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Has anyone else gone months (like 1-3) feeling fine like no spiraling, just some overthinking and anxiety here and there. And not due to therapy or erp, just on their own.

I have harm ocd and I’m rewatching the sopranos obviously there’s a lot of violence on the show. Would this be exposures for me?? I don’t feel super triggered or anxiety watching it which i think is a plus for me. I’ve been in therapy since march and think I made a lot of progress because i haven’t watched anything like this since my relapse.

Anyone who struggles with real event, rumination, and guilt. Please please please tell me your tips and tricks and maybe some words of encouragement.❤️

i made a first post about this, this is the second part. but i decided to stay with him and things took a toll today. lately, for weeks now, i can’t get the thought of him cheating on me out of my head. some things have happened to cause me to think like this but recently it’s gotten worse. we got into a huge huge argument today and we nearly broke up. we had set a rule on instagram about updating each other when we posted or changed our profile photo bc he had trust issues with that in the past so we set those rules for him. and I gladly did so. but then today i texted him, nearly 10 hours went by - no response - then i open up instagram and he posted something without letting me know. so I got upset told him if that’s how he wants to do things then he can. then he got upset because i always “assume” things without asking but there was nothing to ask because you’ve been on your phone but you can’t text ur gf back? he claimed he was asleep and he woke up to post, and he said he saw my text but he didn’t feel like talking to me and didn’t know what to respond to with. on top of that his posts r made for a female audience. and then he said “you’re tweaking when ive only been gone for 9 hours”, but yesterday he got disappointed when i didn’t respond within an hour. and I told him his double standards are insane. he got mad. told me I should just leave him since he’s not enough and I made him feel like a sh*tbag. I don’t know what to do. i want to be with him but everytime we fight we end up fighting against each other and not the problem. he told me i need to ask before i assume things, but when i ask he says “im tired, i don’t wanna do this right now, im not worried about that can we just chill”. I don’t feel emotionally safe to open up to him. and he takes everything as an attack. he told me I should be with someone I trust but he’s not understanding that I want to trust him and I want to be with him and the reason why I don’t trust him is because of things he’s done and not because of my past, he thinks im projecting my past onto our rls. we decided to see if we could go 2 weeks without arguing and if we can’t we need to breakup but how can I improve my trust with him and our rls in general?

This is my first time posting on here, and it’s sorta a general question. I genuinely don’t know what to do with myself when my emotions take over from a thought. I know the basics of ERP work is to sit with your feelings, label it and let your thoughts pass, but even when I try to indulge in good distractions and avoid the thought, the feeling still lingers and I can’t help but vent to my partner about it. I can see it’s affecting him and our relationship. I’ve tried journaling, going out for a run, breathing exercises, labeling my thoughts and feelings, but I’m still left restless and unable to sleep because my frustrations and anxieties get too strong. I listened to a recent podcast on reassurance seeking, and she says that a study shows that venting has ZERO benefits. The host says she journals or records herself venting to avoid “bottling it up” and she acknowledges that others may also be going through their own things. I want to be able to ride the wave on my own and practice these tools in the process, but does anyone else have any advice that helps them? TLDR: My feelings get too strong and leaves me restless. I’m seeking advice on what other strategies I can use to cope with my emotions on my own, besides journaling, going for a run, breathing exercises and labeling my thoughts/feelings.

For a few days I was fine now I’m here scared to sleep cuz of my heart palpitations and what if I die scenario I ven dough cardiologist and drs say I’m good is just anxiety and ocd health

