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working to conquer OCD
I’ve been recently diagnosed with OCD but just wondering what jobs do you do or recommend to do with OCD? It’s pretty nerve racking for me and causes anxiety trying to find something I’m going to be comfortable doing with this condition. I just know I have a really big heart <3 Thank you
I’ve been posting a lot about my new job I officially started working at the register this week (I’m working retail) and everything was okay, I had some really bitter customers and one customer who accused me of cutting up their credit card the day before (which isn’t true because I wasn’t scheduled that day) which really shook me but other than that everything was going fine until it was an hour before I go home and I started feeling really dizzy and nauseous I have to stand up for 5 straight with no breaks and I made the dumb decision of not eating before my shift because I was worried it would make me feel sluggish anyways I started seeing black and felt like I was going to puke so I quickly finished helping a customer and then had to quickly leave my register and call for my manager. I basically fell on the floor and I thought I was going to puke, my manager came running over and helped me and I felt so bad and embarrassed. She took me to the break room and got me some snacks and water after I told I haven’t eaten all day and she told me that it was most likely my blood sugar dropping. She told me that has happened to her before and I just couldn’t stop apologizing I felt so terrible and embarrassed I tried to move away as quickly as possible from the customer area. She told me that it’s okay and that she’s worried I am going to super overwork myself because I am already working way harder than people who have been there for months. I will admit that I am a perfectionist and that I always want to be the very best and be as convenient and easy as possible. I still feel like I am a failure and embarrassment though, my manager wanted me to go home early because I only had about 15 mins left in shift and so I went home and my mom was so angry with me, she didn’t even ask if I was okay or anything she just assumed I was lying to get home early and that I’m just lazy. I’ve been having intrusive thoughts now that I’m going to fired and that now everyone hates me at work. I am also really upset with how my mom treats me and doesn’t believe me. I am just feeling like a failure right now :(
Has this ever happened to anywhere where you pick up an object (maybe an object that’s caused you distress) and you had an intrusive thought at the same time or deliberately imagined an intrusive thought but because your holding the object it makes it seem ever more real like that ‘could have happened’ or if it feels like an urge and your holding an object it feels ever more real, I’ve been worrying about it all day. I’ve been stuck on ruminating about these ‘smothering thoughts’ and last night I went to go to sleep and I picked up my pillow to fluff it up and my mum was sleeping next to me and as I picked up the pillow I was aware of the intrusive thought and then I deliberately imagined the smothering thing about my mum while holding the pillow and it made it seem more real like I would actually do that or like the feeling of doing that and now all day I’ve been worrying about it because I’m worried I’m evil and would do that or could have done that or in the future will. When I went through a faze where I was scared of being around sharp objects I couldn’t even pick up a knife because it as scared I would suddenly lash out on an ‘urge’ 😖🙁
Is it normal to find someone else attractive. When I get this thought or feeling.. whatever it is.. I feel as though I’m about to act on something. Or I guess my fear is that I WANT to act on something even though I know I don’t want to because I love my partner and family and I don’t want to jeopardize it. But I still get this urge when I find someone attractive and so my best idea is to avoid them. Does this happen to anyone else in a long term relationship/married? It makes me feel horrible and I hate having to confess this.
i've been worried i'm pregnant for a while now. it's really misplaced and makes no sense because i'm on birth control, but i can't stop obsessing over it. my ocd keeps giving me thoughts that are like "what if your boyfriend did something to you without you knowing and that's how you got pregnant". i know that he definitely didn't do anything to me but i'm so scared. i want it to stop because i feel so bad that i'm getting these thoughts questioning his character.
I'm having such a hard time right now because I had accidentally clicked on one of those sponsored links on Facebook as I was scrolling and it brought me to the web page to buy that specific product. I backed off of it right away but I get so scared that if I happen to even visit one of these pages for a second that I'm going to get the virus or malware on my device and that they'll be able to get my information and my account numbers and everything else. I've been dealing with this fear for quite some time. In every single time the slightest thing happens I find myself downloading an app to run a scan on my phone which I'm not even sure if they even really matters or not. Sorry for the long post, I'm just having really hard time and needed to get stuff out there and vent. Stuff like this makes me not as hopeful that I'll be able to get better.
Do you have any advice on how to not be too hard with myself? I mean how could I even like myself with having those thoughts and feelings. They come from my brain and cause me so much uncomfort and anxiety, how could I not hate myself for it?! I hate myself for my thoughts, for my feelings, for how I look.. But I'm reading everywhere you shouldn't be too hard on yourself. So any advice how to practice this? Thank you.
