I’m a teacher, and for the last two school breaks, my harm OCD spikes regarding my girlfriend. The first one was winter break (It came back after three years), and when I was recovering, it came back in the beginning of June. Just out of nowhere. Even though I know it’s OCD, it still scares the hell out of me and I spiral for weeks and weeks. Does anyone else have spikes and relapses when there are breaks in your routine?
I’m a school counselor and I’ve had a few ocd spirals during breaks (only the most recent during winter break led me to a diagnosis). I’m really feeling the anxiety today of being on break and that if I slow down too much that I will go back down into a spiral. I’m trying my best to resist the mental compulsions and rumination. One of my current exposures is to actually to sit and do nothing. But I feel you because it’s hard to balance filling up my time and actually letting myself rest and decompress from the school year
@Rae0fsun Sitting and doing nothing sounds amazing! Just do what you enjoy and just invite all the uncomfortable feelings into your day .
Well I’m also a teacher too. When I first started to feel systems of ocd , I felt it the most when I was home on the weekends when I’m with my wife and kid . When I’m work I was in a better mood (less ocd ). So it makes a lot of sense that you experience the symptoms when you are on break from work . We are thinking about the kids and all that we do . Now we have time to think and ruminate on ocd thoughts.Do you have a OCD therapist?
I recently came back to NOCD to continue my treatment!
@Tristan M Hopefully you stay this time ! Learning so many ways to incorporate ERP into my daily life has been life changer .
I’m a grad students but I totally get this. There’s that saying “An idle mind is the devils playground” i.e. a mind without routine/purpose is mind easily lost to one’s own thoughts. I just try to keep that in mind and attempt to create some sort of routine for the breaks (still figuring that out lol)
I’m a teacher as well and breaks and the transition back from breaks are my downfall. I’m transitioning back to work now for ESY and my first week back my OCD was in the full swing of it. I think what helps me is structuring my days with something so I still have routine and consistency when I have breaks. Otherwise I’m a disaster.
@pokemelon Yes! This is exactly what happens to me! I’ve started a loose routine, and with my treatment I’m very hopeful!
Okay so I’ve dealt with harm OCD from the beginning. Started off with harming my kids, going to jail and then harming myself. The harm to myself stuck around for a long time. Then it went away and other themes picked up but it keeps coming back. This is like the third time it’s come back and every single time it comes back it feels worse. It feels like this is the time something is going to happen. Has anyone ever dealt with this? With old themes constantly coming back and feeling more real? Please any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks
Does anyone Else’s ocd flare up bad when in stressful life situations? I was doing amazing and now that I’m having some drama with my life it seems to have come back with a vengeance. Anyone else?
i’m back in a cycle of having harm related OCD thoughts and feelings and urges and i get these episodes where it’s like i’m disassociating and feel like i’m about to snap and go crazy violent. does anyone else experience this? i need help
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