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I recently received my OCD diagnosis and am wondering if folks have disclosed this to their employer. Any tips or watch outs? I’m in a very corporate / competitive environment.

the fact that we are all real scares the shit out of me, idk if this is existential ocd anymore

Hey everyone, I haven't been on here in about 6 months because Ive been doing pretty well with my ocd. I still had flare ups but I managed them well. But now my health ocd is back and it feels like there's no hope. I can't be sure I don't have every single illness I'm afraid of, I can't stop checking my body for weird symptoms and sensations. I've been through this before but never this bad. My mind is spiraling 24/7 and I don't know how to calm down. Nothing helps. Most of the time I try to distract myself and do something but this time I can't. My brain won't shut off. It feels like Im living in a cage and it's slowly drowning. What helps you calm down quickly because I'm so tired and scared?

Hey, I haven't been on here in a while but recently Ive been having a major health ocd flare up and yesterday I noticed when I look at walls or something still like the sky, the ground I can sort of see like pixels or grit or static its hard to explain but I can't stop focusing on it now. Im scared that something bad happened but I think Ive seen this way my entire life I just never paid attention to it. Now Im very hyper focused on it and I'm really scared that Im gonna go blind. I can't distract myself from this at all

How do i know for what thoughts I should use non engagement and for what thoughts I should just label it and how do I know to which thoughts I should just let go?

has anyone else done this? today i got presented with one of my triggers, but when i first saw it i didn’t immediately feel the feeling i’d grown to associate with being triggered. normally had i been confronted by my trigger, i’d get a pit-like feeling in my stomach, heart racing, anger, and dissociation. today i looked at it and thought “huh, i don’t really feel triggered, but i know i should be. should i be mad at this?” the nature of my trigger is one that concerns my relationship, and this is where i made a mistake. i told my partner, “i can’t decide if i should be mad about this or not.” and that opened the flood gates to a 2hr long conversation surrounding my obsession and triggers. i feel really bad for not taking the opportunity to disengage from my habitual response. i didn’t feel triggered initially, but i triggered myself out of habit, because i “should” be triggered. i feel like recently my ocd has been dying off, at least this particular obsession. i haven’t really been doing any of my compulsions, and it’s not on my mind as often. regardless, i’m still really scared to accept that it is what it is and it’ll always be there. when given the opportunity to disengage or stay, i chose to stay. i hate that i did that. it felt like an aha moment, though. maybe this was necessary. a fight with my partner over something i chose to be upset about because it has historically been upsetting. do you ever feel like your ocd tries to get your attention even more when it’s dying off? how do you proceed without reaffirming the ocd when presented with a circumstance like this one? do you ever trigger yourself out of habit rather than because it really strongly bugs you ?

Hey guys I have officially been in NOCD for a month and the ERP is going well. However, I have been feeling a lot of hopelessness when it comes to my existence. I have also been questioning my purpose in life. I have also been scared of dying because it’s so inevitable and I don’t know when it’s going to happen. I have also been feeling a lot of guilt because I am a content creator and putting on a fake smile and pretending to be happy is the hardest. Has anyone ever felt that way? Does anyone have any advice?

I’ve known for a while that my anxiety gets worse right before my period. I guess my OCD does too. I’ve been feeling more stuck or “running the hamster wheel” this week mostly because next week will be my period. It’s incredibly frustrating having that OCD/Anxiety plus the hormone changes. I’ve been feeling like spontaneously crying then I will feel like screaming then other times I feel so stuck and fearful with my OCD and anxiety. Usually on my period I sorta mellow out a bit, especially with health anxiety. I know that the symptoms I feel is just from my period and nothing else major so it’s not as scary. Is there any kind of trick that helps you guys when your symptoms get worse during that time of the month?

