- Date posted
- 3y
- Date posted
- 3y
Yes! All the time. I constantly feel like I'm on the verge of losing my job. I know for a fact that my boss would be shocked to hear me say that. She has told me on numerous occasions that I am a valued member of the team, I'm great with both coworkers and customers and I have a ton of knowledge. Some of my OCD themes im like "Where in the heck did that even come from?" Some of them I know exactly where it came from. This is one that is based in a real life experience. In 2001, I was unjustly fired. After that, I had trouble keeping a job. I was working for a temp agency. Because I was unemployed, I had to take whatever they offered me, whether I wanted it or no, or I would lose my unemployment. I had several years, where I couldn't keep a job. But I have been with my current employer for over 7 years and my current position for almost 5 years (in December) yet I think about this constantly.
- Date posted
- 3y
I feel you! I was new and I went around a rule at one of my jobs so that a friend would be able to purchase a product before a customer. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal because either way, the store was getting money. I essentially got treated like a criminal, escorted out of the building, and was put on leave. I eventually just resigned because I didn’t think I’d be able to work there without having hard feelings towards my coworker and manager. I always fear that that will happen again.
- Date posted
- 3y
Follow the anxiety, and try to scenarios where you get fired. You could also try doing the things that scare you, but I would rely on a therapist to decide what those things should be.
- Date posted
- 3y
*try to imagine scenarios
Related posts
- Date posted
- 20w
Does anyone else struggle with this? It's been the main thing powering my POCD, and it's only been getting worse. Especially when I see posts online of people sharing their personal stories relating to CSA, specifically grooming. It's so triggering now, but before this theme developed, the most I'd feel while reading posts like that would be disgust targeted towards people who did those things. Now, my first thought is, "What if I do something like that one day? What if I've done it before and I don't remember or didn't know I was doing it?" I have many, many different intrusive thoughts or worries related to this theme, but it all circles back to this specific fear that I'll become like the people who hurt and took advantage of me. Does anyone have advice for this? I'm not sure if I've asked a similar question in the past or not, but is this something I need to deal with separately before beginning ERP for OCD? I'm just curious and also lost on where to begin with all of this. I'm just glad I'm able to begin working through all of these issues now, rather than later in life when I'd probably have a lot more responsibilities. Anyways, any feedback is appreciated! 🤍
- POCD
- "Pure" OCD
- Real Events OCD
- Older adults with OCD
- OCD newbies
- Young adults with OCD
- Mid-life adults with OCD
- Date posted
- 19w
What ERP or other techniques do you use to combat fear of cancelation? Especially curious about those with taboo thoughts, false memory ocd and event ocd based off of real events where the fear of cancellation may actually hold some validity. I once did my own ERP not under a therapist but just on my own I decided to create an anonymous account on Twitter and defend a friend who was receiving online criticism. I knew that this would be semi-controversial so I was expecting backlash and when I recieved troll replies it actually seemed to be a really helpful low-stakes exposure activity. Is this something that others have done? Low stakes online posts etc. that you know will recieve negative responses? I have had severe OCD as a kid as pretty much every subtype under the sun, and as an adult I pretty much have all the types under control except for this real event and false memory and taboo thought OCD. It seems like a different beast since it's somewhat realistic in the camcellation culture today, and it's confusing to address. Ive shut down almost all social accounts and it's keeping me from progressing in a career where I need to have an online presence :/
- 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.
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