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Hey everyone I’m looking for advice/ support from anyone else who may be going through or experienced something similar. This may be a long post so thank you to whoever actually reads it all x So recently (a few months ago) I started looking into OCD as I learnt what it really was, and a lot of it resonated with me. An example is when I was younger I struggled a lot with obsessing over god and became extremely religious at the age of 7 leading to extreme praying every night and feeling this immense weight of being a good person and I needed to pray to make sure I was. I don’t struggle with this anymore but as I have looked more into OCD there is so many things I experience that I have thought are normal or just my anxiety or ADHD. I regularly cancel out my horrific intrusive thoughts with ‘good’ thoughts to make sure I’m not a terrible person and I want to do or think those things. I have an extreme obsession with being a good and morally right person, so much so that I have had to quit my job (I am still in school) as I was so terrified that if I went I would say or do something and people would view me as a bad person. The same thing happened at school, I barely ever went and if I did it was usually after a panic attack. This was also caused by feeling like if I went something bad would happen to my family at home and I would be responsible because I wasn’t there. Every night I have to ruminate and step through every thing I may have said or done that could make me a bad person and it usually ends it lots of ‘what ifs’ or ‘maybe i did something terrible and i just forgot’. I have tried opening up to my mum (i am only 16) and i had a therapist who specialised in OCD for a few sessions but it was online and i hated it. It is so clear to me that my mum doesn’t think I have it. Every behaviour that i say could be OCD she always says it could just be ADHD which just sends me into a further spiral of ‘i am a bad person because im lying and i dont really have OCD’ so now I can’t talk to anyone about it over this constant thought that i am lying. Even when I was 7 at a psychologist they said I had OCD tendencies but she brushed it off as my anxiety. She tells me she doesn’t know enough about it to understand why I think I have it but she’s not doing anything to learn more. I have sent her numerous articles and things I resonate with but she never reads them. Even with the OCD therapist we did a assessment/ form thing where I filled out how much I related to the OCD symptoms and my mum did one how much she thought I related to them. I scored super high on it for OCD symptoms and she literally said she didn’t think I related to more than one or two. That led me to learn about pure O ocd as a lot of my compulsions are in my head or not seen. Some examples are repeating certain numbers or phrases to cancel out intrusive thoughts in my head, avoidance of events where I could do something wrong or bad, struggling making even the smallest decisions over fear it wont be the ‘right’ one, constant worry over if im not ‘perfect’ (perfect grades, morals, behaviours)that im not adhering to the invisible moral code that determines if im good, frantically googling for hours what my intrusive thoughts mean and if they are thoughts a bad person has, signs I am a bad person, am I a psychopath etc. Another thing that has been happening recently thats more visible is i absolutely HAVE to speak out if one of my family members says something that I see as mean or morally incorrect and its like this guilty by association thing and it makes me spiral as I feel that it is my responsibility to make sure that they are good people too (i know it sounds crazy). It has led to a big argument with my mum where she yelled at me for being too “self-righteous” and thinking im “better than everyone because i have morals and that everyone else who is worse than me” and that she is sick of my lectures about her being “too mean” or a “bad person”. Honestly i didnt even know how to react to that. I felt so guilty because I know I do that I know I know but I know the guilt will consume me either way. It is honestly consuming me and I just wish for a day where I’m not policing every thought and behaviour of mine. Sorry for that very long rant but hoping that someone can give their thoughts if they have gone through the same thing or have any advice for what to do ❤️❤️❤️

I’ve had a terrible time trying to fight the urge to confess things to my boyfriend. They are related to real events and in the past/beginning I messed up a lot in the relationship. I ended up confessing everything (way too much) and we got past it and I’ve been on different meds since to cope. I recently just got off pristiq and the urges to confess came back. Even small little things or something I feel that I did wrong in the relationship I feel the need to confess. If he doesn’t know I feel or what I did like I am hiding it. I also have the worst problems with making sure everything I say is absolutely true. It is exhausting and ruining my relationship. I feel constant guilt and can’t be myself around him. I am just feeling very hopeless..