I’m really struggling right now. I felt like I was doing really good today, and have been since I started Seroquel. All of a sudden, I start having an intense feeling of existentialism….it’s like I suddenly realized I was alive. And it feels a step beyond derealization/depersonalization….i understand what that it. But this felt like spouts, and if I focused on it - I was such an intense feeling of being “alive” and then it goes away….i can’t keep a hold of it enough to exam in it. It’s so scary, I haven’t had this feeling in so long….and it scares the crap out of time. The best I can explain it is that I suddenly realize I’m living but It’s like I’m in my own body and no one else is real - I DONT KNOW!!!! It’s truly impossible to explain and I’m freaking out! I just hope someone can somewhat relate or explain it better.

Can not sleep because my brain won’t switch off Can never get to sleep anymore because of overthinking too much It’s 3:31 and feel like tomorrow is ruined because I’m going to be tired and when I’m tired my ocd is 10xworse and my mood

My POCD randomly triggered over a friendship I have with someone who is eighteen. I’m sixteen and I have no intention of dating them however we do make jokes and are very affectionate. Nothing bad, normal internet friendships but it’s making me nervous that I’m somehow a victim or something even though I have no issues with it. Is this okay?

I feel guilty I’m feeling this way because I know people going through worse stuff than me right now so I can’t speak to them and feel so alone I feel like I’m making it up and putting on “bad mental health” and that I’m actually fine but if that’s the case why am I feeling so drained and struggling to get through the day Constantly having thoughts of s3lf harm again I don’t know what this feeling is anymore and I don’t even know what’s what I feel a mess I can’t explain what’s going on inside my head

I'm 17, and Im really obsessed with the idea that my mum could get cancer and I feel like I have to pray that she doesn't and every time I walk past a picture of God I can't be ignorant I'll have to pray. My thought process just now: 'Ok, so you don't take an hour praying, tell God you'll be done within 5 minutes and then you'll have to keep your word' Please god, help my mum not to get cancer, and all the other things I pray for I end up repeating this phrase again and again I could finish within the 5 minutes but something tells me this is offending God so I have to take longer I am exhausted from repeating it again and again Then I say 'I will only repeat this 5 more times and then trust you God, honestly' I end up repeating it 6 times by accident. I feel so bad I beg god for mercy and then I touch the wall once I feel like that was a sign of mercy somehow, I touch the picture behind God and then I tell God to give me all of that bad karma and not my mum To solidify this I have to touch the wall twice I can't see a psychiatrist but I have this kind of thing in my head 24/7 especially at night and when I'm trying to revise I can literally only focus when I promise to God that I will otherwise my head is just spiralling with thoughts like this Am I crazy :( I feel like I am

Can someone please tell me I’m not alone? Can you share your experience with getting intrusive S3xual thoughts please Because I feel like it’s not talked about and it’s something I really struggle with and I’m scared I’m the only one getting these disturbing and fucked up thoughts and scared I want them and that it’s actually me and not my ocd For example : I feel like I’m constantly constantly getting S3xualised thoughts of people I’m related to especially when I’m trying to have S3xual time

I have religious OCD. I love God & Jesus so much! But I’ve notice I get nervous when videos come up about God & Jesus because I get intrusive thoughts & feelings. For example randomly I’ll get negative feelings or thoughts on a sweet video of someone talking about God and how good He is. But it’s like sometimes my body (feelings) and mind (thoughts) will throw these things at me and make me feel a different way sometimes. I don’t like it! Does anyone else get this? Any advice?

I just did an exposure of looking at naked women and it kind of took a turn for the worst. I did one on Tuesday and it went great with no rumination, but today I felt aroused and then started googling. And everyone said I was a lesbian or bi for being aroused. Even though I don’t want to be with any of those women 😣 feeling like I took a few steps back

