I’m not sure where my OCD begins or ends. My partner has such a wild sense of humour and always makes these insane jokes. It makes me anxious ALL the time and I begin to question and interrogate him. I’m so frustrated because I can’t figure out if I’m so upset and triggered by the things he says because he’s actually going too far and crossing the line, or if my OCD and anxiety can’t allow by brain to relax about this. When I do manage to “brush it off”, we both laugh and move on. But then I’ll start overthinking and I’ll bring up the subject over and over and over, seeking reassurance. However, he made a joke that was NOT funny and I legitimately got upset. But I also think my anxiety causes me to react stronger than I should? Sorry if none of this makes sense. I’m all over the place. This anxiety just makes it SO hard to tell if I’m overreacting or getting upset over nothing, or if I’m warranted in feeling this way.

Thank you. That’s a very good idea. My struggle is mainly in the moment so I understand taking some time to think about it....but isn’t it okay to ask for clarification about something offbeat he says? Like, if I ask “what do you mean by that?” or “was that a joke?” I feel like that’s warranted? But if I continue to dig for answers and reassurance (ex. “do you PROMISE that was a joke?!” and “WHY would you say something like that?!”), is that when I need to take a break and sit with it? Sorry, just having trouble with this. If he says something that crosses the line, I want to address it right away, but I definitely want to understand when my OCD is taking over and I’m just panicking and seeking reassurance

@rewilding I have exactly the same issue. I agrrr with sku99, when you feel urgency to react, just don't. If you feel like the joke overcame your boundaries (was sexist, insulting..) adress that

@natalie123n Thank you very much. I think part of my problem is that I don’t even know where my boundaries lay. And everytime I get upset, I find myself wondering, if anyone else made this same joke or comment, would I get as upset? Or would I know they are just joking and brush it off? My anxiety has made him out to be this awful person and that’s why I get so scared and so flustered every time I’m triggered. It happened again tonight. This one definitely crossed a boundary and he apologized but I still find myself obsessing: “was he REALLY joking?” It’s just very exhausting and frustrating. And it’s frustrating for him too. We can never just have a normal conversation that doesn’t erupt into a long discussion about something he says. Thanks so much for the advice. It’s really nice to be able to chat with likeminded people and know I’m not alone