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Is it normal to not feel like you have much to talk about on the phone with your partner?

I question my intentions and doubt myself and my actions when I catch myself making an observation or doing a double take on someone out in public or online. I get really triggered because I feel I’m disrespecting my girlfriend. Example: I caught myself doing a double take looking at a picture of someone online while trying to find someone’s email for work stuff. I continue to question my initial “thought”. Was it “oh that persons attractive” or “that person looks familiar”. I felt like my attention was taken away from my girlfriend. Obviously my brain wants it to be the most “negative” thought so I have the compulsion to confess to my girlfriend just an observation that was made. Can anyone relate to this and maybe some strategies that have worked for them or if I’m genuinely just being wrong in doing a double take?🤷🏼‍♂️ it’s getting to the point where I can’t even watch TV or have social media because I’m “looking elsewhere”

I worry about my salvation like every second of the day I don’t know how to have a normal relationship with the one true God

started ERP this week and it hasn’t been easy. i think i’ve also started obsessing about trying to “practice my skills” correctly and burning myself out. not to mention, because i’ve been trying not to give into compulsions, my anxiety has just been at a constant for the last few days and i just need some relief. i just don’t know how to handle it

I’ve felt more alone than ever lately dealing with this. I tried a little to talk to my boyfriend about it but it’s so hard to explain it to someone who doesn’t have it. And whe at the same time my brain is trying to convince me I don’t really have it and I’m lying to myself and I don’t really need help. Like I genuinely don’t know how to look him in the eyes and say I can’t stop thinking that he’s not over his ex or he wants and other girl and my brain pulls things out of thin air to back me up he doesn’t get that it feels so real for me and when I tried to talk about really extra over thinking and like I said making stuff up he was like “well I think it’s just a girl thing” and that hurt cause I like i just don’t know how to express how I’m feeling in a way that makes people understand and it hurts that I can’t do that and it also doesn’t help that I did try therapy and she completely made me feel crazy I feel like within the first 10 minutes she made up her mind - that it’s mostly anxiety she picked one thing I said and that was the only thing that sounded like it to her a pattern thing I just feel like she wasn’t listening to me about my thoughts and I told her I started realizing around 2020 and she brought up Covid I said I wasn’t scared and I genuinely Meant that I was really only scared for my grandma and my mom since it affected older people I was never scared of it like that and she only looked at physical stuff I feel like I told her I have to count them I pass a biker and look and keep making sure and she was like you just want to be safe and then she went on to tell me that “not everything I do is abnormal other people just don’t do it” that really hurt and now I feel so self conscious talking about it because I feel insane I know what I’m going through but everyone either doesn’t get it or thinks they do too much and that’s just as worse. People think ocd is just being organized and we all know it’s not. I’m not mad at him for not understanding I don’t want him to get it in the way that I do no one should have to deal with this but I want him to know enough. we “broke up” a few times just couldn’t get it right now we both agree we weren’t ready and it wasn’t in Gods plan yet and things are genuinely different I see it it’s crazy but my mind still try’s to tell me I’m not good enough for God for him to give me a relationship yet I just don’t know how to sit there and tell him my mind keeps replaying the past over and over again and convincing me I need to leave so he’ll come back “my way” or how I think we should’ve happened which I know is me trying to play God it just feels too good to be real some people spend a lifetime searching for love and I don’t understand why I get it now we’re still teenagers and then I think like maybe I get it now cause I won’t be around for long or he won’t and I just sit there and scare myself and I don’t know how to explain that to him and honestly I don’t even know how I want him to react I just want to feel seen whatever that means. I have this other friend I talk to about it she used to have really bad anxiety she started taking medicine for it and she thinks she understands ocd cause her mom has it but it’s not as bad or the same kinds as me and she try’s to help I know she does but at the end of the day it’s really just her telling me my thoughts are crazy which I understand that I know they are and her telling me I’m not gonna enjoy life or my relationship if I keep thinking like this and yes obviously but I physically can’t it’s not a switch I can just turn off I try so hard to ignore it but I can’t it’s just gotten so bad recently and I don’t feel like I deserve my bf right now cause of it especially if I can’t open up about it or find a way to make him understand what I’m going through and I just feel crazy and alone and if you read all of this thank you so much I really do appreciate it.

