Hosscat

Well, the person helping me recover said they had noticed people with OCD seem to have it trigger in the fall, if they live in a place with very pronounced seasons. He also said you gotta kinda face your fear to see it for what it is.

Well, I hadn't dealt with it since about Feb last year. It's weird but it just seemed to get better. Thoughts rarely popping in, and when they did they didn't seem so true or important anymore. I seem to get triggered about the same time every year though. Hoping I can get back to where I was.

I have the same issue with my existential theme. How it seems your mind settles on what you fear is true. But I think the compulsions cause the doubt...and for the doubt to lessen, you got to stop them, and give time for your mind to heal. Which is hard, because our minds are telling us that the compulsions are the answer.

Ok. Will do. Thanks for the help. I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere. I still have hard times, but like I said, I'll be in the store for example and thus will pop in, and instead of that automatic fear reaction, I might get 'good grief, that doesn't make sense now does it?' type thoughts instead. Needless to say, I hope this 'breaking of the wall' is a good sign. I've had my hopes up before and backslid though, so trying hard not to think too much on it. It's like getting better by sneaking your way out.

Hello friends, I could use some guidance. I'm not exactly sure how to explain the issue. I'm continuing to push that the thoughts are true, and I'm mostly getting that feeling that they most likely aren't. Even in the face of those weird coincidences that would normally destroy me. But it's like my brain is flip flop ping on what it wants to believe...Anxiety still really high, thoughts still there, just not that surge of 'omg it's true' like before(though still to some extent). It's frustrating.

I think I kind of am starting to see how it works. Im certainly not recovered, the anxiety is back today. But it certainly was a breakthrough moment, and even though the anxiety suddenly seems to be coming at me extra hard(like it's upset I'm ignoring it), I'm trying my best to just let it. So hard not to get excited about the thoughts not seeming so true! But I know if I focus too much right now it will suck me back in.

I'm trying to accept, truly accept the thoughts might be true...and my anxiety has suddenly dropped, alot. My mind feels a little quieter, and dare I say....the thoughts don't feel quite as true, which doesn't make alot if sense. It's such a rapid change I'm still skeptical it means anything. But for those that know how long I've been around here...I just wanted to share. Your words haven't been unheard.

Struggling alot, I feel like I'm being bombarded by thoughts and fear throughout the day. Trying so hard not to argue or engage the thoughts, but I feel like it's almost happening automatically. My brain is screaming at me this fear is true, and even though I've come out the other side before, it seems impossible to do again, like I can't believe I've done it before.

Been awhile since I've checked in. Last year I relapsed with the reality thoughts, bad... But I managed to get better, and got back to that sweet spot for most of the year. I was rather anticipating it might come back at this same time of year, because for some reason it gets triggered. So I'm not totally floored feeling it creep back in. It's frustrating going from doing so well, very rarely dealing with the issue, and when it pops in being able to dismiss it and move on, to feeling that old anxiety return and start to shout ,'hey, what if there is something to these thoughts?'. Ugh. It's hard to ignore everything when it starts feeling so true again, but I've been trying, doing some erp as well, and am not a complete wreck like last time. Starve it and it dies. Just feel like I've bottled it up and needed to tell someone, and if these recurring relapses are familiar to anyone else.

Things are getting a little bit better. Staying busy is helping. I'm doing erp throughout the day and its not making me as anxious, though it still is depressing. Mostly i'm tired of this being part of my life, and hope I can get to where it feels like its behind me. Right now its like its just below the surface all the time.

Hey there! This is what I'm dealing with and have for some time, starting to see some improvement. What's helping me the most is changing my actions. I act like everything is fine, everything is real, and ignore that urge to argue with the thoughts. Very hard, but I'm noticing my anxiety is starting to dwindle as the weeks go by. I still slip up alot; sometimes I feel back to square one, but from what I've been told those are to be expected.

I agree. I know I am probably one of the people mentioned that 'doesn't listen'. It's hard to explain but, blunt is good, and just having it pointed back out is good. Like a hammer hitting a block of ice while your mind is frozen inside. It might seem like your hitting isn't doing anything, but I do believe that each hit gets what you're saying closer to the 'frozen' mind. Yes, some people have thicker blocks of ice than others, and others may have a tendency to ice back over from time to time. But I think its still beneficial to tunnel in there. I know for me its like my brain is finally getting what it needs to do, and im starting to make changes. Hard yes. Have I been told the same things over and over? Yes. I don't know, its hard to explain. Just hoping to let those of you that offer support on here consistently @PolarBear @dksea @paradoxer (That i've spoken to personally) and feel like you arent getting anywhere with some people, know you still are, even a little. Try not to get too discouraged.

I guess you're right. It's just hard to stay hopeful when it hasn't changed any in that regard.

Doing better anxiety wise(look, not on here everyday!). I still feel like I should try to be doing something to change how it feels like I believe this. Trying very hard to just act like it's not true, and know I'm being impatient. You all here are the only ones that ever told me about that.

I'm trying to do everything right. I do slip up, but I guess before I still had the hope that if I did everything right I could get to where I didn't have this thought hardly at all... All these things told to me make it sound like it won't happen. That it's always going to be there. It won't be something I went through, just something I'm in. The therapist did say the Erp I was doing on my own was good... It's helped the anxiety level. But this is there all the time. It hasn't let up in that way at all.