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the NOCD Community

Question: Are y’all ever proud of your progress, but then you start to feel out of place because you can’t imagine who you’d be if you were constantly drowned by your OCD? Yeah, me too. :/

I don’t know who might want or need to hear this today, but here goes! There is no reason why these thoughts happen. Although I totally empathize and acutely understand the overwhelming wish to make them go away. Paradoxically, it’s this resistance and desire to avoid suffering that makes our suffering occur more habitually. If you’re in quicksand, you’re not supposed to resist because resisting makes it more difficult to get out. You just sink more quickly. You’re already being mindful, and have developed that capacity somewhat. Compassionately bring yourself back to that when you’ve noticed you’re drifting towards rumination and compulsion. When the thought arises just notice it, and tell yourself that it may be true. Your worst fears might very well happen, you can never know for sure. We know on the physical level of the brain that people with OCD have structural differences. As others have noted, everyone has intrusive thoughts. The difference is our disorder imbues them with concern and anxiety. I had my friend, who doesn’t have the disorder, tell me that he has thoughts of close-lining someone when they ride by on a bicycle. For you and I, this kind of thought could cause intense thought spirals and anxiety. For him, it’s just a quirk of the mind that’s meaningless. It’s because he doesn’t get that misfiring fight or flight response. Look, I get it. We’re all conditioned to think that running monologue in our head IS us. But it’s just meat filled with electricity. It does things. A cloud makes rain, and sometimes produces lightning, but it doesn’t ask itself why it makes a storm sometimes. You’re a physical entity whose consciousness is governed by processes you don’t have control over. It’s neurons firing in the dark. You’re not the thoughts. You are the awareness of the thoughts. Cultivating that sensibility, mindfully, gives you space from them. Acceptance is huge, too. Not that you want these thoughts or agree with them, just you accept that the above is true. These are thoughts, they only have the meaning we give them. A breakthrough for me was asking myself why I thought I needed to feel differently. I might want it, but in terms of purpose or utility, does it need to be different? Why? Life has shades and hues. Sometimes we have immense joy, sometimes great sadness. This is the nature of the human condition. When you embrace that, when you stop fighting the quicksand, suddenly it’s easier to be present. Lastly, if you’re in the states, find a specialist who treats OCD with ERP/CBT therapies. It’s the gold standard with the highest efficacy rates in all of mental health treatment. You will have these thoughts again. OCD is chronic. But recovery is a very real possibility. You’re already stronger than you know. Roll up your sleeves and take your life back. You’ve got this.

have any of y’all had success with just doing basic mindfulness exercises? if so, what does your mindfulness practice look like and what are practical ways i can get started with my own?

So I'm just venting. My dog of 14 years is not doing good, maybe a few days left. The sadness I feel is hard to be with. Kind of brings out my Self Harm OCD because it's like sadness=depression=suicide. Going to try to work through it and figure out some exposure to do. It's hard and I'm really sad, he was the best dog and beautiful border collie. Anyone able to relate to a loss of a loved animal or family member and wants to share feel free. Death is my big fear and I think I'll have to face it with my ole pup soon.

Hi folks! Maybe not so common obsession but I have toilet related OCD. I have IBS D and SIBO and I am always worried when I am outside the house, especially when I am at work that I might need acutely use the toilet and I will not be able to so I am always focused on the feelings of my bowels and it drives me nuts and gives me anxiety :( I feel much better when I am home... Have you had something similar or maybe you have some advice?

Aw fudge, I wanna seek reassurance right now but I’m refraining myself from doing so. I’m scared and dunno what to do ?

Sorry this might be long and I haven't written on this before. I'm still new to how this works and need some help in many ways. So I have a lot of severe ocd triggers! I'm having a couple of really bad days and don't know where to turn. I got the feeling I have a Dr. running out ocd meds. that might work for me. Then my OCD therapist sounded as if he doesn't or can't help me. My mother in law came over to help me clean and said to let her know if she triggers me. I tried to tell her and said I'm done and I would finish on my own didn't say this to her but since she was just triggering me and I was about to have panic attacks and such. I told her I would finish which I basically did what I could do and then did an extra job that was bothering me and thought I would finish before my husband got home as a nice surprise. Took a huge turn and now my mother in law wants a apology from me for undoing stuff I didn't do and I have an appointment she was going to take me to tomorrow but now she's refusing and told my husband not me! Im tired of people not listening to me when I say I need help or something is wrong. Of there's any suggestions please leave a comment

Distraction post. Let’s pretend ocd is a person . Under this post write a short letter to ocd

Any help with staring OCD?

I just smoked pot for the first time (sativa) and I've felt pretty okay for 2 hours. Might've been the distraction of hanging out with a friend too but I feel like if I touched coins or my house key right now it might not be too horrible

Hi :-) has anyone ended up convincing themselves they did something they didn't do? I've been wrestling with wondering if past thoughts were actually memories. For the past month I've reviewed and checked and asked people...nothing point to anything happening and yet as I told myself today, it must have happened, I felt calmer like "okay, well now you know." Part of it is also now wondering what else I may have blacked out. But so far I am more at peace than I have been when I was going through the "what if it did happen?" (Things from 10 years ago).

Any other recovering alcoholics/addicts struggling with Pure OCD and Intrusive Thoughts?

Can someone please help . My OCD is more about obsessive thoughts. I dont know how to catch myself on the obsessive thoughts. How to fix it. I mean that I have so many thoughts and my thoughts are spinning and spinning then I dont know how to find an actual topic of my thoughts.... and what caused an obsessive thought . I hope it makes sense . It feels lately like I dont think and I just have obsessive thoughts . I'm second day in a row drinking alcohol to feel tipsy and to stop having the thoughts but I dont wanna become an alcoholic . But it's an awesome feeling to stop thinking and being focused on painting ( cause I'm painting and drinking right now )

Can thoughts be loud ? Like a inner voice almost

Struggling today. I have Real Event OCD about an event that happened 5 months ago. I constantly think I’m going to arrested, even though I didn’t do anything illegal. Everyone I have told about this says I didn’t do anything wrong, and is normal, and I’m overreacting. However, I have this constant feeling that I’m going to be in trouble and ruin my life. I spend nearly every waking second of my day fixated on this, and can’t seem to get past it.

Does HOCD involve obsessively questioning gender identity as well? I've only heard about it since I joined this app and I'm wondering if I struggle with that but I'm not entirely sure about all the details.

My OCD is literally affecting everything I do. Eating, drinking, cleaning, cooking, showering, laundry, I mean everything. My cat is elderly and going downhill and that's exacerbating my OCD. I feel like a basket case. I've never had a single day of relief from this awful disease. I often wonder what it would be like to not be controlled by this mythical something that my OCD believes is in charge of my life.

Anyone else remember something they did in the past (usually years ago) and it makes it feel like the situation happened just yesterday? Which starts a whole new distress pattern Any advice in grounding oneself in those moments?

I want some Christian friends ? just someone to talk about God with or go to church with or just hang out with. Sometimes I feel like I’m more mature than the people in my class. Talking with older grades is so much easier ??. Let’s hope God guides me through this. Lol take care

So I cant remember if I've ever asked this here, but has anyone ever done something awful that their ocd convinced them to do and now can't let go of the guilt? And I dont mean like terrible terrible things but like lying to someone, cheating, or something else that can cause heavy guilt. If so, how did you get past this? I feel like I'm not sure how to forgive myself when my moral code is so high.