- Date posted
- 13w ago
Not a good place!
I'm really not in a good place! The thoughts just keep coming! Even when I ignore them or agree with them & it's literally making me sick to my stomach!
I'm really not in a good place! The thoughts just keep coming! Even when I ignore them or agree with them & it's literally making me sick to my stomach!
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It's definitely making me anxious. I want the reassurance, but I know that doesn't help!
Hi, I wrote this reply to someone who was going through the same thing. I will cut and paste, it might help _------ The short answer is to ignore those thoughts. I know it’s easier said than done, but here’s a helpful way to think about it: whenever you experience these intrusive thoughts, remember that they don’t come from you and are not under your control. Imagine you’re walking to a very important meeting, and along the way, you encounter an annoying dog that barks at you incessantly. The best response is to walk calmly and not pay any attention to it. You wouldn’t bark back at the dog, right? Eventually, it will lose interest or fade away into the distance. The same principle applies to those intrusive thoughts. Don’t try to stop the “dog” from barking; instead, let it be and focus on what truly matters—your life and your important goals.
I've been through many many intrusive thoughts & many themes, but this one particular one takes the icing!
What's helping me is: 1. Saying "I am panicked about these things because I don't want to do them. My body is protecting me." 2. "If I feel the urge to do them I can always call for !!HELP!! first ." 3. What are the compulsions actually accomplishing? Let's say you "kick the cat" or "punch your friend"...okay? And? What's next....? 4. Sitting in the anxiety. Imagining yourself actually doing it. Have the panic attack. Dont compulse>>>>this is the hardest part. 5. Ashwaganda and vitamin C. Daily walks. Limiting gluten and dairy. I've been in almost a 10 day harm OCD episode after getting fired from my job and finding out my neighbor committed. I have had OCD tendencies since I was a child (but nothing concerning enough to get therapy at the time) and the stress of all of this has me in my worst flare yet. However, the anxiety has REDUCED itself in comparison to the beginning after a lot of rest and practicing the things listed above. I am a therapist myself (not OCD related but I remember reading about stuff in school!)
I have a lot of thoughts about the universe, and they’re overwhelming—like being caught in a rip current, except it’s all inside my head. Most of the time, they’re about how small we are, how there really isn’t a “we” because our bodies aren’t truly ours—we’re just bacteria, cells, and microbes. The thoughts spiral, deeper and deeper, smaller and smaller, coiling until suddenly, I’m pulled under, drowning in a whirlpool. I’ve never felt like this before, and I’m convinced I’ve been faking it somehow. For the past few weeks, my OCD has been worse than it’s ever been in my 20 years of life. Or maybe I’m just more aware of it now. Has anyone else had their OCD suddenly get really bad? Does it ever end—if it even can? I’ve convinced myself that my intrusive thoughts aren’t actually intrusive, that my OCD is a choice, and that everything I do is intentional. As for compulsions, I don’t have the typical “If I don’t do ____ then ____ will happen” kind of thoughts. Instead, my brain simply commands, “Do ____,” and I always give in. It’s so loud in my head, and I can’t shake the feeling that I’m an imposter. Like I don’t belong here—like my presence on this app is an intrusion, invalidating everyone else’s struggles just by downloading it and daring to post. If anyone feels that way, if you think I’m intruding, I’m sorry. I only came here because I have no one to share my diagnosis with. Pouring my thoughts out, hoping someone might understand, feels less suffocating than journaling. Journaling is like letting a wound fester—each word burying the thoughts deeper, leaving them to decay in silence, for nobody to ever read but myself.
I am having a really hard time being home for the holidays. My intrusive thoughts are constant and loud. It sucks too, because my thoughts get triggered when I'm around one of my family members. I just want to distance myself, so I can stop the thoughts and feel like I'm not going to hurt anyone. I'm so distressed and depressed. What do you do to help calm your mind and remind yourself that you are a good person, despite what the thoughts say? I've already meditated, taken my Lexapro, and tried to remind myself that these thoughts want to attack the things I care about the most. Thanks. ❤️
Lately my OCD has been very horrible, it’s been more convincing than ever to the point where I’m genuinely convinced that I like this stuff, when I get a thought, I’ll hear my intrusive thoughts go “oooh, I like that, I’d do that.” and I just don’t freak out nor feel bad, I just feel like I like it even more, and feel like I would do/act on it and like it, and the feeling is strong and it lingers forever? It genuinely feels like I do, and I’m just lying now, i can’t tell if I make these thoughts worse or anything All I remember mostly just being like confused sometimes when these thoughts happen, but since I’m getting strong emotions that I like it, my brain says that means I did and I’m worried about that being true because I don’t understand nor know It’s like I am resisting to like this stuff now, it’s even tougher now than it was before
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