Lets all look for a positive.....

[lostinme]

Quite often when we are in the depths of OCD we often only seem to attract the negatives and that’s all we see, we never seem to see the positives. We often over look the positives achieved throughout the day and our lives which have become blighted by this dreaded disorder. 

To help to overcome this disorder we need to start to change our perception of ourselves as well as working through our CBT. To start to do this, we need to change the I am a bad person, I’m good at nothing, I’m a failure etc. 

Lets all start by posting one positive thing we have achieved whether it be from today, last week, last year or even years ago  there will be quite a few  just possibly overlooked because our negatives are usually forefront  let’s change our negative thinking towards ourselves into positive ones. 

I will start .....

I am a good, kind hearted, caring person, who likes to help people where possible  this week I’ve been helping my sister to dress my nephews open wound even though I don’t like to see open wounds  

[taurean]

I have set the BBC mobile news stream as a bookmark in my browser. 

Only a few months ago I would never have dreamed I would be able to do that, let alone click on it and read the threads. Which I am now doing frequently and finding it enjoyable too. 

[lostinme]

22 minutes ago, taurean said:

I have set the BBC mobile news stream as a bookmark in my browser. 

Only a few months ago I would never have dreamed I would be able to do that, let alone click on it and read the threads. Which I am now doing frequently and finding it enjoyable too. 

That’s great news Roy be very proud of your achievement 

[themanwhowillstop]

I've been taking out the rubbish and washing my hands only once. I even caught myself not consciously thinking about the number of times I had washed my hands. I felt super surprised!

[lostinme]

6 minutes ago, themanwhowillstop said:

I've been taking out the rubbish and washing my hands only once. I even caught myself not consciously thinking about the number of times I had washed my hands. I felt super surprised!

That’s great news, well done, you should be really proud of yourself what an achievement 

By replacing some of our negative thinking about ourselves with positive ones helps lift our spirits and makes us feel better about ourselves 

 

 

[themanwhowillstop]

2 hours ago, lostinme said:

That’s great news, well done, you should be really proud of yourself what an achievement 

By replacing some of our negative thinking about ourselves with positive ones helps lift our spirits and makes us feel better about ourselves 

 

 

Absolutely, I'm starting to see a functional adult when I look in the mirror and not someone who is broken. Its small but it helps! Thanks for your positive influence here

[taurean]

I spent time purchasing a hedge trimmer and commencing mowing the lawn. 

My mind was just calmly focused on those activities, in the present, in the moment - plus the beauty of our garden and the sounds of the birds. 

Perfect mindfulness and mental and physical peace and calm. 

When we slip seamlessly into that mindfulness state, it's just about as positive a thing as we can possibly do - and it is free

 

[lostinme]

9 hours ago, themanwhowillstop said:

Absolutely, I'm starting to see a functional adult when I look in the mirror and not someone who is broken. Its small but it helps! Thanks for your positive influence here

We do positive things everyday that we quite often overlook  because of our moods we only focus/ see the negatives throughout the day. By picking up on the positives it can really help lift our mood from the doom and gloom we tend to focus on such as we are useless, bad, no good etc the list is endless, we only see the bad 

Positive things we do from day to day, that often get overlooked, that we don’t see.....

We get up out of bed 

We go to work

We provide a roof over our family’s head

We help someone in need

We clean and run the house

We cook a meal

We cuddle our children if they are sad

We do the shopping 

We take the dog for a walk, etc the list is endless 

We can work on lifting our mood by seeing these positive things we do daily that we never seem to see, we walk around with blinkers on and zoom into all the negatives, instead of seeing the bigger picture going on around us daily, this in turn will help us see the good things we do daily alongside our CBT.

I think we should all start to pick up on the good things we like about ourselves instead of the bad.

I will start .....

Instead of zooming into I’m a failure because I can’t do x .... ( negative)

I’m going to change it to.... I possibly can’t do x but there is other things I can do, I’m a warm-hearted, nice, caring and kind person and I help who I can when they need it( positive) 

[Dragonfly]

This is a great post Lost! So many times when I’ve been down with the OCD, my husband has said, “but look how far you’ve come” 

Of course though, when you’re in the depths of OCD you can’t see any positives, so this is great getting us to think about it! 

