Political OCD

I used to be so deep in politics, and when I stopped caring about it, the OCD related to it went away. I was looking at social media constantly and keeping up with what each side was doing. It was outrageous and so unhealthy. If I were you, I’d totally back up from politics entirely. You can hold your opinions, but I think it’s best to keep them (mainly) to yourself. It can get so toxic! I’m so much better off not discussing it. My advice would be for you to focus your mind elsewhere completely. Don’t be unaware, but be present and live in the real world with real people. No matter what others’ opinions are, you can still love them!

This is tough because your thoughts are based on a reality that many people, most of whom do not have OCD, would agree with. Many people lack nuance or engage in black-and-white thinking when it comes to politics, a lot of which might have to do with the circles they find themselves in - I won't speak on whether that is right or wrong, as it is highly dependent on context (e.g., it is wrong to think that all white supremacists are bad people when their belief system is built upon the inferiority of other races, even if some of them have "good" qualities?). The difference, perhaps, between "normal" and obsessive belief systems is how you engage with these beliefs. Do you perform compulsions centered around them, such as checking your political feelings or asking for reassurance? It's perfectly normal to experience cognitive dissonance when two of your beliefs - that people on the right are evil, and that you love your parents (and presumably don't think they are evil) - clash. And it's perfectly normal to find cognitive dissonance *very * uncomfortable. But you don't necessarily have to reconcile those beliefs. As someone who used to experience severe "just right" OCD, one of my compulsions was trying to make all of my attitudes and thoughts consistent, but that is quite frankly impossible. Our minds are too ridiculously complex to account for every inconsistency, and that's okay. You say that you appear very rigid - has anyone actually told you this, or is that something you only think is the case? There's nothing wrong with having strong beliefs - in fact, I admire people who do, as I have a hard time being passionate about things myself! What really matters is whether those thoughts stem from a genuine place or whether they come from a desire to force some kind of structure on the world so as to quell anxiety. It sounds like there is a bit (or more than a bit) of anxiety at play here, and if that's the case, I wonder if you could try identifying the compulsions you engage in to try to ease it - whether that's scrolling through social media or reading the news - and see what happens if you try to hold off on doing these things for X amount of time each day. What do you think might happen if you tried this out? What could you learn about your own beliefs on both politics and on people with different stances from yourself?

I just realized my reply is extremely long, sorry 😅 If you have trouble reading it, just let me know and I will try to break it into chunks

Ever since he who shall not be named (like Voldemort) came into politics 10 years ago I have been obsessed with social media and fighting for Democracy any way I can. All of my immediate family and 90% of my extended family are amongst his minions. It has been EXTREMELY hurtful and many I have blocked. I have not been able to stop with Facebook for the past 10 years. I post obsessively every day and it is not healthy and it affects my marriage. I wish I could stop but I am afraid of not paying attention.

Speaking for myself, I do not have political OCD. I'm very interested in politics, especially certain topics. However, this past election and everything that is happening is not about politics: It's about human rights. I have zero interest in MAGA people and the Fascist and his regime. However, my boyfriend is one of them, and I'm trying to find a way to leave, but it's more complicated than simply leaving. I'm going to post about that separately.

I kept up with politics throughout high school, but it wasn't until 17-18 that I really tuned in since I knew I'd be able to vote soon. I do lots of research on topics I'm personally passionate about, and that helps alleviate some of the anxiety instead of doomscrolling political content (which can be stress-inducing). I've been taught to be civil in conversation about politics and try to listen and understand where the other side of the political spectrum is coming from (even if their beliefs go against our own). But recently, it's been difficult for me when I feel like a lot of their beliefs are built on hatred towards marginalized communities, fear, and misinformation. This isn't everyone on the right, but there's been a noticeable pattern... From talking with family whose beliefs are different from my own, it seems like a lot of them voted that way because of economic concerns and distrust towards our government. My family aren't "evil" or "bad people," and they have legitimate concerns! But I do feel like they're misinformed and that their idea of how the government needs to handle these issues isn't the correct approach. We can't control external circumstances, so it's best to focus on what's around us. Maybe instead of stressing about every single issue going on in the world, pick something going on in your community that you can focus on improving! :)