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the NOCD Community

I’ve had OCD since childhood, and it’s shifted through a lot of different themes over the years. My earliest signs were contamination fears, fear of choking, appearance fears, and a general sense that something “bad” would happen if I didn’t do certain things the right way. Over time it evolved into health OCD, especially around skin, medications, and fears of weight gain or that something will harm me or make my symptoms worse. One of my biggest struggles is needing actions to feel “right.” If I click a button wrong, move the wrong way, or something doesn’t register properly, I feel a rush of anxiety and have to redo it over and over until it feels correct. Phones, apps, even games become stressful because one tiny “off” sensation can trigger a whole loop. I repeat words, song lyrics, little phrases, or facial movements until they feel right too, especially while showering, brushing my hair, doing makeup, or winding down at night. Before bed I have to repeat certain thoughts or phrases or I feel too anxious to lie down. I also over-focus on breathing, sweating, and small bodily sensations when I’m trying to do something, which makes the task feel harder. Socially, I freeze up because I feel like everything I say has to be perfectly phrased. I rehearse sentences in my head before speaking, which makes conversations feel exhausting. Sensory overwhelm is a huge part of my OCD. Sudden sounds, textures, or physical sensations instantly throw me off, make me tense up, or make me feel like whatever I was doing is “ruined.” Stepping on small objects, touching my hair wrong, or trying to get ready can push me into irritability or compulsions. When the sensory overload and OCD hit at the same time, it becomes almost impossible to do basic tasks like getting ready, focusing, or even moving around without feeling “wrong.” Stress, overstimulation, and OCD compulsions sometimes build up to emotional overload. I’ve had episodes where the “wrongness” sensation pushes me into panic, intense irritation, or crying spells — especially if I bump into something, step on something, or get interrupted during a compulsive moment. I’ve been working on it and these episodes are less frequent, but they still happen. I also deal with obsessive fears about contamination of food or products, and paranoia-like doubts that people might be upset with me or that something bad will happen if I don’t say or do certain things “right.” This leads to reassurance-seeking and compulsive apologizing. Right now, for example, I’m anxious because I keep slightly dropping my phone or holding it “wrong,” and it makes me feel like I have to redo things or avoid using it altogether. Overall, my OCD affects daily functioning — routines, focus, hygiene, eating, social interactions, and anything that requires fine motor movements or sensory tolerance. It’s exhausting, but I’m trying to get a clearer picture of it and connect with others who relate. (I might be autistic as well :))

I’ve had OCD since I was nine, diagnosed along with several other things because of co-morbidity. I always associated my OCD with order and symmetry, and any other “problematic” thoughts were categorized in my brain as part of my anxiety. I am recently learning that all of the internal/mental issues I’ve been facing: intrusive thoughts, doubts, reviewing every action, word, or thought I’ve ever had, health fears, morality, the constant compulsive apologies for absolutely nothing, etc. are also related to my OCD and not just my anxiety. My reaction to that was to laugh and for once be glad that I have no original thoughts, because it proves I’m not alone or absolutely losing it. Reading through the articles on this platform has given me so much peace that I am not broken. OCD can feel so incredibly isolating because you are gaslit by your own brain constantly, and terrified that nobody will understand you, so why bother trying? I’m also deeply frustrated that nobody ever warned me about this. I’ve been seeing neurologists since I was a child, and not once did anyone ever think to mention I might experience all this one day. I’ve spent years forming my mind into something I can navigate if I just stay on my game all the time. I’m mentally exhausted from walking through the maze everyday, avoiding the traps and triggers, and trying to get out unscathed. I have learned how to talk myself down and argue my way out of my own panic attacks and use any form of logic I can to stay grounded and not topple my brain and my ideas of who I am. I function through all my fears and worries, to the point where, when I bring myself to disclose even a small part of what happens in my brain to others, they ask me how I’m able to get up in the morning. It’s completely draining and I’ve built it up to this level because I believed this is what I had to do to survive, since none of this could possibly be normal. It was never mentioned by my doctors and never addressed by my therapists, so it has to be something I need to cope through alone, right? I never considered that it was something I needed more help for, something that could be helped. I recently started therapy again, and I was so done with all of this that I just charged forward and disclosed everything that happens in my brain immediately, and it was such a great weight lifted off me when she accepted me as I am and told me that there is nothing “wrong” with me. She gave me scary, thought-provoking homework and a long list of things to try and work on, but no judgement, so we’ll take it. I am sure there are other people like me, who have spent years coping in this tiring methodical way because they didn’t know anything different, and I guess I just wanted to share in case it helps anyone. Reading through everyone’s posts has helped me immensely.

