- Date posted
- 3y
- User type
- NOCD Alumni
- Date posted
- 3y
Hi Anonymous, like OCD33 said, slipping during the course of ERP is not a failure. It happens, heck it still happens to me after months of ERP, especially when my anxiety is running high from outside stressors or I am extremely tired. The OCD bully is just trying to make you doubt your progress and your strength of will because youare starving it by doing ERP and not doubting yourself. You feeling better makes it feel worse and get desperate and lash out in anyway it can to ty to win you back. ERP will gradually get easier over time, but celebrate even the small victories and don’t be hard on yourself if you slip up. Keep an eye out for any back door spikes from when your anxiety starts leveling out and your OCD will start questioning why you aren’t anxious “enough” anymore about your intrusive thoughts or when doing ERP, stay strong and don’t let the OCD make you start doubting yourself and you progress and convictions. Best wishes, you are strong and you got this.
- Date posted
- 3y
Hi BK, thank you for your comment. You have no ideal how much that means to me. It is definitely a challenge & like all suffers, I wish I wasn’t experiencing this. However, it is what it is and I will continue to fight for myself. I will work hard on recovering. I also wish you the best on your recovery! Stay strong & thanks once again for your support ❤️
- User type
- NOCD Alumni
- Date posted
- 3y
@Anonymous Hi Anonymous, very glad I could help and yep, OCD is definitely not a daily added challenge we ever asked for, but it is one I know we can both overcome. Stay positive and determined with your ERP exercises and in your recovery journey in general and be proud of yourself for standing up to the OCD bully. Best wishes and take care!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
i think the easiest way to give acceptance is to allow yourself to not really know your sexual orientation. you don't need an answer to it, and maybe you like boys, or girls, or both, or neither. the best thing about our sexual orientation is that it is for us to decide, and it doesn't matter what others think of it. we do not need to give into reassurance and we do not need to check it. when you start to get these thoughts, just say to yourself "i like whoever i like today, and that's fine" and keep going. you got this!
- Date posted
- 3y
Thank you Jesse! It is definitely hard, especially when I have never doubted my sexual orientation before (I’m 28 & have always identity as straight). Never had an issue with complimenting other females, however this intrusive thought stuck with me, which in turn makes me confused.. especially doing ERP. It sucks even more to develop ROCD while in treatment.. I feel so guilty and sad that my fiancé have to also deal with my mental health. He’s the sweetest. I am still learning to accept it all, even though it hurts so badly. I appreciate your comment. You’re all very supportive!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
@Anonymous I’ve been there. It is definitely a challenge. Remind yourself though - you can have your thoughts every single day, but your actions is what is going to speak louder. You can love your fiancé everyday and be in a wonderful and loving relationship, and tomorrow you might think “maybe I’m gay”, and that is ok. It doesn’t mean you have to end it, just have the thought and keep going in the relationship you have! It’s amazing he supports you
- Date posted
- 3y
@Jesse Miller Does these thoughts AND feelings fade into the background over time? For me, the anxiety has dropped over the months while doing ERP. However, I continue to wake up being reminded of what I’m going through & that in turns makes my chest tight and it does makes me feel sad. Very good point! I continuously love him, despite being triggered when he’s around. I won’t let this brain mess up my relationship with him. He is support supportive!!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
@Anonymous Yes, sometimes it’ll be silently in the background. Other times it’ll still be loud. Recovery is never linear and you will have to navigate how to live with your obsessions. Pushing yourself to fight compulsions helps a lot!
- Date posted
- 3y
@Jesse Miller I think I still have a long way when it comes to accepting my subtypes. Before knowing it was a form of OCD subtype, I went a year undiagnosed until the third flare, I finally found the reason why. However the first two flares didn’t lasted as long and of course I forgot about them. Therapy did lots of good but it has impacted me so much more than the first two flares. I’m just afraid I can’t live like before.
- Date posted
- 3y
I struggle with it too, and it's super scary, but it is overcomable. Just think "maybe I do like that gender. It's hopeless. I'm never getting out of it" Don't question your thoughts. That only fuels the fire. It makes them more scary. I still struggle but going towards the thoughts instead of running away can help you get used to the anxiety and unhook yourself ☺️
- Date posted
- 3y
Have you done ERP with NOCD? I’ve had other subtypes before but this one scares me most. Just when I started to feel better, my OCD goes “oh you self diagnosed yourself, your first therapist never said it’s true. You’re in denial”. It fuled my ocd after writing my “worst case scenario”. I’ve been on treatment for almost 2 months 😪
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
ERP for this and for any subtype is worse before it gets better. Try not to ruminate on the thoughts and do not Google!!
- Date posted
- 3y
@OCD33 I failed today by googling after a month into treatment! I feel like a failure that I gave in to this stupid OCD! Don’t get me wrong it has gotten better when it comes to my anxiety dropping but I’m currently in the “confusion” phase of my sexuality. I feel nothing.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
@Anonymous That is not failing!! Girl!! I used to not be able to go a day without Google! Celebrate those victories. A mess up today doesn’t mean all your hard work is gone!!! Just know ocd loves the uncertainty and doubt
- Date posted
- 3y
@OCD33 Thanks for your support! I also wish you full speed recovery ❤️🩹
Related posts
- Date posted
- 15w
I need too know that I'm not insane, really. I am 16 and for the past two weeks, this has been completely ruining my health and happiness. I only recently came out as a lesbian like 3 months ago after a lot of confusion about my attraction since I used to think I liked men. At first, I felt so sure that I liked women, but lately, I've been having these unwanted thoughts about the possibility of liking men. I never used to feel this way, but now, every time I look at a man, my brain obsessively fixates on it. It forces me to imagine kissing him, loving him, things I don’t want, and then tries to convince me that I do. It’s painful. The thought of this fills me with fear and anxiety, leading to panic attacks and breakdowns. I don’t want these thoughts. I hate them with every fiber of my being, but I’m terrified that one day I’ll act on them and somehow like it. I used to think I liked men, but back then, I was in a very unhealthy space in a time of escapism and something deeply parasocial. I’ve only ever liked the attention and validation a man could give me, but these experiences are somehow treated as further proof that I’m "bisexual." I’ve never been in a real relationship with anyone, which makes my brain constantly challenge me—telling me, “You don’t even know what love feels like.” It won’t shut up. It keeps obsessively trying to make me prove that I’m a lesbian, testing my reactions and questioning my certainty. Is this normal?
- Date posted
- 14w
As a lesbian with SO-OCD, I feel so helpless. It's truly exhausting because no one I know understands what I'm going through. The first response is always, "You're just confused" or "You don't have to know yet." But that's not the issue, I do know. I just never see any lesbians with SO-OCD so I feel so invalidated. These thoughts flood my brain constantly, forcing me to analyze my reactions to every man I see. I feel trapped in an endless cycle of "testing" myself, trying to prove that I don't like them. But my brain fights back, telling me I do want to love a man, making it feel real even though don't want it. It's terrifying. At this point, it's hard to even hold onto my identity as a lesbian because I'm so overwhelmed. I don't know if this is what real attraction is supposed to feel like, and that fear eats away at me. The truth is, when I think about being with a man, all I feel is disgust and fear-but my brain twists that into doubt. I hate it. I'm at the point where I'm scared I'm going to have to accept something I don't want because I don't know if this will ever go away. I miss who I was before all this.
- Date posted
- 14w
I need tips on how to really accept the uncertainty the ocd causes, even if it feels so bad like I might get in trouble for something , do I wanna be okay with that?
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