Is it just me or a side effect of ocd is being sensitive? I’ve felt hyper sensitive this week, idk if its like a form of scrupulosity or smthn. And its leading to people pleasing too bc i feel like im hurting ppl if i say no or dont put in effort. So in person, i feel like i give off anxious energy or people please on compulsion. Always scared of negative attention or criticism

I’m also always wondering if people are thinking of my every move and being like “why did he just do that? He’s so weird, why is he like that?” But people are probably just as caught up in their own internal storylines as I am with mine and likely are not paying that much attention to me

Hi rootytooty, being concerned with how others perceive you, people pleasing (and also continually apologizing) can all be related to OCD. OCD wants to makes us doubt ourselves and our actions and we can end up thinking everyone is watching our moves and/or making fun of us or talking about us, etc…. To avoid negative responses or interactions we can engage in people pleasing (and apologizing) compulsions/rituals to try to avoid those perceived negative outcomes. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always struggled with being overly sensitive and feeling like everyone was always watching and scared of that negative attention and it has hampered me from doing many things I wish I had. Like Cfitter said, most people are so caught up in their own lives and minds they most likely would pay no mind to us if they saw us spill coffee on ourselves or pull a door instead of push it, etc… but yet we still dwell on it regardless. People that care about you would never give you grief if you told them you could not or didn’t want to do something they asked you to do. As hard as it sounds, try not to acknowledge the intrusive thoughts/doubts you have about receiving negative attention or criticism from others. Try to tell them, “so what”, so what if you do or don’t please everyone, so what if you do or do not get negative attention…no amount or worrying will change the future and giving into compulsions about pleasing everyone or avoiding situations because of the possibility of attracting negative attention will only reinforce the OCD, cause you to miss out on opportunities and experiences and make you unhappy for always doing what others want instead of what you want. Just try to focus on you and what you want to do and how you want to live life right now and try to ignore the taunts of the OCD bully. You can do this, hang in there. Best wishes and take care.