Well, after slipping back a bit, I’ve only checked when I’ve been out driving once in about 5days now, and it literally was one check, so not great, but better as sometimes I can go round in circles for ages. Also, as I checked I did think, this is just silly, which again is good for me. That gave me the shove I needed to not check again I think. I also drove loads on Saturday too, and had quite a few times when I wanted to check, but didn’t! I’ve also not thrown drinks or food away for fear that maybe I’ve contaminated them, for I think the same amount of days now!   

I’m also pleased to say, I feel the anxiety go down now, and more and more, it’s been within ten minutes if not quicker! 

Edited April 17, 2018 by Dragonfly

[taurean]

We had a big positive lift today. My wife was well enough for the first time in 2.5 months (other than emergency medical assessment then blood tests) to leave our home with me and go to Sainsbury's. 

From being completely pole-axed by hypothyroidism to this wonderful position today has been absolutely dreadful for us both, so today was just absolutely brilliant. 

And she is still up running the washing machine and tumble dryer. 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2018 by taurean
corrections

[lostinme]

4 hours ago, Dragonfly said:

This is a great post Lost! So many times when I’ve been down with the OCD, my husband has said, “but look how far you’ve come” 

Of course though, when you’re in the depths of OCD you can’t see any positives, so this is great getting us to think about it! 

Well, after slipping back a bit, I’ve only checked when I’ve been out driving once in about 5days now, and it literally was one check, so not great, but better as sometimes I can go round in circles for ages. Also, as I checked I did think, this is just silly, which again is good for me. That gave me the shove I needed to not check again I think. I also drove loads on Saturday too, and had quite a few times when I wanted to check, but didn’t! I’ve also not thrown drinks or food away for fear that maybe I’ve contaminated them, for I think the same amount of days now!   

I’m also pleased to say, I feel the anxiety go down now, and more and more, it’s been within ten minutes if not quicker! 

 how great is that, fantastic, be proud of yourself, keep going you’ve got this 

We can start climbing by the positive steps we take everyday despite our hardships with this dreaded disorder and then when achieving hurdles through our CBT we can start to see the wood again 

Lets keep going guys, build up our self esteem and confidence this will help us on our journey 

[lostinme]

1 hour ago, taurean said:

We had a big positive lift today. My wife was well enough for the first time in 2.5 months (other than emergency medical assessment then blood tests) to leave our home with me and go to Sainsbury's. 

From being completely pole-axed by hypothyroidism to this wonderful position today has been absolutely dreadful for us both, so today was just absolutely brilliant. 

And she is still up running the washing machine and tumble dryer. 

 

 

 Roy, this as been by no means an easy few months for you or your wife, but look at all the positives you’ve achieved along the way  

Its a great day for you both and I’m really pleased for you both, hope you’ve had a super day 

[lostinme]

I took my dog for a walk today and I actually faced going around the way I don’t like going and usually avoid 

I surprised myself because for once I actually enjoyed it a little, every small step 

[taurean]

That's it lost, absolutely spot on. 

[taurean]

Just been for a consultation with physiotherapist at my health club. 

My left hand has been hurting and I didn't want to ignore any necessary treatment as my right hand after trauma ended up with arthritis

The good news is it's something called De Quervain's tenosynovitis and treatable with care,  icepacks anti-inflammatory gel, and using a wrist support while using it for unpacking or gardening. 

Physio reckons it will resolve itself in a couple of months without a further consultation with him. 

Edited April 17, 2018 by taurean

[gingerbreadgirl]

On 16/04/2018 at 20:07, lostinme said:

I am a good, kind hearted, caring person, who likes to help people where possible

[lostinme]

5 hours ago, taurean said:

Just been for a consultation with physiotherapist at my health club. 

My left hand has been hurting and I didn't want to ignore any necessary treatment as my right hand after trauma ended up with arthritis

The good news is it's something called De Quervain's tenosynovitis and treatable with care,  icepacks anti-inflammatory gel, and using a wrist support while using it for unpacking or gardening. 

Physio reckons it will resolve itself in a couple of months without a further consultation with him. 

That’s great news Roy, but may be you need to take things a little slower and give it time to mend itself 

[lostinme]

7 minutes ago, gingerbreadgirl said:

Thank you gbg, you are such a sweet lady 

[taurean]

27 minutes ago, lostinme said:

That’s great news Roy, but may be you need to take things a little slower and give it time to mend itself 

Yes I think I must be careful. 

