so people say to try and tell yourself it would be okay to be gay and i tried that and then it started to make me feel like i was and it just makes my anxiety so much worse!!!!!

ok but sometimes if i don’t get anxious then i get more anxious because it feels like “oh well if i don’t get anxious that means it’s true” if you know what i mean

@kortnee I totally know what you mean and if you feel bad for not feeling bad (because OCD does that) then let that pass again.

@Iwashere I have problems doing that with my theme and Im going to start NOCD therapy and ssris but knowing to just sit with the anxiety and let it go is the first step

@Iwashere I second all of this. I’m not at the point to where I can see a specialist (cost, time, ability etc) but when I really started to just sit with the anxiety and tell myself, hey I don’t need to figure out my sexuality *at this very moment* i saw vast improvement, but that is not to say that I don’t have days where I struggle.

@optimistic thanks so much!! i honestly think it’s helping me!

thank you! it’s just so hard to know the difference between false attraction and real because i know i’ve been straight my whole life 😭

@kortnee The one idea I have offer thst isn't reassurance and has helped ground me: how do you prove something you're not?

@Iwashere what do you mean?

ohhhhh that makes sense! so like if i just leg these thoughts happen and try not to worry about it ir will get better?

@kortnee Yeah and OCD makes thst very hard for us to though hence why we gotta do ERP! It all comes full circle Lol

@Iwashere okay!! thank you so much for your help?

@kortnee Sometimes its hard to remember when you're in the middle of the ruminating. But the fact that it makes sense without having to be reassured is the only proof you need that this is OCD, not you! Best of luck

@Iwashere thanks!!!💖

what do you mean? so trying to like tell myself it would be ok is just making it worse? because that what’s happeneing

@kortnee If you're doing it to gage your reaction, its a compulsion. Or you're trying to reassure yourself that it would be okay. Instead say it to feel anxious and sit with the anxiety. Let the thought make you uncomfortable. Dont ruminate,Dont react, just let it sit until you move on.

@Iwashere ok so like instead of trying to tell myself it would be fine, just let that anxiety happen?

@kortnee because i’ve tried to tell myself “ it would be ok to be gay or bi” and then it makes me feel like it’s even more real