- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 4y
I used to negate those thoughts and ruminate all day to the point where I couldn’t function. I now resist repeating those thoughts like “I don’t want to hurt myself/others” because it’s a compulsion and keeps me in the ocd cycle. Ever since I’ve stopped doing those compulsions the intrusive thoughts have stopped and are barely there :)
hi! i'm the same way except i ruminate like "you wouldn't hurt anyone because __" or "you've never hurt anyone before". i've learned to let the thoughts flow better so i'm not struggling as much anymore (although i've never been diagnosed with ocd it may just be my anxiety and intrusive thoughts), but at first when i wouldn't ruminate i would get SO anxious because i would think that meant that i was agreeing with the thoughts. over time you learn that not ruminating is a lot better even though it may make you feel more anxious at first!
Thank you for your feedback! And by not ruminating; you mean by bluntly not paying any mind to not carrying out any mental reassurance/compulsion pertaining to the Harm OCD in Pure O?
yes exactly! like at first (still is but not as hard) it was really hard because i would ruminate by saying these phrases in my mind without noticing because it became a habit but then whenever i noticed myself saying these i would immediately stop. of course it will feel uncomfortable at first but it really works in the long run :)
I used to ruminate a lot, all day every day...harm and pureO and still fall into the trap sometimes...but not for nearly as long. I'm seeing an NOCD therapist now, but if you're looking for some good advice, check out Ali Greymond on YouTube...but make sure you don't turn her videos into a reassurance compulsion lol. She helped me SO much, and I still listen to her every morning while I walk my dogs.
I used to. Rumination is a voluntary act, it’s a compulsion. Try as hard as you Can to stop it, because you can.
Thank you all for your feedback and advice, it’s greatly appreciated!
Hi! It’s pretty difficult for me to get the courage to post this but I’m really struggling to figure out if what I’m experiencing is OCD or Anxiety or neither. I think I have the “pure O” type of OCD where most of my compulsions take the form of ruminating and trying to figure out something all in my head. When I hear this talked about in forums or online the intrusive thoughts don’t really match mine- I worry often about things that seem more “grounded” if that makes sense. A common one for me is my own identity- i will spend long amounts of time stuck in my head trying to figure out my feelings (often sadness or other real emotions I have and patterns I have) and why I feel that way and what in my life caused that and how it’s impacting other things in my life. I also think often about which parts of my personality are the real me and which aren’t. Sometimes this takes the form of strictly ruminating and sometimes I have fake conversations with people I know. It’s intense and I feel I have to figure it out but with no specific intrusive thought that says something like “you have to figure this out or all of your loved ones will die” but it’s very intense. I think also often of all of the decisions I need to make in the future and how they’re going to affect those I love and care about as well as how much I’ll regret them. I imagine all of the ways I think my actions will emotionally hurt others and how to make the least harmful decision, but to me this feels like a valid concern but go over and over and never come to a conclusion. I often just get scared and never make any move because I don’t see an option that doesn’t hurt someone somehow. But again I’m having a hard time identifying the intrusive thought behind it. But I also don’t choose to think about these things most of the time. This is almost all decisions but especially big life decisions. It’s such a struggle because they are things I eventually do have to make decisions about. There is so much more to it that would take too long to explain but in general a lot of my fears revolve around pleasing others/ understanding others emotions to ensure they’re okay, my own identity and personality, and work/school performance. Someone mentioned OCD to me because in my head it feels like I have to solve these things and will go over and over them but I seriously can’t figure out if it’s anxiety, OCD, or none of the above. It’s all very disruptive to my life. I am never not thinking or not trying to figure something out and I feel as if I have no control over it Anyone have any insight?
Anyone else have repeated thoughts that play that are negative. Basically a back and forth of you telling yourself you don't want X to happen but having a thought that slips saying you do. Like being stressed out one day and saying "man I wish I were dead". But instead of letting it roll through your mind and thinking nothing of it, you obsess if you actually want that outcome for yourself and you are now scared you'd fatally harm yourself whenever you feel anxious or stressed even though you know you wouldn't. So now I repeatedly get I wanna die stuck in my head and I feel the compulsive need to say no I don't to combat the thoughts and it happens throughout the day and even when I wake up.
I’ve had physical compulsions on and off throughout my life. And rumination while not physical comes right along with it. Recently my brain has latched on to reassurance seeking. And it makes work horrible. I constantly feel the need to seek reassurance or validation from my boss or my coworkers or friends. I feel constantly judged and hyper analyze everything someone says to me or every interaction I have. I go home after work and run over all the times I spoke to or interacted with someone that day and I’m critical of how I presented myself, how I was perceived, what I said or didn’t say. I then go back the next day not only wanting to seek reassurance but also thinking I need to over explain myself to prevent any kind of damaging misunderstanding or miscommunication that would make them think poorly of me. Is this a common thing? It’s been the worst thing to go through as of late, my checking and things has gone down but this mental stuff is a whole new beast. How do you guys handle this kind of thing at work or at school?
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