Accepting uncertainty isn’t accepting the thoughts as true. It’s accepting their presence without giving them meaning.

I think of it this way. You have to accept them like you accept that it’s going to rain. It’s going to rain today. Is there anything you can do about it raining? No you can’t. But can you choose how you react when it’s going to rain? You can be upset that’s it’s going to rain and have it ruin your whole day or you can acknowledge that sometimes it’s going to rain and that’s okay. Giving it meaning is like saying that because It rained today your plans are ruined. And accepting that it’s raining and working your plans around it is how you accept it without giving it meaning.

@plathocd Oh? I didn't know that, something we have in common. My obsessions are usually centered around things I've done in the past when I was much younger and adult content consumption. I constantly try to tell myself that I'm different and I know that I am and I've been 17 days clean from all kinds of adult content. What's your real event like?

@BigGip09 It’s centered around events that aren’t major, but my OCD warps to convince me of drastic conclusions about. I’ve had OCD since I was a child, and the themes have shifted over the years (mainly scrupolisity and emotional contamination). I had a severe OCD spike earlier this year about real events, and it can be tricky to navigate. That being said, it is just OCD, and should be treated like any other theme. It also pushed me to reach out for proper help after refusing it throughout my life, so maybe it was a good thing in disguise.

@plathocd Sorry to hear that you've dealt with this for so long. I do hope it is getting better for you. I'm glad you're reaching out to get help. I haven't made that step yet. I don't really know how. I've been dealing with this ever since the middle of 2020. I know how it started and ever since then, I couldn't drop it. Most of it is centered around shame, irrational legal concerns, and probably the guilt I carry by beating myself up a lot over said obsessions. I consider this to be a good thing in disguise too because months ago I was someone that really wanted to step away from adult content but couldn't. My OCD always worried about this, and here I am, finally able to cut it out.

@BigGip09 I’m sorry to hear you’re experiencing distress. Another positive aspect of living with this for a long time is I can be of some help for people who are just beginning to experience symptoms. It’s possible to reach a place of recognizing OCD as a separate entity from you, even when it’s hijacked real events.

@plathocd I definitely agree!! It feels great to help people that are suffering from this, knowing that we as a community are able to make even the slightest difference for a positive outcome. I really like that about this place. There's days where I can let go of the past because I'm so much more different than I used to be. Even the person I was a few months ago. The one that was addicted to adult content but wanted to stop. And I finally did. 2 whole weeks fresh. And as for way back in the past with the other stuff, I was much younger and I've grown from that. I guess I'm still struggling with the irrational fears because they're convincing, even if my friends tell me there is no legal trouble and I shouldn't worry at all about the things I worry about.