- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
Er... "should"? Who on earth has the emotional capacity to be constantly offended or disgusted by something? Even having an initially strong reaction to something shocking or that you find disgusting doesn't last forever for literally anything if you're exposed to it all the time. Your body is literally built to feel, process and then move on from feelings, it's a physiological process. Do you still find a joke funny after hearing it 100 times? You might be fully aware it's a funny joke and that it made you laugh and maybe still does occasionally and that other people would find it funny etc etc. But do you actually have the same physical or emotional response you had the first time you heard it and laughed until your sides literally hurt? Similarly the happiness level of people in suddenly terrible life circumstances (amputees) and people who win the lottery have happiness levels which quickly go back to the set level that is completely normal for them before the thing happened (https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/meditation-modern-life/201709/your-set-point-happiness). There is no "should". The problem here isn't that there's something suspicious and psychological and twisty about this scenario. The scenario is completely normal. Your anxious interpretation of it is OCD, is the problem, and is what's making you miserable- as always, accepting that you feel (or don't feel) some kinda way without getting sucked into "what that could mean" is the answer. Treat this with ERP by exposing yourself to the worry and the idea that I'm wrong, and then preventing all these analysing and ruminating mental compulsions even though it makes you feel unsafe to not dwell on it. As you do ERP for this worry, the theme it's about and all the other branches of it, hopefully you'll have an easier time taking on board this principle that you can't control emotional responses, only behaviours, and that emotional responses are a reflection of normal physiological process, not of beliefs or some kind of inherent morality, and that you don't have to feel what you have decided are perfectly "appropriate" responses to stimuli 24/7 in order to be considered an acceptable person.
- Date posted
- 5y
I feel so bad cause Im so numb. I was thinking of my son and a thought just popped in my head that said "I want him dead" and idk if Im emotionally exhausted that Ive had numerous panic attacks all week but I didn't have the reaction to it I normally do. I had a much smaller amount of anxiety but now Im concerned that it may be true. I don't understand what is going on. I feel like I can't even look at my son in the face. He is not with me right now, he is with dad in another state. I wanna be with my son but my ocd makes me believe I wanna hurt him. I know I don't.
- Date posted
- 5y
Thank you so much
- Date posted
- 5y
I think part of that might be because you are so used to having intrusive thoughts that they are not as surprising anymore. They don’t catch you off guard anymore, they just induce anxiety because you know they always do.
- Date posted
- 5y
I know, but its scary. Its scary to have them and its scary to not react to them as much. Ive had panic attacks all week, idk if Im just exhausted and that's why I don't have such a strong reaction or if I actually do like the thoughts.
- Date posted
- 5y
I can relate, I need answers on this too
Related posts
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 25w
Does anyone have any advice for how to know the difference between ocd and real feelings/thoughts? Sometimes an intrusive thought will come in and I immediately know it’s ridiculous and I can just leave it alone and it won’t bother me but other times I really really don’t know. It’s when ocd hijacks and twists my real feelings and thoughts and tries to manipulate me into believing they’re something they’re not or something that doesn’t align with my true morals or intentions. But since it’s twisting and mixing with real feelings I get so confused and scared. Everything gets jumbled and I feel like I can’t trust myself or my own mind. Yet other times and other topics I can laugh off and push away just fine. Make it make sense. And then I start to think well maybe I don’t have ocd at all and I’m just in denial because I don’t want to accept that these scary/concerning things are true about myself. Or maybe that’s just the ocd talking.
- Date posted
- 24w
Can it feel like you're enjoying the thought in the moment but then later, hours later feel anxious and do a compulsion?
- Date posted
- 11w
Does anyone else’s OCD convince them that bad thoughts are not actually that bad…. Like I know they are so why do I feel like they arent😭😭
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