A large amount of the domestic shifting has been done, but still some way to do. 

Will get myself that hand support as soon as possible. Got the anti-inflammatory gel already, and a pack of frozen peas can act as an ice pack

 

[lostinme]

1 minute ago, taurean said:

Yes I think I must be careful. 

A large amount of the domestic shifting has been done, but still some way to do. 

Will get myself that hand support as soon as possible. Got the anti-inflammatory gel already, and a pack of frozen peas can act as an ice pack

 

Frozen peas make a great ice pack Roy  I think I need to use some at the moment, my right hand is so painful ? I think it’s down to lifting and painting I’ve been doing 

But there’s a positive in this  the pantry is nearly done 

[lostinme]

It’s a glorious day guys. Let’s look for a positive today that often goes unnoticed 

Look for one positive you’ve done today  it doesn’t have to be CBT homework, just something you’ve manage to do regardless of this dreaded disorder  and then we can start building from this, slowly replacing our negative thoughts to positive ones 

We can do this 

Lets start to build up our self esteem and confidence on the things we can do, rather than things we can’t do, this starts to build a platform to work from during CBT, replacing our negative bias 

 

[taurean]

I helped my neighbour with something she is considering. 

Then I have been working on repairing the side gate, mowing the lawn and assembling then using my strimmer. 

As lost said, it's gorgeous weather in our part of the UK and working outside has been wonderful for my physical and mental health. My mind and body were in tune, just focusing on the work I have been doing. It doesn't get much better than that

It's been so hot I have drunk a few beakerfuls of orange squash ( no added sugar variety). 

My wife has been working away inside our home, but still tires easily so gone for a snooze. 

Edited April 18, 2018 by taurean
amendment

[taurean]

My lovely stretch VW Polo passed it's MOT today and has had a full service. 

The fault in the locking mechanism on the passenger door does need a replacement part, so when that part arrives the car will go back in for the fault to be repaired. 

Prior to cooking tonight's tea I walked down to our wonderful pub for a chat with my new friends there - we had a laugh over a pint, and one of the guys used to attend the school where my mother taught, and lived in the street where my paternal grandparents lived. 

On my return I microwaved paella and served it with salad in our kitchen diner overlooking the garden. 

It's been a positive day in the beautiful sunshine of the south East Midlands

And the positivity is enhanced by helping other sufferers online here, and relaxing listening to smooth classics on Classic fm. 

Plus I am reading at bedtime a wonderful book about life on a Scottish island, written by Jenny Colgan. Calming, positive and really interesting. 

Edited April 18, 2018 by taurean
amendment

[lostinme]

Sounds like it’s been a great positive day for you Roy  

Ive just finally sat down and feel totally exhausted ? 

Its been a busy day for me, cleaning guinea, changing beds, cleaning, cleaning pantry switches and brackets free from paint, shopping, gardening which I don’t normally do alone, walking my dog around the route that makes me really anxious and bleaching around the house, two kettle fills and making dinner ? so I think all in all it’s not been a bad day therapy wise 

Building on our self esteem and confidence and replacing negative thoughts with positive ones helps us on our journey during CBT  

Having low self esteem and low confidence through negative thoughts makes it more difficult to apply CBT, so why not start lifting your mood and noticing the positive things you do daily 

[taurean]

21 minutes ago, lostinme said:

Building on our self esteem and confidence and replacing negative thoughts with positive ones helps us on our journey during CBT  

Having low self esteem and low confidence through negative thoughts makes it more difficult to apply CBT, so why not start lifting your mood and noticing the positive things you do daily 

This is spot on. We have to replace those negative neural pathways with new positive ones; gradually the old ones will drop away and fall out of use. But the new positive ones will breed more positive ones, and positivity will become our new norm, our new default bias. 

But for those of us for whom negativity is ingrained it won't happen just like that. 

It will take time, willpower and dedication. 

But it is so, so very much worthwhile. 

To see how to change our thinking, run over in your mind some things that have happened that you viewed in a negative way. 

Now consider the same things, but work out how you could view those in a much more positive way. 

This exercise in "reframing"  is a good way to help us shift from negative to positive bias. 

Edited April 18, 2018 by taurean
alteration