Hey everyone! Not trying to seek reassurance, but more so would just love to know if others can relate so I feel less alone. I am engaged and planning my wedding for next summer, which has been very exciting and fun, EXCEPT that I sometimes get triggered by seeing TikToks or hearing people say that wedding planning should be like 100% equally shared between partners. I would say I am handling a bit more of the planning, mostly because I am the one who wanted the wedding more (as opposed to like a courthouse wedding) and will have many more guests, and my fiance is also just very easygoing and doesn’t have a ton of strong opinions about wedding stuff. But I’ve been hearing people say things like “planning your wedding together foreshadows how your marriage will be” and it’s causing me to overanalyze things, like how much we’re each contributing and whether it’s “enough” or whether it bodes well for our marriage. Even though we have a very healthy relationship and I’m super excited to marry him, and I really do consider us partners in every way. I just hate the black and white idea that everything should always be exactly 50/50 because my OCD brain latches onto that and starts looking for ways that we are “doomed.” Anyone out there experiencing something similar?

18+ No minors please I feel like a p because I have this checking habit to see if my brother is not doing anything inappropriate to me or on my bed and yesterday I checked and I saw he had no blanket and was laying down on his back and it felt like I would go and do something to him or like I was thinking it and I didn’t feel anything I’m so confused there are times where I feel disgusted

i have a crush like really crushing over him and suddenly i went and see another guy's profile on dating app and i feel like cheating??? i know its weird but its my mind telling me?

As a practicing devout Catholic I am often very conflicted about determining my moral culpability and if my thoughts and actions are mortal sins. A lot feels at stake here since it’s about offending God and whether or not I need to go to reconciliation so I don’t go to hell. It doesn’t seem prudent to say “maybe, maybe not”. What am I to do?

After I started experiencing SOOCD for the past 5 years, I have had absolutely no sexual drive and no (barely anything) attraction to men. I’ve also sort of been emotionally numb for a very long time and I think it’s due to the years of anxiety and horrible depression. Ive been living like a rock, im just floating through life. I have no interests, no hobbies, zero motivation, no goals, and i feel like im going to be stuck like this forever. TMI !!!!!! I think the last time I felt actual genuine arousal/excitement was when I reconnected with my ex a couple years back and that was literally just for a day because SOOCD shut that down quickly. Since my SOOCD started when i was young i never fully felt aroused when I was being intimate. I wanted to do it and I wanted to feel things so badly but I couldn’t/i couldn’t get fully turned on. A month ago I was starting to feel happier, the intrusive thoughts/compulsions were very rare, and I was rarely experiencing the grounds response or or triggered (even though i still had no libido or attraction). I was doing pretty good and I recently got into a new relationship and my boyfriend literally woke up the attraction, I slowly felt myself becoming less numb. Just hanging out with him I started thinking “wow he’s so cute” “i want him to kiss me” “i wish he would hold my hand” “his smile is nice why is he so fine”. I felt something so sweet and It made me so so happy. We had such sweet dates and I was starting to feel like I was getting myself back. I still didn’t have a sexual drive (it was waking up slowlllyyy) and my flare up was starting to get worse so I couldn’t fully enjoy being intimate. My flare up has gotten pretty bad again lately i’m questioning all the things I felt with him and all the attraction and feelings are being clouded by intense anxiety, doubt, and worry. It triggers the SOOCD thoughts so bad and in the shower i was worrying that my anxiety, checking (of arousal, attraction, emotions, etc), other compulsions, and numbness are going to ruin my relationship. It just makes me worry that i’ll never get those feelings back. TMI!!!!! i just want to feel h*ny again man and I want to feel those feelings I felt for my man 😭 Literally 6 years of numbness, depression, anxiety and I finally felt somewhat normal 😭 he was waking things up and my intrusive thoughts messed it all up again. Anyways, I just want to know if anyone has experienced this and if ERP helped at all. I have a therapist now (thank you nocd) and I’m finally going to do ERP, try to fix my depression, and stuff like that. I’m trying to take the advice of someone who commented on one of my posts. They say that i need to continue my life no matter what ocd tells me. It’s getting harder again but I just hope the work im about to put in will allow me to finally enjoy my life.

I’m 20 weeks pregnant and I stopped my medication by suggestion of my psychiatrist. I was on Zoloft 50 mg. I was feeling ok until 2 weeks ago when I started a new job and I started my second semester in grad school. For example today I’m at wit ends. I feel my body shaking from the inside and just so much fear. I thought it was anxiety for starting a new job but I think is my ocd plus having a lot on my plate. Today I called and made an appointment with a new psychiatrist and see if I can go back to my meds and hoping they help me level up. Also made an appointment with my therapist here at NOCD. Has anybody experienced anything like this? And has medication helped with how you feel? I just need words of encouragement

This is going to sound so silly, but I’ve always wanted to try lip plumping glosses, just for fun! I love playing w makeup. Now the issue: I’m scared of the potential burning/tingling sensation. I deal with allergies and swelling lips was something I experienced as a kid during some of my more…traumatic reactions. I have big health OCD around allergies so I’m just scared of putting on the gloss and seeing my lips swell up bc of an allergy and maybe triggering a more serious reaction if it gets in my mouth. Idk how to deal with this…🥲 I could just,,, not wear them, but I also think I should choose that out of a personal choice and NOT bc of fear, you know?

