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the NOCD Community

Does faking it till you make it work in terms of anxiety and rOCD? I’ve been struggling a lot lately with anxiety and when I get anxious I get fearful, the fear turns into defense...it’s a terrible cycle that I feel is killing my relationship. (My boyfriend and I are pretty much committed to each other for life and that’s been helping me with my rOCD as of recent, I don’t have thoughts that I’m going to lose him but more thoughts that I’m going to fall out of love, that I’m going to mess things up, that things will never get better when they’re bad). Not to mention our sex life has been stalled...we are transitioning from a LDR to in person relationship right now. My boyfriend brings up the point that both of us are pretty much beginners and it wasn’t as though we have ever have been sexually active before. So a brief time of not doing anything sexual to him and I, isn’t a big deal. Still I get caught up in the “but other people seem to be doing this” a lot.. a LOT. Back to my question. I’m very anxious over little things, I often need control not just in this relationship but my family relationships too. Would it be okay if I....faked not needing control? I think if I suppressed that need to control, then maybe I’d see that people don’t need me to control...leading me to break that cycle. Then I’d stop worrying so much, and maybe I’d start feeling okay in all of my relationships. But I’m not sure. Sorry for the rant.

Let me know if you need help/advice with anything! I’m willing to help with anything u can, I’ve had OCD on going on 7 years, I’ve been to counseling, I’ve been to neurologists, I’ve been stuck in compulsive thoughts/actions, I have irrational thoughts, and I’m here to help anyone who needs it! ?

I’m here if anyone needs someone to talk to❤️

I decided to finally get help! I'm going to book an appointment tomorrow with a CBT professional. I'm so nervous about it though. I keep thinking that I won't be able to communicate the mess that my mind is properly. My symptoms really align with those of a hocd sufferer, but I'm so scared she will just say that I'm in denial, and will twist my thoughts even more. I'm so so scared that this is all true.

ocd really makes u fear what u love most. i love poetry i love to write i hope to share my words w people onee day. i was on insta and this acc for poets came up and i checked out the girls page and she is gay and my ocd is like if u like her poetry you’re prob a lesbian. and i feel bad bc i’m not homophobic at all like she is probably a great woman and i feel soo bad for having these thoughts. i’m not gay i don’t want to be but why is it going after me in this type of a way.

5 yrs ago I was hit with Harm OCD. I did a year of CBT and ERP and it subsided and I lived a beautiful life the last 4 yrs. I want everyone to know recovery is POSSIBLE! I am struggling again due to stressful events recently that have triggered it. Its been horrible but I am trying to stay strong. I guess you would call this a OCD Relapse.

New thread guys!!

What are The causes of harm ocd? Mine attackes my Child. Will IT ever end?

Do 'casual' therapists know about ocd? i have an apointment later this month, but its not with an ocd specialist. i want to tell her about my thoughts but im scared she will diagnose me with *trigger* schizophrenia or something.

Anyone else read about "groinal response" and "arousal non-concordance"? Basically anyone can feel a slight "twinge" of arousal at a random time, but for people with OCD, they immediately latch onto it and think it MEANS something about them. This is how many cases of HOCD, POCD, BOCD, etc begin, I'd imagine. I can have felt something one time 3 years ago and nothing since then, but still be worried it "means" something about me. Or, sometimes that first incident causes repeated intrusive thoughts every time you come in contact with that thing, so it become a self fulfilling prophesy. I can be doing fine for weeks and then suddenly start worrying about one of these again. Anyone else have any experiences similar?

i’m so stuck right now , this does not feel like ocd. my thoughts keep telling me “just come out and be like all those other people”. i hate these thoughts and everything feels so real. i feel like i’m just questioning my sexuality and i don’t want to. this does not feel like ocd it feel so so real. ugh i’m so confused and scared

Having a bad night. Anyone want to talk?

What you can do to overcoming magical thinking? Like I can't do what I want because that could cause harm to others?

My panic attacks are making me want to cry and be depressed. What should I do?

Does anyone have postpartum-triggered OCD or harm thoughts involving their baby or children? I just had my first child two months ago and am obsessed with the fear I’m going to hurt her or that I don’t love her.