My ROCD comes in waves but I recently began hormonal birth control to help level out a genetic disorder I am dealing with. The harm OCD and relationship OCD has gotten so much worse the last few weeks since starting. My brain is constantly going between. Am I going to hurt someone? Am I depressed? To every other what if known to man. But the ROCD is what has been pissing me off. My relationship is a complete 180 from what I’ve ever experienced. I have only ever been with abusers. My ex husband was a narcissistic person and ruined me (likely why I have this ROCD in the first place) but anyway- my relationship is great. We’re best friends. We share the same values morals and wishes. We enjoy the same things. He can do his own thing and I can do mine. But when my ROCD hits, I disassociate and panic and go through what ifs about the relationship. We have also both been going through some stuff the past few months which has decreased the way we have sex but a ton (went from 2x a day to a couple times a week to now maybe 1x a week- and I fear it’s repeating the same pattern as with my ex…different situation- he was abusive and my current partner isn’t) but with these ROCD bouts I start wondering- is he too short? Do I find him attractive? Do I want to be with him? Should I leave? And now have convinced myself that since we’re in a normal healthy relationship (which can feel boring) that there must be something wrong and that I need to figure out what to do. I’m convinced that less sex and connection (exploring one another as we did when we started dating) means the relationship is doomed. I have never been in a healthy relationship and I know it takes work and showing up everyday. True love isn’t for the weak because it makes you have to work to keep it alive- especially when it’s “boring”. Idk what to do though. These thoughts and spirals are driving me mad. And no matter the situation, the spiral continues. I’m always anxious and thinking “what if” Any tips? I know one person in here said DO NOT leave my partner because it’ll only provide temporary relief and never solve the deeper issues I’m going through. I hate this feeling. I just want to enjoy my life.

Hello! Thank You For Reading this!!! I got alot of fears. OCD. There is 1 fear, that is the scariest fear for me, one that i'm having for the last 5 years, i'm searching for answers. It's all about fears, OCD and Electricity. It would help me so much to get my questions answered. I'm afraid of things and i dont know if its a real fear and threat or OCD. Let me explain. My biggest fear of all time is electricity and electricity shock. I'm afraid that if i do something without knowing it, it will cause something really bad. My questions are: 1. If i put a glass of water or a other drink next to a socket, can i still eat and drink that? Does food and drinks absorb electricity? 2. One of my OCD Compulsions are: Washing my hands, and sometimes even taking a shower after i did something with electricty. Think of, plugging something in a socket. Or putting my broken phone charger into my phone. Or anything else about that topic. May i ask, is this a real threat & if not, how can i conquer that biggest fear(s)? 3. If my face touches accidentally a broken phone charger or a socket or something Electricity, would that be dangerous? 4. Accidentally if i walk out the shower with wet hair, and if my hair touches a light, would that be extremely dangerous for my head and me? 5. Turning on and off and on and off the shower and lights to be safe. 6. Putting a headphone on after charging the headphone. With many fears and compulsions. 7. Putting on clothes/clothing that touched something electricity or a socket. A big Fear. You get the point. As you can read, i'm doing alot of compulsions, because that keeps me safe. I'm doing all of that because my biggest main fear. That is: If something happened, like in scenario 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7. Or something else. Anything you can think of. For a great example, eating or drinking something that accidentally touched the socket. If i would get a shock of the electricity, a small one or a big one, would that change my personality? Let me explain. I love music, movies, guitar, doing stuff i like, and so much more. But after that electricity shock, i change completely. For example, i dont like music anymore and i become very rude, a completely new person. Someone i would never want to be. Or getting thoughts and feelings and doing action, that is never would do? My question is: is that a real fear and threat and is that how it works? How does it work? Reality? Or is it the OCD and is the fear not real? Can someone explain Electricity for me? How do i know if something is a real Electricity threat and danger, and what not? What are the dangers? That would be AMAZING! I'm so thankful for nocd and all the people who are helping other people. Everyone. Thank You! Have an amazing day!

I see a lot of “general” advice on here from people who have conquered their OCD, and i dont often find that advice helpful. How do i identify compulsion when OCD is bad? Its a whirlwind. Nothing makes sense. I’m pretty sure i have something in addition to OCD but modern science is not good enough yet to let me know. At times like this I need medication. I am weening off Zoloft to try Clomipramine or maybe Vyvanse. I’ve been on Zoloft for 6+ years so decreasing is causing quite an uptick in symptoms. I feel very impulsive lately, i say and post things i dont mean to and it causes interpersonal issues and doesn’t represent who i really am. Is it impulsion or compulsion? I’ve asked this before and only got textbook answers, not personal anecdotes (what im looking for). What does ADHD and RSD feel like? I think i have both ADHD and OCD, even though scientific models show these having opposite activity in the same areas of the brain, leading one to wonder: how can someone have both conditions simultaneously? Science contradicts this but also acknowledges a large population of people who have comorbid OCD and ADHD.