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 have been with my boyfriend for over three years. I have struggled with OCD for likely the entirety of this relationship. It has been extremely hard. I have had many ups and downs with my anxiety and ocd and doubt. I’ve had a complete breakdown in front of my boyfriend on probably 6+ different occasions where I doubt everything and can’t hold in the anxiety. He has been supportive and patient and kind and loving throughout each one. Each time I promise I am going to figure it out, but each time I haven’t been able to. I have started therapy a couple times and each time it didn’t work out for a variety of reasons. I struggle with a large variety of intrusive thoughts largely focused on my side of the relationship (do I love him enough? My sexuality. Our compatibility. And constantly comparing him to others). I am 24 years old and this has been my first relationship, which has added to my anxiety and insecurity about not knowing enough. My whole life I have been hugely indecisive and a constant people pleaser. I feel I lack a true understanding of who I am and idk what I truly value because of this. I have always been one to go along with those around me and to be agreeable, kind of like a chameleon. This has left me lost and confused. I have always cared deeply of what others think of me and I have always strived to be viewed as perfect. Anyways, last week, I had a break down and it ended with me asking for a break. We decided we would give it one week of no contact, and then we would talk and decide the plan. Whether that be a longer break (6 weeks maybe? Or something else??) or we breakup, or we get back together. Anyways, I am still uncertain on what’s going to happen. But I am considering the break option. I feel I need to take some serious time learning about myself, learning about my core values, learning what it is I value for in a relationship, and reflecting. I need to work on my anxiety patterns and learn how to hear my own voice. I am looking for advice, I know a break is generally not recommended with rocd, but I feel I have already dug myself a hole as we are essentially one week into one. If I take a break, what can I do for it to be as productive, healthy, and healing as possible? How long should it be? Any advice? Is a break a bad idea? I don’t want to run from my anxiety. I want to grow and heal.

I found this really beautiful coat at the store just now and I’m in line waiting to purchase. This lady behind me starts having conversation with me and asked about my coat. She then proceeds to touch my coat and I pull it away to kinda let her know… Don’t touch, and she continues to touch my coat. It pissed me off so bad because I want it perfect and now I think what if her hands were super dirty or had stuff on it My OCD is raging and I’m gonna go home and check if there are any spots. It made me so mad.

contemplated whether or not i should post this a few times but ultimately i decided why not. this is pretty much just a yap session so feel free to completely skip this if you don’t want to read me complaining. apologies since my last few posts have been like this, i just have a lot on my mind. sooo i’m kinda fucked at the moment. i have like $15 to my name right now. mostly because i’ve just been spending money willy nilly and thinking nothing of it since i don’t really have bills other than a car payment. but now i literally can’t pay for my therapy. i have two separate therapists, a talk therapist and an ocd specialist, and i also have an appointment with someone soon to talk about autism testing. i’ve needed glasses for a couple months and i cant afford them now. i have to ask my parents to pay and that’s something i really didn’t want to ever have to do for my therapy because i feel like i’m burdening them already by still living with them and living on their insurance. they’re already scraping by as is and i wish i could help more. i mean i have a job and everything but i only get paid every other week and i’ve been using my student loan money and grants to get me by. i feel selfish for having spent my money on useless crap and then not doing much of anything around the home. the u.s. (and especially red states like where i live) are notoriously shitty when it comes to healthcare and whatnot. like a literally consultation appointment might break my bank. and on top of that i’m still in college and have plenty of classes to go, books to buy, and money to waste on something that i’m not even entirely sure will be fully worth it in the end, and i just found out i’m going to be there for a semester longer than anticipated. i’m so upset because i feel like at 20 i should be smarter with my money and just have my shit together. it’s also just embarrassing to spend so much money on mental health care, especially when it’s so stigmatized. like what’s wrong with me to need so much therapy and so much testing. i know that i’d probably lose my mind without therapy but i don’t know if i can afford it right now, which sucks because i was just starting with erp and already feeling good about it. i guess on a more serious note, i really wish that the state of the world wasn’t what it is now, not that it’s ever been necessarily good but still. being mentally ill in this economy literally just isn’t sustainable because its treated like a fault on our parts. and then we wonder why so many terrible things happen to/involving people that are so clearly mentally ill and aren’t able to get the help they need. we’re told our enemies are people in unfortunate positions who need assistance and not the ghouls consistently leeching off of vulnerable people. it breaks my heart and fills me with rage that people suffer so much because we live in a country that thinks basic needs and care aren’t rights worth upholding. i recognize i’m already in a position of immense privilege to have access to this care and not need it entirely to live but even in middle class, middle america, it’s hard. i’m not gonna go on to write a whole manifesto here but fuck it all feels a little hopeless at the moment.

