gingerbreadgirl

I feel like this about Christmas as well and roys post is really helpful x

I know you're going through a really hard time but try not to let real life worries get tangled up in OCD worries. Go to the market, enjoy it, have a drink and do all the things you would do if none of these worries were present. Take care of yourself and your family and try not to pick up the stick every time OCD throws it to you - just leave it be, leave it alone. x

OK why would you have done this even if drunk? You have absolutely no interest in children. You don't suddenly become a paedophile even when drunk. The people in the news are paedophiles and sexual abusers. You are not. Why on earth would you have suddenly have done this? What would have been your motivation? There is absolutely no reason. Saz this is ocd, we can try and get that through to you a hundred thousand ways but only YOU can decide enough is enough and stop wasting your life on something so blatantly untrue.

Compulsions always always fail and they always lead to ocd worsening which you are now finding. The only way out of this is to stand up to your ocd, stop doing any compulsions and sit with the anxiety for as long as it takes.

One technique I often use is to tell myself "I will deal with this later, but not right now". It can feel overwhelming the idea of leaving something alone which feels so urgent, real and alarming - forever. But you can think "OK I will be irresponsible for now. I will deal with this later." Then when later comes you may find you can think "OK I will leave this a little longer " and eventually it starts to bother you a little less, then a little less. It's similar to the one day at a time philosophy of addicts. I've found is really helped me to drastically curb the amount of ruminating I do so thought I'd share!

OK here's another question : Are you 100% certain you committed this crime? If not why not?

I'm glad you and Julie are feeling more up to Christmas this year hope you both have a lovely time

good tips Roy. I am trying to feel Christmassy but honestly I don't really want it this year, I'd be happy to cancel the whole thing! It is just too much of everything!

Something to bear in mind is that asking someone to put your mind at rest is a compulsion because you're looking for reassurance (as understandable as that is). Have you done any CBT for your ocd? Gbg x

I agree with pb I think the article is poorly worded. Ocd can be about real or false events but real event ocd is of a different nature i.e. The sufferer obsesses about how bad the incident was, not whether it actually happened. False memory is when the sufferer obsesses about whether the event happened. The focus of the obsession is different. That said, all ocd is really the same and although false memory ocd focuses on imagined events, that is not to say there is a guarantee they didn't happen - as with any kind of ocd we can't have certainty that our worry is groundless. We have to move on despite not having that certainty.

Hi Charlie I wouldn't read in to no one replying - I think it's because you've not asked anything so people aren't sure what advice you would like? What you've described above is very common for ocd sufferers.

How do you know this? I think this is an important point because actually you don't know this. You don't know it at all you have no evidence either way - just as you don't with your party. So why are you not worried about it?

Crime is everywhere. I live in one of the top burglary hotspots for the whole country. But there's also a ton of nice people here too. Life isn't black and white and never will be. You need to work at accepting that.

Hi Ollie Ocd loves to ruin a good thing. The best advice I can give you is to bring it along for the ride but don't let it drive - by which I mean don't force it away but don't let it make any decisions either. New relationships are inherently uncertain which can make pretty much everyone anxious. My advice is to just go with it, let it unfold at its own pace and just let ocd hum along in the background. Let it in but don't engage with it. As much as it doesn't feel like it sometimes, ocd is not in the driving seat, you are! X

You are a big believer in not analysing and I think now is good time to put it into practice a thing happened, a minor thing in the scheme of things - put it behind you and move on as best you can.