Hello lovely community, I’m curious if anyone else has dealt with existential OCD, especially with a fear of life having no meaning. My biggest compulsion is doing something meaningful and checking if I feel different, like happy or elated or fulfilled, which usually leads me to feel the opposite. How do I prevent compulsions that are so automatic? Even if I’m just making jokes or hanging out with friends, I’ll automatically check how I’m feeling. I worry often that my OCD will get “worse” and become unmanageable. I’ll often check my emotions or thoughts or feelings to see how my OCD is in that moment, to see if its getting worse or better, which leads me to constantly be on high alert and very aware of my thoughts and feelings. I’ll also avoid doing things I love or overindulge to check my emotions. Any advice would be appreciated :)

could this be normal for a straight girl with hocd backdoor spike and meds or am i more likely attracted to women: basically i gave chatgpt my story that i wrote about basically my whole life and asked to give a list of what can’t be explained by hocd backdoor spike avoidant attachment and platonic feelings for women and it gave me this long scary list now im tweaking out because it says im like lot genuinely attracted to women more then men even tho i thought i was straight my whole life. i also deleted some that i didnt think were accurate and sounded to real and scary please help 1. i have vivid, detailed fantasies about women—like dominant, feminine women pinning me down or wearing sexy outfits—that feel rich and really arousing that don’t always feel like just abstract mental tests but still cause questioning 2. i get crush-like butterflies around girls that come from excitement, not from panic or obsessive questioning like when im excited and want them to like me 3. i really long for close emotional bonds with women—i prefer hanging out with my girlfriends, feel so much closer to them, and daydream about vacations or shared lives with them which might be platonic but idk does it sound like it’s more? 4. i feel avoidant or indifferent about dates, texting, or missing my boyfriend—i notice i don’t look forward to those things the way i do with female friends. 6. sometimes i feel genuine arousal around thoughts of women that doesn’t instantly trigger panic or compulsive checking. might be meds idk or backdoor spike but idk what do you think 7. imagining a life with a female partner—vacations, emotional support, happiness—brings me comfort and a sense of fun 8. even when my anxiety is low (on meds or pausing ERP), attraction to women stays strong or even becomes clearer which makes me wonder what if it’s real but it doesn’t cause me anxiety 9. i recognize comphet signs—like chasing ego boosts with guys 10. i replay past crushes on guys and wonder if i only did it for social validation rather than genuine desire. 11. i don’t feel strong emotional connection or romantic longing for men i’ve dated seriously after like 6 months 12. i’m more on edge or sensitive around women—nervous, protective when they make new friends im scared it’s not platonic 13. i can picture myself in both traditional gender roles with women—sometimes imagining being the “girl,” sometimes the “boy” 14. romantic or sexual excitement with men often feels performance-based or like acting, rather than natural desire but maybe that avoidant attachment 15. i’m way more drawn to certain women’s personalities and energy—like confident, dominant women—than to men’s emotional depth. 16. i’m scared that attraction to women might feel “too real,” which is what happens when new parts of identity emerge through HOCD BUT MAYBE ITS BACKDOOR SPIKE 18. my strongest emotional connections and sources of happiness have always come from female friendships, not male romantic relationships. 19. i feel little curiosity or excitement for typical guy, 21. i want to be straight so bad 23. i’ve had orgasms with men, but i question whether it was emotional or romantic—whereas with women, the emotional connection feels more strong but friend wise lily with my girls and girls i want to be friends with 25. when my anxiety drops (thanks to meds and therapy), the attractions that remain feel so real but still with dread and some anxiety