I was at the gym and got really triggered by a lot of the hot guys there. I just felt bad; I feel bad about my body not being where I want it to be yet, I constantly compare myself. Being a gay male I often compare myself to others especially on social media. I want to be an OnlyFans star at some point and i really look up to and envy the lives and bodies of many people on social media. But i feel that my envy and desire to be perfect is what is holding me back; I get so defeated just thinking about the amount of work and time I have to put in to get where I want to be. I feel alone. It is so much easier to just sit under my cover and watch youtube or play video games. Even showering feels like too much sometimes. I go down rabbit holes on social media that I don't know how i feel about. Sometimes I start reading and considering right wing content, like Nick Fuentes or other propaganda. I also jack off to some questionable content (its legal, but causes me shame unfortunately) and sometimes doubt whether or not it is just a kink or means something more about my identity. I feel less extreme and socially justice focused these days and maybe that worries me? Maybe I have a fear of being cancelled? I don't know. Maybe it's cause some of my close friends are conservative or maybe it's that I look up to my parents a lot and they have different political beliefs than what I do (or did). I don't like feeling that rift with my family, and I don't think that having different opinions should cause a rift. I also question how much of my beliefs are from my OCD and fear mongering, and what do i truly believe? I feel I am supposed to think a certain way because I am gay, but that sentiment doesn't sit right with me. I just wish I didn't overthink everything all the time. Sorry if this post is TMI but I am a mess and i think talking in hypotheticals does not help others understand how my OCD is affecting me. I just want to focus on going to gym and taking care of myself day to day, but i seem to be getting triggered by SO MUCH lately. I feel like I cannot be myself because my brain constantly tells me I'm wrong or I can't think a certain way or do certain things. I'm a freaking mess!!!!

Something that throws my mood away a lot when it isn't about OCD are these two things. I'm constantly to thinking about what other people have that I don't even though I have so many things, yet I don't focus on those things when I need to. I also focus on my negative inner voice that feels like a combination of what negative people have told me over the course of my life rather than people actually saying these things in real time. It's like my inner voice has been hurt and it regurgitates what other people have told me. I then play those negative statements in my head time and time again. Looking back, when it comes to school, I think I've always felt "behind" compared to other people one way or another. One way could be socializing, the niche things I'm interested in, struggling to make friends, and having my slapstick humor be used against me for being judged harshly. For some reason that hurt a lot and I just never seemed to have let go of it. It also piles onto other things that I don't think I should be doing and then I ridicule myself for those things all in my head. It feels like I've forgotten how to just be NICE to myself for once.

Well, not entirely new. I am a gay, cisgender male. About 10 years ago, I struggled with the OCD fear that I was trans, but I recovered from that. I’ve had many other themes both before and after, (perfectionism, SO-OCD, POCD, and so on). Last Monday, after wondering if I made a mistake cutting the blonde highlights out of my hair and letting it go back to natural brown, I wondered if I wasn’t expressing myself authentically. (Authenticity is very important to me.) That quickly turned into questions like: am I just dressing heteronormative because I’m too afraid of the backlash for dressing more androgynous? I had never wanted to paint my nails, wear heels, skirts etc., but now, in a matter of a week, it feels like I do and that I’m living a lie. Idk what to do—for the last ten years of my life, I have felt very comfortable and content in my identity, and that has felt amazing. I am a huge Lady Gaga fan, and I’m obsessed with all her wigs and outfits, but for the last ten years (and after dealing with the trans theme), I’ve never wanted to wear them myself. But now I’m afraid I’ve just been suppressing the fact that I do—and that if I don’t dress like that (or paint my nails/wear makeup), I’m dressing boring and living a lie. :(

