- Date posted
- 3y
- Date posted
- 3y
Stay strong! Way to use it as an exposure and work on it!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
Proud of you! You can do this.
- Date posted
- 3y
I actually did the same thing yesterday and spoke to my therapist about this. What I was doing is the exposure, without the response prevention, which ended in me feeling worse. I was giving in to compulsions bc I was secretly looking for an answere or comparing myself to what I was reading instead of just sitting with the anxiety. And it can also be useful to start with less anxiety provoking things and work your way up :)
- Date posted
- 3y
I have to admit I also had some rumination in there as well, but for the most part I’m taking it as a positive. I know not everything I read (most if not all) has nothing to do with me. But also the fact that I’d rather enjoy my life and sit uncertain (nothing is certain) than go down a rabbit hole of what ifs that IS me. Work in progress. I’m not even close to perfect at this yet. I just go with minute by minute ❤️
- Date posted
- 3y
@KC🌻 That's perfect! And remeber- it may or may not be true 😊
Related posts
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 15w
I used to get caught in a loop with existential thoughts very frequently. Every question made my stomach drop: (TW: existential questions) … … ... "Why does anything exist at all? What will death be like? Is anything even real? Is there any meaning to this? Is the universe infinitely big, and if not, what's beyond it? Are there multiverses? Has the universe been around forever? Will the universe end for good, or will it keep going forever? What is forever like? What even IS reality?" It would get so overwhelming that I remember lying on the floor in a fetal position for hours because I felt like there was no escape. I spent most of my days reading articles and watching videos about theoretical astrophysics and philosophy in a desperate attempt to "figure it all out." Of course that only made me more anxious, raised more questions, and kept me trapped in the cycle. Things started to improve once I learned to turn TOWARD reality, rather than away from it, and ERP really helped me do that. I learned that these questions weren't the problem. I learned that I can actually handle the anxiety that arises when exposed to these ideas and concepts. I don't have to figure anything out to make the anxiety go away; it arises and passes away on its own. Ironically, bringing myself into the present moment and becoming more aware of reality helped me escape the cycle of existential dread. Because of that, this topic no longer takes over my life. If I'm triggered by something I see, hear, or think, I may still feel a little twang of anxiety, but then it just goes away. "Maybe, maybe not" has been the single most useful phrase of my life. Do you ever get trapped in a cycle of existential questions? Are you worried that the ERP approach would be too scary to handle? If so, I'm happy to give my advice.
- Date posted
- 8w
Curious.... the news has been terribly distressing for me and has stirred up OCD. Compulsive rumination and checking (news stories) are my go-to when OCD is triggered. Today, I purposely did not listen to my news podcast as I do every morning. I feel better-ish. Is this avoidance, or is this self care? Would continuing to listen to a podcast be exposure with response prevention applied to the compulsions that go with it? Thanks in advance!
- Date posted
- 6w
(21+ ONLY: TRIGGER WARNING) I have therapy today and I’m nervous. I just started going to therapy and I really like my therapist. She talked to me about doing ERP and I’m really nervous about it. I’m scared to tell her the extent of my OCD, and my themes. I’m scared to tell her about my false memory OCD, because I’m scared that what I did was real and I’m just excusing it as false memory, although I have no memory of it. I’m scared that I am truly a monster and I’m using OCD as an excuse—and that she’ll find out and distance herself. I’m just scared that my whole world is gonna fall apart, all around me.
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