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my ocd is the worst when I get up in the morning. I journal before I go to work and when I’m off but some days the fear worries overtake me before I leave the house and then it takes me forever to leave the house because of the self checking compulsion that has to do with appearance. Does anyone have any strategies or suggestions?

Question: On a scale from 1 to 10, how much of an impact would you say OCD has had on your life? Question #2: OCD completely aside on this one, what is the thing you like most about yourself?

I’m having a really hard time doing any exposures whatsoever. Does anyone have any tips? I have been living with ROCD for 20+ years and only recently got diagnosed and seeing a therapist - so my rituals are pretty deeply ingrained. I see how bad it’s screwing up my life but I feel powerless to stop myself.

Does anyone know the root cause if there ocd (when it started )

Hey guys. I don’t know if any of you have already seen this study (it is from a little while ago) but I just wanted to share it for anyone who is struggling with exposure therapy because seeing this study is something that has helped me. Here’s the link: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/behavioral-therapy-increases-connectivity-in-brains-of-people-with-ocd As it states in the article, “The changes appeared to compensate for, rather than correct, underlying brain dysfunction”. There is of course no cure for OCD currently, but seeing this study gave me so much hope because the fact that CBT can actually change the brain of someone with OCD is amazing in my opinion. The changes to your brain that can actually reduce your OCD symptoms are soooooo much more important than the temporary relief we get when we engage in our compulsions.

I think I have ocd. It started out in grade 11 with checking locks on doors and windows. At first I didn’t think anything of it, but quickly got out of hand. Sometimes it’ll take me two hours to get to bed because I have to repeatedly check things until it’s just right. I’m one of the most messy people, but sometimes I’ll see an object like a remote control out of place and I just have to go fix it, then come back and fix it again etc. I have to do that crucifix gesture on my body at least four times before I go to bed. I re-read things in my head until I “say” it just right. Constantly checking stuff in my room. I don’t know why this started, but a few months earlier I was dealing with a pretty traumatic family issue. My moms side of the family seems to be predisposed to some mental health issues.

does anyone have any tips to get over HOCD? it’s driving me crazy and it’s taking over my life

(Existential OCD) Hello everyone, I am not necessarily looking for reassurance because I know that is hallmark for OCD, but I have been struggling deeply with exhausting mental obsessions. I don’t have any physical compulsions but I find that I can not stop my mind from spouting ideas that really bother me. I’ve already seemingly dealt with my Health OCD and my Harm OCD but of course there is no end to things you can be afraid of. Lately (as seen in the title), I have been dealing with the extremely uncomfortable and entirely new to me, existential OCD. Never have I faced an OCD that has caused me so much frustration for such an extended period of time. For those that are sensitive to these things, I will be giving examples now. Recently, I think it started out with a fear of losing touch with reality and never being able to come back but I have been dealing with thoughts like “what if everything is only a perceived illusion made by the mind?” Or “what if everything is fake”. I obviously don’t believe these things to be true or else I wouldn’t be messaging on this forum but I am experiencing extreme, discomfort and it’s been hard for me to find any peace at all. It feels as if my thoughts are spiraling and are putting me in a place that I thought I climbed out of. This all dates back to a acid trip my friend had years ago, where he thought he wasn’t his body and thought that everyone was fake. He eventually came down but it really shook me that someone could believe these things to be true. I think ever since then I have had an extreme fear of these things and now I am terrified that I am going to believe these things and eventually go mad. Have any of you experienced these things or have any idea on how to get out of this terrible spiral? How do I do ERP for something like this? Thank you for your help. Christian,

Just curious... how old are you guys? I’ve seen lots of people talking about school on here. I’m 18 and this community has really helped me feel less alone in being a teen with ocd!

Let me know if this is an inappropriate question to ask. Has anyone had positive/negative experiences with the medication Fluoxetine (Prozac, Lovan etc?) Hope everyone has a wonderful day. d a i s y

Is it just me or does anybody else’s hocd make them question whether they have a crush on someone? I’ll literally be looking at someone and then question myself and ask myself if I like them , then the intrusive thoughts start to come. It’s so annoying please tell me this is normal

Does anyone want to share their thoughts on Relationship OCD? I am new here and have obsessive jealousy (ie I obsess that my partner is always cheating on me and have to check on him constantly). It’s really been hard on me and my boyfriend and I’m struggling to do the exposures..

Dear fellow OCD Warriors: I wanted to tell you about a victory I had tonight. I had to repair a bird feeder that a raccoon knocked down. I of course concluded that the raccoon had rabies and that I would get rabies by touching the bird feeder. I’ll admit that I washed my hands more than I should have BUT I did not take a shower (even though I really wanted to)! This win felt really good and it was nice not wasting time taking a shower. Would you please share a victory you had recently?

Anyone else have purely obsessional Ocd and has issues with “checking” by replaying conversations and events and exploring all possible worst case possibilities in their head incessantly?. Experiencing this with work right now and could really use some support in this moment.

New to the group! I’m 38 and have had OCD since I was 8 (officially diagnosed at 34). My OCD used to revolve around order and cleaning. In the last year it developed into a chronic series of intrusive thoughts centered around parasites. Lice, bed bugs, fleas....you know it. I’m constantly checking beds, hair any surface. I’m now on my umpteenth attempt with medication and cognitive behavioral therapy. I feel like I’m the only person with these irrational sets of intrusive thoughts. It’s embarrassing and isolating. Anyone here who has a similar fear or focused fear that triggers their ocd?

Hello everyone! (Existential Obsessions) I have struggled with anxiety since I was a young boy. I remember worrying when I was younger that I was inadvertently trying to harm my mother, even though I love my mother more than anyone in the world. It’s shifted more times than I can count, from worrying about poisoning or contamination to thinking that I had heart disease. It’s all the same animal just shape shifting into whatever I fear most at the given time. Currently, (trigger warning) I am constantly obsessed with the fear of developing some sort of delusion or schizophrenia. I am 25 years old (I know that it would’ve probably developed by now) and have no schizophrenia in my gene pool. But I am constantly checking my thoughts to see if they sound delusional or if I am hallucinating my reality. This of course if extremely frustrating for someone with OCD because there is never going to be any definitive proof that I am not going mad. It has caused me extreme discomfort over the past few months and has brought me to extreme states of panic. I was wondering if any of you deal with existential OCD or fears of losing touch with reality. Of course, some days this seems laughable and others I can almost taste the insanity. On paper, everything in my life is going amazingly but in truth I can’t seem to enjoy any of it because I have these nightmarish intrusions of everything falling apart around me. Is this a common symptom? P.S I already run a few miles a day, meditate, do yoga and am working on strengthening my CBT. Any other suggestions?

I’m currently on holiday and I’m staying with a friend I haven’t seen in a long time. My HOCD has returned and spiked again!!! I keep having urges to check for attraction again and intrusive thoughts about being gay again! I haven’t had this theme in 4 months and now it’s fighting back again! What do I do?!

So, I’m gay, but I have obsessive thoughts about being straight. The idea of being with a man is not something that I find appealing, but a mix of OCD and compulsory heterosexuality causes a lot of anxiety for me. Does anyone else have similar issues? If so, do you have any advice on how to cope?

What type of OCD do you wish people talked about more? What type of OCD deserves more attention?

Does anyone ever think about how long will it take your ocd symptoms to go away. Like just to live one day like someone without ocd? I really want my journey to come to an end and I want to get on with my life. ? Anyone feel me?