i’m so stressed about college. i’m SO worried about meeting people, talking to people, making friends, meeting my roommates, etc. i’m scared that they won’t like me. i’m scared that i’ll say/do something that i couldn’t control and then they all hate me. i’ve been so on edge with my ocd lately, and it’s not very out of the ordinary to have me wanna do something like. weird. but it’s also just like…anything can happen. that little “your chances may be low, but they’re never zero” is always in the back of my head and it stresses me OUT. “the chances of you doing some weird and crazy thing or something out of pocket to your new roommates are very low, but never zero” like that TERRIFIES me dude. idk what to do. on top of it, im scared that they might accidentally do something and contaminate me or my surroundings or anything and then there’s nothing i can do about it. im always VERY particular with keeping things clean, with who can touch them, etc etc, but what if they do something behind my back? or what if they don’t but i think that they did and im stuck instead my head for the next like day or so? i’m so scared. i dont know what to do. does anybody have any college experiences they can share to help me?

It is crazy how long I have been suffering from OCD without even knowing, since most of my compulsions are mental. Now that I'm more able to identify OCD, it is insane how sneaky it is and tries to direct every negative emotion towards my theme. My therapist is wonderful and even though some of the things she says trigger my OCD. I know it's because I can't know for certain and that's the whole point of OCD therapy. I'm nervously optimistic about the future, but the idea of not knowing for certain is still really triggering for me.

I suffered many many weeks and months from specific thoughts about POCD. Now it's kinda little bit better.. but as soon as I see a child it hits me everytime like a shockwave, is this normal? Still get then so sad about what's going on in my body, like the unnaturally and strange feeling in the groinal area.. and specially when I lost focus on something, it comes everytime automatically back in my mind. I am week 6 of 200mg sertraline. Here reaching out for some sharing :(

I have had such a long struggle with OCD and I have doing good for a long time but it is really coming in full force right now. I’m losing weight because I’m having a really hard time eating. I ate yesterday and then my stomach was hurting. I just convince myself that everything is contaminated or now that I’m not eating much that it’s gonna make me sick because my body isn’t used to it. Idk I’m struggling so bad. I’ve had some snacks here and there but it’s so hard for me to eat right now and It’s making me sad because I was doing so good for a long time. I also keep forgetting to take my meds and I know that’s part of it.

My close friend recently told me after a lunch we had with our significant others that I made the lunch not as fun as it could have been because I was in my head and being quiet. I apologized, but we’re all supposed to go on a long road trip in a week and I’ve been thinking non stop for two days about how I might get in my head while we’re on the trip and ruin my friend’s and everyone else’s time. Especially because traveling and socializing are anxiety triggers for me. I’ve thought about bringing it up to my friend, but I don’t want to make anything dramatic if it was just an off handed comment. She has never made me feel bad about my mental health issues before now and I’ve known her for 8 years. Is talking to her just a form of reassurance seeking?

Is it normal when you’re sick that thoughts become more intense and feel more true? But you also feel like you don’t care ?