Is anyone with POCD dealing with the intrusive thoughts happening more when they are watching something and it mentions anything sexual ? Every time anything like that is mention, the Intrusive thoughts get really bad. Similar thing with if I do something like masturbate. I haven’t done it in weeks because I’ve been so scared to. I hate when the thoughts happen and I feel like a terrible person (especially because of when they come) also, sorry if this is tmi, I just need to get it off my chest and hear about other people’s experiences. Anyway, I tried to masturbate again, and the intrusive thoughts happened again and an image of a child would just pop up in my mind, and I would stop immediately, and then when I forced myself to think of something else, I tried again and then the thoughts came back. It’s so frustrating, I can’t do anything g anymore without intrusive thoughts ruining it and making me feel disgusting and horrible ! It makes me feel even worse that the thoughts happen when I’m doing something like this because I feel so guilty and OCD can trick your brain into thinking you enjoy it, but I know I don’t because I would never do anything to hurt a child. Ever ! I would rather hurt myself. And then afterwards when I was trying to get asleep, the worry kicked in and I thought ‘omg what if I continued to masturbate when the intrusive thoughts came and I enjoyed it ?’ So now obviously I’m worried that I did, and now I can’t decipher between if I actually did that or if I didn’t, and now false memories is making the situation even worse by making me think that I purposely thought of the thoughts whilst I was masturbating, and now I just feel awful and guilty. Or ‘omg what if I am actually a pedophile’ and then I kept trying to test my reactions by thinking of a child to check that I was disgusted by the idea, and if I wasn’t completely uncomfortable then I would begin to worry more, thinking that I somehow enjoyed it. Honestly, OCD is torture. To whoever’s reading this, I hope you’re having a good/okay day with your OCD and I hope you’re happy today. This illness sucks and I’m sorry that all of us have to deal with it. Sometimes I wish I would get amnesia or something and forget that I have all these thoughts and all the things that OCD convinced me of, and I know that sounds horrible, but sometimes I think that’s the only way I can get better and forget about this. Or I think ‘wouldn’t it be so good if someone invented a device that could just take all the bad thoughts away and I wouldn’t even know I ever had them’

I used to believe that OCD would control my days and my life. And for so long it did. I’m here today to share 10 tips on how I’ve began to heal. I am not where I want to be- but I’m so far from where I’ve been. 1. Get up and do it anyways. Show up to work, school, the ball game, dinner out with friends. Your thoughts may feel like they run your life BUT THEY DONT. Thoughts are just random brain impulses firing at random. You have made it through every bad thought alive- and if you really think about it - how often do our fears really come true?? Honestly- they never really do. It is VITAL that you show up. You don’t have to be 100 percent. Just get there. 2.NOTHING IS FOREVER. No bad day lasts forever. No bad thought lasts forever even if it feels like it will- THIS TOO SHALL PASS. 3. I personally suffer from intrusive thoughts about many things - one of them fearing Im going to have a panic attack. I haven’t had one in a good month and I still fear it every day. I’m not sure why- but I CHOOSE to not let this silly thought run my life. I CHOOSE to be happy despite it. 4. One positive action after another makes a big difference. Get some sleep, drink some water, get some exercise, eat healthy, go see a family friend, pet an animal, do an activity you love (or used to love) 5. FAITH. Faith has been such a huge part of my recovery. I could not have done it without Jesus. It’s comforting to know that He loves you and has a plan for your life. This struggle will only make you stronger and unstoppable! 6. It is okay to get help! It is okay to see a counselor, a therapist or a psychiatrist. It is okay to take medicine if needed. This does not make you a failure. It is okay to have OCD. Mine stems from abuse during childhood. It is not my fault. It is okay to have OCD 7. It is okay to cry sometimes - it is okay to complain- it is okay to fail. As long as you pick yourself up afterwards and carry on with your life. 8. It may feel like a constant battle. And it is - EVERYTHING IS DIFFICULT BEFORE IT BECOMES EASY. I used to think I’d never want to see my friends again- I’m closer to them now than ever. I used to think I’d never be able to shake some of the thoughts I used to have - they don’t phase me anymore. I used to think I’d never see brighter days- brighter days are on the horizon But I did not get to where I am now without persistence, dedication and faith. DO I STILL HAVE THOUGHTS ? YESSSS BAD DAYS? YESSS FRUSTRATION? YESS WAS THE FIGHT WORTH IT. YES

Does anyone experience behavioral changes when they take meds? Like i want to take them to but I really don’t want them to affect the way I act.

Is anyone's ocd contamination based? If it is, what's a story that really triggered your anxiety and how you overcame it or are overcoming it

Talking to a therapist about pocd. So I'm not actually diagnosed with OCD officially but we've talked about it I'm not sure I have typical compulsions though which is why maybe they didn't give me the diagnosis? But I have the obsessions. I've talked about harm fears but although I've said I'm afraid of doing something to children I've not been able to come out and say my fear about pocd. Any advice?