Does anyone else just feel angry all day or all the time when starting your ocd journey? Like knowing you don’t really want to be doing the things you end up doing and knowing that a lot of times it can be or feel futile and what’s even the point of trying?
OCD has been part of my life for 18 years. I’m 36, so half my life. Is it possible to recover from OCD? I’m starting to think once you have it, it stays with you. Maybe at least I can throw it in the trunk and forget about it. Focus on my driving and enjoying life. Have you ever heard of someone who has completely recovered from OCD?
I'm not sure I have OCD or a different type, one of my siblings has it but partners and friends have pointed out I might. I do have to have my bed made before I go to sleep or I can't sleep. I have to organize things by certain categories or I think about how to do it better. Also if I have negative thoughts I feel like a bad person and have to repeat other thoughts that aren't bad
My room is a mess, and I try to clean it but my OCD gets the better of me, I don't know how to overcome this.
Good morning NOCD community!
I dont know if this is the right place to post this so please let me know its not so I can delete it :) I've had this problem since what feels like forever- I can't remember a time where I haven't. Recently, it's gotten so much worse- my hairbands that I can't take off my wrist, the fact I can't walk through a door without having to go back and walk through again because I got 'caught', turn on a light without doing it again with my other hand, walk past a chair without walking back past the same way, put a book down on the table and if the corners don't go down evenly I have to do it again till it feels right, leave a person without counting otherwise something bad will happen to them, throw something away even as stupid as a piece of paper without having to count to 8 twice or do it again or do it for a certain number of times or until it feels right. I have to tap my candle every morning and every night otherwise something bad will happen. I have to put all my makeup back in my box the same places it came out of otherwise something bad will happen. I have a set routine of how I have to put away Lottie at night and get her out in the morning. I can't lose the anklets that I wear. I have to lie flat on my back to go to sleep because otherwise it's uneven and my duvet has to be evenly across me otherwise I'm wonky. I have to chew my food a certain number of times and it gets to the point where it's just easier to not eat. I can't walk on any of the cracks in the pavement and I have to have two steps in each square, one with each foot. If I hit my leg on a door I have to hit the other leg in exactly the same place. If I apply concealer on a spot on the left hand side of my face I have to apply it to the same place on the other side of my face even if I don't have a spot there. I have to tap my fingers evenly and switch my lamp on and off an even amount of times. I get emotionally attached to inanimate objects then I can't throw them away e.g. the carpet in my old room, the wallpaper in the study, mum's old desk chair I snuck out at 3am to the car just so I could cut two pieces of the fabric off to keep in my box upstairs. I can't have the volume on my laptop or the TV at any number that isn't even and even then it can't be on certain numbers because they are wrong. I can't walk on the little squares on my carpet in the lounge or up the stairs. It's just so draining because it's constantly me vs my thoughts and my thoughts always win and I'm always in the wrong and I always have to count twice to 8 if I do it wrong.
hello! i am currently a student, and at my school i have the same classes every day in a very specific order, so my brain has gotten used to going the same way. this isn’t a problem when that method is actually the fastest way to get to my next class, but now i have a compulsion going from one specific class to the next to go the long way around and then make sure i can see my friends through the window of a class pass by. this takes up wayyy to much time in my schedule and ive even ended conversations awkwardly so i can go out of my way to do it. my brain is telling me that if i skip for even one day this weird pattern that something horrible will go wrong in my life, and due to something sad that happened in my life recently that i’m sure was just a coincidence of me not going that way that day. my brain is convinced that my habit is backed up by some strange cause and effect. i was just wondering if this really is ocd or just something strange that i do. if anyone has any tips to start breaking this or if you want to share your own story or just chat, please feel free to comment or reach out! thank you for reading!
Hello everyone!🙃 I would like to ask what medication do you take? I take Sertraline 125mg in the morning and combine it with Quetiapine 50 mg in the evening. I take these two AD for OCD - it really helped me a lot in many ways but there are still many many bad things making me hard time. Thank you for answering.
Stopping my vehicle again and again and counting it scared of number 3 and 6
Hi, my names Lee. I have a few different variations of ocd but my most challenging one is my perfectionism/ symmetry ocd. It happens whenever something touches me or I touch something. It has to be even, like if I scratch one side of my face I have to sceatch the other side in the same exact way and if i dont its a back and forth of trying to make it even and if I can’t get it even it hurts and I end up crying. Or if I touch like a counter top with part of my finger than the rest of my hand needs to feel it then my other hand then im trying to make the feeling even without making it worse. I don’t know what to do at this point.
Will you Forget Everything And Run or Face Everything And Rise?
It tries to trick you. Manipulate you. Don’t give in to OCD!
