- Date posted
- 4y
- Date posted
- 4y
Well I would love to say that I cut them out of my life, but I live with them so....but yes it hurts. My sister and my mom have both purposely triggered me (not OCD I have a sound processing disorder too).
- Date posted
- 4y
Yep. My mum will do something she knows triggers my ocd, even when I hint that I don't want her to
- Date posted
- 4y
My neighbors currently do this. I have tried to get my parking space changed by my apt complex said no because theyāre awesome like that. Itās part of the reason Iām doing ERP. When I eventually move, itād be nice to not have such public compulsions. To give any other advice, Iād have to know if itās a family Member or an acquaintance, like someone that knows you have it or doesnāt. My neighbors know something is wrong but not exactly what, and I feel that if I went up to them and gently explained āIām seeking treatment for OCD and I know youāve noticed me doing things, but theyāre harmless and Iām actually trying to stop and itās really difficult and debilitating. Can you cut me a break?ā But I havenāt had the courage yet. If itās a family member or someone who knows you have OCD, Iād stay as calm as possible and go to another room to calm down. Later Iād ask them why, and ask them not to do it. If they continued, Iād cut ties. If not possible, Iād report their behavior to another more responsible family member and an outside source like a doctor or counselor.
- Date posted
- 4y
Thanks for the tips!
- Date posted
- 4y
Sure! I know itās not the best but itās all I could come up with and trust me, Iām trying to take my own advice!
- Date posted
- 4y
And I know itās hard not to argue or get upset with someone when youāre already feeling OCDish and they exacerbate it but try for your own sake and not theirs to breathe and just say to them āFine okay, I need some airā and go away for ten. Then maybe try to explain that you care for them and want them to care for you, and that you believe youāre suffering from this (show them a website etc) and it would mean a lot to you if they could change their behavior a little to help not make it worse. If they donāt let you get some air if you need it even if youāre being calm with them, or if they respond poorly if you explain you think youāre dealing with something difficult and need them to be decent, now we are starting to talk about a little abuse instead of misunderstanding and before things get out of hand, try to think of someone who may be able to step in and help somehow. Like I said, a counselor, therapist, other older relative they respect, etc. Nobody should have anyone making their mental illness worse, plus you actually need help and support. But also try to remember that non OCD have nothing to compare their own mind to, they canāt understand how our brain works and itās not their fault. I donāt know your type of OCD, but consider your mom and sis an exposure and understand that staying calm through that and breathing and taking time to work through it is actually ERP, plus itāll keep you safer and itāll make them be more willing to listen to you about all this. Good luck friend.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 13w
my roommates are great people and very supportive, but they donāt understand ocd. they try to fix me by telling me things iāve heard a million times before, and by doing things that actively trigger me as a kind of exposure therapy. iām very particular about contaminants in my water, but i have a specific aversion to tap water, which is why i have my own water dispenser. every few weeks, i fill jugs with filtered water and keep them upstairs so others can use them too. after getting home from work, i filled my cup with ice water and, for once, didnāt inspect it like i normally would. i drank it down. when i went for a refill, the ice had melted a bit and i noticed particulates floating in the water, instantly recognizable as calcium and other minerals from our tap. i donāt explode when iām triggered. instead, i shut down. the anxiety starts to crawl in. i felt myself spiraling while i pulled out the jug. i know it sounds stupid, but i swear thereās a real difference in smell between filtered and tap water. i checked it, sniffed it, and confirmed what i already felt. and once that thought was in my head, it took hold. i felt disgusting. i wanted to make myself puke. i couldnāt tell if it was anxiety or the water itself, but it felt like something was burning a hole in my stomach. i sent a message in our group chat asking about it, and one of my roommates said they had done it to prove i wouldnāt be able to tell the difference. they said water is water, so i shouldnāt care. i know they meant well. but when people who donāt fully understand ocd try to force those kinds of steps on you, it sticks. it reminds me of my parents. they do things like this a lot, pushing back against my compulsions, trying to help by challenging them. and sometimes, i do appreciate that. but this felt like too much. it crossed a line. and i just needed to rant.
- Date posted
- 8d
This peaked during the pandemic, but for a while my OCD would tell me that everyone was actively trying to kill and humiliate me at all times. I was convinced that there were cameras in my house and toilets and showers, and i refused to shower for a week at one point. I convinced myself that people could see through my eyes and just felt super watched and paranoid at all times, and would sometimes have panic attacks at school because of these thoughts. I also couldn't leave my food alone in a room because i thought "they" would poison it. Who was "they"? Idk i just felt super paranoid all the time. These thoughts greatly impacted my life. For example, one time i was making myself food and i spent 30 mins picking out the right bowl because i had convinced myself that all of them were poisoned but one of them. However, i was aware that these were irrational thoughts, but you know how OCD is. I became heavily suicidal because since i thought people were planning to kill me, i wanted to be the one to take myself out. it was a super dark time and my mom wasn't supportive at all. when i opened up to her, she took it as a stab at her parenting and grounded me. i eventually saw a therapist and am mostly better but i still have my compulsions from this time. to counter these thoughts i created incantations i would recite in my head, and in my head it felt like these phrases were like magic spells that could, for example, turn off the cameras in my house. i had a different phrase for every OCD thought and some have merged into one, but i still recite them to this day and it takes alot of time out of my day. for example, before i shower i have to recite my phrases or else i feel super panicky. i also have rules for them? like i can't recite the same phrase more than one time in an hour or it will cancel itself out and i won't be able to "turn it back on" until the next hour. anyway, i know this was a lot of words, but im just curious on if anyone had a similar experience and what classification these OCD thoughts even fall into.
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