I have contamination OCD and I have had a few good days but now my brain has latched onto a new instance and the uncertainty isn’t enough I’m just tired of sanitizing everything millions of times and not trusting my own memory that I did
So last night I was having intrusive thoughts about this serial killer and that he might suddenly be around the corner or in a different room or might kill me lol and I got scared (i was downstairs alone) so I went up to bed and then the harm ocd starts, I share a room with my mum and she was already asleep and before I went to bed I deliberately imagined the intrusive thought (about smothering) to check to see if I’m evil, this time it felt like I wouldn’t want to do that (a lot of times it feels like I like the feeling of imagining doing that😞) so I got in the bed and started fluffing up my pillow and all of a sudden it felt like touching the pillow made me feel like that could smothering thing could suddenly happen or that I ‘liked the feeling of doing that’ when I picked up the pillow and it just felt like it was about to happen and I ‘liked the feeling’ so then I went to lay down and then I was still not sure about how real it felt so then I got up to fluff my pillow up again to check to see how I felt and if it actually felt like when I fluff my pillow up that I ‘liked the feeling and want to do that’ so I fluffed it up again and it felt the same and then I tapped my mum and woke her up to tell her about it and how real it feels and then I eventually went to sleep after laying there thinking about the situation and feeling uneasy. But I’m not feeling extremely guilty about it or extremely worried but it is bothering me, on one hand I’m crying about my cat that’s old, In case something bad happens to him and on the other hand it feels like I like the feeling do smothering (feels like I know how it feels to do that and like the feeling, of squashing someone face with the pillow and stopping them from breathing) I don’t know what to do, I don’t like feeling like a criminal one minute and normal the next, all day when Im out I feel a lot happier for the most part and like Im not evil and as soon as I come home I’m evil, and feel like I have to test myself and check and I get those horrible moments where it feels like something is genuinely about to happen. It actually feels like ‘I like the feeling do doing that) and like an urge and at the same time feels like I don’t like it but the ‘don’t like it’ doesn’t feel strong enough to know I hate it, the other day I kept getting the feeling that these thoughts were disgusting but now it doesn’t feel like that I just feel confused 😞
So I go to university 3 hours away from my home town, I’ve been really struggling with my mental health recently and thought that coming home would be the best thing for me. Now I’m home I’m having a great time and feel really happy, but now I’m completely overwhelmed with old memories, old mistakes and my past that idk what to do. Back in December I made the biggest mistake of my life, I was incredibly drunk and slept with a man who was in a relationship (also bear in mine this guy was driving his car, wasn’t as drunk as me, that night a guy I knew actually told me he stopped me from kissing him because of how drunk I was) which I did know but being under the influence any care for anything was gone. I regretted it straight away, I told the gf I told him to tell her I tried to fix it. However, he lives around here, he’s 18 and works at the only decent restaurant around. I’m 21 and I know that’s not a bad age gal I know people who have done the same or even worse tbf, (she was 17 when she met her bf who’s 27) but I can’t help but imagine people calling me a pedophile. It’s not even about the fact he was in a relationship, it’s his age that I think about. I get so scared that people are gonna think I’m a nonce. As well as that, I’m speaking to his friend who doesn’t know, but it’s my business and it didn’t happen when we were speaking so I don’t really want him to know like that’s my personal mistake that I don’t have to tell people, right? Idk it’s living with me rn. I’m scared to see either of them, scared that everyone is gonna think I’m a horrible person. I’m constantly thinking I’m a pedophile for seeing someone who is of legal age, it’s because I’m the older female everyone thinks it’s wrong. I just went to enjoy my time and home but I’m really struggling to forget
I’m honestly having a hard time with resentment right now towards my boyfriend. Overall, my OCD has improved a lot, but I’m still feeling off and my therapist (outside of NOCD, for trauma) says it could be my nervous system trying to protect myself from the person who caused me so much suffering. My boyfriend was undiagnosed bipolar and was abusive during our relationship. We took some time apart, he had a manic episode that put him in a behavior hospital and now he’s been on medication ever since. Now that we are back together he is treating me so great and I feel better about that but I’m still just not the same. It’s so hard because I love him but I can’t seem to forget the past and be accepting of the fact that I haven’t been the same since. My mental health just completely deteriorated after I experienced everything with him. Since being with him, the OCD started, depression, you name it. I started taking benzodiazepines, experiencing insomnia and now I honestly see people and the world differently and it’s just scary. I’m wondering if I need to let him go to fully heal. My nervous system is still very out of whack and I need to go through more trauma work but I’m worried about not being able to get there being with him. It sucks. Has anyone else experienced resentment towards someone who contributed to a decline in your mental health?
Currently crying right now after my shift at work. OCD is transitioning myself into someone I don’t want to be, yet I’m afraid to not have it in my life because when things are feeling okay, it doesn’t feel right, even when I should crave it more than anything. I don’t know what to do anymore. I feel life won’t go my way or I don’t see myself being in a good place. I just see myself losing everything I love and care about because either ocd has caused me to distance myself from those things or others just decide to separate themselves from me. At the end of the day, I’m going to end up alone and miserable, and I don’t know why I’m okay with that, but I am. I’m so frustrated with myself and conflicted. Fuck this. I have so much more life ahead of me and I fucken feel stuck and crippled bc of ocd. A 21 year old shouldn’t have to go through this. NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH ANYTHING NEGATIVE OR HARMFUL. I’m tired of all the bad. I want more good… I want to be better… I want to be me again. I want to love life, others and myself again.
