- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
Yes take the step and talk to someone
- Date posted
- 6y
Some additional reasons OCD spikes: hunger, tiredness, generalized stress, hormonal fluctuations, caffeine intake, dehydration. Sounds like it’s time to be intentional with your self care. I had to start meal prepping so that I didn’t get hangry and eat junk which further triggered my symptoms. I have an alarm for when to both wake up and to go to sleep. I have to be strict with myself to ensure I’m getting enough rest. This also helps stop me from drinking coffee and eating sugar for energy. Test things out for yourself and see what works!!
- Date posted
- 6y
Trust me I’m right there with you, this whole week my pocd has come back to the main theme and it’s been a bad week, especially since I just started meds. It’s horrible. I feel good for an hour tops and like I can accept the thoughts but then I feel bad and feel like accepting the thoughts means I agree with them (I know it doesn’t.) but it’s hard and it loves to attack me in my sleep, or when I’m trying to fall asleep. I’ve barely slept this past week so trust you’re not alone.. I’m struggling too. All we can try to do is take it day by day. ALSO I’m in a super small town so I know how you feel about limited therapists in the area I think online is my only chance to properly heal.
- Date posted
- 6y
Isai: I'm so sorry you're dealing with that. I know exactly how you feel about it attacking you in your sleep or when you're trying to go to sleep. Mine loves to attack me when I'm trying to go to sleep. I think a lot of people suggest deep breathing and meditation, but my OCD tries to pop in images when I try to think of a calming place. :/ sigh. Then on top of that, you have dreams about it! And there's absolutely nothing you can do about that :/ I was OCD free for a year after doing 4-5 months of Exposure Therapy. So I know it works. But I switched anxiety meds, and yeah my life became a living hell. I used to only have the HOCD. But with that new med, that's when all the other sexual things started. Every single day I had a new fear. I got off the med and back on what I was on before. But the damage was already done. And that was in summer of 16, and I still haven't gotten any sort of grasp on it. I have the same trouble as you. 1. It's very hard for me to say "yes" to the thoughts and let those, any images, and whatever physical sensations be there. 2. Because I'm an over thinker, I get confused on how to let those things be there and kind of talk back to my OCD by "agreeing" with it ("You're right OCD! I'm a TOTAL lesbian! On top of that, I'm a lesbian who loves my mom, dogs, AND kids! Wow! I am just so gross! Gee thanks! But I'm gonna go about my day now! Thanks for those thoughts and images though! I appreciate that!") but not accepting it as true. It's hard for me to wrap my brain around agreeing but not accepting if that makes sense. It's been my biggest obstacle. And I'm trying a few therapists out online that can legally work with me in my state. But honestly? If I still don't have some sort of grasp on it by the summer? I'm really thinking of traveling out of state and doing an out-patient program somewhere where you legit see a therapist everyday for like 3-5 weeks but stay in a hotel or whatever. Only thing is my old therapist said it's good to have that break from your therapist so you go live life and experience things and learn to deal with flare ups so that you implement the tools given to you. But I'm so desperate at this point and feel like OCD has debilitated me so badly, I don't care if I have to see someone everyday for the rest of my life. I just need help. If I can get like a head start and get past that confusion between letting the thoughts be there but knowing that doesn't mean accepting them as true as well as learning to be "okay" with being uncomfortable with images, thoughts, and physical arousal, I think I would be set and just need that check in. But it's getting over that first hurdle that has been the hardest thing. :/ I hope you can find someone to help you. Have you looked on the International OCD site to search for therapists in your state and/or that can legally help you from out of state?
- Date posted
- 6y
Yes I’ve looked but the closet is an 1hr 30min away and I don’t think my dad would find driving back and forth that much ideal. So it looks like I’m stuck with online sessions.. because everyone seems to be telling me my current therapist has no idea what she’s doing. I just went through another practically sleepless night. This theme is so exhausting I just want some sleep and I get maybe 4 hours and it’s not consistent.
