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working to conquer OCD
I don’t know about you, but the evening is my time to shine! During spikes, life can be a bit like the movie Groundhog’s Day. Mornings 😱 , afternoons are 😧 , and evenings are 🧘. We are stronger together!
I just reposted this on my TikTok but feel like I need to unrepost it (I do this with every post and it has to feel right and like it’s in the right place) but I started getting thoughts because I know my bf is going to see it like I don’t want him to think it’s about him and I’m getting scared it’s going to hurt his feelings Because obviously I would never shoot a man but it’s making me think does that mean I would and that I’m a bad person for reposting like I’m getting scared that I want to hurt him or something But it’s just a TikTok thing that’s going round about the “man or a bear” But now I feel like a bad person for having an opinion but I never commented on this trend before
How does one overcome POCD when it’s tied into/influenced by actual events in my life? I feel like there is almost a pattern for me :( My events involve researching/googling disturbing things I shouldn’t have out of morbid curiosity (and seeing truly horrible things/images on the internet as a result of this), having thoughts about girls in their late teens sometimes being attractive (it’s happened multiple times that I thought a girl was attractive then learned she was like 17 or something. It always disgusts me, but I feel the need to test to make sure they aren’t attractive to me upon me finding out their ages. This causes even more distress and discomfort). I have certain and uncertain memories about pleasuring myself to things that are morally unacceptable (one of those things being a scene from one of those films on the Disturbing Movie Iceberg that I watched and I’m unsure I may have m*********d to. It involved CSA and was one of the first catalysts for my POCD. I am only about 40-50% confident that this didn’t happen). I’m even going back and remembering a time where I was 12-13 and read fanfics about a 9-year old anime character being shipped with a full adult. However all but the last event happened between the ages of like 20-23 (I’m 24f now and the thing about worrying about finding girls in their late teens attractive is the only current “active” thing going on. Everything else is based on past events). Every time I read about POCD, it always seems like people’s distress revolves around “current” intrusive thoughts (e.g, “Did I find that child attractive?” or “Did I touch that child inappropriately?”). I rarely see things involving past actual events similar to mine, and it makes me think that this isn’t just POCD. I feel like there’s no other explanations for my actions, this feels like a pattern of behavior. I am so afraid that I am a p***. And I’m leaving for a movie soon. Not exactly sure how I’m supposed to pretend I’m ok and act present when the friends I’m going with would likely hate me if they knew all of this. Im so tired.
My friend has a friend who’s a psychiatrist/has studied about mental illnesses and different medications. My friend told me that she said “ocd is not manageable. It’s never manageable”. Which, of course, later at night, made me spiral. And is still bugging me. I’ve worked so hard these past 3 years getting better to a point where I’m happier and can do chores without anyone telling me to and do multiple types of work throughout the days… They recognized that I’m not a severe cause but being on medication would make me happier and I would have to use less brain power. I told them if my ocd ever gets severe I’ll use medication but even then that answer didn’t seem smart enough? Idk idk it’s making me angry and I don’t want to spiral
TW: Discussion of receiving a real physical health diagnosis after worrying about it for years It's been a while since I was on this app. I was diagnosed back in 2020 (since one of my main themes is contamination, you can imagine that that was just PERFECT timing, insert eyeroll here) and I did some ERP way back then to try to start working on managing my symptoms. ERP didn't really seem to work for me back then, but maybe that's because we were going through a pandemic at the time. I've done a lot of other therapy since then that has been effective at treating some underlying trauma and other issues I was dealing with in my life, in addition to helping me figure out that a deep fear of death underlies all of my obsessions (and compulsions). I've still been symptomatic in terms of struggling with contamination and health concern obsessions (and others) for the past few years. Everything got shaken up recently, though, when I got diagnosed with thyroid cancer. It's super treatable, I have a family history, and I/my doctors have known I have thyroid issues for about a year now, but regardless, the diagnosis absolutely shocked me to my core. It felt like everything I'd worried about with my health for my whole life came