i literally just cannot stop doing them. especially mental ones. doing things that i didn’t even realize were technically compulsively behavior. all i do every day is ruminate about my mistakes, play them in my head over and over again, envision the worst case scenarios, and then compulsively search on the internet. i’m so tired of it. i feel like i can’t live my life because the second i stop worrying, something bad will happen and it’ll prove my ocd right. that i can’t move on and seek out experiences or relationships because i don’t deserve them and nobody will want me when they find out who i really am. i’m just living in fear every day and it seems like whenever i feel like i’ve “moved past” something, i come up with more evidence that i’m really just a monster that will be “found out” and have to face repercussions/be ostracized. and maybe i really do deserve that. i know it has to get worse before it can get better or whatever but i really don’t want to live like this for the rest of my life. i can’t even tell anyone what’s bothering me because i’m so disgusted by my own thoughts and my past actions. every day feels like a loop and i’m so scared and tired and lonely all the time.

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 😂

I’m in my 30s and just got diagnosed with OCD. It feels like a mix of relief, validation, and overwhelm. So much work ahead of me and can’t afford therapy right now. Had to go stay out of state in the house I was chronically traumatized in with the parent who harmed me most after my safe/loving parent died unexpectedly. I was there for several months and me, my partner, and our animals all got very sick. The house is legitimately contaminated- infested with black mold, mildew, cockroaches, termites, asbestos. It’s also “contaminated” with my childhood trauma. It stirred up a lot of OCD. There’s a new worry that my parent died because of me in some way, and that I might accidentally cause someone else I love to die if I don’t do x, y, z. Also worry that us being there might have long term effects & I’m the reason we were there. I’m scared my animals might have been exposed to something horrible and could die because we were there. I took them both to the vet and did some testing but feel embarrassed of how others perceive me when I express my concerns that are often hypochondriac based. I’m so physically, mentally, emotionally exhausted. When I start to relax, my anxiety/ OCD runs rampant trying to find something to feel bad about myself for. Dealing with resentment related to my family system, and the other adults in my life who didn’t do anything to protect me as a child despite me begging for help. Then I feel bad for not appreciating the love & kindness & privilege I did have. My living parent was saying lots of things that reignited old worries & created new ones. I’m home now, but the clothes/ personal items I brought there & special stuff I inherited or brought home is stressing me out. I’m worried it’s contaminating my clean safe space and I can never truly get away. I’m recognizing how that environment I grew up in conditioned this level of OCD distress. I need to start a new job now that I’m home, but it’s hard to do anything… cue the “I’m a bad person” thoughts. Applying for jobs is stressful too. I know I’m highly qualified but that’s stressing me out because I’m worried I’ll get an offer or an interview before I’m truly ready/ capable to start. I don’t have money to keep waiting and need health insurance ASAP. Worried I’ll accept a job that doesn’t have as good of insurance as a hypothetical other opportunity. It’s all so overwhelming and I’m really struggling to calm my mind, body, & soul. I’m not sure what I’m looking for from this post. Maybe ideas of how to quiet/ calm the panicked rumination that keeps creeping in as I settle in so I can feel more grounded & emotionally stable? Any coping skills that have helped you for these patterns/ themes? How you handle perfectionist tendencies in work environments?

