- Date posted
- 4y
- Date posted
- 4y
đđźââď¸ Yup! Thatâs one of the ways OCD is explained. (Itâs so much more complex than just that explanation, but Iâve seen it as one of the basic definitions in a psych class before.) As for what I do, or at least try to do (because Yoda didnât know our OCD strugglesđ) is to try to notice/realize that part of why I feel that way is my OCD. Then I can try to fight it. After 17.5 years with my partner and 20+ years of my family and I knowing I had OCD, I can also, in moments of clarity, try to reach out to them before I get stuck or while taking a break from being stuck to let them know how to help me that I donât think will trigger me more. While I have a better support system with them than ever before, sometimes they still donât get it. Now I am so lucky that I also have all the people on this app. We get it, and weâre here for you. Hope this helps. đ
- Date posted
- 4y
Thanks for your comments. It's not really losing control like I'm going to do something, it's being in control so that something bad doesn't happen or so whatever happens/is done the way I want it to. I have a hard time deciphering what's a compulsion in this case (other times I can see it) because it's usually logical or my brain thinks it is so I end up telling people, particularly my partner, what to do. Usually they're very supportive but sometimes they become frustrated which is a huge trigger to me. I'm not sure what to do.
- Date posted
- 4y
Yes, thatâs the type of control I took it to mean. And yes, it is a risk because if your support system member is in the right headspace of her/his/their own, itâs so helpful, but if not, so triggering. Thatâs why it can be helpful to talk with them before you hit an OCD âattackâ. Sometimes weâve had a code word, so that if either of us says that, because non-OCD people can still come to us when they have a bad time, then we both know that the party saying it needs help or to breathe and collect to help the other. I even (again, ahead of time) came up with the best phrase for my partner to say if he noticed that I might be getting stuck. Because the last thing I need at that moment is to feel judged. So he may just ask, âHow are you?â Or âwould you rather do something else?â Maybe try which phrase is least triggering to you. Maybe for you itâs, âDo you really want to do it this way?â Or, âWhy do you think it should be done like this?â Maybe you are even ok with a more direct, âDo you think this could be the OCD talking?â Thatâs not really a part of ERP, but maybe itâll help you be more aware of what is OCD or to help you and your support system be most efficient and patient. Maybe it wonât help you at all. (See Iâm trying to embrace uncertainty. đ). But either way, you are totally not alone! Best wishes your way!
- Date posted
- 4y
@ARTnotOCD Thank you, that's really helpful! I will try out integrating one of those phrases.
- Date posted
- 4y
I'd say it depends on what exactly you do as compulsion and why you feel afraid of losing control. I have the fear too. I note down the compulsions that I frequently feel the urge to do (for me that's checking to see if I'm hallucinating, or delusional, ruminate on past actions) and I always try to remind myself what my exact fear is, what are the consequences of losing control? personally, I fear I'm gonna reveal heavy secrets I've told no one about. and cultivating this insight into why I do the compulsions greatly helps me see things objectively and it's easier to resist the compulsions, I actually don't check for hallucinations anymore. Anyways it's probably different for you but that's what I do
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
My last and almost life long theme/sub-theme largely subsided recently and my ocd felt like it wasnât even an issue. Then I went on winter break from uni and being alone made my mind come up with a whole new topic to obsess over. TLDR on my fears, my advisor wouldnât email me back for a while about signing up for classes so my mind started to worry âwhat if he doesnât in time and you canât enroll this semester and you lose this whole life you just built and all these new friendsâ So when that issue was resolved my mind found other scarier ways I could be uprooted from my current life and friends that Iâve grown so attached to. Then my mind remembered back when I was struggling with false memories and scrupulosity and I essentially made a post on a forum 2 and a half years ago saying I did something or was convinced I did something that I never actually did. Now Iâve been spiraling about someone finding it reporting me and I either get seen as a horrible person or arrested or something over something I never actually did but âadmittedâ to out of fear of going to hell. My mind wonât let it go and keeps finding new reasons for it to be âvalidâ âlogicalâ or even inevitable. I feel like itâs just hanging over my head and I can never rest easy. Especially when I try to focus on my daily tasks or plan for the future I get this horrible flair up of âwhy plan for the future when this could come back in that future and you get uprooted from all of itâ my mind wonât rest without certainty being uprooted wonât happen but certainty doesnât exist, at least not with ocd. This sucks and I miss being care free.
- Date posted
- 22w
I started dealing with OCD when I became fixated on health issues, particularly the fear of contracting a life-threatening disease. If I experienced any kind of medical symptom, no matter how small, that even remotely hinted at something potentially fatal, it would drive me crazy, and I couldnât stop obsessing over it. Then one day, I started having intrusive thoughts about accidentally hitting someone with my car, and I would end up driving in circles to check if I had. Eventually, I found myself overwhelmed by a flood of new obsessive thoughts and compulsions. One day, while I was at the park, a squirrel came near me, and for some reason, I felt like it attacked me. I Googled it and learned that squirrels could carry rabies, which spiraled me into a deep fear of rabies. I became consumed with the thought I received a bite from a squirrel, raccoon, or bat any time Iâm in areas that trigger me. It started off only being inside then transferred to even being in my own home. This made me obsess over every physical sensation in my body, compulsively checking to make sure nothing was wrong. One compulsion that I hated the most would to be putting rubbing alcohol on me to make sure that I had no open wounds. Every day feels like Iâm walking around in a fog of anxiety, constantly worrying that I wonât even make it to old age. Sometimes, it gets so overwhelming that I just want it all to end. It stresses me so bad at times to where my brain feels like Iâve been studying all day.
- Date posted
- 17w
hi! i often fear im going to lose my job because i made a âmistakeâ (not really) that my manager caught and is waiting to tell me about or i fear im going to be kicked off the roster of a team im on for small mistakes that everyone makes. this often compels me to ask those people if i did good or not and gauge their reactions to see if theyre going to remove me and i fall into a cycle of asking and asking. how do you guys deal with these feelings / compulsions? when im flaring i often just spend as much time around these people as possible to gather âevidenceâ of their opinion on me, but then i get nervous that they hate me for being clingy. i also abandon other duties / tasks so i can spend time with these people to make sure they like me. what do you guys do? anyone else experience the sentiment?
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