true in that moment. It felt like that one phonecall from my doctor validated all of my fears in that moment. I know that my treatment plan is proven effective, but I'm left with the constant "What Ifs". I'm sure that most people that get diagnosed with cancer, if not all, struggle with these what ifs, but they feel so much more intensified for me right now because I feel like the thing I was worrying about for my whole life actually came true. TLDR: Does anyone have any tips for managing fears, obsessions, and compulsions when the worst really does happen? How do we help the fear-processing, non-logical parts of the brain cope with the idea that the worry about the thing and the thing itself were not connected? How can I come to believe that I didn't worry this into existence? How do I manage the what ifs (what if after treatment it's not actually gone? What if it comes back or spread somewhere else?) without doing silly compulsions to "make up for it"? I know that was a lot, so any tiny tidbits of advice would be much appreciated, especially if you've gone through similar things yourself (e.g., had health obsessions and then actually developed a health issue). ♡
going through this again, always having. Groinal responses, either stemming from an intrusive thoughts or something I heard/seen, or I have a groinal for no reason then the thoughts come. I also have a urge to m-sturbate which is one of my compulsions:( I hate this
Hey! Anyone here with ADHD and OCD, i have a question. Does ADHD medication reduce OCD symptoms? I haven’t been prescribed with OCD meds but i have been prescribed with ADHD medication and was wondering if it helps with OCD.
Hi, are some of y’all undiagnosed too?
So I decided to start my journey today. I’ve been going to therapy for a while now, but I feel like there’s been no improvement of my OCD. It’s become debilitating and controlling my life. I’ve delt with different forms of OCD but right now I’m really struggling with health OCD and protecting my kids constant horrible thoughts popping in my head and then doing exhausting rituals to protect us from those fears. Every time I watch a video or movie and something bad happens I spend days constantly worrying it’s going to happen to me or someone I love. I’m having a hard time enjoying life and I’m tired of it. I want to be present, I want the thoughts to stop, I want to actually live life again. I’m hoping on here I can find some of you who are going through the same thing because I feel so alone. Here’s to day one and hopefully a bright future I’m tired of crying.
People don’t understand how much ocd takes over your life, here’s some of my old compulsions through the years, I can laugh about these ones now as I’ve managed to stop them. Although I’m yet to beat false memory ocd. - Checking the knife draw before bed 14 times just to be ‘sure’ the knife’s were all there. - Filming under my bed before I went to sleep to make sure no one was there. - Barricading my door at night as I had a fear I would sleep walk and ‘hurt’ someone. - Video myself doing my nightly compulsions (locking doors, turning lights off, checking everything etc) to make sure it’s done. - running up and down the stairs 44 times before bed to make sure no one dies 😅😂(honestly no clue) - tapping an even number of times on each side of my body. - whenever I made someone else a drink I would have to re-do it about 10 times and video it, as id convinced myself I’d poisoned it🙃lol I mean I could go on forever but here’s some!! I’m hoping this makes someone feel less alone as I’ve stopped this now with a lot of work, it is possible!! False memory ocd is next for me , I’m hoping I can beat this as I have the above.
Suddenly got an ocd thought about being paranoid that someone is watching what I do on my phone. Like—they have access to my screen as if I’m screen sharing but they’ve hacked into my phone. So stupid. I’m treating this like a diary entry just to get it out of my system and out of my head.
I don’t know how anyone does it! I’ve tried so hard to face my intrusive thoughts because I’m so tired of my mind telling me to do things over and over or else my mom will die. I know it won’t happen but my mind refuses to let me let it go. I don’t mean to bother anyone who isn’t religious but I just have to also get this off my chest. I’ve never been more ashamed of myself for how I’ve acted today revolving God. I love God more than anything and yet I can never fully put my faith in him because I’m so scared. No matter how many quotes and bible verses I read telling me to let go of my fear, I can’t. I’m terrified to even move at this point. I understand I need to get a job and get outside more. But how can I do that when I too scared to leave my bed because I know what my day will consist of. All I do is sleep because I’m so drained, I’ve completely lost myself. I just keep telling myself others have it worse because it’s true, I just wish these thought would go away because I’m tired of feeling like I’m crazy.