This audio book is really helpful in understanding the processes in our brains that cause anxiety and particularly OCD! It has changed the way I look at my symptoms and they feel a lot more manageable now that they’re explained. Knowing how the brain works can help us use that information to manage our OCD!
lately i've been repeating tasks a lot more, roughly 3-12 times, and it's getting really exhausting :( i feel like i don't have a choice, though, and im extremely uncomfortable if i "ignore" compulsions. not really sure what would help :/
Today my friend sat in my usual spot at the lunch table and I was so upset by a difference I wanted to either cry or hurt them, I didn't appreciate this feeling especially over a seat.
One of the ways my ocd manifests is that I am constantly wondering how people who work or have other responsibilities get stuff done and how to optimize my time. Right now I am working full-time and going to school part-time and it is driving me crazy how my house is a mess, constantly food prepping and struggling to study. Just got COVID as I started this class so I am also behind on the reading and homework as well. How do people manage this stuff and how do people who are caretakers do this stuff? And then I constantly question and try to figure it out. Does anyone else have this as an obsession?
I’ve seen my therapist for almost 2 months and I’m starting to see progress. He had mentioned that we have a thought disorder and that really helped me. Now I’m starting to do some of my biggest fear exposures. It feels so good to be able to choose how I want to live now. I don’t have to do the compulsions. I promise you, it does get better! Be creative with your exposures. I like to think of it as a game. And see how far I can go with them. But I just want to tell everyone not to lose hope. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
What are some tips and tricks to deal with both ocd and anxiety
I oversleep sometimes due to the anxiety doing things in a certain order, of leaving the house, getting on the train and being in a potentially toxic work environment. All of these things cause a level of stress that make me want to call in sick because it's too much to even start. That happened this morning. When that happens, I feel very depressed, like I screwed something up, as if I should be better than that.
FEAR acronym False Evidence Appearing Real
I'm starting to realize my OCD train of thought, which I think is progress. I was just doing laundry and I'm almost out of laundry detergent, which means I need to buy more. I haven't paid some of my bills and my train of thought is "well, I can't buy more laundry detergent because I haven't paid my bills, so my laundry won't get clean by Monday and my schedule will be off next week. I need to get my laundry done Sunday so that I have a clean start on Monday for work" When this happens, I shut down and try to escape the thought instead of thinking rationally about it. I feel like I think 3-5 steps ahead to make sure everything gets completed perfectly. It's this type of insanity that I'm tired of dealing with. Really, what I'm realizing is that I can buy detergent and pay the bills I need to and that they don't have to be in a specific order.
Is there anyone from Romania?
Hi, new here. I haven’t figured out exactly which subtypes I fall under, whether it’s one or multiple but how do you talk to family about ocd in general? I know my parents won’t understand and they’ll think I just lack willpower and self control. I don’t know if anyone actually has any advice but just thought I’d throw it out there.
This has taken over my life lately. Any thoughts?
My son and I watched the 3/13/23 episode of The Good Doctor on ABC last night. It featured a lawyer with OCD who struggled to get into the court room because of her OCD. The actress who plays the role grew up struggling with OCD herself. My son loved the show because it felt good to him to feel represented on TV and immediately said, "They should create a series and call it The Good Lawyer".... and surprisingly that was actually an in-season pilot for just that. Let's let ABC know we support this move and help increase OCD awareness!
I read your article about OCD and the fear of toilets. One of my main subtypes is fear of using the bathroom. I worry that I flushed, and it went down. Also that I left it clean. I worry especially at home. I can use bathrooms when I’m out. I also worry about when I’ll have to go. At back of my mind, like my life revolves around bathroom. ERP doesn’t seem to be helping.