Where have you noticed OCD characters in TV shows, movies, etc? Thinking of a scene in modern family when Mitchell starts cleaning his office & gets stuck crawling into an air vent… lol he also ran out of things to clean and wiped the Clorox container with a Clorox wipe. Saw that episode before I was diagnosed and realized most people don’t do those things that I thought were relatable 😂

My life is different from when I first started NOCD therapy because I now have the tools and practice needed to maneuver around everyday OCD challenges. It used to be awful for me, being stuck in repetitive thoughts hours on end. Restricting my eating, moving things to make them perfectly symmetrical or arranged in order. Planning things to a T, worrying about future mistakes and just draining all the good spirit out of myself drowning in thoughts. It made life so difficult, feeling like I was solely surviving rather than living and enjoying my life. Now I can officially say, with the amazing help of my therapist and ERP, I’m able to manage and defeat the bully of OCD that’s constantly in my head everyday. Yes some days are harder than others, and yes do I notice the OCD bully trying to creep up on me at times causing me to feel scared or anxious or feel the need to seek reassurance. But now I’m capable of seizing the moment, process what’s going on what’s happening, ease my anxiety and chaotic wired mind and make decisions that allow me to move forward and continue taking steps in my everyday life. Not allowing the OCD bully to take control of my mind, actions and overall me. I know it’s a forever battle and it surely is extremely difficult. But with the tools, support and guidance I’ve been given, that bully no longer stands a chance. The OCD bully exists, always will. But I can assure you coming from someone who thought the whole world was dooming them everyday and would never be capable of truly living life, you can succeed against and defeat OCD. Every single one of you is capable of conquering, succeeding and doing what is necessary to defeat the OCD bully in our minds as daunting as it may seem. You can become able to get to the point where even when that OCD bully is doing everything in its power to make you feel pinned, you can manage and handle it in ways that allow you to genuinely live and not only live but enjoy and be courageous in your life. I love, support and am cheering each one of you on. If you can defeat that annoying voice of OCD in your head you can do and overcome just about anything. You can achieve living, rather than just surviving. And that my OCD people is the most valuable and priceless thing you can achieve. Love you all!

I always wondered, when it truly happened, that it started. The earliest moment, that my memory takes me, is when I was around 9 or 10. I had my very first panic attack, without anyone realizing what it was. It was horrible, I thought i was going to die, the guilt overwhelming me. My parents told me, that I was overreacting. No one, not even I, realized, that what i called 'a weird feeling' was a panic attack. I had trouble breathing, threw up, shook like a leaf, yet I often felt, like i was a burden on my mom, who often stayed with me at night to help me calm down. I always felt like i was weird, a freak, someone who doesn't deserve any friends (my OCD was about following certain rules). I pushed away all people i had cared about, to scared to harm them by accident, to scared, that they would tell me something and I would not be able to keep it a secret and something bad could happen - like it would be so bad, I would call the police or tell their parent about it. So I fully isolated myself from society, from my sibling, parents, pushed away all my friends, who soon became just a memory in the past. I was fully alone, afraid of hearing any whisper in the public bathroom, terrified, it would trigger a panic attack. I was in high-school, when for almost 4 years, I had isolated myself from everyone - i was totally alone, only with myself. Only after taking my final example, having had a panic attack so bad, I had to force myself to breathe, not to faint, that I tried to get help. I lived around 9 years, believing, that my OCD was simply a ruthless, horrible part of myself, that i hated. Only then I realized, that something was 'wrong' with me, that it wasnt truly me, who was at fault. A few months later, I had been diagnosed with OCD. 2 years passed, yet I still wonder, how long did it take other people, to realize, that the problem wasnt them, but the OCD, that was the issue. And I dont mean the diagnosis, but the realization, that its not me, but something beyond my control. Its my first time posting, so I got a bit carried away. If you feel comfortable to share, how long did it take you to figure out?