Am I a bad person for still resenting my mom for things she did during my childhood even though she has apologized ? I get nightmares about my family every night and its tormenting me so much, i feel like i cant get over it. Idk what to do. Talk therapy doesnt help and I dont even want to talk about it anymore, its just constantly following me everywhere, this resentment and anger. Im so tired. I can't even get rest because i also get ocd nightmares as well. I just want peace

I need to vent to everyone. So I realize over the past year that I am a really bad overthinker and I let my thoughts get the best of me. I think I’ve been struggling really bad with ROCD. One thing me and my partner gotten an argument about was the fact that he is my first relationship and my first everything and I was open with him telling him that sometimes I have curiosity about if I’m missing out or anything along those lines. in the argument, I was so guilty and I cried so bad and I feel like a horrible person. Of course I don’t wanna act on those things but I think my OCD is also making me feel or question if I do wanna act on something, but I know deep down I don’t. I really see after the fact, I should’ve kept that specific thoughts in my head and not tell him because he was upset and he kind of question whether or not I want to be with him, but he was also very understanding. The things is, he’s been been in another relationship relationships but he’s my first relationship and my first everything. We’ve been together for almost 4 years and randomly all these things started happening with the curiosity was there because I just sometimes just curious and I know that can be human nature. Am I a horrible person? Does anybody else relate to this? I think i’m seeking reassurance too.

Good morning! I’ve been diagnosed with OCD for 5 years now, but just began looking for help with therapy. I’ve been well regulated on SSRIs for 5 years, but since my husband got laid off, we moved to a new state, I took a new job in a new field, and we are living with my parents at the moment, I’ve been struggling with depression, anxiety and OCD. Im maxed out on my SSRI, and I also want to push myself to find answers for myself without turning to medication, because with big life changes, I’ve always increased the dosage and never addressed the issues at hand with ERP/coping. I have anxiety everyday while at work. Obsessive thoughts of “am I anxious right now?” “Will I ever feel better?” “Is treatment working?” “Can I do this?” “Am I scared to be alone?” “Am I truly happy here?” These thoughts send me into a space where I’m crying at my desk, struggling to get through the day, and feeling no self confidence. I’m not content with just being in the process and I’m struggling to acknowledge anxious thoughts without ruminating or trying to fix them- I want answers and fixes now and I’m so scared I’ll never feel or get better. Any advice? It’s messy - it’s not straight up OCD, but it also doesn’t feel like generalized anxiety.

