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Things that have helped me.....


Guest OCDQueen

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Guest OCDQueen

So I have been asking a lot of questions recently and wanted to re-post some things which have been said to me which I have found very helpful to try and help others!! And to thank you all for your help! :)

1. Recognising that I shouldn't be focussing on OCD 'themes' - OCD is OCD it doesn't matter whether it is about cleaning or being a paedophile or being gay or doing mental rituals, it attacks in the same way and we all feel the same way because of it.

2. We are not alone! One of the worst things holding me back was that I felt so alone. I couldn't speak to anyone about it and when I did they didn't understand. Joining this forum was one of the best things I did. It made me realise that I am not alone and never will be alone.

3. Be kinder to yourself. OCD makes you feel like you're mad, or makes you feel guilty, or stressed that you aren't feeling better, and many more things! Don't be so hard on yourself. We all go through bad stages in life, but we should all learn to be a bit nicer to ourselves. Think about how you would be towards a friend if they were suffering.

4. Focus on today. When you are struggling in life, it is so easy to dwell on how much you miss the past, or focus too much on the future. I constantly had thoughts in my head like 'I miss how I was this time last year' or 'what if I never get better?' These type of thoughts will only prolong your suffering, and will not help. Focus on one day at a time, and reward yourself when you are doing well.

5. Someone kindly posted a reply to one of my questions the other day, with a link to some youtube videos from a man called mark freeman. I have watched a few now and I think they are great. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wK3G03WPwxs

This is the link to #1, but you can find many more!

Thank you for reading if you got this far, please post some more tips or sayings that you have found helped you, even if it only made a tiny difference. All these small helpful ideas and thoughts will help us in a huge way and we will all beat OCD :)

Thanks everyone x

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Guest OCDQueen

Plus.......

- learn to live with uncertainty and doubt. Be aware of your thoughts and feelings, stop trying to get rid of them, and learn to accept them! It is OKAY to feel like this.

- thinking too much is what caused us to feel like this, so thinking too much isn't going to stop it.

- stop trying to control, and stop trying to be certain.

- be patient.

:)

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Such a helpful post, thank you. I use the 'take each day one at a time' approach and it really helps. I also try to think of a positive in each day, something that I will enjoy, like just enjoying reading with my daughter before her bedtime or going for a walk with family, enjoying simple things like that is what keeps me going :)

Edited by Bodge
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Guest OCDQueen

Thanks everyone! Both taking time to breathe and remembering/focussing on the positives in life really helps too!! The more practice we all get with each of these things the easier it gets!

My positive today so far - just been to the gym, and my panic in the changing rooms was far less than normal, and I managed to distract myself with another task and the anxiety went! :) I recognised it for what it is for the first time in so long!! X

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Just recently I decided to give my OCD a name mainly because my husband said 'its like living with two people' One is Irene and the other one is OCD so we decided to give it a name. So we came up with ULGA.

I can't believe how much its helped me by focussing on how often ULGA rears her ugly head and takes over my mind. She has been so clever over the years telling me what to think and how to act.

I imagine her sitting on my shoulder constantly telling me what to do. So know that I have become so aware of her I either hit her of my shoulder or tell her out loud to go and get lost.

It all sounds a bit mad but I feel its helping me greatly just recognising when its me thinking and when its ULGA thinking for me.

By the way we chose ULGA just because we thought it sounded horrible.

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