Hey y'all, happy Wednesday:) I'm going to be honest here and this is really hard for me, but for the past few weeks I have really not been okay. I have a lot of things working against me at the moment and I'm really doing my best to be positive and kind to myself. I just wanted to let everyone know its okay to not be okay and its a human thing to feel from time to time. You don't always need to put on a brave face okay?😊 and just because you're having a moment does not mean that it'll last forever. Us with ocd tend to see things in black and white and never ending. That is not the case in reality 💗

Thank you sully, I really need it right now 🥺❤

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@alexisrae1999 If there’s anything specific you’re struggling with, you can always write a post and we’ll help out with our (hopefully) good advice 😋😂

@washie I'm dealing with a lot of sexual orientation ocd, contamination ocd and harm ocd at the moment. I've been in formal erp for 3 weeks now i think and its been rough 😅

@alexisrae1999 Ahh it’s like your brain is acting up and every ocd type got intensified! Definitely keep doing ERP! Self care (especially guided meditations and the right podcasts) does miracles for me when I need it the most. Also keep in mind that they’re only thoughts! They have no meaning or relevance. I saw an ocd therapist saying that you should think of them as a train passing by! You recognise it and then 👋🏻! 🚂💨

@washie Yes it is currently kicking my butt right now! Especially with being sick, I feel like that's a huge trigger for me. Ill definitely be doing some meditation later and hopefully I'll feel well enough to get over to the gym :)

@washie I am working on using the phrase "I notice i am having the thought that...." When my ocd is acting up

@alexisrae1999 Yesss! Last time I was sick my ocd got so much worse! Not even with contamination, but real event ocd. When the body is off, the brain is too obviously 🤷‍♀️ It will get better! Take it day by day 💚🧡

@washie Yessss being sick is just a trigger all around! I agree, when they body is off the brain follows 🤷‍♀️

@good_day🦢 Oohh that’s a hard one.. I still struggle with it, but it comes in waves now! You definitely need to forgive yourself and give yourself permission to not be perfect. As human beings we can do and say some pretty stupid things. If there’s something you regret, that only shows that you wouldn’t do that mistake again and that you’ve grown as a person. As a teenager you’re very young and still learning to navigate through life. We’ve all got a bunch of weirdness from that age! Be kind to yourself. I’m sure you don’t expect everyone around you to be flawless, so why would you expect it from yourself! 💚💚

@good_day🦢 🥰💜💜

I do my best :) I appreciate you saying that sasha. Thank you ❤ a few themes right now are kicking my butt

@alexisrae1999 Well, To quote the great bard, Rocky Balboa:” It's not about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward.”

@Sasha That's what I'm doing :) its more difficult when you're in the "ahhh it feels real" state of mind 🥺

@alexisrae1999 Yea, I’m sorry. It’s the worst. Just gotta ride the wave. Soon it will pass, just like everything else.

@alexisrae1999 Hey Alexis. I'm sorry you're struggling right now, feel free to share more in depth about your struggle if you need to though. We're here for you just as you've been here for all of us, you're always so consistent in sharing something positive with the whole community everyday and I just think that it's so awesome how encouraging you are to all of us on here. Thank you for all that you do. Just remember to take care of yourself too. :) By the way, I just thought I'd share that a couple of days ago I finally got the courage to book my first 15 minute free call with NOCD, it went well and my wife and I talked to this really nice lady who works there for almost 40 minutes. She was so understanding and offered really good advice to us about how to proceed with finding a therapist and getting treatment. I have a follow up appointment on Friday to discuss which therapist I would like to have and to talk about insurance options, I'm very indecisive though and am having trouble choosing a therapist or an insurance plan (as I don't currently have insurance). I'm just hoping I can figure all of this out with my wife. I'm also struggling because my OCD has suddenly stopped bothering me a lot, so I feel like I'm just going to be wasting a therapists time and my wife and I's money. :( I realize I'm probably overthinking all of it, I'm just so confused, I feel like my OCD was like "dang, he's actually getting a therapist! Abort mission!". I'm just afraid my therapist will think I'm lying about my OCD now, even though I've been dealing with it for 8 or 9 years. I'm sorry for talking so much, I just wanted to vent I guess. I'm not trying to seek reassurance though. (I hope it doesn't seem like I am) Thanks though. :) I hope you're having a lovely night Alexis! God bless! 😀

@Sasha I recently upped my med dose so I think this might be a side effect. Thank you for your support ❤

@Drew777 My long standing ocd themes are kicking my booty, I think its because I've been sick, PMS and upping my med dose. But I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to say that to me, that's super kind and thoughtful 😊 I think that's amazing!! Congratulations 🥳 therapy with nocd is great from what I've heard. I don't do therapy through here but a lot of people have talked highly about it:) when I first started therapy my ocd tried to do the same thing. The symptoms went down a bit but I think that's ocds way of trying to get you to not treat yourself. Just remember that even if your symptoms are becoming more manageable...you still have ocd. Its going to be there but you're doing a great job helping yourself by taking this important step! 😊 Never a bother drew :) I'm managing tonight and hoping for a better day tomorrow :) I hope you're having a great night too! 💛

@alexisrae1999 Thanks for the advice Alexis! You made some great points about OCD and how it can trick us in that way to make us feel like we don't have OCD anymore. OCD is just so confusing... one minute I feel like it's shouting at me, the next minute it just feels like it stops entirely. I'm glad we could talk about it though and that you can relate (I'm sorry you had to go through OCD tricking you too though). I hope you're having a better day today my friend and that you're feeling better from being sick and everything else. I hope you'll have a peaceful and restful day! 😊

@Drew777 You're welcome!:) Yup truth is we have ocd and we're going to have it for a while now. The symptoms ebb and flow, some days will be better than others and that's okay!:) you are not your ocd though, remember that 💛. I go through the exact same thing, especially with trying different meds and dosages its been tough. Today i am still not doing the best but I will do the best that I can for myself today :) I hope you're doing well!

@alexisrae1999 That's all you can do is your best, don't over exert yourself though, just take each moment one step at a time. :) and yeah, that's so true about OCD, it's going to be continually morphing and changing for us a lot, and sometimes that will cause us to have some days that are more difficult than others, and other days will be better though. :) I'm going to ask my therapist (once I start seeing a therapist) if they think I should go back on medication or not. And yeah, I'm doing decent today, I had some OCD thoughts on my mind earlier, but I'm feeling a good deal better now after praying to Jesus and asking Him for help with all of this OCD stuff and reading some devotionals and some very helpful verses from God's Holy Word. 😊 I hope we'll all have an awesome day today! God bless Alexis! 😀