- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
100% , I always do better when I am fully engaged/ distracted . Driving in the car alone is one of the hardest places for me with ocd
- Date posted
- 6y
Of course! Then you don’t give these thoughts time just because they are that unnecessary as they actually are. It’s important to give your brain chances to rest by doing these things you mention. However, the goal is to feel safe with yourself and not scared to be alone. I mean, you shouldn’t be worried about that. So what I’m trying to say is that it’s good if you can distinguish between distractions that might be a compulsion or just natural things you do that’ll take your focus from these unnecessary thoughts :)
- Date posted
- 6y
Same here
- Date posted
- 6y
Same!
- Date posted
- 6y
Totally
- Date posted
- 6y
Yep same!
- Date posted
- 6y
I am pretty sure my OCD went dormant for twenty years because I was just too busy for it. One day it decided to stop me in my tracks though. I guess it got sick of waiting around for me to make time for it. I am learning to take back the things I used to enjoy in my free time. For the last few months anytime to myself has been spent on my OCD for the most part. I have started listening to podcasts and audio books in the car.
- Date posted
- 6y
That’s exactly how mine is, I’m usually very engaged in conversations and fairly happy go lucky when I’m with other people. The few people I have told about my OCD always found it hard to believe that I had it due to never seeing me stuck in my head or doing my compulsions
- Date posted
- 6y
I have experienced that too. Though at the worst times its difficult to get out and get active. Also i think that i have also had staying active and going out to bars as a compulsion, which i guess can be a risk. That one never dare to stop to feel at all.
- Date posted
- 6y
I guess it’s hard sometimes to know what activity could be an eventual compulsion. Things that make you feel happy is good for you (except alcohol and other drugs). I think if you feel that you have to force yourself to not be alone because you feel scared to start thinking thoughts; that’s a compulsion. Or if you feel that you really have to distract yourself in a moment when you feel the thoughts are coming, then it’s a compulsion. These are just my theories, better if you figure that with a therapist :)
Related posts
- Date posted
- 23w
I feel like I’ve had a lot of different categories of ocd. Some categories stick with me more and are repetitive. I’ve been doing well with mental health - not having anxiety stick around. When the physical feeling of anxiety sticks around, every thought is horrible, but when the feeling of anxiety is gone the obsessions don’t really impact me. If I can keep anxiety at bay, my life is good. I’ve been doing well lately, although this week I was scrolling through tictok and watched a video about someone in a coma and wondered if I was in a coma right now and didn’t know it. I had a panic attack for about 15 minutes. Anxiety, sweating, etc. It didn’t take ahold of me and it quickly lost its impact on me. It still shook me and I was just like “wow” where did that come from. Now I am staying away from social media. Is that avoidance? Should I make myself keep watching social media? Many ocd problems have come from social media or watching a movie or show that triggers something and then spirals. I am limiting what I watch, which I believe is good because I shouldn’t be watching that stuff anyway. What do you think?
- Date posted
- 20w
Hi - just for some context, I have OCD and ADHD. I hate bringing this up, but with these diagnoses, when intertwined, there is ALWAYS a thought. I never stop thinking. This is really hard, especially because I feel like I always need to be talking to someone. Whether it’s my friends or family, talking to people brings me down to earth from certain kinds of thought spirals. However, when I’m alone it is the hardest. When my friends don’t reply I have this compulsion to text again or I need to constantly check my notifications so that I have none left to check. But then to them or new people I talk to, this behavior probably comes across as overwhelming or too much. I’m trying to control it and use erp, but also, I have my moments where I’m just vunerable and give into the compulsion. It’s genuinely so embarassing and maybe not as big a deal as I’m making it out to be but, how do I manage? And how do I relax?
- Date posted
- 20w
i’m in college and on my summer break now. i don’t have a job yet or much to occupy myself with and im finding it really difficult to keep my ocd under control. if i have nothing to do, i find myself sitting around and ruminating heavily and getting severely anxious and my thoughts just keep wandering. i don’t really feel peace of mind unless im with my boyfriend or my best friend, both of which i don’t get to see often because they’re very busy or live far away. im not sure how to keep myself busy and how to occupy my brain with something other than worries :(
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