- Date posted
- 3y
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
Two big things that keep me in the recovery path. One is: I’ve changed my lifestyle. I go to sleep most of the time relatively earlier. I do yoga and meditation almost every day and exercise. I keep myself busy with engaging work, nature, and a support system of like minded people. The second big thing: This is the hardest one, because in the western industrialized world we are taught we are our ego and we are our identit, but- I have worked to eliminate narratives about who I am. OCD loves narratives. The second you say “im such and such” is the second OCD questions it. I’ve become more of a chameleon. “I am that I am.” OCD can’t cling to you if you don’t spend time defending your identity. “I’m a good person.” “I’m a heterosexual” “i love my partner.” All those things cause ocd to question yourself. But when you seperate from the narrative you learn to just be. And when you learn to just be- you can enjoy everything. And of course erp, and acceptance of feelings and thoughts really helps me. As well as a lot of self compassion and reminder that life is finite, so just let it go.
- Date posted
- 3y
Wow. Thank you so much
- User type
- Staff
- Date posted
- 3y
Recovery is a process and an imperfect one at that. You might find support through our community groups- they're a great way to get support while you navigate recovery. It's easy to get caught up on "what if"s about the past- but that's simply another attempt of OCD to control your life! It's important to have self-compassion and recognize those ruminations for what they are. It might help to spend some time focusing on your values - the reason why you wanted to recover from OCD in the first place!
- Date posted
- 3y
Why don’t you sign up for it again?
- Date posted
- 3y
The finances. I did it twice already.
- Date posted
- 3y
@Rose I would call around to ERP therapists and see if you can negotiate price. I only pay $20 a session
- Date posted
- 3y
@Maybe,MaybeNot Wow. I have gotten in debt since my onset of ocd. Gone through several therapist and at first I didn't know what I had so lots of doctors and tests, etc.
- Date posted
- 3y
@Rose Yep I just keep calling around until I get what I want lol. Lots of private practices will do what they call a sliding scale fee. You just have to ask for it and tell them what you can afford. NOCD does not do that.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 23w
Hi this is my first time posting on here. I wasn't sure if I should because I want to make sure I'm not seeking reassurance because I heard that makes ocd worse. I don't want to talk about what my ocd problem was, but basically I was really upset about a religious ocd problem that I know isn't true. I'm feeling a lot better about it now, but when it was bad I decided to try and get better on my own. I read about ERP therapy and how you're supposed to make a list of your ocd problems, from least distressing to most. So I wrote them down on two pieces of paper. At first I started with the simple ones, like looking for spiders before leaving the room. I have a tendency to look for spiders before leaving a room but lately I've been trying not to anymore. Then I decided to try and do one of the hard things. It was a religious ocd problem. I decided to start simple, and just write the problem down on a piece of paper. So I went downstairs and got some paper. But then I thought, oh no, my ocd is probably not going to like this. What do I do with the paper once I write it down? If I think what I wrote down is bad and going to upset God and I will go to hell, (even though I know logically it's not), my ocd is probably going to freak out if I throw away the paper. It probably won't calm down unless I erase it. So I just decided to not write it down on a paper, and just type it on my phone instead. So I did, I typed it on my phone. So, even though I didn't write anything down on the paper, now it feels like that peice of paper is bad. I feel like it's connected to the problem I was having, and I was so upset I called my mom crying asking her what to do. Eventually I decided to just put the paper back with the rest of the paper downstairs, but I'm still upset. I feel like I have to throw away all the paper downstairs, the pencil I was going to use to write down the problem, and the eraser I was going to use in case I needed to erase anything. It feels like if I use any of those items I will make God angry and go to hell. I know I shouldn't do this though, so I'm not going to. I don't know what to do with the papers where I wrote down my ocd problems. They are on my desk and I'm too afraid to move them. And if I put them in my desk I'm afraid they will get mixed up with other papers. I guess I can do whatever I want with them. I think I'll put them in a folder or binder and if I make any more ocd papers I can just put them in there. I'm just really confused on how to move forward. Right now, I'm too afraid to use the papers, pencil, or eraser for anything. I feel like I can't write on them, draw on them, or anything. It's even making me feel like I can't make digital art. It's making me feel like I can't do a lot of things. I guess what I have to do is just do whatever I want to, because I know the ocd isn't true and doesn't make sense.
- Date posted
- 20w
(Long read) hello everyone. i was out of the country for about 3-4 months and traveling. my ocd was not that bad at all and I was able to handle it even if it came up. on my way back home, it immediately started. i have learned how to handle it better, but i am more sad and just “awaiting” for something bad to happen. for example, i have sexual themed ocd. pocd and family related stuff, and also my ocd targeted my pets for about a year and it manifested into compulsions that disturbed me and made me not want to be around my cats. now that i am around my cats, i feel like “what if i harm them or do something bad?” or “what if you do those weird compulsions that happened before?” , when i look back on the compulsions that happened, it doesn’t feel like me and it was clearly driven by ocd, but it makes me worry i am just a sick person. i know myself and i know im not, but i had such a weird childhood and then ocd from 15 years old and up. so when these weird compulsions had happened , whether it was for the pet ocd theme or pocd or the family ocd, it feels like some sort of proof. anyways, i feel a bit for content with myself but i know how real ocd can feel and i just remember feeling so hopeless and suici da l, i just don’t want to go through that again. i take a more spiritual route of life and healing, and i wonder if anyone has some deep spiritual warmups or practices i could do to maybe open up my mind more? maybe to realize this is all in the mind? but also to not fight it… Not fight it meaning not let it take over my life. i racked up so much debt in therapy and i truly think i can get through this alone i just need a bit of help. but i dunno. any advice would help! thanks everyone ☀️
- Date posted
- 19w
i feel the need to say sorry because i’m posting yet again. i’m having a REALLY DIFFICULT episode of ocd that i haven’t had for a few months now. i experience contamination ocd everyday and have constant anxiety attacks, however because that’s so normal to me and doesn’t affect anyone but myself, it doesn’t affect me in the same way harm ocd does. i haven’t had to deal with really bad harm ocd thoughts for a good bit now so i’m struggling so bad right now. if anyone has seen my previous posts (which i’m sure you have), this came about over a small change that happened a couple weeks ago. it’s now blossoming into a full episode. it’s making me feel paralyzed and not want to do anything, but i know in the past i had to force myself to distract myself by actually doing things. i’m supposed to hang out with my friend tomorrow, but i’m so close to cancelling because i feel like i can’t do it. my physical symptoms are also worse than what i feel like i’m used to and it’s terrifying me into thinking i’m gonna get sick. i just don’t know how to get through it. it feels like impending doom and constant panic. i just want to feel like myself again and happy
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