I'm struggling so much and I need HELP and I wish I could get it I've been in the hospital many times because I didn't wanna be here anymore with this OCD taking over my life and the TIME it's taking AWAY from my LIFE it's been hours and hours days and days and days and the TRAUMA it's brought into my LIFE I'm so sick from this I need help and more time then just 10-12 days not a holding cell I wish I could go to the hospital in Wisconsin or Boston to get the REAL help 😔 I'm so lost with my OCD the checking and rechecking and rechecking and then I'll take Xanax or Ativan to try stop the anxiety and then it can make me feel worse at times I'm just so lost I want the COMPULSIONS to STOP it's hours, days weeks that have been taken away from me and my loved ones and my relationships they're all being slowly deteriorated turning into dust I'm in quicksand and I can't get out I'm just not functioning like a normal person at ALL I suffer with autoimmune diseases as well and I truly believe that they can trigger my mental health issues as well as PTSD and I also believe that drug addictions can happen to someone when you have an OCD and you're trying to find a way to fix one thing and then your creating another MONSTER in the end this can happen most definitely And as well as environmental things which can trigger many and people can trigger as well whether it be mentally, physically or situations they can trigger someone like the thought that you're GOOD ENOUGH for anyone especially those you care for in your LIFE I've been in the hospital eight times and I believe they're HOLDING CELLS yeah they might work for some and maybe they get you into a long term program for some people who are fortunate enough but for me I wasn't fortunate enough like so many others who aren't I was rejected at a time when I really needed the HELP and I felt this wasn't right just because I didn't have the right insurance or because my OCD wasn't the RIGHT OCD for me my OCD is cutting my hair and they wanted to qualify it as body dysmorphia which is absurd OCD is OCD whether it's rumidating thoughts or are you doing a compulsion which also has rumidating thoughts involved there's something else underlining behind it whether it's a physical illness that can trigger it or people in your life or horrible things that have happened throughout your life whatever the case may be PTSD or an overload of STRESS feelings of worthlessness not being able to take care of everybody in the WORLD that you care for feeling like you're an empath and everything that you come across your FEELING and it's too much to take from the WORLD and your not coping with how to deal with it and being able to just let go 😔 I'm an extrovert person and some people would think WOW you're so outgoing you're so easy to talk to why would you suffer with anxiety or depression or anything like that it's funny if you're an introvert and you're more closed in people are more apt to think aw that person's sad something's wrong with that person we should feel sorry for them they need help but when you're an outgoing person it's funny people don't seem to think that way unfortunately for people who are extroverts with free spirit outgoing personalities it's not always so easy for those who are this way to be accepted in the WORLD it's not that easy it's hard for people who are introverts and it's hard for people who are extroverts free spirits the WORLD doesn't always accept those who are different than the norm I suffer with OCD and in my eyes any form of repetitiveness that takes YOU away from your LIFE is an OCD and the mental health industry NEEDS to see it that way One of the hospitals I stayed in they wanted me to speak there about my LIFE and what they could do to make things better there because it was a horrible place to stay in like so many a lot of these hospitals have to CHANGE the way they format their SURROUNDINGS for those who are staying there because really truly a lot of these places are one step away from looking like a PRISON I never did speak there but I should of this industry the mental health industry has to CHANGE I'd make t-shirts for everyone to wear and it would say TRANSPARENCY so much NEEDS to be DONE and everyone NEEDS to do a part👍🏻 I'm a FREE SPIRIT and when I was in the hospital many people would say why are YOU here YOU don't look like YOU belong here isn't that funny but yet I was in the hospital eight times I wasn't fortunate enough to go into a hospital where I could stay for 30 60 or 90 days like they give to drug addicted people and that's not OKAY I think we need to look at OCD as no different than an ADDICTION and there needs to be more places for people to go to where they can stay for 30-90 days to get the RIGHT kind of HELP it's just not RIGHT FUNNY we have ALL kinds of stores on every corner but yet ALL the money that the government said they would put into MENTAL HEALTH where is it and other people have talked about putting together good mental health programs too but WHERE are they for those who are truly suffering and that don't have a GIANT pocketbook FULL of money to put themselves into a good program it's just FAIR and it's NOT ENOUGH we need a mental health store on every corner for ALL and hospitals or maybe not call them hospitals I don't know facilities for ALL those that need the HELP and longer than 10-12 days for those that NEED it so badly but who don't have the MEANS we need more places and programs and there's just NOT enough 😔🌈 And we also need to start bringing back therapy one-on-one or group therapy where people are actually getting together in-person for me I don't do well with talking to people on a computer when it comes to therapy I truly believe one-on-one talking to somebody face to face even if it's just like sitting outside on a beautiful day whatever the case may be we NEED to start bringing that back because for many you'll find that they're not getting the therapy because it's hard for