- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
Yeah totally! Gotta be self compassionate and realize it’s a tough time for everyone right now! I had a few good years similarly but moved across the country recently and that triggered a huge spike (I wasn’t even off my meds like you!). You got this! Meds will help and continuing ERP too!
- Date posted
- 5y
I know and I didn’t think about how such tough times would cause a spike. I need to be easier on myself. Thank you.
- Date posted
- 5y
Hey hun! OCD is chronic, it waxes and wanes through your lifetime. It’s normal to have setbacks & relapses. What’s important is how we cope with them. Use your ERP strategies (if you’ve ever done ERP, if not there’s books I can recommend which help!). OCD will always feel real, that’s why it is so distressing-but it is just a false alarm. Everyone gets intrusive thoughts, yours just stick. You can handle this! You are in control, not the OCD ? Self compassion is great to practice too, it’s easy to be upset with ourselves for relapsing, but it is not your fault. We all have setbacks❤️
- Date posted
- 5y
Yes! I would love to know what books you recommend. Thank you!
- Date posted
- 5y
@amommy03 Read Everyday Mindfulness for OCD by Jon Hershfield & Shala Nicely! Plenty of tips & ERP games :)
- Date posted
- 5y
@catmom Thank you so much. I’m going to buy it now. Your words are so encouraging.
- Date posted
- 5y
@catmom I hate mindfulness and i love games. Maybe this is the encouragement i needed to get over my stubbornness about mindfulness?
- Date posted
- 5y
Think of it this way: once upon a time your OCD was particularly intense and it went into remission for two years. Now it’s back—as someone else mentioned, OCD waxes and wanes over time—and you’re feeling all those old feelings again (and maybe some new ones!) The good news is, you definitely know that it’s possible for you to feel great! You’ve got tons of experience of getting through it to the other side. No reason to think you can’t again!
- Date posted
- 5y
Thank you. That is a great way to look at it. I know I will get through this again.
- Date posted
- 5y
Yes!!! Hang in there xox
- Date posted
- 5y
yes I too have GAD, harm and POCD and it's the harm ocd that always seems to come back and spike when things get tough. you think to yourself i have been ok and not worried so why all of a sudden do I feel this way again. it's hard as when you pass a hard time you think that theme wont come back again but sometimes it does and I find that hard to understand why. xxx
- Date posted
- 5y
What is GAD mean ?
- Date posted
- 5y
@Survivor ❤️ Generalised anxiety disorder
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- 5y
@Kimberley* Ohh okay thank you
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- 5y
@Survivor ❤️ ?
- Date posted
- 5y
It’s definitely when things get tough. Maybe because our systems are down and anxiety is already up.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 22w
So I have been struggling with the same theme of ocd for 4 months now. My ocd centers around past events/false memories that ocd skews to make seem bad or it twists my thoughts on what my intentions were. this is related to cheating or being weird while I have been in my amazing relationship. I have never cheated on my partner and never will and I believe it is wrong. But my ocd is telling me other wise. I love my partner so very much and I would never want to hurt him but my brain is getting to me. I was getting better. I was trying “maybe I did, maybe I didn’t”, I have been back on meds and in therapy and I stopped confessing random interactions from years/months ago about 1.5 weeks ago and it really helped. But now I woke up this morning and feel the pit in my stomach again. I feel extra critical and like why would you do this? What does this say about you? What was your intention with this? And I’m just stuck mentally reviewing and ruminating on everything you could imagine. I know my personality and I know in the moment maybe I did find them attractive but mainly I was just being nice or funny or even just a good friend, but looking back now I’m like “was it flirting?” “Why did I still snap this person” “why would I even talk to them” and stuff like that. I feel this intense sense of guilt. I have told my partner everything that I keep getting stuck on and he didn’t care, he said he understands or “that’s a little weird but it’s okay” and hasn’t missed a beat. He said eveything I’ve told him is normal and I’ve heard that from my friends too. I just really need help. I don’t know what to do anymore. I am so disappointed because I thought I was gonna be done with this, so why am I still so worried and caught up in this.
- Date posted
- 20w
Themes constantly switching. I’ve been suffering with real event ocd the last year and am currently in therapy treating it. it’s nowhere near as bad as it was last year and it’s felt like a nice break. there’s days where it gets bad but i can’t compare it to the stress of last year. However i’ve noticed every time i overcome a theme a new one hits me out of nowhere. i’ve suffered with ocd since i was 9, and ive had multiple themes. i’m in a 2 year relationship with my partner and it’s amazing. she’s probably my second proper relationship due to the fact my first relationship gave me so much fear to get into another one as i was cheated on, and needed a few years to get over that. i kind of guessed that ROCD would creep in at some point as it just felt inevitable. anyways, i know my partner is not cheating on me, she’s beyond loyal, we are so so in love but i think due to that first relationship i had, being cheated on really messed with my head. it’s like my brain is telling me my partner has someone else even though i know in my heart nothings going on, and i trust her with my life. i also think because im in the happiest relationship of my life, anything that would indicate loosing her makes me feel sick and riddled with anxiety. and i know that’s completely normal for everyone. i think the most frustrating thing is, is knowing that my OCD has finally crept into my relationship which is something i never wanted it to do. this is a brand new theme and i have no idea how to treat this. i will speak to my therapist but if anyone has been through this theme and any advice in the meantime i would really appreciate it :).
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 19w
I’m a teacher, and for the last two school breaks, my harm OCD spikes regarding my girlfriend. The first one was winter break (It came back after three years), and when I was recovering, it came back in the beginning of June. Just out of nowhere. Even though I know it’s OCD, it still scares the hell out of me and I spiral for weeks and weeks. Does anyone else have spikes and relapses when there are breaks in your routine?
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