- Date posted
- 6y
WorriedDriver It spiked tonight after I still hadn't had any dinner by 10 PM. Entire car ride home, I felt physically aroused for absolutely zero reason and just generally bleh. When I got home, I went into the bathroom and cried and hit my head. I tend to try and "get OCD out of me" by pulling my hair or hitting my head :/ I'm so far into my panic that I just can't act rationally :/ I then ate food and felt a bit better afterwards. Now I'm feeling kind of depressed... I have a sleep disorder in which I'm constantly very tired. It's called hypersomnia. So it's very difficult for me to go to bed early or wake up and not fall back to sleep. I take stimulants to help me be awake during the day, but the downside is that those use seratonin. Our seratonin levels are already lower at night. You add the crash off of the stimulant, and I'm just a complete mess OCD wise. The crash makes me depressed, angry, and anxious. I'd been feeling better in terms of that lately, but my OCD has spiked dramatically. It sucks. Luckily, I don't like coffee or energy drinks. However, I do drink diet soda :/ sometimes I drink it because I'm trying to wake up during the day (I can still fall asleep on my stimulant). I'm trying to be better about not having those at night so that I'm not amped up and unable to go to bed. My problem probably is chocolate. Horrible. My body doesn't really do well with carbs, but I personally love them. I know I have to switch my diet soon to low carb. I did it before and felt better health wise. I don't remember if it helped so much with OCD.... Actually, when I did it, it was before I had "relapsed" with my OCD. So I can't really say if it did anything in terms of that. Maybe it WOULD help. Who knows.
- Date posted
- 6y
Isai I'm so sorry. I completely feel you. My old therapist that led me to that one year without horrible OCD just is sooo flaky. I love him, but it's impossible to get an appointment with him! It wasn't like this a few years ago. But after I relapsed, his business definitely changed. He is truly the only one I know where I live who understands and effectively treats OCD. But how helpful is it if you text, call, and email and he reads it but doesn't respond? It's so frustrating feeling like there's only one person who can help you but that person is just so scatter brained in terms of running his business that you just feel helpless. I basically texted and said if he knew of other therapists to let me know their names cause obviously he's very busy and he finally responded saying we could meet every other week. It's a start but I wish I could see someone more often. I looked on the IOCD site, and the only other therapists registered on there are in the northern part of my state lol. Yippee. Is your current therapist helpful at all? Or does it seem to just be talk therapy or reassurance? If so, I agree that you somehow need to find someone else. I personally think in person therapy is better (at least for me in my experience), but if you can't find anyone close by, online is better than nothing. The IOCD site has great ideas on what to ask potential therapists when you're having that first consultation to see if it feels like a good match. The tips they have are really good, and I'd definitely go look those up and ask them if you decide to look for a new therapist. You definitely need someone that truly understands OCD and how to treat it (Exposure and Cognitive Therapy). I'd also ask if they've ever treated someone with your subcategory of OCD.
- Date posted
- 6y
I’m sorry to hear that sparklypaws! That must be so irritating to have proper help right within your grasp and feel like they don’t notice how much you really need the help. It’s kind of early for me to tell, everyone on here seems to think she isn’t going to help but I want to give her a chance you know? She’s only had one session with me so I’m going to interview her more at this next one and I’ll see from there. I talked to my father about it and he said to give it a try that maybe I can at least take something away from her that’s useful and if not we’ll find someone else. Just sucks, I really want that human contact that’s part of my problem that makes my ocd so severe at times I think. I have no. Routine. I do nothing all day, I’m trapped in the house. So I’m gonna try to get my license soon because it’s time, I’m 21 and I need to start getting out I’ve just been scared.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 17w
As a lesbian with SO-OCD, I feel so helpless. It's truly exhausting because no one I know understands what I'm going through. The first response is always, "You're just confused" or "You don't have to know yet." But that's not the issue, I do know. I just never see any lesbians with SO-OCD so I feel so invalidated. These thoughts flood my brain constantly, forcing me to analyze my reactions to every man I see. I feel trapped in an endless cycle of "testing" myself, trying to prove that I don't like them. But my brain fights back, telling me I do want to love a man, making it feel real even though don't want it. It's terrifying. At this point, it's hard to even hold onto my identity as a lesbian because I'm so overwhelmed. I don't know if this is what real attraction is supposed to feel like, and that fear eats away at me. The truth is, when I think about being with a man, all I feel is disgust and fear-but my brain twists that into doubt. I hate it. I'm at the point where I'm scared I'm going to have to accept something I don't want because I don't know if this will ever go away. I miss who I was before all this.