My brain won’t shut off, when I’m finally feeling better it’ll shove something else in there to make me overthink. When me and my ex broke up we said we’d be friendly, a few days later I was in the pub being told by everyone that he was sleeping with the girl he told me was just a friend. Her ex was also in the pub and it was horrible. I was hurt, upset, angry, I was everything. Being told only a few days after you guys cut contact and have your final goodbye after 3 weeks of trying to do so that he’s sleeping with someone else like it’s not nice. So of course I felt heartbroken and honestly like there was no care for me. As time goes on I have people telling me that yk he lead me on and that I deserve better, that it was disrespectful of both of them to do so and even though the way they went about it yes wasn’t great (her ex had it worse than me by far but that’s another story) he was single and could do what he wants. I’ve said things when it first happened of course I did, but now there’s no hard feelings and I still see him as a dear friend. He unfollowed me on insta today, I unfollowed him on Snapchat it was too hard to see his name, so we’re both trying to move on. But in my head it feels more like he’s saying he hates me and I feel an uncontrollable amour of guilt because he didn’t do anything insanely wrong, like yes he broke up with me because he “couldn’t be with anyone right now” but my hurt is understandable but he’s moving on so like there’s nothing wrong. I can’t seem to be mean, I can’t seem to trust my own emotions and I can’t seem to just do things for myself without feeling insane guilt. If someone hurts me? Nope I can’t be mean they’ve done nothing wrong. If someone does something I don’t like? Nope it’s fine they’re living their life. If I’m upset with something because it makes me just hurt a lil bit? Nope sorry you’re not allowed to feel that. So we ended, he slept with someone else, I was hurt because it was all still fresh, I was angry and now I feel guilty. If I see him in town like yeah I’ll say hi and get on with it, that should be okay right? Do I have to apologise to him? Do I have to make sure we’re okay? I feel like I do!!!!

I think I’m a covert narc. I feel like I shouldn’t do anything but isolate. I’ve already gotten down voted so now I’m even more paranoid about this. Can someone please offer me some some advice or support? Let me know if these are normal things or if I’m a bad person. I’m really convinced I am. I’m jealous of people who are better than me, and I go above and beyond to do nice things for people in hopes they will reciprocate or at the very least think I’m a good person. I like to do nice things for people just because I care about them but I also do it cuz I want to be a good person and seen as such. Someone said that covert narcs have a fake persona and I feel like I do too. I try to be really happy and kind and outgoing but inside I want to be alone and I dislike some of my friends for who they are. Sometimes I will bring down peoples accomplishments in my head so I feel better about myself. The only reason why I don’t say any of this stuff out loud is because it makes me feel really guilty and anxious to feel this way about them and I don’t wanna hurt their feelings cuz then I look like a bitch because I AM being a bitch. Like I can be kind and mean it but I also can be kind and not mean it. I’ve been wanting to snap on my roomate for some time now and I have a really hard time feeling happy for her, because I feel like she already knows that she’s talented so I feel like I don’t need to tell her. Sometimes I also want to snap on her because I feel like she’s so insensitive and rude sometimes and I feel like I want to put her in her place. I try to treat others the way I want to be treated which also means I try to tell them things that I would want to hear someone say to me. None of my friends have ever said that I am a narcissist or evil, but isn’t the whole point of being a covert narc that you just mask? I am happy for people and I love my friends most of the time. I can celebrate peoples achievements and I genuinely mean it but if I dislike someone then I hate everything about them pretty much. There are some people, as talented as they are who I feel don’t deserve success and appreciation because they disrespect me. I have no empathy for confident people because I feel like they think they are better than me. All my friends have trauma of some kind, and I have much more empathy for them than others. I really only like people who can relate to or understand me.

Hi all! I am trying to practice self compassion with myself as i suffer from ocd, ptsd and bpd and due to years of sa abuse and so on I have a very very negative self image of myself. Anyways, I realized I was avoiding talking to my nicely (compulsively if you will) and being actively proud of myself as it triggers a mean ocd thought about myself. E.g.: ‚i did really well today on xyz‘ —> immediately my ocd says ‚sure but you are dirty and should feel guilty because you had sexual thoughts and enjoyed them about xyz‘. I think you get the point… Do some of you experience the same ? How do you deal with it ? The same way as with other intrusive thoughts ? Let it pass and restrict compulsiions ? Thank you!!!

Why is it when I wake up, the first words that go through my head are "I'm a les..."? Followed by scenarios, and then a guy I like. (I'm a girl) It's like with all the ruminating I've done it's convinced me. A long time ago I heard that the first thing that goes through your mind in the morning is what you want. I don't what that.