I’m still a teenager so I live with my parents but thankfully I have my own bathroom. It’s my safe space because that’s where I spend most of my time cleaning myself and keeping up with my hygiene which is very important to me. Especially my shower because it’s also where I go when I have a panic/anxiety attack and it calms me down. Recently my dog had an accident all over the upstairs carpet (she’s okay, just had a brief stomach bug). My brother was the one who ended up cleaning the mess and he took all of the gross poop water and dumped it down my shower drain. He could have dumped it in the toilet or outside but just chose not to i guess? I was super disturbed upon hearing this and I know it’s super dramatic but I feel like I need to replace everything in my bathroom now. I already have a new shower curtain on the way but I’m fighting the urge to replace everything else (soap, bath mats, bottles, etc) I feel like everything in it is dirty and no amount of cleaning can fix it. Please give me tips on how to deal with this.

looking for recommendations for counseling, I struggle with POCD, and just right OCD and probably a number of other s. I unfortunately don’t have insurance so I’ll have to pay out-of-pocket so looking for sliding scale options.

my intrusive thoughts have controlled me ever since i was young. i’ve had constant fears of my loved ones dying in horrific car accidents and being unable to come home from work at night, passing away in their sleep, cancer, etc. and i’ve always thought that praying (when i still identified as christian) and doing things in a “right way” (strict routines, repeating the same task three times no more/less, so on…) would save them. for a while, i was okay with not doing these things. i was okay with sitting with the uncertainty and letting my mind think “so what?” if those things happen because i felt safe enough to do so. but im afraid to say that during the summer, my worst fears came true—my intrusive thoughts seemed to come true. my boyfriend of years quite literally died and came back to life and i dissociated for those couple of weeks until my body finally let me register what happened. i was so afraid and scared and i felt my body get physically sicker as the days went on. not to compare my mental traumas with his, of course, i just don’t think i ever fully got over what happened. he is still alive now which i am always so thankful everyday for and i am learning to love our life together instead of grieving it like i did previously. while it’s never fully gone away, my compulsions have come back to haunt me again. i keep seeing things around me and taking it as a sign that he’s going to die again, and im even more convinced because he had another scare today and i couldve lost him again. i keep sobbing just about everyday and i cant stop crying because there’s nothing i can do to save him. i keep grieving him even when he’s still here and when we can’t talk for even an hour i begin to worry. i start to rearrange my room because i think it’ll save him. i try to text him every second like it’s some sort of spell because if i don’t maybe he’ll never wake up. i remake my bed three times because if i don’t then he’ll never wake up. im afraid to talk to my friends about this because i think im a nuisance and speaking it into existence will become real. i cant keep grieving him when he’s not even gone. even when he’s here, i grieve him. i want to be able to love him with no fear, but that’s all that consumes me. i pride myself in being able to handle these things, but this has been the worst year of my life. i don’t know how to move on and get out of this loop. does anyone have any advice? at all? anything would be really deeply appreciated.

What are things you would want portrayed in a fictional character with ocd?

OCD has been in my life since 2019, and I have no idea how to get rid of it. Everything started when I was 14. I had just started high school, and when I walked into the classroom, I was trying to figure out the atmosphere there. I was a very quiet kid in high school. I usually hated my skin, so I would wear my cardigan in a way that covered my hands and listened to lessons with my hand on my face. A few weeks later, people started insulting me, hitting me, and verbally harassing me. The bullying got worse, and from then on, I started bottling everything up. At that time, I cared too much about what people thought, and I began to believe others would harm me. Because of these thoughts and fears, I failed around 8–9 classes. In 2020, when the pandemic started, classes went online. I hated it, but I was happy because I wouldn’t have to see those people again—at least until I lost my grandmother. She passed away due to COVID, and that pushed me really far down. Back then, I had an edit account on Instagram. I loved making edits and I had friends I really liked. Talking with them made me so happy, but over time, their behavior toward me changed. They turned into completely different people I no longer recognized. They became horrible, and all of this happened just because I replied late to their messages. I wasn’t always online—I’m human too. They added me to groups, threatened me, and sent me awful messages. I began to hate myself more and more. Around that time, I also started becoming paranoid about people. When I met someone new, I approached them with fear, and this dragged me down further. For almost a year and a half, both online and in real life, I developed prejudice against people. This prejudice was mostly fear—fear and prejudice made me antisocial. When the pandemic ended, in 2022–2023, I had to do an internship in a place and a job I absolutely hated and couldn’t manage. The people there constantly mocked me, which pushed me down even more. I didn’t know how to deal with these situations because I was alone. I did the internship for about two and a half months, and when 2023 came, all the traumas and obsessions echoed in my mind. I felt terrible because of the disgusting events I had experienced. It felt like my brain had completely shut down. By January 2023, I was in an unbearable state. When I walked into the classroom, my teacher noticed something was wrong and started asking me questions. I immediately burst into tears and told her, “I hate myself.” At that time, the students in the back were making a lot of noise, so they couldn’t hear me. My teacher said, “Don’t turn around so they won’t see—come with me,” and took me to the teachers’ room. I told her everything, and I think I respect myself for that. But at the same time, my orientation felt like a burden on my shoulders, because I felt pressure from my family—as if I was supposed to meet a girl and start a relationship. I explained all the pressures, my obsessions, everything from beginning to end. She guided me and supported me. Almost all of my teachers supported me, and my prejudice toward people completely disappeared. Back then, I really thought I had beaten OCD. But in the following years, it came back stronger. I started hating my body. I took too many showers. The traumas replayed in my mind over and over. The more I tried to erase them, the more I thought about them—and I wasn’t the one controlling it. I couldn’t. When I do something, I often repeat it 4 or 5 times. I can’t pass through doors. I can’t touch certain objects. Even when I play games on my phone, I feel like I have to choose a character, but I keep choosing and canceling again and again. It repeats endlessly, and I can’t stop it. It feels like everything that once made me happy just disappears in front of my eyes, and I’m still fighting this. My family, my sister, my aunts, and my past teachers have supported me, but I feel like I’m disappointing them. That makes me feel terrible. On this site, I see so many people sharing their struggles with OCD, and knowing I’m not alone makes me both sad and, at the same time, a little happy. I just wanted to express myself this way. There are still things I couldn’t write—I really want to—but my thoughts exhaust me so much that I can’t.