Well, I'm a lesbian who has been living with this type of OCD for a few years and many things bring me intrusive thoughts and trigger crises. Something that always freaks me out is how people describe their attraction as primarily intense and nervous, and to me it's really more like some mild, adorable enthusiasm and a feeling of fascination and wanting to get some attention from the girl too. But nothing really nervous, something might tighten in my stomach, but it won't be irremediable or so intense,Maybe I don't even really realize it at the time. There's also a bit of a loss of words and a bit of a blur, I seem slightly disconcerted, but not really anxious in a physical way And kind of crazy as some (many) describe it on lesbian and queer community forums. It really freaks me out, like if my attraction doesn't match all this anxiety does that mean I'm not actually attracted to girls?! Am I not a lesbian then? My OCD says maybe I'm straight, Because for me it's much easier to feel anxiety in interactions with some guys than with girls, but it doesn't seem like attraction to them either. In the presence of men I have anxiety about, it's more like hypervigilance about how I'm perceived by them (they'll judge me), It's not all guys I feel this way about, but some guys, This happens to guys I know who have some kind of social status. And the anxiety around them is literally a flight response mixed with hypervigilance, it's literally fear, Even though I feel like he's a nice guy, and I can acknowledge that and I can even find his company enjoyable, I can't help but feel at least a little "please leave" for certain types. In fact, I don't want anything sexual or romantic with men, I absolutely don't identify with the way people who like men say they feel about them. It's just anxiety to me. Furthermore, I feel immense disgust at imagining myself with a man on any level, even without having had any bad experiences with men. I have never been abused by a man and And I haven't experienced any trauma involving men at any stage in my life, so it's an absolutely inherent discomfort for me. I've tried dating men before and it was always uncomfortable, I couldn't touch them, or imagine doing any of that without feeling disgust and repulsion. I couldn't tell them that I loved them the way they expected, or that I simply liked or was attracted to them. It felt wrong, it was simply the wrong answer. But I always thought anxiety was the only thing that showed attraction, so it took me a while to consider not liking men. But I really don't, I don't like them to the point where it makes me sick. I've always been much more friends with girls than with boys. Girls have always been much more in my social circle, I've always learned more social skills from them. Guys were kind of distant,I had male friends, yes, and I still do, but there isn't as much connection, they are more friends. So I've probably learned to be more relaxed around girls, even around the ones I'm even slightly attracted to, it's just like that. But I feel a desire to be with him. When they're closer to me, I feel this desire to be with them, not as a friend, but as something that involves romance with them. I feel happy and comfortable. But I'm terrified now, I'm really terrified now. If all this attraction-related nervousness doesn't suit me, then I'm straight?! What if I am? What if I can't be a lesbian? I really think this might invalidate my sexuality, I'm scared to death. I'm literally crying my eyes out because I can't feel like I belong anywhere else. But then I think "what if I just want to be special?", "what if I'm not really a lesbian?". I don't want to get involved with men at all, I want girls and I desire them and I fantasize about them, But what if my attraction is fake?! What if the fact that I genuinely want to be in a romantic relationship with a girl is just bullshit? What if it means nothing, I don't feel that nervous illness they talk about when it comes to attraction! It's causing me a lot of distress and agony. I've been compulsively checking my reactions for a long time, and it's getting worse during these crises. Any other lesbians with OCD who can relate to this? Please, I need answers, I'm really freaking out.

So for like two and a half weeks I’ve been dealing with my OCD being so strong I can’t sleep. Like insomnia. And it’s all revolves around thoughts of that I won’t sleep, my body/brain doesn’t remember how to sleep, I’ll never sleep again. It’s the struggle of falling asleep. For a week I had true sleeping problems because of it, but since then I have been sleeping every night but the thoughts still ruminate. I was getting better but it got worse again and I’m afraid I’m going to fall into not sleeping again. Like, I’ve had sleep anxiety for years but I’ve been able to push it off by being able to sleep and fall into my life. I am in therapy and am taking the steps… I just want to know if there’s any advice from anyone about it or if anyone has experienced this? I also do take melatonin, magnesium glycinate and have an herbal sleepy tea— I mostly take these to shut my thoughts up but it doesn’t always work. Ps: I am working with a therapist. And I have spoken to a psychiatrist and got no sleeping meds, just a Zoloft prescription which I’m not fond of taking medicine due to a previous bad experience. As well as Zoloft has a side effect of insomnia so I don’t want that for obvious reasons. I would really prefer to tackle this without medicine if I can! Thank you for the understanding.

Hi everyone! I am feeling extremely distressed and don’t know what to do. Usually I have mental compulsions which I have a decent grasp on- but sometimes I get this weird compulsion with swallowing. It’s only happened to me a few times before and never this bad so I haven’t talked to my therapist about it yet. It’s like I have completely forgotten how to swallow normally. Every time I swallow I have to think about it and I push saliva or food or water into my nose. It’s extremely distressing and I have been doing it the last day and a half and I can’t stop. I feel like I have completely forgotten how to swallow and that I am going to hurt my body by making food/saliva/ water constantly pushed into my nose. Does anyone have advice or have experienced something similar? I can barely sleep/eat or swallow normally and it’s making me spiral terribly.

I ain’t saying this in pity of myself but I seriously am not a good person i hatè how I feel but sometimes my fanily annoys me badly really annoys me. They took me out of school but they where only doing Whay they thought was best but I still feel a little bit of this hatred for it. I don’t hate them tho but I’m with them all day everyday cos I have no friends cos of leaving school that’s why I’m so angry I left school. But because I’m with them so much I get annoyed at them insanly easily my dad has OCD too Í understand him but for some reason my dad doesn’t understand mine or more doesnt care to understand mine cos he’s too busy with his OCD which I understand I guess. But I get so easily annoyed.

I read on Facebook that the brain emits low frequencies, which means it can connect to universe and then our thoughts will connect to universe and make them true. Is that correct?Does ocd thoughts will connect to frequencies and make our thoughts true?I fear about law of attraction. Does law of attraction and manifestation make our thoughts true without action?