(Please don’t be rude to me if you do reply. I know I could’ve handled it better) So my sister and I recently got into an argument, and I haven’t been able to stop obsessing over it. I still don’t know if I should apologize or just let it go. The argument started over me needing to wash some clothes. She told me they were already clean, but I explained they weren’t. They’re my clothes, and I know when they need to be washed. She pushed back and said I didn’t need to, and when I asked how it affected her, she said doing laundry costs her money. That was the first time I heard laundry being a problem. I offered to send her money for it, but she said no and told me I couldn’t wash my clothes at her house anymore and that I’d have to wait until I get to college. For context, I don’t have a car, I’m 18, and I’m temporarily staying with her because of a difficult home situation. Which gives me nowhere else to wash my clothes. I got frustrated because this wasn’t the first time she’s changed her mind after saying yes to something. I know she has every right to set boundaries in her home, but I just wish she had said something earlier instead of switching up at the last minute. It felt sudden and harsh. Part of the frustration comes from our dynamic. My sister can be very controlling. She likes things done her way, and sometimes it feels like she says no just because she can. For example A little while ago, my sister offered to pay me to complete three tasks after I quit my job. I agreed and started on them, but midway through she changed her mind and said she’d only pay me for one. I get that she might’ve had her own reasons, but it still affected me, especially since I was relying on that money. For that reason in the moment, I felt like I had to stand up for myself. But now I’m looking back and realizing she really didn’t owe me anything, even if I didn’t agree with how it was handled. Later on, my brother told me, “They don’t owe you an explanation. It’s their house.” And while I know that’s technically true, hearing that really stung. I grew up in an environment where I was constantly told “don’t ask questions” or “you don’t need to know,” so now when people say things like that, it hits hard. It brings back that feeling of being shut out or disregarded. I also found out after the argument from someone else that my sister and her husband had been annoyed about how often I was doing laundry and thought it might’ve been OCD-related. It’s not. I just don’t have many clothes here, so I wash when I run out. They never told me directly. They only mentioned it to my mom and brother, so I had no idea it was even a problem. If I’d known, I would’ve figured something else out with my clothes…but instead my sister blew up on me causing a drawn out argument where I genuinely thought she was being her usual controlling bossy self just because she can. I’m not trying to be entitled. I know I’m staying here for free, and I genuinely appreciate it. I just wish people understood that communication isn’t about owing someone anything. It’s about respect. If someone expects something, and you say yes multiple times, and then suddenly say no at the last minute, it’s hard not to feel hurt or caught off guard. I’ve been replaying this whole thing in my head nonstop. I don’t want to keep obsessing over situations like this. Ik that no one is right in a misunderstanding it’s just about perspective…but as I continue to replay it in my head I just sound so entitled. I was just frustrated because my sister always finds something to push me around about I misread the situation and escalated it. In reality I was racking up the bills and in reality they didn’t need to tell me that (which they didn’t) I was just supposed to walk away and accept the no. I just hate being the “bad guy” in situations. My sister told my brother in law and I’m pretty sure they’re both annoyed with me being here. (I’m not trying to be a victim that’s just the vibe I’m getting) I want to learn how to let things go without letting them take over my mind. If anyone relates or has advice, I’d appreciate it.

Hi all, I have false memory ocd, harm ocd and pure ocd, I also suffer really badly from intrusive thoughts every single day. I was minding my nephew last weekend and I got an intrusive thought that I’m ashamed off, I’m now worried that I acted on that intrusive thought and just can’t remember, there’s also a false memory image in my head of me acting on the thought which I’m scared is actually a memory even though deep down I know I didn’t act on it. I’m worried though that the fact I even had this thought in the first place means I’m inherently a bad person who would act on these thoughts. My stomach is sick with the worry I may have acted on it and can’t Remember, anyone else ever have something like this? I start meds and therapy next week so hoping that helps

Hi guys, im kind of spiraling right now because I read on reddit but also in articles that when women take the birth control pill for a long time and get off it they notice that 1) their taste in men changes and 2) their sexual orientation changes (that it was basically masked by the hormones and they are actually into girls). I'm super scared because I believe that SOOCD (or not) started for me at a young age (I remember watching a movie and they zoomed in on a women's legs and I felt something down there and got so scared). So when I started the pill I was about 16 years old and had already experienced SOOCD (if it really is that but I was also diagnosed by a psychologist). But this is when yous tart discovering yoruself. And then I met my now fiancé at 20 (I still had doubts about my sexuality) but I was/am happy with him. I am now trying to handle my SOOCD by saying no one is 100% anything and sexuality is so complex and can be fluid and that today i am choosing to love my bf and its been going ok (the thoughts are still here but without the anxiety so thats fine). I'm 27 now and I'm just scared that once I get off the pill I'll realise that it was never SOOCD, that I was never into guys and it was just the hormones and society and that I will leave my fiancé and ruin everything and would have lost all this time. The most horrible thing is that when I imagine it it feels real and it feels like I'll be happier with a women and I'll just be sad because im losing a friend and not the love of my life. Did it happen with someone here or do you have any advice?