Lately I have been micromanaged by my boss where I have to give updates at the end of each day. I cringe sending them because I wonder what critique I’ll receive in return. Lately he hasn’t been happy with my progress and wants to help me out. But I honestly find my boss incompetent because he’s not in the trenches with me working on tasks that I do daily. I suffer from OCD, especially checking OCD, in which the tasks I do are a trigger for it. I don’t want to tell my boss I have OCD because it’s confidential to me and who knows how they will react to the diagnosis. It’s just tough because there’s times I want to tell my boss so he can give me some grace…. I’ve been looking for other jobs because I don’t feel very valued and being micromanaged every day eats you up. I’m wondering too what jobs I can do that wouldn’t make my OCD so bad… Anyways, just looking to see if anyone else has dwelt with this. It’s not a fun time for sure.

I'm currently in my second year of nursing school. Before I began studying this, I've already graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing before. My parents wanted me to study nursing in hopes of securing a better life abroad, and I couldn't deny the opportunity of making my life better by doing this. I've had great friends during my first year, but they all had to transfer schools for personal reasons. Don't get me wrong—I truly enjoy learning everyday. I study so much about the human body, its diseases, and skills-based performances. For a while, I did enjoy what I do. Now that I'm in my second year, having been separated from my old friends and being constantly bombarded by a ton of school works, I feel incredibly overwhelmed. I still enjoy learning. I appreciate the fact that my parents are more than willing to pay for my education. But sometimes, living with anxiety and all, I think about not feeling belonged. I look at my classmates and realize how incompetent I probably am. My newfound friends have gotten two points higher in our return demonstration, and I feel like the dumbest gal in the room. It's anxiety and OCD telling me I'll never be enough, and it hurts to wake up everyday, facing those fears head on before I walk my way to school. I know these voices aren't totally true. After all, I graduated cum laude with a degree in writing. I've self-published some books, and I had the highest grade in Health Education two semesters ago. Still, I can't help but compare myself to people—mentally torturing myself over and over again about never being able to live up to people's expectations of me. I care so much about the opinions and views of my classmates about me—most of whom I barely know. I constantly find myself comparing my scores to my friends, and seeing them score higher makes me think how utterly stupid I am for thinking I stand a chance as a future nurse. I don't know what to do. I don't even know if I'm in the right place, or if this is really a path for me. To top it off, my OCD intrusive thoughts about cleaning my MacBook case terrifies me. I recheck my documents most of the time, thinking they'd be incomplete and I wouldn't know. I'd walk to school, anticipating that a car might crash on me. These are all just the tip of the iceberg. If I didn't have Dominic, my monkey stuffed toy and best friend for life, I'm pretty sure I would've lost my mind a long time ago. Everything hurts.

