For those of you that have successfully managed your symptoms, what helped motivation-wise? Did meditation, reading, etc help you find the courage to stand up to OCD? I feel like I’m lacking the mental/spiritual/psychological energy to really do the work, and it’s so discouraging.

Margaret01

Date posted: 4y ago

Hi, for me it helped to do some mindfulness every day when I was still in therapy. I let the obsession come in my head and the challenge was to do nothing with it for minutes. Just accept there are here and don't think anything of it. Also when an obsession comes up or you want to do a compulsion don't go with it. It's seems really hard but you have to be very strong. I thought I couldn't do it but I could,so can you. Sometimes it will be easier than other times but you first have to try it. You can do it. I believe in you

lovingyourse...

Date posted: 4y ago

“You have to be very strong”- so, so true. It feels like I am fighting someone 10x my size in those moments, but it gives me hope knowing someone has done it successfully. Thank you so much for your support ?

JennyJ

Date posted: 4y ago

I think for me it was my beloved ones. People who, whitout knowing what I was going through pushed me and were there for me. It wasn't much of a choice actually. But then it hit me. I saw my days going to waste. I was just there sitting, panicking and crying every day. And even though I have learned to accept my feelings rather than trying to change them, I have also realized that LIVING is worth whatever risk ocd tries to threaten me with

lovingyourse...

Date posted: 4y ago

Thank you so much- I think the living piece is huge for me. I know that my obsessions and ruminations keep me from living in the moment, and I hate knowing that I am wasting precious time. Thanks for sharing ?

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 4y ago

For me, building on and recording my successes and brave moments empowers me. If I remind myself of times the work has paid off, I'm more likely to put in the effort again. Also, challenging all-or-nothing thinking. My "best" isn't always ? percent and that is ok.

lovingyourse...

Date posted: 4y ago

I love that- recording times I have resisted the compulsions and everything has turned out okay. I think a journal would be helpful here. Appreciate you sharing ?

Josh M

Date posted: 15w ago

Winners

Those of you who have overcome at least a bit, if not all, of your OCD. When you went through the CBT and ERP, did it feel like the end of the world? And how did you face the fact that your fears and uncertainties might actually come to life?

Ellen_l

Date posted: 9w ago

Advice?

I’m having a big OCD relapse and would like to hear anyone’s tips on how to be present and healthily deal with these intrusive thoughts and the “need” to preform compulsions. Thank you!!

Andrea Wells

Date posted: 8w ago

My OCD Journey

Looking back, I realize I’ve had OCD since I was 7. though I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 30. As a kid, I was consumed by fears I couldn’t explain: "What if God isn’t real? What happens when we die? How do I know I’m real?" These existential thoughts terrified me, and while everyone has them from time to time, I felt like they were consuming my life. By 12, I was having daily panic attacks about death and war, feeling untethered from reality as depersonalization and derealization set in. At 15, I turned to drinking, spending the next 15 years drunk, trying to escape my mind. I hated myself, struggled with my body, and my intrusive thoughts. Sobriety forced me to face it all head-on. In May 2022, I finally learned I had OCD. I remember the exact date: May 10th. Reading about it, I thought, "Oh my God, this is it. This explains everything." My main themes were existential OCD and self-harm intrusive thoughts. The self-harm fears were the hardest: "What if I kill myself? What if I lose control?" These thoughts terrified me because I didn’t want to die. ERP changed everything. At first, I thought, "You want me to confront my worst fears? Are you kidding me?" But ERP is gradual and done at your pace. My therapist taught me to lean into uncertainty instead of fighting it. She’d say, "Maybe you’ll kill yourself—who knows?" At first, it felt scary, but for OCD, it was freeing. Slowly, I realized my thoughts were just thoughts. ERP gave me my life back. I’m working again, I’m sober, and for the first time, I can imagine a future. If you’re scared to try ERP, I get it. But if you’re already living in fear, why not try a set of tools that can give you hope?

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For those of you that have successfully managed your symptoms, what helped motivation-wise? Did meditation, reading, etc help you find the courage to stand up to OCD? I feel like I’m lacking the mental/spiritual/psychological energy to *really* do the work, and it’s so discouraging.

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Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

For those of you that have successfully managed your symptoms, what helped motivation-wise? Did meditation, reading, etc help you find the courage to stand up to OCD? I feel like I’m lacking the mental/spiritual/psychological energy to really do the work, and it’s so discouraging.