them to do it that way There's just so many things that NEED to CHANGE in this industry and boy do I have a lot of ideas but and I'm not an expert but what I am an expert on is what I've seen and experienced and more has to be DONE that's all I can say and I just wish I could get the HELP I really do I really wish I could qualify to get the HELP because I'm emotionally, physically and mentally spent it's slowly killing me and I feel like my LIFE is being robbed from me for SURE 😔 I really believe that for those who are living with OCD and they don't talk about it are suffering dearly and I'm suffering I actually don't have a problem with talking to others about it which is strange I'm still very uncomfortable when it comes to talking about it but then when I'm really hurting bad I'm looking for help at times I guess when I'm really bad I'm hoping someone will LISTEN and HEAR me And sometimes it's NOT about getting the help really from that person I think I'm just sharing because I care for others and I believe there are many people who are suffering and when you talk about what you're dealing with sometimes you'll find that maybe there's somebody else that's dealing with something similar and they've never expressed how they're feeling and now they're able to open up a little bit and then it's kinda like networking too because you just NEVER know who you might encounter and so sometimes talking about your mental health issues can HELP someone else and yourself too I believe this👍🏻👍🏻 I'm a very open person but yet I'm not getting the HELP I need and I believe we're ALL connected and we need to HELP each other we really do even those who are so sick that have done horrendous things if only those kids that have done those terrible things if only we could have reached into their psyche and stopped something inside them really I truly believe we ALL can do our part when it comes to this 🌈 Just like people can say they have diabetes or some other type of physical illnesse like I went through breast cancer in 2016 and I shared that with others and people were open to listen and maybe share their stories but when you talk about your mental health yeah oh boy the STIGMA of mental health it's so horrible it really is they look at it like "Oh just be HAPPY your alive and it could be worse" or "Oh just STOP doing that don't do that ANYMORE" and then that's when I tell them there are WORSE things in LIFE than DEATH so people need to STOP using DEATH as way to tell someone to get WELL..😵💫 So much NEEDS to change in the mental health industry like educating everyone there needs to be a universal program for EVERYONE to take part in and it should really be mandatory for parents as well just thought and then have programs for them to take as their children get older something has to change for REAL You know it's so sad it's just so sad and I'm in tears thinking about this there a lot of people that just don't get it and sometimes I think they want to get it and yet many will tell YOU THEY'RE going through something and that's how they look at it they'll say "We're ALL going through something so GET OVER IT" this is so SAD really yeah many people go through things but it's ALL about how YOU'RE able to cope and go through it and if it's physically mentally emotionally taking over your LIFE this is not OKAY so yes there are some people that can just go through things differently than others and that's just a FACT but mental health still has to be considered MENTAL HEALTH and NOT looked at as if it's NOTHING and to STOP saying to those who are mentally suffering "JUST GET OVER IT!!" Then there are many people out there that are NOT experienced with OCD when it comes to therapy in the mental health industry which is crazy because OCD has become a GIANT when it comes to mental health and yet it's so SMALL on the radar when it comes to those who are educated in knowing how to REALLY HELP those in NEED it's really a SHAME and it's truly TIME things need to CHANGE and I just PRAY that it gets better because this is NOT OKAY This country and the mental health industry has to START creating something out there because there are so many PEOPLE who are SICK in the WORLD and when you see schools being shot up and ALL these things happening in the WORLD and stores being shot up the mental health industry NEEDS to be taken seriously it REALLY does and it's not OKAY we ALL can HELP we really can if we really try and we really CARE and how can you NOT CARE with so much sadness in the WORLD from so many who are mentally not WELL..😥 #TRANSPARENCY #WE ALL CAN DO OUR PART AND CARE 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈
I feel like I annoy myself and others with my ocd and that they can tell by looking at me that I am a ruined mess. I wish I didn’t have this compulsion for perfectionism that doesn’t seem to exist.
i did a mediation and my body was touching a lot of things and it wasn't even and it didnt feel right but i breathed and waited until i moved.
I am Stefan froma Romania, I have pure O ocd and I had every theme possible. I want to start Erp therapy because Cognitive therapy does not seem to work properly.
i want to sit with the discomfort i dont want to follow my rituals but i cant do it it feels so wrong i have the consistent feeling that something bad will happen like my grades getting worse or that something embarrassing will happen to me or that my bf is cheating on me. i just want assurance that none of this will happen. on the one hand i know it wouldn’t happen but on the other hand what if it does? this freaks me out i want this to stop im 18 and i can’t live my life like i want to because of ocd this is exhausting
Support groups for parents?
When I watch a show I tend to get obsessed with it and it causes me to have more ocd. For example when I’m watching the show I have to go under my covers to watch it becuase I believe that there are cameras watching me. Does anyone else relate to this?
