Starting ERP today. For the last few days, I’ve been calm about it. Now that today is the today, I am so anxious. My heart has been beating out of my chest all day.

It's the first step to recovery and like any first step, it can be scary at first but it get better with more steps in that direction. Just remember that it will get worst before it get better and you might want to stop because it could feel like it's too much but just push through. The reward is worth every efforts, trust me. I'm so happy for you, that you choose to face your ocd with Erp to put an end to it.😁👍 You can do it!

I would say if your senses,mainly sight in that case, are telling you that there's something wrong, then an appointment with a doctor is in order. It's not reassurance if your senses are telling you that,here and now ,there's something wrong with a skin mole. It would still be ok, if you worry about a mole and decide to make it check by a doctor just to be sure. But, it would become reassurance if you decide that despite your senses and the expertise of your doctor, you decide ,because of an anxiety impulse, to check it again and again, maybe even by an other doctor. This is where it's reassurance, it's when you use your worries as the reality and not your senses as here and now. What your ocd is doing, is reject your reality and substitute his own false one.

If it help, from here up to your appointment, there's nothing you can do and so worrying about it doesn't help anything. So no need to worry, like the proverb says, you will cross the bridge when you get there. Take care!

You got this! Starting ERP tomorrow and I feel like I’m the same boat. Dig in, just like I will! And keep us all updated on how it goes! :)

I started today and i am certain i am making this more confusing than beed be, but i have so many questions.

When you have health related ocd , how will you know if something you are concerned about is a real concern and should be brought to your doctor vs seeking reassurance. Example you have a mole you are concerned about, do you go seek reassurance from your doctor or not but if not what if it was early stage melanoma tgat could have been caught but you didn't go so now its advanced stages. That's my first question. If that makes any sense.

Gotcha

Now to get passed the fear of going to find out if indeed it is ok or not. YIKES!