- Date posted
- 10w ago
Intrusive
Does confessing an intrusive thought just make it come back stronger?
Does confessing an intrusive thought just make it come back stronger?
Not at all, maybe maybe not, but the thing with intrusive thoughts is that there just fears there things we would never do, so even if you confess or not there will be no effect however if your confessions are compulsions than that's were you do exposures but if your scared of confession and you confessions will make you do compulsions than that's where we take a step back and look at what's going on. Sometimes OCD can be sneaky but idk if this helps or not š I know it's so challenging to deal with intrusive thoughts but imagine them like clouds floating away they come and go in waves they are nothing but temporary annoying thoughts. You are capable of ignoring them and your so brave :)
Feeling the need to "confess" intrusive thoughts is a common compulsion. Compulsions make OCD and intrusive thoughts worse.
Wanted to specify that I mean worse in the long run. Confessing compulsions can provide temporarily relief, but the OCD beast is never satisfied and will always demand more compulsions and more control over your mind and life.
Hey!! So if you feel like you have to confess then it definitely could be a compulsion. Compulsions give us temporary relief but also show us that the thought we had is something to be feared, when really itās just a thought. It can make the fear/intrusive thought come back feeling stronger since compulsions are a way to fight the thought. Compulsions are best avoided, but be kind to yourself as you learn what is a compulsion and what isnāt. As you resist your compulsions, the pathway in the brain that is labeling the thought as bad, will lose its hold. Youāve got this, and it gets better!! Iāve been there and spotting/resisting compulsions is tricky but youāll figure it out! Reach out if you have more questionsāļø
I struggle so bad with intrusive thoughts. They can be so bad that I'll cry because I KNOW that's not how I feel or want to do. (Too embarrassed to say what they're about) I'll constantly try to figure out why I have them, and constantly figure out what they mean, causing me to constantly circle around and around. I had to get on anxeity meds, which helped a little but the thoughts still happen. How do you help yourself with this? How do you know that you're just not some physcopath? š
OK, this might sound really dumb, but when you guys get intrusive thoughts, do they just come once and then go away? Iāve heard that repeatedly thinking about an intrusive thought is considered āchecking,ā but it doesnāt feel like I have any control over how many times it comes up in my head. Itās not like Iām trying to check anythingāit just keeps showing up, almost like itās terrorizing me every time. I canāt seem to stop it from looping, stop remembering it, or prevent it from coming up. Every time it does, I feel horrified, and I already know itās going to horrify me. I donāt think Iām actively trying to see if my feelings have changed, so is this still considered checking? How do other people get an intrusive thought and just move on? Doesnāt it pop up a million times for them too? I always thought that was normal, but now Iām hearing this could be a compulsion, and I feel really confused, scared, and lost. Is this why my OCD feels so extreme? Because I really donāt feel like I can control how many times the thought pops up.
Anyone ever have a conversation and think you said a intrusive thoughts out loud. Then you panic and go over and over the convo , reviewing it and remembering people's reactions,to see if they noticed your thoughts or read your lips? Sometimes it feels like I have to look away when talking as the thoughts could be shouted out if we make eye contact .such a powerful erge to say thoughts out load . . It's like the more you fight off the thoughts the louder they want to be . You can feel your self bubbling up inside . Then you get one and boom ,you think you've said it out load.
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