I was very close friends with a girl last year, so close we were like sisters. But eventually, she treated me and my twin sister terribly. (one upping me, lying to me, trauma dumping on me and not being there for me at all in return, lowkey praying on me and my boyfriend breaking up.) I tried confronting her but it kept getting worse, and with so much stress it came to a head. She came to me saying her boyfriend was doing some really bad things to her. I told her it would get worse, that she needed to leave, and that she was in an unsafe position. She didn’t listen, she insisted she loved him. She would barely tell me because “it would make me mad” Eventually I sobbed to my mom about it, who contacted her mother but nothing was done. The next day, with the stress I was going through being in the middle of competing frequently, college prep, everything she told me, how i felt about her treating me became too much and I blew up at her. I yelled and cussed and to this day I regret it. I would spiral about it. No matter how many times people told me I was okay and my feelings were valid, it took me so long to stop believing I was a terrible person. I tried to cut her off and it didn’t fully happen until she lied to me about coming to a VERY important event and SHE told ME we couldn’t be friends. Since then I’ve had so much hatred towards her but still a lot of care, that it became an obsession. I got to college and told all of my friends about it who validated me. Through this, the hatred wound down. But I still couldn’t help but want to see what she was doing. To me she has always been better than me. I wanted to BE her. I was, and still am, a little jealous of her. She looks perfect, dresses perfect, and just is perfect to everyone. I unblocked her, re followed her, reached out and apologized. She apologized to me, and said she had been thinking about our friendship a lot and was glad I reached out. My parents didn’t like that I reached out because she created tension between me and my sister. My sister says that what I did was valid and supports me. My boyfriend supports me because he loves me so much and will always support me, but still doesn’t like her because of her unsupportiveness of our relationship. My friends question why I would even do something like that. I think it made me feel better, but I think my thoughts and feelings about our friendship, and how much I wanted to be like her, and how much I regretted how our friendship ended, and how betrayed I felt became an obsession for me, and I fear reaching out was a compulsion. She’s been really nice and I’m glad we’re on good terms but I think she wants to be closer than I want to be, simply because she’s in high school, I’m in college, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to be super close again. Idk I think I feel better about it but I’m a little worried. What should I do moving forward? I don’t want to cut her off, but I can’t be best friends with her again.

I’m having a difficult time not rerunning social interactions afterward to make sure I didn’t say something hurtful or lie. I would never intend to do either nor have I ever had that intention that I can recall. I try to reassure myself that someone would hopefully tell me if I said something hurtful. But what if I didn’t remember? I’m trying to reassure myself when I notice myself ruminating or distract myself but it’s becoming very difficult and it’s a hard balance to not make distraction or reassurance a compulsion.

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!

hello, i am struggling big time today. every other monday i have an evening meeting for my job that i am supposed to facilitate. and for the past two months i have fallen into a cycle of doing all the prep work the day of. the problem is the prep requires communication, reminders, and joint decision making with the attendees ahead of time! so i feel i have betrayed the values of the group and i am very ashamed. even though no one has directly called me out on anything. every time this monday meeting comes around i am weighted down with shame and fear of asking for help. and my thoughts cycle on repeat of all the things i did wrong to lead to this and how i am so terrible to myself and to others for not changing my behavior. then, each time this meeting ends and it’s tuesday morning, i tell myself i will change my behavior and. i don’t. it is very very clear that i cannot do this on my own. this morning i found a guide meditation to help face an ocd urge without doing the compulsion. it was incredibly comforting and i will continue to lean on stuff like this when i’m between sessions. the other thing though is my compulsion is to avoid. my tasks still need to get done and that is the shame-inducing trigger i keep running away from. the meditation had me sit with intrusive thoughts and just observe them without taking part in or believing them. which felt helpful and like good practice. but the other part i need is to… just get through the required work without overthinking it. well. now it is time for the working day to begin again and i must face messages i am ashamed of replying late to. i feel like i have nothing to say for myself and no real explanation since no one can see my ocd and bc i feel my ocd is embarrassing and not an excuse but my responsibility. i am ashamed i cannot carry my most basic responsibilities. ): anyways, i didn’t mean for this to be a super negative post, but just sharing honestly where my ocd is at today. trying to orient myself towards gentleness and self acceptance. i will try to move imperfectly today. i will turn towards support whenever i am struggling. i will not let the thoughts beat me up so badly. even a little less badly will be a win as that may be my first achievable step. i am reminding myself that this is treatable and recoverable and that i am not damned to be just this ball of shame and isolation. this will pass this will pass this pass. i will take a breath, and go forward now.

