cwllms
- Date posted
- 5y
PeachyPopsiclePeachyPopsicle
- Date posted
- 5y
I've struggled with this before. Ask yourself if what you're doing is in response to anxiety and your obsession, and if you're doing it in order to feel relief from your anxiety. The compulsion that was so difficult for me to notice was ruminating and over analyzing. I had just thought that it was part of my obsession, but I realized I was taking part in it as a compulsion and how unhelpful it is. I would try to think my way out of my obsession. Repitive googling sounds like a compulsion (I've done this one before too) but I don't think it matters if it's classified as pure or physical. If it's a compulsion, it's a compulsion and trying to resist it while doing exposures can be helpful.
wegotthiswegotthis
- Date posted
- 5y
I totally relate to this!
cwllmscwllms
- Date posted
- 5y
ahhh thank you so much
MmMm
- Date posted
- 5y
think of not doing what you think may be a compulsion. if just bu thinking of not doing it causes you distress/anxiety then it's a compulsion. also anything that makes you question whether it's ocd or not just treat it as OCD
wegotthiswegotthis
- Date posted
- 5y
I’ve had a hard time with this too. I think a good way to realize if what your doing is a compulsion is if your thoughts or actions are purposely being done to reduce anxiety OR to help find certainty. A lot of my compulsions aren’t done to know my fear isn’t real but instead to be certain that my fear is or isn’t real. Compulsions aren’t only done to make you feel better but just to find KNOW whether something is real or not. So instead of constantly trying to find answers or make the thought go away try to let yourself think and feel whatever your body happens to experience and leave it at that without intentionally pushing the envelope even more.
cwllmscwllms
- Date posted
- 5y
ah this is really helpful to me! i think most of my compulsions are more to find certainty than to abate anxiety if you get me? like i google and i ruminate and i seek reassurance when i’m doubting that i have ocd at all (which is irritatingly regular) i’m currently between therapists and struggling without that concrete pillar aha
wegotthiswegotthis
- Date posted
- 5y
@cwllms I’m the same way and totally get it. I actually posted something similar on here a little while ago looking for the difference between an obsession and mental compulsion and someone responded saying obsessions create anxiety and compulsions decrease them and I just didn’t know if that was always the case. The next day I actually watched a YouTube video with Chrissy Hodgens and John Hershfield (both of whom I abosloutly love) and he explained that sometimes compulsions are used to find certainty and not just to make us feel better. It was a huge Aha moment for me. If you suffer from pure o I highly recommend checking Chrissy hodgens out, she really gets it. https://youtu.be/yWjb6O0OmLA here’s a link to that video I mentioned, you may find it really useful!
AmoreiAmorei
- Date posted
- 5y
If you ever feel like I need to do xyz to prevent abc from becoming true, It’s usually a compulsion.
Related posts
gage736
- Date posted
- 19w
Need tips
I have pure ocd i think , i always gotta make sure i do certain things like tap things , light switches on n off , shut things few times and re open them till it feels right . Walk in a room go back out and back in out in in till my mind is right Its exhausting
Ok_Paint758
- Date posted
- 18w
Is telling myself "it's just ocd" a compulsion?
When I was a child, before I knew this was OCD, I struggled with constant "magical thinking" compulsions (don't step on the crack or mom's back will actually break, etc). When I later learned this was OCD, it almost immediately solved it. Any time I got a magical thought, I would say to myself "that's just an OCD thought. ignore it." and it just stopped coming! Like seriously it fixed the magical thinking stuff forever. But of course the OCD has resurfaced in other ways. So naturally, I've tried to use the same strategy since I had so much success with it previously. But I wonder sometimes if telling myself "that's just OCD" is almost functioning as a reassurance compulsion? I hate how meta this gets. For example, I have ROCD that comes and goes. So sometimes I'll get a thought like "what if i'm still in love with my ex?" and then I'll tell myself "that's obviously just an ROCD thought" and will feel relief, almost like reassurance. But it comes back. So is telling myself that it's OCD a reassurance compulsion ?? It's just so weird because it worked so perfectly as a kid with the magical thinking thing.
HelloPeoplee
- Date posted
- 18w
How do I know if I have OCD?
This list by ai gives a good summary of my symptoms. Does it resemble OCD or is it something else? 1. Compulsions (OCD-specific behaviors): • Feeling the need to flex or contract muscles an even number of times, equally on both sides of your body. • Needing to reverse actions (for example, if you roll your eyes or trace a line with your finger, you feel compelled to do it again in the exact opposite way). 2. Intrusive Thoughts (OCD-specific ruminations): • Daydreaming about people you care about getting hurt (e.g., school shooting, injury, or kidnapping). • Sometimes feeling like you might want something bad to happen to someone you find attractive—possibly because of a desire to help or save them, though it’s confusing. • These thoughts can sometimes provide a twisted sense of relief while remaining distressing and confusing. 3. Sexual Orientation OCD: • Experiencing confusion or doubt about your sexual orientation. 4. Contamination Thoughts: • Feeling like things are contaminated, especially after touching something gross. 5. Sensory Compulsions: • Feeling the need to smell your hand after touching areas like your ear or hair. 6. ADHD-like Symptoms / Additional Observations: • Fidgeting or moving your legs when standing or sitting.
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