- Date posted
- 35w ago
Masking with OCD.
Anyone else so used to making / hiding their OCD, that it’s hard to take it off and actually talk to your therapist about it?
Anyone else so used to making / hiding their OCD, that it’s hard to take it off and actually talk to your therapist about it?
Yeah, I did hide my OCD for a while. I used to have noticeable compulsions, like twitching my head or fidgeting, and anyone paying attention could see it. I remember trying so hard to suppress it at school that by the time I got home, it felt impossible to control. My sibling would sometimes tease me, so I’d end up hiding it at home too. I didn’t talk to my friends about my OCD until earlier this year. Some of them I’ve known for six years, but I’ve been keeping this hidden for three of those. I don't recall discussing it much with my therapist, but I’ve found ways to feel more comfortable talking about it with my peers.
I dont really talk about my ocd to anyone. I have opened up to a couple people, but i never really talk about it mostly because im afraid people will not understand this type of anxiety and people will think im crazy. But it does make me fidget a lot, and although nobody has told me they notice it, i don’t doubt that people around me notice how much i fidget.
Don’t feel bad for having ocd, in the long term you’ll feel proud, several doctors had told me you are a hero, knows what things trigger more Symptoms, change those with things that bring you tranquility, that the best to reduce symptoms, Best wishes
I've gotten diagnosed with OCD and I'm in therapy. But I'm worried that I don't have OCD/that I got misdiagnosed. And recently I'm worried that I've just gotten myself into a habit of thinking of dirty minded or just plain old terrible things after I see/hear certain things because I feel like I need to prove I have OCD or else I'm faking(sometimes this goes away). Or that I'm just mimicking symptoms of ocd to cope with real problems I may have and that im just really deep into denial. I don't know...I'm just so tired. I mean, what if I really am what I think I am and this is my brains only way of coping? I don't even really feel anything towards most of the thoughts anymore either I just know they go against my values and I don't want them. I don't know if that's because I'm so mentally exhausted, I just don't care, or that the thoughts are true and I'm comfortable with them.
I had to use a pseudonym and such to join this app in the first place. If I interact with OCD content outside of here it has to be anonymous or very very minimal without any details of what I go through. I consistently deal with shame and even when talking about my OCD with friends/family I become embarrassed and ashamed, fearful of what they might think. I am like this in more cases too. I am a very private person: I use anonymous modes on almost anything, I never post my face unless the account is completely private, I never share my name online, etc. One time I scrubbed a 5+ year old account of any photos of myself or mentions of my name because I was so afraid. It’s been getting easier but that toxic shame is still triggered sometimes especially if I think someone may find out who I am. It is hard to get over especially since I’ve been treated horribly in the past.
I have this same problem repeatedly where I see things online about faking OCD and people talking about how OCD isn’t just cleaning and it makes me feel like I’m faking it and it’s pretty much its own theme now. I have a handwashing problem and since it’s so heavily stigmatized as faking I never do it when others are watching because then I feel like I’m seeking attention. Pretty much all of my visible compulsions I do are behind closed doors or on my own and I can’t do anything about it because if I try to show somebody then I’m attention seeking and faking. If I try to talk about the fear then I’m also attention seeking because now I’m guilt tripping and seeking sympathy and therefore I shouldn’t tell anyone and I shouldn’t show anyone. I’m essentially hiding an entire mental illness because of this, the only person I’ve ever really told about my issues is my therapist, nobody else feels safe.
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