- Date posted
- 3y
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
There’s a book called “The Road Less Travelled.” Something he mentions in the book is about the idea of loving someone and what does that mean. I think it’s applicable to anyone, but especially for someone suffering with ROCD. He says that feelings cannot determine love. And feelings when you have them, are easy. It’s easy to love when you feel love. He says then, to love is to fall out of love and still love the person. This is true love, because it means you choose to care about someone even when your body is making it difficult for you. You will never for certain about your relationships with OCD. That’s just the reality. But you can still make decisions. Make the decision not to ruminate. And make the decision to stay with your partner even when your ocd says you’re unsure. Show up more to the relationship the less you feel it. Show up to it more when your ocd is at its worst. Prove to yourself that you don’t need to “feel” love to experience it, to be it.
- Date posted
- 3y
thank u omg:((( ik this isnt my thread but this helped me
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
@cs223 :)
- Date posted
- 3y
Thank you I read this a lot randomly throughout the day. It helped. I needed this too.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
@Mandy7710 Glad it could help. Hoping you feel a little better.
- Date posted
- 3y
@Sasha A little. I’ve dealt with ROCD for years and never once has it gotten this bad… I am even worried I am in denial at this point. I’ve never had any issues showing love even when not feeling love in the past but now I try and try.. it’s like it’s gone. I know I love my partner I really do and I know we as partners need to fix some issues I wanna be able to do it without leaving him. My partner has his own mental problems too so dealing with his on top of mine makes it stressful. He’s been showing patience with my ROCD. My friend even said this is the worse it’s ever been and that now my partner has become a walking trigger…. I read so many things on Reddit is the one post that scares me… using ROCD as a front… ☹️ I’ve never been able to get that to leave my mind…
- Date posted
- 3y
@Mandy7710 I’ve been with my partner for 11 years now and been dealing with ROCD for going on 10 years now… can ROCD really do this….? 😞
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
@Mandy7710 You know the answer. You know there’s a reason why your OCD won’t stop attacking you. You know that you are not fronting something that has effected your mental well being to this extent. Remember this: where there is truth there is peace. There is no peace for you, so your thoughts are obsolete.
- Date posted
- 3y
@Sasha Even hearing that scares me…. 😢 I don’t wanna lose him but why… even when I know I love him it doesn’t stop… it was so much easier before when I first had this…
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
@Mandy7710 Sometimes when I catch myself in these periods, I reasses certain things. For example: right now your ocd is forcing you to put so much attention on your relationship. But aren’t there other things in your life that interest you? Isn’t there jobs, hobbies, friends, books, entertainment, learning that is important to you too? Why does every waking minute have to be devoted to your partner? Do you see where I’m going with this. Take the foot of the gas pedal for a minute. You don’t have to solve this right now (you don’t have to solve it ever). The problem is that ocd puts so much attention on your relationship; which in turn makes you forget that your whole life and existence and happiness does not exist just in your relationship with your partner. Hence why in order to get this ocd in check, we have to show ocd that maybe having a good relationship isn’t the only thing on the planet. There’s other things in life. When you do this, you can start to find a little bit of footing. Part ocds grip is that it looks for things that we closely identify or hold dearly in life. Part of strengthening our relationship with life is letting go these ideals; and just accepting what is. We don’t have to have perfect relationships that feel great all the time. We don’t have to have a perfect life to be happy. So start by changing the view of your focus, and then come back to it. Because I guarantee you even if your relationship was on the rocks, ruminating over it isn’t going to solve anything.
- Date posted
- 3y
@Sasha Your right. I know I love my partner dearly. My brain just won’t give me a break….. no matter if I distract myself or not… I am at work and I am still obsessing. Therapy is probably the one true way to get better again.
- Date posted
- 3y
This was so helpful. Thank you.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
@KristinaNOCD 🙏
- Date posted
- 3y
the same things happen to me! ive dealt with alot of trauma and i have major depressive disorder and i feel numb but i do love my boyfriend!!ocd makes it seem like i dont and tells me i dont but if u let it get to u it can sabatoge ur relationship, u know u love him and even if u cant feel it doesnt mean its not there! <3 much love to u
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
Yes ma’am. It’s worth discussing that very thing with your therapist. You are “checking” your feelings and emotions constantly. ERPs can be helpful. You got this.
