- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 4y
Hey đ. Thinking in other areas like what, if it's not too much asked?
I'm not really sure. It's a bit of a vague fear. It's just consuming me
I have Pure O as well, and am constantly concerned that Iâve done something wrong. I can relate... a couple days ago I just got into bed from feeling overwhelmed as well. Are you with a therapist?
No. I'm about to start with someone. I've got to go to work in an hour but I want to kill myself I'm so frightened. I don't know what to do
@Mary Hinchliffe Try the SOS feature in this app. Itâll walk you through this obsession using ERP. I believe in you!
@Madison I've tried it but I'm still terrified. I don't know what to do
@Mary Hinchliffe Ok. Sit with this feeling. Accept the uncertainty. Whatever youâre afraid of, just say âokay, maybe. Maybe itâs true, maybe itâs not.â And just sit with that. Donât do any compulsions â no rumination or analyzation or trying to figure it out. Just sit and tolerate the distress for as long as you can, until the anxiety lessens. It will feel horrible at first but see if it lessens after a while of not doing anything to address it. This is teaching your brain that there is nothing to fear. Once the amygdala (brain part responsible for emotion) realizes there is no threat because youâre not doing anything in response to what it is sending you panic signals about, the panic signals will lessen over time.
@Madison Okay I'll try that. Hopefully I will calm down by the time I'm at work. Not Ruminating is the hardest thing to stop. I'll try though
@Mary Hinchliffe You can do it!!! It is really hard but it WILL work if you keep it up. If you are still tempted to ruminate when accepting uncertainty, try to agree with the fear. This is way harder but what my therapist recommended. âOkay, yep, that is true.â That leaves OCD with nowhere to go â canât ruminate anymore if youâve already reached that conclusion! That will cause the anxiety to spike but if you sit with that and donât do a compulsion, the distress will lessen naturally as your brain realizes thereâs nothing to fear. My therapist told me: If your fear is uncertain, accept uncertainty. If your fear is telling you something absolute, agree with it. Either way, ERP has you sit with the distress, donât do a compulsion no matter how bad you feel, and see if the anxiety lessens naturally. (But donât overwhelm yourself if you canât take it! Iâm NOT a therapist or professional, this is just what Iâve learned. You can do this)
@Madison Your support means so much â¤ď¸ Your therapist sounds really good! I'll try this at work tonight when I panic.
@Mary Hinchliffe Best of luck!! đ
@Madison Thank you!
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