LONG POST - PLEASE READ, IF NOT WHOLE POST PLEASE READ JUST SOME PARTS OF IT AND ANSWEAR ME IF YOU CAN, I NEED YOUR HELP😔 Hello, thank you in advance for reading this post and any experience/advice you could give me. I will try to describe my OCD to you somehow - it will be a long post, however, it will show a fraction of how my OCD manifests itself I guess. I want to know if my OCD was diagnosed correctly, if anyone else experiences same/similar symptoms of OCD as I do. I would very much like to connect with someone who has OCD like me. I read about OCD experiences, watched YouTube videos about people's experiences with OCD, how it manifests itself - I went through a lot of experiences of people with OCD disorder, but I didn‘t find a single one that would depict mine, while the experiences of the given people were similar or nearly the same. Some people were afraid of hurting themselves, others were afraid of hurting their loved ones/other people, others had a need to constantly wash their hands or themselves, others needed to touch objects more than once to prevent some bad event, others had religious or sexual OCD... - I don't experience any of this. I was diagnosed with OCD independently by two psychiatrists. I went to the first one without knowing I had a problem, I just got into such a state within my functioning at uni that I couldn't sleep and needed medication - it was during my bachelor’s year. I stopped taking the medication (Sertraline, slowly) after my master’s graduation. After my first experience at work, I looked for a psychiatrist again because I realized that I can’t function normally and what had been "normal" for me until now was extreme - exhausting functioning. I've had OCD since university (I identify with OCD ever since, that's when I experienced first strong stress) and I acknowledged it only now in January after 5 and a half years, after my first experience at work - I found out that I can't function normally at all and that things that I do and considered normal, aren‘t at all. I figured that out the first time I said it aloud and confided in my mom. According to the theory of OCD - yes, OCD works for me exactly according to its principle - obsessions & compulsions. However, I question my OCD diagnosis for the already mentioned reason - I have not come across any experience of a person with OCD symptoms similar to mine. I know that the theory about OCD states that OCD can manifest itself in many different ways and that our experiences do not have to be found in the literature about OCD, but theory is theory and from practice I have read about a lot of people with OCD and their experiences were same or at least similar. My OCD manifests itself in extreme perfectionism, precision, symmetry, I have to have everything under control, constantly reassure myself, repeatedly make sure of everything - in my head and also verbally, aloud whenever I can and nobody hears me. An example of what I do - when I go through my e-mails - 2 e-mails can easily take me 2 hours - I can read and respond to the e-mail in a few seconds. However, if it is, for example, a conversation where there are previously sent messages, I need to read, in addition to the current message, the entire course of the previously sent email conversation within one topic, I go through my answers and the other person's answers with my eyes, while checking that I have seen all the emails, I need to capture all of the information, have an overview of everything. At the same time, if there is, for example, something in the email that gives me an incentive - a link to a website or an application, I need to capture all this information, if it is useful, I save the pages or download the applications recommended. I connect all possible connections, if something comes to my mind during a given e-mail conversation. And I do it with everything - with everything I need to have an overview, that means connecting all the connections in order to have everything under control, and I only have that when I repeat things so many times that I remember them. Another example – wherever I have my stuff, e.g. in my bedroom - everything must have its place and it must be stored and organized according to how I do it. This way of functioning exhausts me because everything takes me an awfully long time as I need to have everything under control, that is as I said already when I repeat it so many times that I know it by heart. I have a big problem with uncertainty/changes/new situations – it causes me enormous stress, so I plan everything and function based on a diary. I start and end the day with my diary. This kind of functioning puts me in a situation where I have no time for anything or anyone, hardly any sleep - and when I function like this and have a lot of stress, I often have periods where I stay awake at night - my head is working, for example planning. According to many sources that I have read, the most effective OCD treatment is a combination of drugs and therapy. I read about cognitive behavioural therapy and its specific subtype - exposure and response prevention. - Is there anyone here who has OCD like this? - According to your own experience - did therapy and medication help you? Thank you again for reading this.
When I was younger I was diagnosed with ADHD because I had issues with time management and had trouble focusing in school. However I never felt like ADHD fit my description. My younger sister has ADHD and that diagnosis makes a lot of sense for her but I never felt like it did for me. Now I’m wondering if my issues with time management and focusing were really just my OCD and I was misdiagnosed with ADHD as a kid. Is this common? Do people have both?
Hello, it’s me again. So much has happened last week: my sister’s wedding, my intrusive thoughts increasing by the day, and getting fired from my job. I’m know, life’s full of ****. Some other good news, I was able to land another job on campus and my dad informed me about me getting back to Cal State Long Beach. So, I’m cautiously optimistic but how can I when everyday is full of uncertainty?
I have trouble just making it down the stairs in the morning due to my OCD; everything is contaminated and I need to step on the floor is such specific ways to match the pattern of it or something. When my family found out, they did the best they could to help, but there was one motto that they loved: “Just stop.” They tell me to just not do the things that I feel like I need to do, the things that make me feel anything but okay if I don’t do them right. I’ve tried to explain to them that it isn’t really something I can control, but they always shut me down and tell me that “I could stop if I wanted to.” It’s painful to hear that; to hear all of it. I convinced myself that I was faking it all, and that I should “just stop,” and I would insult and berate myself whenever I couldn’t do it. Eventually my family gave up on trying to help, and now my OCD only comes up in arguments.
