Anonymous

Date posted: 3y ago

Does anybody else feel like they are CONSTANTLY doing mental compulsions to suppress thoughts

Dani1980

Date posted: 3y ago

Unfortunately you’ll continue to do mental compulsions because trying to suppress these thoughts make them more aggressive and intrusive. Try to sit with the thoughts and try to not add value to the content. An average person has 60k+ a day... mostly subconsciously of course and everyone gets intrusive thoughts... we just want certainty and wonder why. If you haven’t already, look into getting with a therapist that specializes in treating OCD to learn how to practice ERP each day, you’ll learn that when these intrusive thoughts come you can continue to do what you want and it’ll just fade to the background

j420

Date posted: 3y ago

I don't get this. I don't understand or know how to apply thinking without adding value

j420

Date posted: 3y ago

Please some help

LetJesusTakeIt

Date posted: 3y ago

@j420 Me either

Dani1980

Date posted: 3y ago

@j420 Ok so let’s just take one of the thoughts that are intrusive to you. When it pops up, just sit with the thought but don’t think or dissect it a part. Just say “I don’t know, maybe, will not today !” And stay in the present. Are you in therapy at all yet?

Dani1980

Date posted: 3y ago

@j420 I want you to learn from a professional, I may not be explaining it correctly I’m sorry but I know that when a thought comes that I don’t necessarily agree with or want, I accept the uncertainty and let the sensation and feeling pass

j420

Date posted: 3y ago

@NOCD Advocate - Danielle Yes I'm seeing Thelma. I'm so frustrated with my brain. I'm 51 and had this most my life. I am frustrated with trying to figure out how to let an intrusive thought "just be there"and I also need to learn some self compassion

cmac1339

Date posted: 3y ago

Yes because i have difficulty letting the thoughts flow. I want to fight so bad but i know the process to recovery is letting the thoughts happen and just fade over time

dwman

Date posted: 3y ago

I feel your struggle. Many years ago I used to try and 'block' intrusive thoughts or images in my mind by playing words or images in head. Eventually I would play the same things in my mind, then in same order, and more words/images added on. The intrusive thought would become more harder and anxiety raising to suppress out with my 'thought train' compulsion and I did not want it to appear while I was actually trying to do something. Now I just sit with it, time out until I'm calmed down.

Dani1980

Date posted: 3y ago

I am sorry that you are struggling with this, I have definitely been there

j420

Date posted: 3y ago

Danielle. So what's the difference between ERP and sitting with the thought.

Dani1980

Date posted: 3y ago

@j420 You simply just don’t engage with the thoughts or give them value, it takes work. ERP is the practice of actually triggering these thoughts on purpose and allowing them to exist while not engaging with them.

j420

Date posted: 3y ago

@NOCD Advocate - Danielle Thanks Danielle you I think have made it clearer to me. So engaging is hyping up my belief that I will kill myself when all I need to do is agree that I might and not trying to believe it. My mind is already saying that right

j420

Date posted: 3y ago

@NOCD Advocate - Danielle I think I've had this all wrong because I have been giving the thoughts value. I thought that's what I was doing when I was sincerely trying to believe them.

Dani1980

Date posted: 3y ago

@j420 Yes don’t engage at all, just state that you noticed the thoughts and continue to sit with the uncertainty

Dani1980

Date posted: 3y ago

@NOCD Advocate - Danielle It’ll take some time, you are forming a new way of doing things

j420

Date posted: 3y ago

@NOCD Advocate - Danielle Thanks Danielle. I appreciate you responding to me

itwillbeokay💛

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 3y ago

yes

Date posted: 3y ago

Sometimes yes

hope

Date posted: 3y ago

yes :( i can’t escape

kellprice90

Date posted: 3y ago

Yes

LetJesusTakeIt

Date posted: 3y ago

All day every day 24/7 almost

j420

Date posted: 3y ago

I feel your pain

mirbrach

Date posted: 3y ago

I have the thoughts 24/7 and they never pass

Anonymous

Date posted: 3y ago

I had the same thing. I learned to stop rumination engaging with the thought. My life is so much better. Erp and therapy works!

issphra 🫶🏻

Date posted: 23w ago

Does anyone else..

Feel guilty for not giving into compulsions like rumination and confessing? I feel guilt for having an intrusive thought, trying to shrug it off or just giving it a few seconds of thought and moving along. This sounds like improvement but I still struggle with the anxiety and the guilt. The shame. I’ll be okay and then I’ll remember I have OCD and my stomach will drop and I just want to curl up and cry.

Anonymousssssss

Date posted: 16w ago

Do you have to do erp?

I’ve noticed that I’m somewhat happier also ignoring my thoughts than I am instead of doing compulsions (I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired atp) but I’ve heard you’re technically supposed to do erp rather than pushing under the rug. But idk if I have a thought I just refuse to think about it again and im fine even if I want to do compulsions

issphra 🫶🏻

Date posted: 12w ago

Advice please??? I’m CONFUSED

OK, this might sound really dumb, but when you guys get intrusive thoughts, do they just come once and then go away? I’ve heard that repeatedly thinking about an intrusive thought is considered ‘checking,’ but it doesn’t feel like I have any control over how many times it comes up in my head. It’s not like I’m trying to check anything—it just keeps showing up, almost like it’s terrorizing me every time. I can’t seem to stop it from looping, stop remembering it, or prevent it from coming up. Every time it does, I feel horrified, and I already know it’s going to horrify me. I don’t think I’m actively trying to see if my feelings have changed, so is this still considered checking? How do other people get an intrusive thought and just move on? Doesn’t it pop up a million times for them too? I always thought that was normal, but now I’m hearing this could be a compulsion, and I feel really confused, scared, and lost. Is this why my OCD feels so extreme? Because I really don’t feel like I can control how many times the thought pops up.

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Does anybody else feel like they are CONSTANTLY doing mental compulsions to suppress thoughts

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