I spiraled about something a few days ago and since then I feel like I'm in a completely different mood. I used to be very happy about who I was but right now I feel like the complete opposite. I feel embarrased about everythingggg I do. And then Instarted obsessing over certainty and now I feel like I can't be certain about anything. I feel like I lost my whole personality is gone and my OCD is off the charts. BUT surprisingly I feel much less anxious than before. I don't know what to do. I'm starting to consider taking medication. I'm scared.

I try go gym and tried mindfulness and meditation but nothing works, I feel out of control and the thoughts are so vivid. I have been going gym for a while now and Im getting obsessed with routine and that if U break it I will lose all my strength. But I've been so tired all week that I literally dont have the energy to go gym and it makes me feel horrible. I try do other things like cleaning the house or yoga to make up for it all week but I still feel irresistible guilt and I so so tired Im literally mentally tired. Any advice?

I have recently switched themes and now I have like 6 emails 4 old ones and 2 new I created to keep everything organized because one of the emails started getting a lot of adult content spam and I felt gross and that made me feel like that email is messed up now so I need to transfer everything over and delete unused accounts and separate emails for shopping and social media and then when I forget and use the wrong account for social media I want to start over all over again and create another email because what if that email gets sold and gets gross spam.Also when I have a image pop up in my head I don’t like I think to take a shower to reset or clean to reset the area I’m in.Are all of these things ocd?please help.Im out of therapy atm and I don’t know what any of this means.

Everyday I’m faced with different issues. I live in another state, but had to come home for a loss in the family. With dealing with the loss, now I’m having to deal with overworking after getting off work (WFH) to ensure my mother’s home remains clear of bed bugs left over from visiting family members that keep coming over to check on us. WTFFF! I’m exhausted when I get off work and these SAME family members’ keep showing up. Mom has politely talked to them about it by which they all started blaming the other and being in denial about the bugs being in their room, but instead in another member’s room (it’s a family of 9 people living in a 4 bedroom house). They have had these bed bugs for YEARSSSSS and that’s why I stopped visiting them. Whenever I did visit it wasn’t long at all and I stood up the entire time even after they constantly offer me a seat. We’ve told them about the bugs twice and it’s like they’re just disregarding what we are saying. They show up with their purses sitting all over the couch. Moving from the couch to the dining room table chairs just honestly all over the house. I feel sorry for them, but tired of having to keep steam cleaning every day they come over. I’ve offered to help them clean their place and they say okay, but never tell me when to come. How are they constantly getting bit by bugs and it’s not effecting? Is it possible to become immune to their bites? Well this is my mom’s home and I’m doing the best to keep it clean while I’m here, but the countdown is on until I go back home. If she don’t put her foot down and not worry about their feelings her house is going to be full infested like theirs. How would you handle this situation?

It’s been a minute since I have been on here. I did get NOOCD therapist session a while back to verify if I really had OCD. I was told it sounded like I had “just right” OCD. Of course, temporary relief only with that confirmation which are two professional takes on my situation. You think that would be enough for my brain. If I detect even the slightest doubt in someone’s voice on my ADHD/OCD diagnosis then It messes with me. I lost my Dad last month. I was taking care of him the best I could but I replay events. HOWEVER, I am on Adderall and when it quiets my default brain network I handle life without crying. I think about what I am doing but as it wears off then I am back to thinking about everything I don’t want to think about. Adderall for me confuses me if it’s right. Especially, when so much of my life is still a disorganized mess. I think it’s making me kinda detached from people. I don’t know that I feel things the way I should be that’s healthy. What breaks through the Adderall in my mind is I default to questioning my diagnosis again. I use to not believe I had ADHD, then didn’t believe I had OCD. I fully accepted ADHD but now I am questioning if it’s actually all OCD after all and being medicated completely wrong. I notice this has gotten worse, plus I am doing this gathering of things. People gave me or I found a great deal on. All with the intention of listing on eBay YET nothings organized and when I sit down to list then nothing happens. I can’t get things in my environment or mind just right to list. I get hung up on photos not being good enough plus everything else with double checking my entries being right. Then I don’t list because I doubt it’s good enough. I had this problem before my Dad passed away but everything’s off the charts right now I guess. My mother called me a hoarder. I have accumulated things faster than my abilities to organize and sell them has occurred but at least it’s all in a shop and not my house. She’s always been the worst for my self esteem. I guess I am mainly just venting here. I am sure OCD would flare up worse after loss of a parent. I just feel like the wheels have come off and don’t know how to gain control.