I’m curious but does anyone else with OCD have a spouse/significant other that is autistic. How do you guys work through that? We find that my ocd triggers my spouse’s autism and vice versa. Curious if this is a normal thing.
Spent five days getting meds straight. Back home now and the symptoms reappear. Really hoping to modify my behavior and beat this. It’s driving my wife crazy.
Some times when things don’t go the way I want them too I think about them a lot and very hard and change how they want in my head. Some times the out comes make the other person in my head say bad things or do bad things and even though I know they didn’t do those things my body and emotions react like they did. This has ruined so may of my relationships that I gave up trying to rebond them.
For most of my life every mistake or embarrassing moments I’ve ever had or made have always stuck with me. I still think about stuff I did from 5 years ago and it keeps me up at night full of worry and frustration. Some times I’ll replay it in my head and try to make new out comes that fit the ending that I wanted to happen. This consumes a lot of my life and energy.
Here's a little poem I wrote a few years back 😄 Even numbers, count by twos Give me odd ones, I'll refuse! I don't like 1, 3, 7 or 9 But for some reason...5 is fine! Hope you guys have a good day today 💕
I wish I had a friend that had OCD so I could talk about this in-person with them. Over the past few months, I’ve been so happy with my ERP progress & medication. I went home to my parents house for a week, and it’s like my months of progress have been erased. I feel stuck in the same loops again. How do you guys deal with relapse ??
Hello! I just had my first session today and things went well, but I didn’t get the chance to clarify or further discuss my treatment plan and homework that I can try doing. My next scheduled appointment is in two weeks and my OCD rituals are really affecting everything that I do including my job and any activity or action that I do. I really want to try a technique or start a homework assignment in the meantime because the thought of waiting until my next appointment is really distressing, so is there a way to start working on a homework assignment or skill until then?
Have been on a continuous dead loop since 2020, having to constantly restart everything because i did something wrong and my character is not good enough to be the standard i want. I erase all my notes, clean my room, daily activities take long, a must to clean my phone and delete the messages, im so sick of it. Because of this I have been failing my exams continuously. i also wont study because things arent perfect yet and my laziness doesnt help.
Please show me how to find the perfectionism and just right group to join?
I said this before but I just feel like I can’t express my current shit ya know??? By that I mean all the things my OCD has tied into my everyday life. Someone tried to ask me why I took this route (with my job) in procedures. I tried to explain I think differently sometimes. But deep down I knew if I had brought up my attention to detail driven by my severe OCD I would disappoint not only my direct boss but also the few above it. It made me beg the question of if I need to tell whoever I’m employed to that I have OCD, knowing that they would just see it as a small little add. Instead of the major shift it has on me
I’ve been struggling with OCD (that I was able to identify/diagnose) since I was 13 and it’s been hard. Over the years I’ve tried to dissolve or minimize my symptoms of it due to fear of the ppl I talk to not fundamentally understanding it. Which in itself isn’t the problem but I’ve done so much to where it is. I barely talk about any of my issues especially the pressing ones that now if I try to bring my my severe OCD or the treacherous faculty of it, I get stumped. Cause I know from the past if I have failed to express my concerns, ik their first question will be “well what do you mean” continued by “it can’t be that bad” so one and so forth. Even if they don’t say as such, I just know it’s the thought. I guess I’m just trying to ask, OVERALL, how do I bring up my debilitating OCD to my friends who have since been thinking they know all about me????
I do this thing where I clean my bedroom every night and I physically can not clean it until t that time. I cant pick up clothes or make my bed until right before I go to bed. Does anyone experience this as well? How do I get myself to clean whenever I want?
I had my first 2 sessions with my therapist and now, I feel like a bomb went off in my head and all my obsessions are heightened. It’s like a light has been shined on all of my OCD and I can’t get away from it. Also, all of my coping strategies are broken. It’s like now my OCD can’t hide and it’s coming out more. I’m hyper aware of it now. Anybody else have a similar experience? How did you deal with it? Any advice?
its getting worse day by day i dont know why please i need tipps it’s exhausting
I'm struggling to move on from a situation my husband and I found ourselves in about 8 months again. I forgave him but what he did shattered my already fragile self-esteem into basically nothing. Some days it feels like it getting better but the the thoughts just creep in and it feels like its, in my mind caused permanet damage to myself, my trust, respect and our marriage as a whole. How do I do this? How do I heal when my OCD won't let me
Hey everyone! I just started college this past fall. I have started falling into habits and having trouble with OCD where my intrusive thoughts are family oriented like if I don’t do this, then something bad will happen. With me being further away it is harder to cope with. Any tips on exposure or words of motivations. I am trying to se pose myself to not doing the behaviors because they take a lot out of me and leave me tired.
