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working to conquer OCD
I lately noticed that when I'm feeling anxious, I start telling myself: "Let the thoughts be there, just concentrate on what you're doing, do nothing to make it go away". The problem is that I keep repeating this dialogue in my mind, and I'm checking if I'm still very anxious or not. I think it's a compulsion but... how do I stop it? I get lost in the process šµāš«
Hello me and my boyfriend have been dating for almost a year and Iām very scared because Iāve had intrusive thoughts abt leaving him for another. This is very much against my moral compass and Iāve been avoiding male friends because of it. It stemmed from hlm not being able to comfort me as well as certain friends, but Iāve abstained from telling my friends my problems cuz of this I feel terrible and want to hurt myself. I hate these thoughts. I just want to feel safe and happy.
Iām so scared I donāt even know if this is OCD at this point. I keep having horrible intrusive thoughts on acting upon my worst fear and the feelings and thoughts are so strong and intense Iām genuinely convinced I might lose control and do something horrible. It feels to real and itās so constant that I donāt trust myself at all. There are times where it even feels relieving to think about doing something horrible even though itās the opposite of what I want so feeling like that is so confusing and itās convincing me Iāve become my worst fear. Iāve been trying everything to avoid anything that brings these thoughts and feelings up because Iām just so scared Iām going to snap and do something horrible. I have therapy soon and Iām really glad about that but Iām scared to tell this to my therapist because I donāt know whatās going to happen. I just need to know Iām not the only one who experiences this because I feel like Iāve just gone crazy at this point. Iām so scared that this isnāt OCD.
Hi everyone! I really do not mean to seem complaining or strange, or to be a burden, and I really hope my message will not be innappropiate in any way! I am a christian and for a few years/months I have been feeling extremely lonely.. Other than struggling with OCD, I also am struggling with other things that I am a bit afraid to talk about here šš» I feel like some people ( in church) are willing to help me, maybe! but they may be unable because they do not know what OCD or some other things are like.. sometimes I am afraid to talk about them... it makes me feel a bit alone I am sorry if this might be a strange or confusing message.. šš»
i canāt understand how other people donāt constantly think about death. like, itās final. itās unavoidable. itās just the end. no more me. iām going to die someday and itās so scary it makes me physically sick. i canāt eat or sleep or leave my house or go a single minute without thinking about it. i canāt even describe the anxiety it causes. my other obsessions donāt even affect me anymore. death is real. thatās the one thing in life that is guaranteed. itās going to happen. why doesnāt this freak everyone else out?? iām trying to do exposures for myself. just writing these things down. itās so difficult. if any one has any easier exposures, please let me know. iām started Paxil tomorrow and iām hoping it helps with the anxiety so itāll be easier to do the exposures but i canāt function at all anymore. i always told myself id never make a post on here but i really need help
Hi Iām new to talking about my ocd, since I never knew what I had, I always thought I was crazy till I found out was ocd was and started doing research. Im glad I am not alone. Iām looking in doing some therapy soon, I was just wondering if anyone had any advice or tips on how they try to work on their ocd on their day to day, I struggle with intrusive thoughts, compulsions and contamination.
My anxiety makes me feel so bad Anxiety is caused by my OCD or nothing at all I want help but canāt afford it People who have it understand People who donāt judge you Itās all in your head has been said to me Itās not just all in my head I am strong I am weak I am strong again I am scared I am strong Iām unsure I am meā¦ Everyone of us had a story and a struggle but few can understand outside are community. Iāve really been struggling lately and just donāt know where to turn. I have a fucking terrible anxiety attack or panic attack still unsure off the difference but understand itās one of those two. I feel like things have escalated in my life of distress and unpleasantness to where I am unsure! I want you all to know I love you all and am sorry for what you go through! Iām actually unsure if Iāll be here tomorrow or 100 years from now but wanna say people like us have endured so much and succeed! You are amazing! You are beautiful! You are a good person! You are not what your OCD, anxiety, and mental health makes you feel like. You are you and we are amazing! Please do not give up! ā¤ļø
Iām having an intense bout of relationship OCD right now and the rumination is too extreme. I would normally call someone but everyoneās asleep. Anyone got any advice or distractions right now?