This isnt OCD related but Is anyone here an avid/novice gym goer? I have been wanting to get into it for a couple of years to target certain things and also exercise had helped me feel better in the past. My sport of choice (climbing) isnt available in my area and I would really like to start at the gym but I feel so intimidated. I dont know what exercises to do to target what, how to do them, or what machines to use. How did you get into it and eventually learn? Is there maybe an app or youtube channel that isnt overwhelming? I really would appreciate any advice from someone who was nervous at the beginning like me! :)
Does anyone else here struggle with mental compulsions? I have harm ocd and I have been doing ERP for a while now and I have given up all of my compulsions (on good days) but notice my mental compulsions are almost instant.. so hard to stop. I would say I am about 80% better than when I was in the thick of it (worst ocd spike I’ve ever had in my life). I KNOW I would be in remission by giving them up. Can anyone share some of their mental compulsions and how they stop them? I notice mine are comparing myself to other people saying they don’t have this issue, what would they do if they were alone, thinking my way out of a situation as soon as I am triggered (my biggest compulsion is avoidance), thinking of different safety precautions.. etc. I would love any feedback 🤍
TW I'm sad, feeling less loved and special in God's eyes because I'm not Jewish. I hear people say all the time that somehow God loves me too, but I don't feel any better.
tldr: can’t stop obsessing over weight after i started cheer with a lot of tiny short girls, who tend to make slightly backhanded comments. does anybody have any experience or advice on something like this. recently i havnt been able to stop obsessing over my weight. it’s to the point where i can’t sleep at night by thoughts that i’m fat and i get so mad when i do eat. my first reaction if i do something wrong is to not let myself eat because i don’t deserve it. i am constantly comparing myself to other girls and i can hardly focus on anything else. i had some issues with this before but it’s gotten a lot worse since starting cheer, and all the backhanded comments i’ve endured during the season. while most of the girls are fairly short (4’9 to 5’3) i’m 5’4 1/2 and they always bring up how tall and heavy i am, even though i’m a normal weight for my height. it’s just so difficult to constantly tell yourself not to eat and then if you do you beat yourself up over it. i also struggle with contamination ocd, adm with that i can at least i can temporarily get rid of those feelings, but not with this. if anybody has any advise for this, please let me know.
Today marks a milestone for me...10 months after my "brain broke" I had my last NOCD session with my awesome therapist Serena. I'm now in "recovery mode" :>) My story is probably like most of your. Scary intrusive thoughts out of nowhere. Questioning if I'm a bad person. Questioning if I'm going crazy. Bouts of derealization and depersonalization etc. I'll spare all of the details though because let's be honest; if you are reading this, you are living it. Please know, there is hope and recovery is possible. If you aren't in ERP therapy, you need to be. Face the fears, face the thoughts and challenge your OCD daily. I'm 40 and have struggled with OCD my who life (just never knew what it was). I honestly have never felt better now and am really enjoying my life for the first time. The last 7 months were crazy hard and ERP can suck at times (I may have told my therapist I hated her once or twice ;>) but it was SO worth it. I leave you all with this encouragement (not reassurance).....There is hope and a light at the end of the tunnel. Don't give up, you got this. You are stronger than you think (I'm living proof) and out of all of the people in the world, God chose to make you just how you are, flaws and all. There is a purpose for your life and your struggle...again please hear me....DON'T GIVE UP!!!! I'm looking forward to the next chapter of my life and being more present with my wife and two kids. Will I struggle with OCD in the future......Maybe so, Maybe not. -SignmanwithOCD
I think I've lost hope on getting better not because I don't care about myself, but because of my past. I just don't know how I could forgive myself for something that just isn't forgivable. I don't know how I'll ever forgive myself for the day my elbow made contact with someone's behind. It felt like it was on purpose, I didn't say sorry, I didn't move my arm when I should have. I keep getting thoughts that day I knew this would happen even though I didn't plan on it. Everyday after that I made sure the same thing would never happen again and it hasn't, but the fact that it's happened at all is enough to just make me feel defeated. It's hard to be happy when I know something messed up just happened and I had something to do with it. I just don't know how to move on. Confessing is a compulsion so all I can do is just have these thoughts play in my head. I try to be a good person to others but then I go ahead and do something so stupid and careless. Whether it was an accident or not, I don't even think it matters because I made contact with this person's behind when I could've prevented it or at the very least say sorry. How to you move past that? I just can't see myself advancing past this. It's been making my day to day life very difficult. It's hard to be happy when I just worry about all of these past acts I can't control, but feel so sad about.
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