I have a lot of trouble with obsessive cleaning and needing things to be in their right place and to feel right. I live with roommates (who I love like family) and it causes me a lot of stress when it’s not possible to keep the house the way I need it to be. I worry that I won’t be able to have kids if I want them someday because I won’t be able to mentally deal with the house being so out of my control, which makes me sad.
When things are messy or seem messy I freak out. Everything has to be perfect and the way I like it and the way I feel its supposed to be. But today my house was getting renovated and we had to move all the furniture around and clump it together and it made me all overwhelmed all weekend and I was lashing out and being difficult to anyone that interacted with me because nothing was how it was supposed to be. I cried multiple times and I just couldn't help it. Sometimes for no reason at all I wonder if I actually have OCD, like maybe I'm faking it or I have a couple problems with how I keep my room clean and I'm overreacting and turning it into something much bigger. But I know that's stupid because it's obvious that I have severe OCD. Today is the kind of day that's kind of like a wake up call. Today I didn't doubt the fact that I have OCD and I struggled a lot. And then when it was all said and done I obsessed over putting everything back in it's place and perfecting everything like I always do. And then I was fine like it never happened, except for the fact that I know how triggered I was today and how much I struggled and wanted to completely breakdown and scream. OCD is a serious mental illness and today was proof of that. Today was proof that I'm not as okay as I thought I was and that i shouldn't brush off my OCD as something that isn't important or serious. Thank you to anyone who listens
my mom and my sister keep making fun of me for my ocd. when things aren’t a certain way i get very twitchy and upset. my sister always laughs at me and tells everyone. my mom has talked to a number of my therapists about what ocd actually is , yet she yells at me and gets legit mad when i have compulsions. does anyone have any suggestions on what to say back because nothing works and i’m sick of being mad fun of.
I have had this issue for about two years now and I’ve never met/talked to anyone with the same problem so I’m wondering if anyone else experiences this. I hate being touched because if someone/something touches me one one side of my body, I need to be touched on the other side otherwise I won’t feel ‘right’. This creates a lot of issues for me because if, for example, I stub my left toe, I need to go back and stub my right toe. I was once punched in the left arm and had to punch myself in the right. It’s humiliating because I have to do this even when I am around people which leads to a lot of questions and stares. I struggle a lot with this and am wondering if anyone experiences this and if so, what kind of things you do to make it better.
Is strict scheduling a good thing? When I have a loose schedule I get really depressed and in my loops more. Then when I have a tight schedule I don’t obsess as much but I get exhausted too much. Idk I think I have been more successful in a busy schedule because I don’t have a choice I am just on auto pilot
I'm looking for people that share my symptoms but haven't seen anyone yet 🙁 I have repetitive intrusive thoughts and self talk, and obsession with symmetry and "just right" ocd. It's very exhausting.
my ocd has made me gain the weirdest daily routines and i thought it was normal for the LONGEST time. not frequent ocd feelings like “ooh i have to brush my teeth six times before i leave today” but like “i have to bang my hairbrush on my head every morning at 5:54 or i will die.” (true story) or even “everytime i leave THIS persons driveway i have to play the same song because i always do.” (also a true story it’s my best friends driveway and the song is down on me by jeremiah) i get compulsions frequently and usually they repeat every so often but some of them must occur daily or i feel like a piece of shit grease pig. and i feel CRAZY.
I’m a therapist working with OCD clients, and I’d like to know what therapy has worked best for you.
Hi everyone. I’m new to the app. Does anyone deal with trying to make sure things are done a certain way? I get upset at my spouse for not putting the dishes in the dishwasher correctly. And then I have to rearrange them the way I want them.
I have been dealing with OCD for years and i’m unsure what to do about it. I always have to do an action multiple times until it feels right and i have problems trusting what i do. for example, when i go up to go to bed, i check the lock 3 or more times because i don’t trust that i did it correctly. if i don’t check i literally feeling like i’m going to die. i have literally no clue how to make it better and i really don’t have the time to seek therapy.
So I wrote down my triggers and compulsions just now for my ROCD and Just Right OCD and now I realized how many compulsions I have done unknowingly. Now I am scared of doing anything for fear it is a compulsion... I have also realized I Google/research A LOT as a compulsion. I guess googling/researching isn't a compulsion when it isn't related to a theme, but how can you tell? I'm coming to the conclusion that I should be extra cautious doing any type of googling/researching. Has anyone else been going through this?