I think OCD sufferers are Truth Seekers Do ya'll have these traits too? Btw I'll be saying "we" a lot as figure of speech, but it could just be my experience. Let me know if you a similar experience. - Over-analysis - Grapple with Inconvenient truths. When inconvenient truths happen, we feel "icky", we try to "reason with it" to fill "less icky" or less uncomfortable. - It's based in FEAR. It may not even be a real-life fear, but it may be a psychological fear. I don't have contamination OCD, but I can speculate that it's like sitting with these "bad thoughts" like what if I get __ diseases, what if something happens to my family if I don't do ___, etc. It's sitting with uncomfortable potentials that may not even be true - or could happen - life can be unpredictable. - The need to be in control of different dynamics. - The need to "conclude" things - The need to be thorough - The need to categorize things and define things - The need for moral high ground and spotless integrity - We're our own worst enemy Overall, the NEED for certainty, the NEED to resolve something "once and for all," the ADDICTION to absolutism and conclusions. Not just because I suffer from it, but I think OCD people have good intentions and are generally good people. They are grappling with things, but it's because they love their families, it's because they want the best for themselves, they want good morals and good moral clarity. Those are all noble traits to strive for. It's the technicalities that I can get lost in. "How" do I conclude or "deal" with this latest theme. What is the "solution." It's "analysis" on steroids to the point where you forget the trees from the woods. You're lost in a maze. And that produces physical symptoms, stress, anxiety, etc. which just add to the stress and lack of clarity. And then the symptoms alone become the "proof" of the fear being true etc. I would get heart palpitations when I was worried about my heart. That's not actually having heart problems, that's the result of obsessing and OCD taking hold of that theme. But then again, some people do have genuine heart problems. And those are the kind of gray areas that OCD predictibly attaches itself onto. Lost in the labyrinth, I think we forget that the "conclusion" or the "right answer" or the "solution" or the "truth of the matter" that is that some debates don't need to be had. That's a hard pill to swallow for Truth Seekers - especially if something is unresolved and is controversial or we feel like it's damaging to us psychologically. I haven't done ERP but I've heard it's about "being ok with uncertainty." The reason why this is such a dilemma is that OCD people are Truth Seekers. Almost like an addiction. Other people may be able to be delusional and lie to themselves, but we don't let ourselves off the hook. I'm that type of person. If I do something wrong, if I've made bad mistakes, I don't let myself off the hook until it's a truthful thing that I should. Or even if I've "resolved" something, OCD will keep reminding, hovering, and challenging that truth. So I'm still wondering if Truth Seekers and ERP can coexist. THAT is my dilemma. I don't want pretend peace of mind because I'm believing some BS, I want TRUE PEACE OF MIND. P.S. - If I can find a couple silver linings for OCD for me, I think 1) It makes me more empathetic to what others have to suffer through 2) I think it makes me better at business. I'm SUPER thorough, and super analysis focused (too much actually), but that may mean I may go further and more in-depth and more continuous learning in uncovering what I need to learn to achieve a certain result. So my recommendation is if you have OCD, try to channel those traits towards something productive. GL!

Hi guys! I have a question because this is something I’ve been struggling with recently. Does anyone else have a fear of feeling regret in the future? Whether that be over mistakes or things you never ended up doing in life? I’m only 19 and I feel like this fear shouldn’t really be showing up in my life right now.

How, if at all, does OCD affect your parenting?

should i feel bad for unintentionally killing flies that were on the organic waste in my sink? i was cleaning stuff with water and i knew that they were there so first i shaked the bin a bit that is inside the sink, i had mold in my pot and i cleaned with water and i saw after that there 3-4 small flies dead in the water i tried to save one but it was too late. i knew i could have accidentally killed them by i tried to mildly avoid killing them with the water i was using in the sink. i know it's overthinking, still it matters no?