My ocd has been not bothering me as much recently. But I was invited to go to a work conference and this is triggering! Basically one of my core ocd fears is that everyone in my field thinks Iām a laughingstock. When ocd was quite bad and affecting my work, I got firedā¦ twice. I also abruptly quit one of my jobs and did really poorly on another job. I didnāt realize it was ocd at the time that was affecting my work. A lot of my work in therapy after getting diagnosed was connected to work. Now, I donāt feel like ocd is tangled up in my work life anymore. Except I have to go to this conference alone where I will be surrounded by respected peers in my industry. I feel ashamed that I donāt have a bigger community in my professional field, which Iāve been working in for a while. Ocd tells me to ruminate on having āthe right number of contacts.ā Ocd tells me that people have been gossiping about me due to how I got fired in the past. Ocd makes me really really wish I understood where I stood in the industry, how people actually think about me. Any thoughts on ERP? How to be present in the moment at the conference?
What if you did something extremely horrible as a child that you didnāt know how horrible the events were that your POCD and real events OCD targets? Does it make the intrusive thoughts true? I'm getting anxious from my POCD and real event OCD based on real events (3 times) from when I was 13ā¦ā¦ I don't ever want to ever be a P at allā¦ I don't ever want to ever be a Chomo at all... i donāt ever want to ever be a rapist at allā¦ I was 13 when these real events happened and now I'm 20... I've asked my mom about this so many times and every time she tells me that it's not serious anymore, that the person is okay and doesnt remember, and that I'm not a rapist or a P or a chomo...Ā I didnāt realize how horrible the real events actually wereā¦ I was 13 at the timeā¦ now Iām 20ā¦ my POCD and real event OCD call me a P or a chomo because of the real eventsā¦ while my mom reassures me all the time that itās all over, that itās not serious anymore, that the person is okay, and that Iām not a P or a rapist or a chomo, but when I was doing compulsive research, I remember when I saw a post on a non OCD forum about someoneās similar situation to mine and two people said to the person that they m*lested and that they neededĀ to turn themselves inā¦ I donāt ever want to ever be a P or a chomo in any way shape or formā¦ i didnāt know how horrible the real events were when I was 13ā¦ I really didnātā¦ and after the real events I never did anything like that ever again, and I never once ever thought (before, and after) about doing stuff with kids in any way shape or form... I never once fantasized about kids or wanted to do anything with kidsā¦ I was 13 and didnāt realize how horrible the actions were at the time and I never did it ever againā¦ I never once fantasized about kids before or after the real eventā¦ I don't ever want to ever harm a child in any way shape or form... I seriously don't ever want to do that to any child in any way shape or form and I seriously don't ever want to do anything like that to any kid now or in the futureā¦ I never have had any fantasies about kids and I don't ever want to... I don't ever want to ever be a P or a chomo in any way shape or form... I was 13ā¦.. and after the real events I never did anything like that ever again, and I never once ever thought (before, and after) about doing stuff with kids in any way shape or form... I never once fantasized about kids or wanted to do anything with kidsā¦Ā I was 13 and didnāt realize how horrible the actions were at the time and I never did it ever againā¦ I never once fantasized about kids before or after the real eventā¦ And itās comparing me to actual Pās and chomoās who did stuff from 12-15 and then did stuff as adults, and making me think Iām a P and a Chomo because of itā¦ I donāt ever want to ever be a P or a chomo in any wayā¦Ā ššš
Iām struggling with so much confusion and stress right now and Iām losing my mind over a relationship. Idk if I have ROCD or not at this point, I just canāt stop obsessing over the awkward or weird things my partner says or does, heās just a generally weird person sometimes and idk how to explain it in words but itās off putting and an āickā at times but he is so great and I donāt know what to do or how to get rid of these thoughts and feelings and idek if itās ROCD because these thoughts and feelings arenāt all fake, they are based on underlying fact because it is true heās weird and odd and awkward at times. but I donāt want to keep feeling this anxiety and confusion over whether these thoughts mean I should leave or not. Every time I have these feelings of ick I feel the urgent need to decide whether those feelings are inherently wrong and if I should leave. And I canāt tell if I want the bad thoughts and feelings to stop or if I want the āickā behaviour to stop. I donāt know what I feel anymore. Is it bad if I want to āickā behaviour to stop? Ughhhhhhh Iām losing my mind right now. Iāve cried so much this month. Iām losing it.
I had a dream that I liked this boy and Iām a girl is it a good sign thatās Iām straight but when I woke up I started to get thoughts about girls and they feel real they deal that I like girls and I donāt want to
Hi. I struggle with intrusive thoughts a lot and I donāt know how to deal with it. They scare me so much I end up crying. I have many panic attacks because of them. I donāt want to sound crazy. I swear I would never think these things but sometimes when Iām near people or something a random thought āI hope you dieā comes in my head. And I would never wish that on anyone. And the worst part is, it happens with people i love and care for so much. I know these thoughts arenāt me. I swear they arenāt but I still get so anxious about them. They make me feel like I have to tell the person it involves and I donāt want to do that. Iāll sound crazy. Iāll sound horrible. Iād never wish that on anyone. I care for everyone and everything whether I know them or not. Idk what to do. I obsess over these thoughts even tho I know itās not me. Currently crying writing this.
What if you did something extremely horrible as a child that you didnāt know how horrible the events were that your POCD and real events OCD targets? Does it make the intrusive thoughts true? I'm getting anxious from my POCD and real event OCD based on real events (3 times) from when I was 13ā¦ā¦ I don't ever want to ever be a P at allā¦ I don't ever want to ever be a Chomo at all... i donāt ever want to ever be a rapist at allā¦ I was 13 when these real events happened and now I'm 20... I've asked my mom about this so many times and every time she tells me that it's not serious anymore, that the person is okay and doesnt remember, and that I'm not a rapist or a P or a chomo...Ā I didnāt realize how horrible the real events actually wereā¦ I was 13 at the timeā¦ now Iām 20ā¦ my POCD and real event OCD call me a P or a chomo because of the real eventsā¦ while my mom reassures me all the time that itās all over, that itās not serious anymore, that the person is okay, and that Iām not a P or a rapist or a chomo, but when I was doing compulsive research, I remember when I saw a post on a non OCD forum about someoneās similar situation to mine and two people said to the person that they m*lested and that they neededĀ to turn themselves inā¦ I donāt ever want to ever be a P or a chomo in any way shape or formā¦ i didnāt know how horrible the real events were when I was 13ā¦ I really didnātā¦ and after the real events I never did anything like that ever again, and I never once ever thought (before, and after) about doing stuff with kids in any way shape or form... I never once fantasized about kids or wanted to do anything with kidsā¦ I was 13 and didnāt realize how horrible the actions were at the time and I never did it ever againā¦ I never once fantasized about kids before or after the real eventā¦ I don't ever want to ever harm a child in any way shape or form... I seriously don't ever want to do that to any child in any way shape or form and I seriously don't ever want to do anything like that to any kid now or in the futureā¦ I never have had any fantasies about kids and I don't ever want to... I don't ever want to ever be a P or a chomo in any way shape or form... I was 13ā¦.. and after the real events I never did anything like that ever again, and I never once ever thought (before, and after) about doing stuff with kids in any way shape or form... I never once fantasized about kids or wanted to do anything with kidsā¦Ā I was 13 and didnāt realize how horrible the actions were at the time and I never did it ever againā¦ I never once fantasized about kids before or after the real eventā¦ And itās comparing me to actual Pās and chomoās who did stuff from 12-15 and then did stuff as adults, and making me think Iām a P and a Chomo because of itā¦ I donāt ever want to ever be a P or a chomo in any wayā¦Ā ššš
Does anyone happen to know of a community similar to this for people with ADHD that you donāt have to pay? I am not abandoning this one but thought the more support options the better. Thanks!
I'm curious if anyone else thought they had a different illness or has even been formally misdiagnosed. For me, OCD *always* came up in Google search results when I was looking up my symptoms. But I always dismissed it thinking "there's no way I have that!" because of my false preconception of OCD being purely about cleanliness and counting. My symptoms involving mood swings and my obsessions/insecurities with how other people perceive me made me believe I had BPD for several years. Even then, it didn't feel right. I felt sort of bad discussing the possibility with my friends because I still thought "but it doesn't feel as severe as they describe it..." It wasn't until my recent (and so far worst) flare up that I specifically searched for intrusive suicidal thoughts that I discovered suicide OCD is exactly everything I had been experiencing. I cried with relief, knowing I wasn't simply going crazy.
I am new to this. The first two sessions I thought were kind of hard but I left them feeling excited for a future of growth and healing and breaking out of OCDās grip. This last session was more intense and my compulsions ramped up after; I feel exhausted & Iāve tried sitting with my feelings and it does help them calm a bit but they wonāt go away entirely and Iām edgy, exhausted and discouraged. I hate OCD.
(Very triggering rant) If youāve read a previous post of mine, my partner and I have been invited on a weekend long trip by his coworker. Itās to a comic convention, which Iāve dreamed about attending with my bf for many years now. Hereās the issue: Itās in a crime-ridden city, itās over a duration of days, and..Well, itās with my boyfriend. My family is painfully strict. Last year, I asked my family if my bf could visit me at my college for my last formal. I had intense paranoia leading up to asking, and my therapist had reassured me that my fears were senseless. And yet, my intrusive thoughts came true. My parents were so upset that I would even consider such a ādirty,ā impure thing as inviting my bf to stay at a DIFFERENT DORM over multiple days, and to attend a dance with me. My dad insisted to me that āno man or women can ever resist temptationā (his words not mine), and concluded that Iāve clearly been sleeping around (Iām a virgin) and will get pregnant and ruin my life if he visits. After contending them on these insane accusations, I had my spending money taken away. When I asked for certain information so I could get a job to make money, I was screamed at and they refused (I wasnāt allowed to get a job until I graduated college). Eventually, it culminated in my parents threatening to disown me for āchoosing to betray the familyā (their words, not mine), including preventing me from contacting my sisters. They told me they were ashamed of me, that I had become God-less because of my boyfriend, that Iām not even the same person. I was silent from shock. My parents did not like that. And so they lied to my sisters and told them that I was willing to give them up for my bf, which I never said. That one action drove me over the edge. I gave in. Immediately my parents were all loving and sweet. That sudden shift was terrifying. It reminded me of television, it was that unsettling. Now, a year later, I want to ask to go to this event, but Iām TERRIFIED. Not of them saying no (because I figure they will say no), but of what could happen if I EVEN ASKED. My boyfriend wants me to stand up to my parents and ask, but I think itās a horrible idea. I donāt think my boyfriend quite understands what I went through last year. It was TRAUMATIZING. My family pretends last year didnāt exist. They havenāt brought it up since. But bringing this new trip up, well, that could unearth everything. Iām terrified.
At this point I am so confused and unsure if I have ROCD, Iām not seeing much of anything that sounds similar to what I am dealing with and would like some clarity. My issue isnāt so much āIām so in love, but doubt itā, itās not so much thoughts of āwhat if I secretly donāt like himā, itās that I love a lot of things about this person, but get āput offā or ānot attractedā feelings from different behaviors of his, to the point it feels like Iām dealing with a different person, like a kaleidoscope. In these moments it feels like my emotions and feelings are constantly changing. I canāt tell if my OCD is nitpicking his every gesture, mannerism, hobby, and interest, or if his personality just doesnāt resonate with mine. And I donāt want to be so obsessed or anxious over these feelings or being convinced I urgently need to figure out if these feelings are bad or if they mean I should leave or if I can handle those off putting things for the rest of my life. Iām so confused and lost
Am I bad person? My mom passed away from brain cancer a few months ago. A friend of mines mom also has cancer. But their mom has been improving and doing better. While Iām happy for them Iām jealous that they get their mom to be able to recover and mine died. I feel really bad feeling this way but it just doesnāt seem fair
If you are in crisis, please use these emergency resources to find immediate help.
OCD doesn't have to
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