So the just right OCD has been challenging because it feels like my perfectionistic tendencies will latch onto anything. I like cooking, but I am always searching for new recipes or "better" recipes. Constantly want to switch around and organize recipes in my email folder (trying to resist the urge though). Something else that I do is realize that with working how limited time is. Because of this, in the past I have tried to reddit how people who work full-time optimize their limited amount of time. Makes me crazy lol Does anyone else do this? I had the realization this week that this is compulsive so I have been resisting the urge mainly because all the time I spend thinking about using the time ends up getting wasted anyway. Also, in a job that I consider boring, so it makes it harder to resist these urges. Trying to transition to another job but deciding has become problematic. Then I googled how to deal with OCD indecision and realize this could also be compulsive lol
my ocd didn’t really get super intense until like late elementary school. i mean, yeah i always kind of had ocd-like tendencies, but enough to really render a diagnosis or any type of note by my parents or doctors. now, bare with me here because this is something i feel like…super alone in experiencing and would love to know if anyone else has struggled with this. so, everyone knows that computers save data right? they save numbers, dates, passwords whatever. well, my ocd circulates around numbers. i’m constantly creating and deleting new accounts. instagram, snapchat, outlook, gmail, you name it. but the thing is, i have to create the accounts and log into the accounts at specific times. my safe numbers are odd numbers, and numbers that end in zero, so this is when i’ll create these accounts. for example, if i were to create an account today (which i never would for a reason i’m about to explain) it would be on the 13th of february 2023. so i would format that as 13 2 23. now the 13 and the 23 are fine. those are odd numbers, but the 2 however, sets of alarms in my head. that means i don’t want to create any new accounts, log in, send messages, do basically anything where some sort of data is saved on this day. now, you may be thinking, this doesn’t seem so bad, just pick odd numbers and that’s where it gets tricky. see, dates flair up the ocd headlights in my mind, but so do times. so again to take the 13th of february again. if i WERE to create an account i would have to take into account the time. so, an ideal time would be 1:00. or maybe 1:01, 1:05, whatever you get it. so to put all that together, the number combination for creating an account today at 1:01 would be: 13 2 23 1 01. and that would be fine were it not for the 2. i feel like this doesn’t seem like super bad ocd, and i know it’s definitely not compared to others, but it does cause it’s fair share of problems. i can never keep 1 email, or 1 snapchat account. i’m constantly switching them in and out, deleting and creating new ones, and when your main form of communication is…well, social media. constantly creating and deleting new accounts becomes extremely frustrating and difficult. am i the only one that’s experienced this? please, anyone who maybe feels the same way or has advice, let me know. i’m desperate and exhausted.
How do I get the self sabotaging to stop. I am a very successful women in work and my personal life. However deep inside I am the biggest failure It is killing me inside
i know my thoughts are not real but i feel so bad if dont do my rituals over and over its so exhausting can someone please tell me what to do or how i can be less stressful about that please
Why is it that whenever I am managing a thought well, more intrusive thoughts about the same topic start to come up?
I have been managing my thoughts well, but recently my brain has started automatically saying ‘no!’ whenever the thought pops up. I don’t know if this is an OCD trick to make me ruminate on why my brain is doing this, but how do I stop this?
People say you should set some time aside to ruminate, but shouldn’t you not ruminate at all if you have OCD? I’m confused
People usually say to accept uncertainty on whether your thoughts are true or not, but what if my thought is something I know is definitely not true? Like if my brain says im a psychopath or a bad person, I shouldn’t need to accept uncertainty behind that since I already know I’m not either of them
Can anyone explain about counting OCD?...And This Type Of OCD Like I Am Typing Everything In Pascal Case Right Now
so i’m undergoing my “official” diagnosis for ocd. while many doctors have said that it’s clear to see that i have ocd, i need the clinical psychologists to give me the formal diagnosis. it’s been mentioned that i’ll be undergoing therapy asap and it’ll probably be CBT therapy. i’ve heard people say CBT therapy isn’t great for OCD but i don’t know but about it tbh has anybody done CBT or ERP therapy and can shed a little insight into their experience??
How can I tell the difference between negative self-talk and intrusive thoughts? Like for example if my brain says ‘I’m a bad person’ is that counted as negative self talk or is it just intrusive?
Should I force myself to be in the present when I catch myself ruminating, or should I just let myself be present naturally? I find that even when I’m not ruminating, I end up having other thoughts for example about things that happened in my day which have nothing got to do with OCD
Mine is having to shake my hands in every sink down the line at work or else something bad will happen :D
i hate feeling alone & as if i don’t have a support system when going through this. i feel like the people who should be there for me treat me like im a crazy person
When I get an intrusive thought, I just tel myself ‘I’ll respond to this next week’ instead of responding to it right away as a compulsion. Is this the right way to do it? I’m feeling anxious as my OCD is questioning whether this might be avoidance in some way