Related posts
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 25w
I realized I’ve depended a lot on my boyfriend for comfort through my ocd, and I’m starting to feel like even before my ocd I was paying more attention to the relationship itself more than him, or the attachment: even though I remember distinct feelings of me wanting to be with him forever, and feeling so happy and complete with him, time didn’t exist, I felt like my most authentic self. So now I’m trying to create a healthy attachment and see him as his own person, which was helping at first, but now it feels as if I’m seeing that I don’t actually love him for him, the thought of moving forward in life without him breaks my heart and I don’t want to but my mind keeps telling me that I want it because of the attachment. He’s the exact type of person and partner I would want but it feels like whatever I feel is not enough.. But I DO experience moments of affection and care and admiration for him but they don’t last long..before I started making this shift in perspective even with the ocd I was still so sure and confident in moving forward with him, I felt so much like I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life. But now that I’ve made this shift it feels like I’m seeing him from a whole different place. Like all those good and happy feelings I had for him are gone now and I don’t have any confidence in what I want anymore. Before I did feel confident that I wanted to be with him but now it feels like there’s this wall between him and me :( I want to be with him I know I do, because even now I still feel the desire to keep going, but I can’t see the future anymore or the confidence to keep going. I was never much of a future thinker, even in my personal life but this feels like added proof I feel like I’m alone in this like no one else has this situation and the chances for me to realize after I recover that I don’t actually love him are so much higher 💔
- Date posted
- 13w
Lately, I’ve been feeling like something has changed in me — like I have changed, and like my feelings for my boyfriend have faded or shifted. It’s one of the worst sensations I’ve ever felt. I keep thinking things like “I don’t love him like before” or “I’ve changed too much to feel anything now.” Sometimes when he calls me or makes a joke, I get irritated for no reason. I feel like I’m being mean, cold, disconnected — and then guilt crashes down on me. I remember how I used to feel: warm, close, expressive. And now… I just don’t feel the same. That makes me think: “Maybe I’ve fallen out of love.” But I’m also constantly anxious. I overthink every moment. I can’t relax into anything without analyzing if what I feel is “right.” It makes me wonder — maybe I haven’t actually changed. Maybe I’m just overwhelmed and tired from months of these thoughts and fears. I don’t know how to feel right now. I just want to believe that this disconnection isn’t proof that love is gone, but a sign that I’m scared and burnt out.
- Date posted
- 11w
I know it’s long but plz read :( have been having really bad ocd about my relationship and my partner and it has gotten worse and worse over the span of like about nine months I’d say. I do acknowledge there are flaws and legit issues about him and the relationship like there are with anyone but I also know ocd has clouded my judgement and perception by analyzing everything and compulsions. For a while I kept feeling this need to get out which I know was ocd. I was really scared to spend the weekend with him because I thought I would just be annoyed and irritated cause it’s been that way for a while but he also was going through a period of high stress so maybe I was resenting him for that and I also wasn’t communicating how I should have been when I was upset because I’ve done that too much in the past. This weekend I was told in therapy to just be in the moment and not have to worry about trying to answer the question of do I love him or should I break up. It did help but It’s weird cause this weekend ended up better but I also was kind of numb? Like I was enjoying myself but didn’t feel what I always have felt in the past? Anyway, I am really anxious because i feel like if I loved him I would be supportive of when his parents compliment him or when he does well at something when instead all I think of are that I’m not happy or annoyed because of things he does that upset me or make me mad and it’s like that’s the only way my brain wants to see him as a person. Or when he is upset it feels like I don’t care like I used to because I think of how he doesn’t deserve this when he does this or he shouldn’t have this when he is like this etc. Why does my brain automatically go there? That’s horrible! I feel like I should be excited for him, rooting for him. But it also feels like I do care for him? But my thoughts keep changing. I am afraid I only am with him because I love that he loves me and how he treats me. This makes me feel selfish cause I can’t do that. I notice I still like when he cuddles me and is sweet to me and does fun things watching movies etc. And that’s not how it used to feeel which scares me because I don’t want to be without him. I also love his parents am I only with him cause of how his parents treat me? I feel so selfish and like I have to tell him and break up with him cause it’s the right thing to do. I never used to feel like this. I’m scared. Is it possible I’m just I’ve been mad and resenting how it’s been cause he’s been stressed mix with my ocd? My therapist said relationships can go through phases. Can I fall back in love with him again? I feel like I have to try to start with someone else like this is too far gone. I don’t want to stay in something where I don’t feel toward him the way I want to but I really don’t want to leave him. I feel like such an awful person cause he doesn’t deserve this and is so caring and loving despite everything the major thing that bugs me is how he gets irritable a lot which is an imperfection that makes me get anxious and question him😭 trying not to read into this and just follow what the therapist said but this is scaring me because I feel like if I loved him I wouldn’t think like this or feel like this.
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