjoy)
- Username
- Kenny635Kenny635
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I get scared in case it is a compulsion than i should resist. Thats why i try to figure it out.
- Username
- Kenny635Kenny635
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Your comment about worrying being a compulsion makes sense to me....i think thats whay i do...thanks for the insight.
- Username
- FathomableFathomable
- Date posted
- 4y ago
If there is no particular one out of those options which makes you scared, then you can't really do ERP I don't think. When you start to wonder and this thought loop wants to suck you in, you have to tell it you'll deal with it later, no matter how much anxiety not thinking about it causes or what other thoughts you get about why you should do it. Don't entertain those thoughts either and debate whether they're good reasons to do it. Just hardcore opt out.
- Username
- Kenny635Kenny635
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Thanks for your feedback.
Related posts
- Username
- Stronger.
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Obsession or compulsion? I'm getting so confused. So normally something scary pops into my head and I start thinking about it. And I pull in other things, related things, or make it a lot worse than it it. I can think myself to the point of a panic attack. I thought this was a compulsion, because I can do it for hours and if I'm interrupted I have to start over. But I stop doing it because it does me no good and brings me to panic levels of anxiety. I'm really confused now because I'm starting ERP and the goal of exposure is to get myself really anxious. Well googling and ruminating is what makes me really anxious..... but it's also what I do for hours and can't stop... so.... what do I do? If I obsess and google to the point of a panic attack to "expose" myself then what? I would still just google and obsess. ? If I have the initial thought and just don't ruminate it just goes away and I'm no longer anxious. And that seems way too easy. I can't be doing this right.
- Username
- canigetawitness
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I'm stuck in an OCD cycle and having a hard time trying to figure out how to treat it with ERP. Basically what happens when I go to the bathroom, shower, walk past the kitchen sink, my mind goes "You've just ran over to the soap/shampoo bottle, and pumped soap on yourself for no reason." I think that's a weird thought, where did that come from. Next, I'll sometimes re-rinse my hands, body, etc. to make sure I haven't just ran and pumped soap on me for no reason. For ERP I get confused if I'm just supposed to let the thought "you've just ran over to the soap/shampoo bottle and pumped soap on yourself for no reason" be there and not react with compulsions. Or if I need to pump soap on me and not rinse it off, making pumping soap on me the new norm? I don't know, it's confusing to me.
- Username
- Anonymous
- Date posted
- 2y ago
ERP question
So I’m starting therapy this week but I’ve been trying to use ERP myself, my main compulsion is rumination which I wasn’t even aware was a compulsion. I’m trying to do ERP but when I focus on observing the thought it goes, I dunno if I’m focusing too much on actually how to follow ERP or is this normal? I feel like I might be subconsciously blocking thoughts because I know how bad it is when I go down the rabbit hole, but then I also worry that the anxiety goes too quickly and that I’m finding it too easy to ignore the thought?
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond