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Another thing I’ve realised and wondered if this is true for others, do you start to see aspects of your theme everywhere in things when you didn’t before?

Just wondering if anyone else experiences the same things as me. I’m currently on lexapro, wellbutrin and recently seroquel for my OCD. The past 2 weeks I would go all day without even having 1 intrusive thought, I genuinely would forget that I was struggling with them which felt amazing. Now, I’m getting my period in a few days and my anxiety is going back up/thoughts are coming back. Does anyone else experience an influx in symptoms around their period? :( Just sucks because I was feeling so good and now I feel stuck again. Even though I said this same exact thing last month when I got my period lol and felt better the next week ?? It’s just so weird

Someone on here told me about this and I had some questions on the overall idea. Has anyone heard of Michael Greenberg? If so, there are some things he talks about that I’m a little confused on. He says that using mindfulness or “bad distraction” isn’t the way to go but I honestly don’t know what to do instead. I tend to try and refocus myself to what I’m doing when I get thoughts but he states that it’s basically distracting yourself from your thoughts by doing other things so I’m not sure how to be in the present moment if that counts as bad distractions. I also have a hard time checking to see if what gave me anxiety before will give me anxiety now and it sort of comes automatically so any advice on how to manage that would help a great deal! Anyway, I hope you all are doing well and we got this!!!!!

I keep getting so confused. I keep thinking of every awkward characteristic of my partner, every little thing he does that makes me cringe or feel awkward. And I keep wondering if I’m just convincing myself I have ROCD to avoid the pain of leaving. And I also keep thinking that if I didn’t have ROCD I would have no problem leaving over these things, like what if the uncertainty of ROCD is the only thing keeping me in the relationship, and if I wasn’t constantly anxious and worried I would have clarity and I’d truly leave. But I just want this to work out. I’m so tired or constantly being turned off by every little thing I obsess over.

I constantly have thoughts about my wife's features. In a negative way that leaves me with anxiety and guilt. Then the thoughts change from divorce to finding other people attractive... but I don't want to leave my wife I love her.. I feel so stuck in the web I can't get out of I obsesse about these thoughts all the time... she's a terrific person we been married for 13 years any advice?

So about 2 weeks ago I started having blasphemous intrusive thoughts about God & Jesus! I’ve had them before but they’re hard to brush off because you feel awful and disgusted for even having them. They were “rejecting thoughts” I finally was able to just let them float on by and not pay attention to them. My main theme is doubting God & Jesus but I’ve noticed it’ll switch on me. Sometimes my mind will doubt if it’s OCD! So currently 2 days ago I’ve been getting the blasphemous thoughts again but when I said “I love you Jesus” I heard instead of Jesus it was Satan! I panicked and sometimes when I say I love Jesus and God I hear “I love you S____” it freaks me out!!! I love God & Jesus so much! Those thoughts cause so much anxiety!!! I would never say that thought and I wish it would go away or remove all those thoughts! I Like ughh those awful intrusive thoughts hurts so much! Some times if feels like I think them or say them purposely in my mind! But I try to remind myself I don’t want them! They cause so much anxiety and distress for a reason! It’s just so annoying when it’s constantly changing and throwing other “themes” I try to tell myself this is still in the same category! I had a certain blasphemous thought weeks ago and now it’s a “new” one and I think it’s still a thought it’s just different and maybe that’s how it’s trying to trip me up! But then usually a bunch of them start coming like beating me down! Maybe it’s the themes switching up on me again but ughh it’s really hard! Makes it feel like it’s me but I don’t want these thoughts at all!!! Everytime I say I love Jesus & God those thoughts come and just randomly! I feel like it’s “me” but I’m reminding myself it’s OCD! The more I react the more they come! They make me feel like God is mad at me or He doesn’t love me which I know isn’t true at all! I know He loves me so much!! It’s just so sad that my mind thinks that! Sometimes I feel like He is mad or will leave me but I know that’s not true!! Any advice please 😭

What do you do when you don’t even wanna stand beside your partner anymore because of height:( I am getting married and can’t sleep and function in work. What do I do:( it has been everyday. I have tried erp over and over and sitting with the thought.

I have HARM-OCD , POCD , FM-OCD and I can’t discuss my form of ocd with anyone but my partner , it’s just such a lonely isolating disorder. I find my friends discuss their mental health a lot such as anxiety , depression, eating disorders etc but ocd can’t be discussed. How could I ever turn to my friends and tell them I have false memories of harming people , animals even children? How could I ever tell them I worry everyday I’m an abuser and should be sitting in a prison cell… exactly I couldn’t. It’s a lonely isolating life.

So me and this guy who I’m in love with tbf 3 weeks ago we decided tos top seeing ecahtoher, he wasn’t ready for a relationship as things have gone down in his life and he’s trying to figure stuff out and he can balance it all, which is fair and I understand that. However we haven’t stopped messaging one another, I think it’s because we’re both scared to loose the other one as we’ve been seeing one another for over a year, speaking everyday for over a year. Anyway, I know that for us to grow we need some distance but it’s really hard when it’s apart of your daily routine. But TikToks keep saying to me “if it’s right perosn wrong time let them go they’ll come back” or “right now it’s not meant to be, but maybe one day it is” or “if he left you then he doesn’t care move on” and my brain is so full I don’t know what to do. I’m trying to faze it all out slowly and I don’t wanna do the childish thing and leave him on read. I already tired of that and couldn’t do it. But now my obsessive brain is saying that if I keep talking to him I’m gonna upset the future and we might not get back together now because we’re still talking. If it’s meant to be and I destroying the future? None of us have made any moves in stopping, expect me who said I’m struggling and might have to and then when I say I’m struggling he asks me why and then we go on this massive mental health chat. He asks questions he’s staying in the conversation. I’m trying to stop, but I wanna see him in person so it’s not awkward when I see him around town (we live in a very small town everyone knows everyone). But I keep throwing horrible words at me like psycho, embarrassment, crazy, weirdo, stuff like he hates you, he’s laughing at you, you’ve annoyed him, you’re bugging him, you’re this that and the next thing. Even though I’ve asked him if I am and he said you’re not annoying me, and with the whole bugging him thing he said I understand what you’re saying but no and that it’s my fault he said no stop you don’t need to think that. But no matter the reassurance I am bugging him, I am annoying him, I am an issue. Even though he’s messaging me as well, it’s all on me

Hey guys, does anyone know if OCD gets worse during times of conflict, specifically unspoken stuff? My partner is really resistant to talking things out and instead chooses to ignore our problems, which makes things awkward and tense. She told me she puts things off because of her parents relationship, but at a certain point it feels like an excuse for her not to even try. This has been going on for 3 years, and our conflicts still feel the same. Me bringing up a problem or situation, and her seeming annoyed and apologizing in a tone that’s clearly upset. If she thinks I’m wrong then I wanna hear that, cus I prefer to discuss both our feelings. I’ve asked her for that, I’ve asked her to meditate, journal, etc in her free time too, but she doesnt do it. I know she cares but it doesnt feel like she knows how to care sometimes. I feel like I need to leave so that I can focus on my recently diagnosed OCD, and so I can feel like myself again. I don’t think its ROCD, i actually think I’ve been convincing myself to stay in something that I’m not happy in. I always assumed it was me just having commitment issues, and to hold on and push thru it. At this point it feels like I can’t stand to be in this relationship anymore. This is probably not the best place for this post, but maybe someone relates.

I haven’t really had a lot of trouble with my SO-OCD intrusive thoughts for a while, but I just got really triggered by one of my friends. I’m a straight female and I recently discovered the singer Chappell Roan, who sings primarily about LGBTQ+ and lesbian experiences. Listening to her music was a big deal for me because normally that sort of thing would trigger me, but it’s pretty catchy to me and a few of my friends (who happen to be lesbian) thought it was cool and were happy I was into the same music they were into. Well today, I sent them a text that I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole with her music and am starting to watch her interviews, which is something I usually do when I discover a new artist (I tend to hyperfixate on things a lot). After sending this text, one of my friends said “are you sure you’re not gay” which sent me into an intrusive thought spiral. In the past, she’s said I set off her “gaydar” which was also really triggering to me. My brain keeps telling me that if I come off that way, it must mean I’m lying to myself and I’m actually a lesbian. I wanted to tell her that I have SO-OCD and those types of comments trigger me, but I don’t want her to take it as me not being accepting of gay people. I felt like I finally got to a place where I’m confident I’m straight and now my brain is trying to trick me into thinking I’m lying to myself and it really sucks. I’m really just posting this because I don’t feel like anyone in my life would understand what these thoughts even feel like and it’s just awful.

How do I overcome it?

I'm up trying not to wash the sheets at someone's house I am spending the night in, wondering about germs and if their AirPod case that I was asked to move to the nightstand is dirty enough to the point that I should wash my hands. I'm exhausted but my brain will not let me relax enough to go to sleep and I'm tired of OCD ruining things like this for me.

To my fellow SO-OCD fighters, Do you guys ever feel like your OCD tricks you into thinking that you actually like these thoughts? And does that send you down another spiral?

My ocd is so big right now I fear rabies, if it’s not that I can’t eat because of fear of allergic reaction, or fentanyl anxiety … i just showered twice in a row in 6 hours and had endless rituals and still feeling horrible. Washed the bed still feel it’s contaminated. I’ve been re washing my clothes over and over the last 4 weeks. Now I have only a shirt left to wear. I can’t take it anymore. I can’t stop. The biggest is this fear of bats. Tonight I showered again because there was something red on the white towel. Triggered me but i tried ignoring then I put on a sweater and felt something was there ( a bat) you know it could be hiding… then I hear noises that trigger me could be one too. I look in my drawers and kick everything to see if one is hiding in my room or bathroom. Every day changes. Monday I’m great and manage well , Tuesday I toss my entire room in the washer or wash my skin raw. I just showered again and then washed my phone just to see foam on me and my mind immediately bat rabies… I scrubbed so hard I am aching. And another trigger is when I am sad and feel lonely. My relationship is none. I need to find a way out of this misery life of mine.

I just read a post that brought me a great deal of anxiety and I honestly don’t know what to do. It had to do with lesbians not knowing they were lesbians until later in life bc they didn’t want to like the idea or bc of social norms. I didn’t even know this was a possibility but now that I do I already know it’s something that isn’t going to leave my head. Any advice? I really thought I was getting a little bit of a hang of this but now I feel like this is me and I just have to accept it

Hi there, I'm new to this site and just starting therapy with nocd. I have a therapist outside of nocd that specializes in ocd with cognitive behavior therapy, sound baths, rapid eye movement and hypnosis in particular. She is amazing, she doesn't force me to do things that bring me panic, and I have come a long way with allowing myself limited exposure therapy on my own terms. My husband is at the end of the line dealing with my "control" issues with contamination worries. I have begged for couples therapy so he could maybe understand that I didn't choose this and that the panic is so severe that I don't have a choice but to cave into my fears, but he wants no part of it and thinks there is nothing wrong with him or thinks he's been understanding. Backstory is that I had my ocd well managed until I was pregnant with my little one and he was diagnosedwith a heart defect in utero. Diagnosis changed at birth and we were thrown head first into a very serious and immediate trauma. We were life flighted out of state, hand washed like crazy, had complication after complication, no sleep, handed my 5 day old baby over to a surgeon I had met 3 times for open heart surgery. 17 days of living in a hospital and beeping machines and intense fear that goes so far beyond what you could ever imagine as a first time parent. Flash forward to finally coming off ng feeding tube, tongue tie clip, partially paralyzed left diaphragm, oxygen dependent until 4 months old, pulse ox until 9 month old. Back to work at only 3 months. To say it was traumatic is a huge understatement. Flash forward again 3 years, husband hospital and diagnosed with heart failure not to mention how bad things got with worry during covid. I just don't know how to get it through to him how hard I am trying, how much I hate this, how awful the panic attacks are if I don't cave. My most overwhelming fear is of mice and hantavirus and we have had mice problems in out house th3 entire time hes lives here. Remodeled kitchen 3 years ago, so none in the house, but not so confident about the garage and yard. I freak out if he wabts to work in the yard or inbthe garage, make him shower, wash clothes 2-3 times, I clean his path from the door to shower while hes showering and then shower myelf. I want to get better, but he wants it like overnight. Any advise on things that have helped you make people in your life understand where you are coming from and where your heart is? I don't want to end my marriage, but I have been there for him through thick and thin and he's basically giving me an ultimatum that I can't fulfill at this time, and I can't promise him that I will ever be 100% either, but I'm giving all that I can. He thinks I've made zero progress and that I'm not trying at all. I'm feeling lost and sad. It's exhausting andbI know he feels like a prisoner, but I am terrified all the time. I can recognize that it's irrational and mostly unlikely, but hantavirus does kill people and we have that type of mice in our state not too far away. It is not a problem here, but I'm stuck on this fear and I cannot budge from it. It irrational but also not worth my sons life so in my mind totally rational, he's only 6 and getting closer and closer to his 2nd open heart surgery. Sorry, that was a book.

I gave into a POCD intrusive thought. Nothing came of it, but it was wrong. I feel really guilty and am terrified to tell my therapist but I feel like I should because of the guilt. I hate this so much.

everyday i’m convinced that i’m going to hurt the people i love most. i wake up thankful it didn’t happen but then i get scared thinking about “what if today is that day you go through with it”. but then i ask myself go through with what? i don’t any intention to kill or a plan to do so. so why? why do i keep getting scared that i’m secretly wanting to do it? i’m so afraid right now, like my mind is going to rationalize it. i don’t want to hurt my family, so why does it feel this way? i’m so tired of this

I’m going through what is hopefully just a really bad hypochondria episode where I’ve convinced myself I have schizophrenia. It’s been about 8 months and I’ve been through a range of crazy symptoms but the most prevalent symptom is getting crazy delusional thoughts like “what if my wife is a demon and trying to get to me” “what if nobody is real and these are all monsters/demons out to get me” etc etc. the thoughts are absolutely terrifying and they make me look at people differently, and i have to question myself whether I truly believe the thoughts or not, they feel so real, when they come on I almost catch myself genuinely feeling paranoid that they are 100% real and having a panic attack, but then the tiny bit of me that’s still rational brings me back to reality. And from then on I have to question myself all day “do I really believe this?” “Well you technically can’t disprove those things” “if it’s not real, then why does it FEEL real?” “This really is schizophrenia” “ what if it’s not schizophrenia but ACTUALLY real?” “who do I go to for help?” “What if I can’t trust anyone” etc, it’s literally hell. I can never give a satisfying “No, I don’t believe this” to these thoughts. I can go days and weeks and be able to confidently shrug them off and tell how ridiculous they are only for them to come back with a vengeance the next day. I could really use some reassurance even though I know it’s bad. I have never been like this before until I started obsessing over schizophrenia. I’ve been like this for 8 months now.