- Username
- jackg
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Exactly! Our brains are just creative. With all of the knowledge we have, it’s perfectly normal for it to conjure up random crazy thoughts. They don’t have to mean anything! :)
It's easier said than done, especially when thoughts come with feelings. For example, I struggle with POCD a lot and I have tons of moments when my thoughts come with such strong and overwhelming feelings and sensations that it's so, so hard to acknowledge and accept them without doubting yourself or looking for reassurance, mostly because they feel like proof that there is a great chance that you might be what you REALLY don't want to be!
Hi corablue, I hear you and I agree, it is definitely easier said than done. I can relate to you with my own struggles with POCD and the compulsions to anazlyze the thoughts or ask what they mean about me as a person. I think it’s also about allowing yourself to sit in the discomfort, and the uncertainty of not knowing, because we will never really have an answer that will satisfy the OCD. Observe the thoughts, and notice the feelings as just what they are. Thoughts and feelings. I know they can feel so so real, I think that is a hallmark of OCD. If it didn’t feel real to the person with OCD, we would just be able to disregard it.
Even Being aware of this knowledge,OCD doesn't sit queit
Hi Sourav378, yes I agree, knowledge of something is definitely different than experiencing it. I am still not done with my OCD recovery journey, and have good and bad days. Sometimes it helps to remind myself that it’s not really about getting to this place of “never having an intrusive thought again” because I don’t know if that really exists. Rather, it’s about learning the tools to succeed so that when an intrusive thought does come in, we are as best prepared as we can be to face our fears.
Truly am aha! moment. It's one we often need to have multiple times before we internalize the learning and can apply it in our lives
Ok, quick experiment. Read the sentence below, preferably out loud. "I want to eat greasy grimy gopher guts" Do you actually want to eat them?
This made me laugh, and no I dont
@luchalysol So what's the difference? Aside from strong emotions
@NOCD Advocate - Katie You're right. It seems so real, but Im looking forward to treatment. I start on the 20th. I really want to fight this monster for the sake of my son.
@luchalysol And eventually you'll fight it for yourself too
@NOCD Advocate - Katie For both of us. All Ive always wanted was to be a great mom and be involved. That would make my heart sing.
For me, it helps by taking a step back and looking at it as “wow, I just had a thought/image/urge that I actually wanted to do this. I’ll look at it as still just a thought/image/urge without examining the actual content.” If it feels like you need to “prove” to yourself that you don’t want to do it or reassure yourself that you didn’t want the thought, try to resist that. Instead say “I don’t know if I want to do this or not, but I’m not going to try and figure it out. I’m going to focus on what is in front of me that is important.” Our thoughts that provoke anxiety seem like they are SUPER important, and that they need to be figured out or suppressed or pushed away immediately. Whenever I feel this way, it raises a red flag for me, and I look at it as just an OCD thought and try to not be afraid of the content. I try to let the thought sit, and no matter how disturbing or against our nature the thought is, accept it as just a thought. Hope that helps!
Im going to start trying this! Thank you! I just want to get better for my son's and family's sake. This has disturbed my life into a very dark and sad place.
Its hard for me cause my thoughts are of the "want" variety as opposed to "what if" which then makes me feel horrible. I have harm ocd so this just makes me feel disgusted and ashamed. I don't "want" any of this, not the thoughts and not acting on it.
Can you explain how the wording of the thought makes it any different?
I struggle with a very similar issue. It's hard to both understand and cope with it!
@NOCD Advocate - Katie It makes me freak out more cause its almost an affirmative but I don't want to hurt anyone. Those cause me the most distress
It’s comforting to know that with OCD, often what makes people describe it as ‘terrible’ and what often makes it ‘terrible’ - is not the intrusive thought - but the fear and negative feelings we attach to it. Now I am able to have intrusive thoughts through out the day - and they don’t give me bad feelings or anxiety bc I know they are just thoughts! Also everyone, even those without OCD, has intrusive thoughts. But the destructive and terrible emotion we attach to it is what makes the experience so terrifying! It is quite comforting to realize this!
What is the correct response to intrusive thoughts? Of course I know that you must avoid compulsions but what is a good mental process? Like, 'Okay whatever', or 'It's just an OCD thought', or 'Mm Hm disregarding'. What should you kind of say mentally?
Hi All, I’m struggling with understanding something. Im scared that if I accept my thoughts and don’t react to them, then that means I’m okay with them. What if I start accepting my intrusive thoughts and then think it’s okay to act on them? Any advice?
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