- Date posted
- 4y ago
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I'd say just enjoy it! But you can also make a memo for your future outbursts, and say that it will pass and you will feel normal like you feel right now again eventually. Or write down rules to remember, skills to use, things like that, so when you feel bad next time you can trust in something you wrote with a clear mind.
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I love this! I will definitely write some inspiring messages for myself to reflect on. Preemptive planning for my future self! Thanks for the suggestion!
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I haven’t had any symptoms for awhile. I wish I would’ve started this earlier, but I’m taking a lot of time to work on my relationship with myself instead of focusing on relationships with others. I do yoga every single day, bike for 30 minutes, meditate, take baths if I’m feeling it, and I’ve gotten myself on a strict bedtime of 10 pm on weeknights so that I can get 8 hours. I think sleep has been the most significant help because not having enough sleep makes yoga, meditation, working out, and eating healthy harder. I didn’t realize that doing all of this would be so helpful until I did it. It makes me feel much more at peace with the possibility of symptoms coming back because I remember just to shift my focus to my breath and it helps me remember my thoughts are just thoughts.
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I'm so happy to hear you have been free of symptoms for some time! I spend so much time focusing on my relationships with others when I'm in the thick of it (ROCD is one of my main themes) that these methods of self love you're describing don't even cross my mind. I have tried all of these activities to varying success over the past year but haven't stuck with them. Establishing a healthy routine like you are suggesting would help ensure I can stick with my self love even when I feel consumed by ruminations. Thank you so much for the suggestions!
- Date posted
- 4y ago
This is very common with many OCD themes. I heard someone compare it to a wash cycle in a washing machine, you’re down for a while and really in the depths of it, and then you fly upwards and it’s like your heads above water and everything’s clear and then BOOM, you’re back down under. These may feel great, but it’s important to remember that you’re not tackling the issue at hand... you’re just letting the cycle perpetuate. Try and get hold of an ERP therapist, or if that’s definitely not an option - trying the self-administer option on this app after doing research on ERP is your gateway to recovery. Sending you my best wishes!
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I have heard that analogy as well, it perfectly describes the cycle of OCD. I did 3 sessions with a therapy through NOCD, and on the 3rd session my therapist informed me she would no longer be working with NOCD. I was in-between wash cycles at the time and feeling pretty good about my progress so I chose to take what I had learned from her and proceed without further sessions with a new therapist. I have since been laid off due to COVID and having complications with my unemployment so money is very tight. Once I have income again I plan to start with another therapist and do some exposures. It feels great now to have this clarity and surety of self but I know all too well how temporary it can be. In the meantime I will look into the self administer option through the app. Thank you for your words and keeping me on track!
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Best wishes to you as well!
- Date posted
- 4y ago
@DreamEvolution I’m sorry you’ve been messed around so much... I really hope the money situation improves! Having to break the bank to escape what’s going on inside your head is definitely... something. If you do enough research on ERP and are aware of the risks that you’re facing, self-administration can be equally as beneficial as working with a therapist, and plus you have had the initial ground-work set. Knowing that your time between ‘wash cycles’ (lol) is finite can be pretty crushing. The wash cycle doesn’t have to be a way of existing, you can escape it with ample amount of ERP, this has been proven by many recoverers. You don’t have to live your life waiting for the next punch in the stomach! Sending you my best, best wishes! I hope you beat this beast soon!
- Date posted
- 4y ago
@Ellie (Just realised I said best wishes twice... the more the better I guess lol 🤷🏻♀️)
- Date posted
- 4y ago
@Ellie I really appreciate it! My girlfriend is working so we have some stability in income. I did quite a lot of research into ERP before signing up for my first sessions with NOCD. I have also read some of the book Brain Lock as suggested by my therapist and written extensive notes from the parts that I have read so by this stage I'd say I have a solid grasp of OCD, how it works, and what needs to be done to combat it. Yet while all this info is great it does me little good when I'm in the throes of another wash cycle. That's why utilizing this time of clarity for more than just enjoyment seems so important! I love you analogy of waiting for the next punch in the stomach. Thank you again for pointing me towards recovery from this point of understanding I find myself at. It's nice to be aware of the cycles of OCD and how it affects me. It would be even more nice to eventually beat this thing! There can never be too many best wishes! Best, best wishes to you on your journey! And more best wishes to everyone out there struggling who stumbled upon this thread!
Related posts
- Date posted
- 19w ago
hi. so one big factor of my OCD is rumination. i met a guy who i have a crush on the idea of (idea bc there are red flags). my biggest fear is not finding true love, my ex told me no one else would deal with what i have (my ocd, specifically reassurance seeking and getting overstimulated after intimacy). a few weeks ago, my friends and family all gathered and tried to give me advice that sounded like “you’re shy and you’ll never find someone.” after that, i’ve felt off. i’ve been using an unhealthy coping skill, daydreaming, and i’ve just felt unbalanced. my ocd makes everything feel different sometimes, i can’t explain it. life, myself, almost like being in a dissociated state. has anyone else experienced that? i don’t know how to remain balanced during my off times and i know pms exasperates it all. i take ashwaghanda and omega 3s in a multi vitamin daily. i take them all together in the evening but i’ve missed three days recently and also messed with my rocky sleep schedule because of fun times with friends. i hope these supplements work, because i don’t know if i’d be brave enough for medication. i had a bad reaction on prozac and often am forgetful. i just have been battling my OCD consciously for almost ten years now and unconsciously for longer. i am so tired, as my mental health extends beyond my OCD. i’m in talk therapy with some cbt aspects but i only see her twice a month. i’ve broken down so many times and promised myself id get on track or that certain things would work, but it’s like i am stuck in a circle that gets smaller when i’m able to help myself. i just want to be normal. i want to be able to mess up my sleep schedule to enjoy good times and not suffer horrible consequences or fear that i will be entirely thrown off balance. i don’t want to worry or doubt or feel so dissociative that i squint my eyes for a moment and wonder why i feel so unreal. i will never understand why god has allowed me to go through this. i cannot let it be for nothing but i don’t know how much more to bend and contort my body and brain to get somewhere stable but how lovely it would be if i could. i don’t have much of a schedule right now, i get apathetic and give in with things from time to time. one thing can trigger me and i am back to square one wether in a week or month. any advice, any and all is so helpful. your stories, your thoughts. maybe feeling less alone and knowing what has helped you is exactly what i need right now. thank you 💗
- Date posted
- 16w ago
Dose anyone else experience that your OCD calms down and goes to the back of your mind during- feels almost safe and unaware of it but as soon as it's over and youve calmed down all the intrusive thoughts come rushing back 10x worse? I've had really awful panic attacks because of it the past two nights and it's exhausting I haven't been with another person in over a year because of how bad it was after and not being able to explain it properly to partners "no I'm not crying because of you" "no you didn't do anything wrong" I feel insane- like I'll never be able to have a normal functioning sexual time alone or with others do to it the compulsions that come with it are exhausting it's like the need to cleanse myself of filth like I'm disgusting and horrible until there's no traces I did anything in the first place I'm just so tired dose anyone have any tips of how to work through this- or at least be able to enjoy myself without crying afterwords? I have no idea what subtype this would even entail? I'm going to go with contamination I guess ?
- Date posted
- 14w ago
I’m having a big OCD relapse and would like to hear anyone’s tips on how to be present and healthily deal with these intrusive thoughts and the “need” to preform compulsions. Thank you!!
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