This is not for reassurance - it is intended to keep me going. Anyone who has went thru the “journey” of experiencing SOOCD & ROCD. How’d you overcome it? What was your journey like?

With regards to ROCD you need to level with that person or people about your struggles and how this knowledge is helpful to them or what they could do for you! Hope this helps I’m with you!

Thank you it does. I just have bad anxiety from trying to stop rumination that it gets me spiraling.

I’m in the journey now and it’s hard. It’s emotional, challenging, and scary. I have had great stretches and then suddenly had awful ones. So I’d say I’m in the process of overcoming, slowly and painfully but surely. The journey is messy and there will be relapses. But it’s how you respond to them when they come that matters most.

I’m on the same page, it’ll be good for a bit and it makes me feel like I was better then it flares again. I understand that’s gonna be the process. The hardest thing is that my compulsion is 100% mental - I ruminate & check my feelings for anxiety - which is really hard to stop. Idk how to stop this feeling & I know if it doesn’t stop, then ERP might not work for me.

@Anonymous This is something I struggle a lot with too. Mine are all mental compulsions and ruminating

@Mak46 https://drmichaeljgreenberg.com/how-to-stop-ruminating/

@Mak46 Try reading this and listen to his podcast to see if it helps you. Mental checks are definitely the hardest compulsion to stop, in my humble opinion. These needs to be stop before ERP does us any good.

@Anonymous Thanks for the resource!

@Mak46 Anytime! Trying to help anyone as much as I can. I just know how difficult this journey is. Let’s work hard, we’ll be able to do it one day!

@Anonymous Yeah that is very helpful! I haven't been feeling quite as anxious about stuff or having as many thoughts. But I have also experienced a loss of attraction which hasn't come back. So that is what is also happening with me a lot recently.

@Mak46 I feel you on that & trust me, I know the struggle. I have a fiancé who I love dearly but because of what I’m going thru, attraction for anything right now is beyond difficult to comprehend. I’m not a therapist, so take my thoughts for a grain of salt - but what I’ve learned is that since we’re always in “fight or flight” mode, our bodies doesn’t care about attraction or hunger. I know I’ve lost my appetite & it’s slowly improving, however it hasn’t been the same yet. I have hope that this isn’t going to last forever as long as we continue to work on it. Get a therapist, if you haven’t already. They do help.

@Anonymous Thanks for the advice. Yeah it makes sense that we are so anxious that doing anything else doesn't sound as interesting. I hope so too. Yeah and I have gone on dates with this one guy because I don't want to start avoiding that as well. But my ocd is definitely making that difficult. Especially since I have never had a boyfriend before and the whole thing makes me so anxious.

@Mak46 Definitely try to speak with a therapist. These comments will only be part of your assurance and I definitely do not want to participate in feeding your OCD “monster”. Mainly focus on yourself first before anything else!

@Anonymous Thanks. Yeah I have been trying to find one that I could maybe get insurance to cover. Thank you for listening to me.

@Mak46 NOCD has great therapists who are knowledgeable on ERP. I understand about the insurance situation tho, I’m paying out of pocket every sessions because my insurance doesn’t cover it. Definitely try to find some family or friends who are able to help or lend you money, if your insurance doesn’t cover it!

Just want you to know that I have seen *so* many people recover from these themes - you are not alone, there is light at the end of the tunnel. From a therapist's perspective, it's really important to embrace the ERP skills and to follow your therapist's suggestions ESPECIALLY when the OCD feels really real. I also encourage people not to get stuck with questions like "is it normal for people to think this way?" and instead ask yourself "what's good for my treatment?" and really prioritizing your treatment/recovery.

Thank you for your response to this Jenna! It gives me hope, especially on days when the OCD feelings seems so real. It is definitely a hard process but I am doing my best with my ERP homework 📚