- Date posted
- 10w
TW: SO-OCD. I have been a part of the NOCD community for around 4 years now. I am seeing more and more posts, but I am very rarely seeing people actually commenting, reposting and engaging back. I think I have always had obsessive thoughts, but never knew it was a thing until around 5 years ago. I believe my first theme was Harm OCD, when my little brother was first born in 2007. I used to scream at night as I was so worried he was going to be kidnapped, or he may d*e. I would avoid sleeping at friends house's, my dad's (as my parents had split) as I thought if I wasn't there to protect him then something bad would happen. My mum said she would wake up and I would be asleep net to his cot in the morning (I was only 10 at the time). Fast forward to 2017, where me and my high school boyfriend split up, I convinced myself I may be gay as I no longer wanted to have sex with him (almost found it a chore). I was 16/17. We split up and I lived my 'single' life. Spent my time dating males etc and then myself and my ex got back together in 2018. My intrusive thoughts took a turn for the worst in lockdown, when again may libido decreased significantly, and I didn't feel and ;urge' with my boyfriend sStill current partner). I remember one day, bursting into tears, had a panic attack and cried for hours with the most excruciating anxiety chest pains. I told him and my mum about my thoughts. They are both incredibly supportive and my mu actually told me that she had these thoughts too when she was round 19 and still does now (I also didn't know that COD can be inherited). After about 18 months of the worst mental health, significant weight loss, social thoughts and almost ending my relationship, I started to see light at the end of the tunnel. 2022, things started to get better. My partner and I were in the best place we could have EVER been! Sex life was AMAZING (quality of quantity I mean) and I honestly thought, this was the end. March 2024 I fell pregnant. Again, I had a great pregnancy, sec life was great, was so excited for our future. I have never been one to be bothered about marriage, but kept having this lovely vision of us getting married and our little girl walking down the aisle. Baby girls born in November 2024 and BAM, SO-OCD and ROCD have kicked in. I am now questioning my sexuality again, if I am in the right relationship, am I just 'settling'?, does he deserve me?, am I in denial?, what if we get married and then it turns out I am gay?, I don't want him to propose as I am scared etc. Just relentless every single day. I even question, if any of the conversations I have had with family and friends where they have related to me, were even real or if I made them up for my own comfort, so that I do't feel alone?! I am constantly reviewing past events, as I worry that I wanted to explore my sexuality in university, as I remember having an amazing friendship with a lesbian (who was, I am not afraid to admit, very 'handsome'), and we did flirt, as she did with everyone!! But we never took it any further, it never crossed my mind! I almost don't even get the 'anxiety/'sick' feeling anymore because I am SO used to the thoughts. I don't have an urge to act on my thoughts, but they are also no longer debilitating for me. I just feel exhausted with them. They are ALWAYS there. I have gone down the rabbit hole of avoiding meeting new women friends incase 'I find them attractive', if there is a same sex couple on a program I watch, I automatically avoid. I compare my relationship to others. I saw an insta reel yesterday of a women in her 30's that said 'when you're lay in bed with your husband, searching 'Am I Gay' questionnaires and you decide to divorce and follow your heart' and it was a page dedicated to her helping other mid life adults cope with coming out as gay! It really really really triggered me. I am just exhausted. If anybody else wants to share there story, comment below. It doesn't have to be the same sub types, but just an opportunity to vent!
- Date posted
- 10w
I can't look at 18+ videos, comics, etc. I am straight, but SO-OCD tries to make me think I am not And the thoughts turns to feelings, and makes me scared, uncomfortable, sad, because I know this is not me. And when I try to imagine myself being with the woman on adult videos, and comics, my OCD gives gronal response not at the girl, and it fills me with fear, and anxiety, I always loved, and was attracted to women but I can't and it caused me to be depressed, and I keep ruminating I keep trying to focus on her, but it's so bad that I avoid those all the time now. I am wondering has anyone gone through something like this, or currently is, and wondering how you have done to combat this!
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond