PolarBear

Hello, Barnes. You find yourself in a difficult situation. I surmise someone who does not understand OCD heard about your intrusive thoughts and pushed the panic button. OCD sufferers' minds blow things out of proportion. It can be much worse when people around them, without knowledge of the disorder, do the same thing. Remember this: intrusive thoughts are not intentions. As if battling OCD isn't enough, you now must fight for your rights. Have you been diagnosed with OCD? Are you under the care of a licensed therapist.

And yet, you have to let it go. That's the bottom line. You want certainty but OCD will not let you have it. I have seen sufferers drive themselves to the brink through years of ruminating and other compulsions. You cannot think your way out of this.

Just with what you wrote, your therapist will have a good understanding of what is going on. I really don't think you need to do anymore. You've done well.

Excellent news. Treat yourself. A movie, a new book, chocolate, whatever. Then just move forward.

Some of the world's most beautiful people are garbage human beings. What's most important is what you think of you, because that is what you project to the world. Every time you go back and read those comments, you do yourself a disservice. You reconfirm in your head that something is wrong with you based on extremely biased opinions of a bunch of yahoo's. Stop reading those comments. Those people don't know you. They'll never know you. In fact, not one of them even remembers you. They've all moved on to trash someone else.

Dude. Laughter for mental health is seriously underrated. Watching L & H or a modern comedian can really lift your spirits and more importantly, get your mind off your worries.

I shouldn't, but... In the past 10 years, after a testy exchange, I have ended with Have fun or Have a great day, not out of sarcasm, but as a way of backing out and saying, no hard feelings.

Of course in my view. What else could it be?

Sorry, but there's nothing to cool down. Have fun.

I've never said my viewpoint is the only one.

Concerning meeting people half way, do you consider the possibility that, like with OCD, your perception of some user's posts is blown out of proportion? When I was on my recovery journey, I realized that the cognitive distortions (black and white thinking, catastrophizig) that were ever present in my OCD struggle also plagued me in other aspects of my life. A simple broken plate would send me into a tailspin. A word spoken could put me in a bad mood for days.

In a funny way, from my perspective, this banter back and forth is EXACTLY what this thread is about. Some users are being called aggressive and nasty. Our 'tone' isn't correct. From my viewpoint, none of that is real.

Paul, you need to take a chill pill. You are seeing things that are not there. McW's post was directed at me. He is feeling cringey because he previously called me a name and now we get along great. There is nothing wrong with his tone. Nor did his post have anything to do with you. It was directed at me. I laughed. It was all in good nature. Perhaps this would be a good time for one of snowbear's great posts about how perceptions can get messed up.

Nasty? Where do these perceptions come from? I read McW's post and laughed.I know why he's feeling cringy. It has nothing to do with being nasty.

Heh. I believe you also referred to me and a few others as the chosen ones. It's all good. I don't take offense to that or being called aggressive. There's a lot of pain here and sometimes people need to vent. Off to the store for Mama Juice (aka a box of wine).

Just realizing that last bit, even though it may not feel like it, means you are on the road to recovery. Smile and have some chocolate.

I am blunt at times, as are others. Aggressive? Not in the least. I am extremely even-keeled.

Is there a chance that it is you with a problem, that you may be overly sensitive? I've reread jonesy's post to you and I do not see her disrespecting you or acting surly.

Yes and no. Your telling words are "exaggerated response". That's exactly what OCD is. I think when Caramoole says "None of this is real", she means the level of anxiety and fear felt with OCD is not real. OCD blows everything out of proportion. Is asbestos harmful? Yes. Does the presence of it in ceiling tiles require the extraordinary lengths that some sufferers go to? No. The same is true for all forms of OCD. The response (feelings like anxiety and fear, and compulsions) is exaggerated. Covid, I have to admit, was a one-off situation because of its newness. It was our first pandemic in 100 years. Our knowledge of the coronavirus changed daily. Expert advice changed rapidly. Misinformation spread like wildfire. And the damn virus kept evolving. It was, for some sufferers, the worst thing to come along.

Of course Covid was a real threat. People were dying. I don't recall me ever saying Covid was the same as the flu. I'd have to see what I wrote and in what context. I did not personally attack howard. I called a spade a spade. He has repeatedly stated he feels contamination OCD is different to other forms. I say hogwash. You can agree or disagree.

Jonesy, I absolutely love the comparison of OCD to Gollum. Brilliant.

Simonsky, you've become a bit of a student of the howard school, believing contamination OCD is different than other forms because there is something real to be concerned with. My advice is you need to break that thought pattern. One, because it isn't true and two because it's going to severely hold you back. If you keep telling yourself your fear is justified, you aren't going to challenge yourself to conquer your obsession. You'll keep telling yourself that your compulsions are warranted when they're not.

Group hug!

I sort of agree. The treatment of OCD is highly recommended to be CBT and ERP, however you are saying, I think, that other maladies can be present which, when treated, can make it far easier to deal with the OCD.

Hello, Legend. Been a long time. Hope you're keeping well.