I’ve been feeling really down recently as the guy I like a lot left me and told me a bunch of basically lies to make me feel better then go and sleep with a girl who was engaged 3 days ago broke up with her fiancé/boyfriend 2 days ago to then sleep with him. I went out last night and the boyfriend was on bar. Now there’s rumours he’s not a nice guy, but there’s also rumours she’s a really horrible fucjing person. They live together and everything. They were sleeping together in their bed, they only broke up a few days ago. This made me feel horrendous, as someone who would’ve done anything for the boy, who literally told him how much he means to her, he left me to go and just sleep around when he said to my face that’s not what he was going to do. I know it’s none of my business anymore, but the disrespect hurts, especially when everyone knows you. So I was sat in my feels and one of the men I know walks up to me and can see on my face I’m devastated. I say to him, “I don’t really have any say like we aren’t together” and he goes “yeah but he knows your feelings, he knows he hurt you and that’s not okay” and another one of my friends said “he lead you on for ages, telling you all these lies and playing with you to get what he wants and then fuck kff to her, you’re allowed to be upset” but I’m sat here thinking do I actually have any say in the matter. We were seeing one another before I left for travelling, I’ve come back and he’s completely shifted to this horrible person. He’s got everyone so angry, and so upset. For me it’s the way he lied, straight to my face “I’m not seeing anyone else hand on heart, I don’t want to I need to be single” then goes on a date the day after and then again 4 days later where he sleeps with her, and everyone knows. I had my friend tell me I’m golden like I deserve better than him and that he’s not worth my time which is so true and I’m done now. But knowing someone loves you, knowing someone has strong feelings for you, and to tell you about this girl who’s “just a friend” and then to sleep with her days after you have your final goodbye meeting where he says that he’s focusing on himself and that it wasn’t me he just can’t see anyone at the moment, that he’s realised he needs to just grow, to then go and do that? I have the right to feel a bit upset about it, right? To have everyone in the pub tell you what he’s getting up to, while you’re there thinking about how he once treated you, thinking I’m not worth anything that I’m not even attractive. I know we’re single and honestly that’s fine I can’t tell u who you can and can’t sleep with, but there was zero respect for anyone when he made this decision. It’s a very small town, for months I played the will we won’t we game, while I was away I didn’t know what I was coming back to and it took him and month to meet up and have the closure chat, after a half arsed discussion on text about what’s been going on, where he barely said anything but “I need to focus on myself”. Lies, you just want to fuck around and if you knew that, then you shouldn’t have been exclusive with me in the first place
went to a friends dorm earlier today & I commented on how neat it was and he said “oh I’m kinda ocd about those things” I didn’t know what to say so I just let it go but it made me feel really uncomfortable. how do you guys deal with when people say those things?
Hey everyone so one thing I was wondering is what people do with items they think are contaminated. I know I will never use the item again but I don’t wanna throw it away. I’m unsure of what to do?? :(
Hello are there many other older OCD people on here? Like 50’s or 60’s?? I was diagnosed in the 1989 when not much was known at all about OCD, the docs said you just have to take pills there was no therapy. Anyone else? I did get some knowledge with books and that’s all I ever had to lead me when there was no internet. I just can’t believe all the support out there today! That’s great! Can anyone else relate and how did you cope back then and what helped you? Thanks
I know intrusive thoughts are a part of OCD, but I keep having thoughts that I know I don’t believe in pop into my head. For example, I just lost my cat two days ago. I am beyond heartbroken. But I keep having thoughts in my head like “I’m glad she’s gone” or “it’s a good thing she died”. I don’t believe that at all (but I think my brain is making me think I do). It’s really upsetting me…
Hi! I’m posting this question again but more simplified. I’d love to read stories from anyone who has experienced relief (or knows someone who has) from OCD symptoms using medication-free techniques, such as ERP or ACT therapy, meditation, mindfulness, breathing techniques or holistic coping tools. Thanks!
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OCD doesn't have to
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