- Date posted
- 1y ago
Harm OCD
I pick my face as a coping mechanism for anxiety. I worry constantly. What r some things I can do to work through this?
I pick my face as a coping mechanism for anxiety. I worry constantly. What r some things I can do to work through this?
Ok take everything i say with a pinch of salt i’m not a therapist and have only just started my therapy on here. You could try wearing gloves to prevent picking. Also, maybe try picking something harmless instead like picking some dried wax, clay, playdoh, or tearing some paper, or just doing something to keep your hands busy. Have you tried journalling your worries to get them out of your head onto paper? I find that helps me. Everytime you feel like picking do something else to distract yourself. I pick the skin around my thumb when i’m anxious or upset too, its not as bad as it used to be though. Good luck hope this can help in some way
Try CBT to address your worries. Most of what we worry about never comes true. Try shifting to thinking more positive. There is a chance that something negative can come true but theres also a chance it can go well, try to focus on that instead if just the worst case scenarios. That helps me too.
I’m not sure if this would help there are lava rocks on Etsy that have some kind of wax on them and they seem satisfying to pick at. There are are also fidget toys that are clear fidget toys with little beads that you can like pick out but I’m not sure what it’s called.
@libbylooblue The rock on Amazon is called picking stone and it has like a whole little kit with it
Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with intrusive thoughts&images. At first i had intrusive thoughts around my partner, now it’s centred around me & I can’t be around window ledges or medication due to a story I read online(it’s too triggering for me) . Sometimes I feel like I can’t leave my bed due to the thoughts being so overwhelming I just break down and want to sleep. I aren’t taking any medication or therapy yet. I worry that if I don’t give my thoughts a reaction that my thoughts are true and not OCD. I’ve had these thoughts 24/7 for 2 months.
I’m having a big OCD relapse and would like to hear anyone’s tips on how to be present and healthily deal with these intrusive thoughts and the “need” to preform compulsions. Thank you!!
I started dealing with OCD when I became fixated on health issues, particularly the fear of contracting a life-threatening disease. If I experienced any kind of medical symptom, no matter how small, that even remotely hinted at something potentially fatal, it would drive me crazy, and I couldn’t stop obsessing over it. Then one day, I started having intrusive thoughts about accidentally hitting someone with my car, and I would end up driving in circles to check if I had. Eventually, I found myself overwhelmed by a flood of new obsessive thoughts and compulsions. One day, while I was at the park, a squirrel came near me, and for some reason, I felt like it attacked me. I Googled it and learned that squirrels could carry rabies, which spiraled me into a deep fear of rabies. I became consumed with the thought I received a bite from a squirrel, raccoon, or bat any time I’m in areas that trigger me. It started off only being inside then transferred to even being in my own home. This made me obsess over every physical sensation in my body, compulsively checking to make sure nothing was wrong. One compulsion that I hated the most would to be putting rubbing alcohol on me to make sure that I had no open wounds. Every day feels like I’m walking around in a fog of anxiety, constantly worrying that I won’t even make it to old age. Sometimes, it gets so overwhelming that I just want it all to end. It stresses me so bad at times to where my brain feels like I’ve been studying all day.
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