gunz123 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Today I had some time to write down some of my thoughts obtained from myself, other suffers and professionals. Hope this helps 1) The nature of this disorder is doubt. If you didn't have doubt then it wouldn't be a disorder. Don't be fooled by doubt. Expect it everytime. 2) Stop the compulsions, the rest will follow. 3) However, start small. You wouldn't start training for a marathon by running 25 miles your first day. You start small and build your way up. Think of your compulsions the same way. Find your least stressful compulsion and slowly work your way up from there. 4) When your brain sends you the intrusive thought you have a choice. A proverbial fork in the road. One path, doing the compulsion, leads to short term relief. However that road is endless. The other path, choosing to experience the anxiety by not doing the compulsion, leads to suffering, however not life-time suffering. However, that road has an potential happy ending. 5) When your body/mind is experiencing anxiety don't stop it then. Your brain/body needs undergo these feelings so that it can learn it doesn't need to send you these feelings. However when you do a compulsion, take a pill/drink, your body/brain is stopped from learning. It's not fun to go through and takes time but let your brain/body learn by not stopping it. 6) Checking on whether sometime still bothers you--- "a one way ticket to hell." 7) Anticipate old problems, even if you previously "solved them" or got over them, to sometimes reappear and seem just as relevant as before. It is neither good nor bad but rather a part of this disorder. 8) Reassurance is never helpful. In fact it only teaches the brain that the problem was real and that it should continue to send you the problem. 9) By constantly not paying attention to the signal your brain gives you, your teaching your brain, slowly, that the matter is irrelevant. When your brain finally gets the message that you were not pay attention to this "problem" it will eventually stop sending you the thoughts. 10) Getting peace of mind today will not get you healthy tomorrow. However living with the the thought will. Sacrifice today for tomorrow. Link to comment
Guest Tricia Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 I agree with much of your post, but when I stopped the compulsions, associated with one of my obsessions, the rest didn't follow. Not sure how to proceed when that occurs... Link to comment
gingerbreadgirl Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 What a fantastic post, thank you x Link to comment
gunz123 Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Tricia What do you mean "the rest didn't follow." Do you mean the rest of your obsessions? Link to comment
gunz123 Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 I see what you mean. What I meant is that studies have shown that eliminating the compulsions eliminates the obsessions. You may be doing some compulsions and not even realizing it. For instance are you asking others for reassurance, are you telling yourself reassurance in your head. For example, if you're obsession is that you didn't lock your door and you stop checking it you've done good and stopped the compulsion. However, if you spend the rest the day going in your head telling yourself you looked the door or Replaying the action in your head then you are not doing a mental compulsion. Hope that helps. Link to comment
Guest Tricia Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 (edited) Thank you for your reply. No, I'm not doing any compulsions at all - overt or covert - (or wasn't) and I never ask for reassurance. Surely replaying an action in your head is a mental compulsion? Edited September 23, 2014 by Tricia Link to comment
Imhotep Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 As much as I agree with the post, reassurance is a real problem. Do I genuinely go about thinking the depraved vile thoughts I currently have are going to happen? Not sure I can do that, I can barely forgive myself for having my current thoughts. Link to comment
bendylouise Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Surely replaying an action in your head is a mental compulsion? That's what I thought, Tricia, BL. I think it was a typo? Link to comment
gunz123 Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Anything you do that pays attention to the obessions whether mentally or physically and is done to relieve some of the stress associated with the thought is a compulsion. Link to comment
evolve Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Thanks for the tips. Always nice to read a post like this. "Sacrifice today for tomorrow" needs to become my daily mantra. Chris Link to comment
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