- Date posted
- 3y
- Date posted
- 3y
ERP is incredibly hard no matter what theme you are dealing with. The key to ERP is not to do any compulsions before or just after the exposure. That will make the exposure ineffective. You will definitely know if the exposure is effective. The more you do ERP, the easier it gets. Also realize that you may have to do the exposure more than once. I typically have to do an exposure 3 or 4 times before my anxiety gets low enough. During the exposure, you anxiety will go crazy. It feels like an eternity, but it only lasts a few minutes. Then your anxiety will peak and start to decline. You will get the best results if you commit 100% to the process. ERP has made a huge difference for me. Hope this helps
- Date posted
- 3y
It does! Thanks
- Date posted
- 3y
Do you have problems with laundry? I check all the time to make sure there's soap and putting into the dryer is ridiculous. If it touches anything I have to rewash the load.
- Date posted
- 3y
Yes! Specifically taking clothes out of the dryer. I have been known to rewash stuff if it accidentally touches the outside of the dryer. I also don't like certain items being washed together. Just had a meltdown about that last weekend. Still working on my laundry issues.
- Date posted
- 3y
Thank you! 😊
- Date posted
- 3y
I have contamination OCD and am currently doing ERP. I think that exposures are hard for everyone regardless of whether it's about contamination or something else. It's not supposed to be easy or fun. BUT - I would 100% suggest breaking your exposures down into baby steps. Here's an example of an exposure I just completed, and how I broke it down. Obsession: Thinking that my prescription medication packaging possibly has Covid/other germs on it. Compulsion: This ridiculously long process to take my meds: 1. Remove eyeglasses (I think this started because I didn't want germs flying onto them when I got my meds out of the cabinet. If I forgot this step, I'd have to wash my glasses for 40 seconds after doing the whole medication routine.) 2. Pour water into glass. Get little bowl to put my pill into. 3. Wash hands 30+ seconds (OCD says the water pitcher handle is germy.) 4. Get medicine out of cabinet, pop pill into my little bowl. 5. Wash hands 60 seconds with 2 pumps of soap. 6. Take medication and put glass/bowl in sink. 7. Wash hands 60 seconds with 2 pumps of soap. 8. Wash hands again if something didn't feel right about it. (Paper towel maybe touched something, soap wasn't sudsy enough, etc.). 9. That's it (unless I started doubting that I did this routine correctly). ERP: These were my baby steps. I did each for 1 week. 1. Cut the 60-second handwashing down to 40-second handwashing. 2. Cut down to 1 pump of soap instead of 2. 3. Cut the 40-second handwashing down to 30-second handwashing. 4. Cut the routine down to just this: Pour water and get bowl from cabinet, pop pill into bowl, take pill, put glass/bowl in sink, and wash hands ONE time with ONE pump of soap for 30 seconds. Not gonna lie, it felt dangerous and irresponsible to do each and every one of these steps, but as I did them and realized I could handle the anxiety, each step oddly got easier. The confidence gained from even a little bit of ERP goes a long way. You are 100% NOT weaker than anyone else who does ERP. OCD just wants to tell you you are weak - but OCD is a liar. Don't listen to it. You can do this. I promise!
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
back in october i made my first post about my specific type of ocd, how it mixes in with my day to day and how i “deal” with it. i talked about the starting point, how it gradually got worse, and then how it was going just a few months ago. i always think it’s insane how much can change in just the course of a small to a large amount of time. right now, i honestly feel like garbage. to be quite sincere i really want to give up, i’m barely holding on by a thread. and if i cut that thread, i really doubt anyone would care. i’ve never considered myself to be a suicidal person, and i still don’t consider myself that right now. it just gets to a point where it’s just, a lot to deal with. i don’t really enjoy things a lot nowadays. sure i have good days like everyone does, like today, when i was just enjoying my day without worries. but then it all comes crawling back twice as bad the following days. i take online college so i’m usually just stuck at home most of the time. but, when i do decide to actually go out and leave my house, my ocd just explodes because i have this whole routine i need to do or else i feel like i’ll contaminate wherever i end up going. i’m not going to go really deep into my compulsions because it’s hard enough to live with them, much more having to type them all out in detail. but when i go out my compulsions go from wiping down all my stuff i’m going to use after showering, to washing my clothes/cleaning the washer + dryer. i also have separate things (or two of the same thing) i use specifically in my house, and items i use when going out. such as shampoo/body wash, deodorant, lotion, hair curler, etc. as if that’s not draining enough, i also feel the need to fast a couple days prior to any plan i make because i’ve forced myself to believe i need to feel empty in order to be clean. i’m not sure if that’s my past eating disorder talking, or my ocd, but my brain can’t help but think any food in my house is utterly and completely contaminated. i’m so tired of this feeling, feeling like nothing will ever be clean again. feeling like my ocd is trapped in my childhood home. feeling that wave of diseases rushing through my veins the moment i step foot into what’s supposed to be “home”. and i’m so scared of therapy because what if i do get healed, and then everything comes rushing back the second i step into my room. i’m planning on moving somewhere far from my current house in this next coming year, so sometimes i feel like just waiting it out. but it’s insufferable when going to hangout with someone. i miss my friends, my family, and my partner. it’s crazy to me that i’m dealing with all this at the young age of 18 but, i’m sure lots of people have it way worse. i just want to find a way out, any possible way. but i keep pushing myself deeper and deeper that when i finally find a way, it will no longer exist.
- Date posted
- 19w
Can someone please tell me at what point did you finally accept that it’s OCD? When did the ERP click for you? When did you just stop buying into the lies of OCD and finally let go? Like what does it take. It’s been 2 years of this for me and I’m in ERP currently and it’s just not clicking 😣 is it just me???
- Date posted
- 19w
I’m starting NOCD. I had several years of cbt as a child (well over 20 years ago) and I see a trauma therapist. But now I’ll be seeking further help for OCD and just really scared. CBT wasn’t helpful for me. How has ERP been helpful for you? Do you feel like you’ll finally get your life back? I’m consumed by my obsessions 😢 Would love others feedback if ERP helped you ❤️
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