With my OCD I don't know what type of OCD I have but I have really bad intrusive thoughts I ruminate on a lot of things I think of and I am very obsessive especially whenever I am very interested in something or whenever I feel like I did something wrong. When I talk to someone and I think what I said was bad I'll have to try to explain myself to tell them why I'm so sorry for what I said, when I drive the windows have to be halfway down and if it's not halfway down I will consistently keep on checking until they're halfway down and the Radio has to be at a even number, everything has to be in a straight line or neat, but it's only specific things. Whenever I think I'm not doing something at my best potential I'll just keep on asking myself am I doing my best job am I doing the best that I can or am I doing something wrong? When I was younger I used to always say in my head that I love God but then on the other side my brain would tell me that I hate God and I would exhaust my self by saying no I love God and fall asleep. Lol I ruminate and obsessed over these thoughts to the point where it goes to the most extreme and it makes everything spiral. I don't know what this is and I got diagnosed with OCD last month and I'm scared now because this whole time I used to always think I was crazy

Hiiii, I’m Sara 💖 and I have Severe OCD 🧠, Severe Excoriation Disorder ✋, ADHD ⚡, GAD 😰, and Major Depressive Disorder 🌧️. I love using emojis if you haven’t noticed lol. To keep this as straightforward as possible I want to focus on the OCD and dermatillomania part today. I hope this can help some people 💬 and maybe give others a better understanding of what it’s like to live with these two issues! ☺️ I have always struggled with skin picking, especially on my face 😔, and it has made my acne worse and caused scarring. 🤕 I did not realize until my therapist told me that it can be connected to OCD. Sometimes I do not even notice I am doing it, and other times I am aware but cannot stop. 😓 For me, the OCD side is often tied to perfectionism or needing that just right feeling. 🫠 From thoroughly washing my face and hands, overusing or meticulously applying products to make sure the “ritual” is done perfectly takes both time and money. To having picking episodes which causes scars to heal slower⏳ and to also leave me with a “pepperoni face” 🍕 from all the red and raw wounds or with widespread hyperpigmentation that lingers for months. Oof 😅 ERP IS A LIFE SAVER!!! 🛟 Addressing that OCD pattern is a big part of ERP, Exposure and Response Prevention 🚪. ERP helps you face the discomfort without picking or fixing, so over time your brain learns the urge does not need to be acted on. 😤 Behold~ another technique, HRT! Habit Reversal Training can still be part of treatment, but timing matters ⏰. If OCD is the main driver, starting HRT too early, especially if it leans on avoiding triggers, can unintentionally strengthen the OCD cycle 🔄. That is why ERP often comes first, and HRT is added later once the compulsion has weakened. 🤗 Skincare time! Oooo la la la 🤭 For wound care 🩹, I keep it simple. When the skin is still open, I use a gentle cleanser 🫧, a moisturizer 💧, and Aquaphor directly on the wound, then keep it covered to protect it from bacteria 🦠 and UV exposure 🌞. Once the wound has closed and turned pink 🌸, I use a gentle cleanser, a moisturizer, a scar cream, and SPF daily to prevent discoloration and help the scar fade. Fidget toys 🪀 do not work for everyone (Ik people who love it 😍), but ERP paired with steady skin care has made the biggest difference for me ✨. If possible, I recommend seeing a dermatologist 🩺 to help heal your skin and give you tools for long term care, and ask directly if they understand skin picking and OCD and will keep that diagnosis in mind while treating you. Progress is absolutely not linear 📉📈. You will have times when you pick or have an episode, even when your skin has been looking great. 😥 That does not mean failure ❌. In OCD, compulsions are rewarded in the moment because anxiety drops after you do them, so the brain learns that the behavior works 🤥. ERP builds new learning that competes with the old habit rather than erasing it, which means stress, hormones, sleep loss, or strong cues can still light up the old pathway at times ⚡. The goal of therapy and strategies is not to create a life with zero urges 🚫, but to help you navigate 🧭 life with OCD by reducing how often urges show up, how intense they feel, and how quickly you recover when they happen. Most important part EVERR 😮‍💨🥰 The most important part of this process is practicing self compassion 💕 and remembering that no one is perfect 🌼. Every lapse is information you can use for the next step forward! 🫂 Thanks for listening to my Ted talk! 😄 (edited)

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?