PolarBear

Avoidance doesn't work long term because it sets the obsession clear in your mind that there are contamination issues where you shop. Then the one time you do shop your anxiety level will go through the roof and you'll be performing compulsions like mad. A better choice would be to shop frequently or just go to the stores and walk around. Have a clear understanding that you won't perform compulsions during or after each trip. To start your anxiety will be high. Over time it will come down on its own and you will be teaching your brain that those places are not as scary as OCD was telling you they are.

You aren't on your own. That's why we're here. I think you might be surprised at how resilient people can be and accepting of this disorder if you give them the opportunity. I was so certain I would be abandoned if I told about my thoughts that I kept them a secret for 40 years. I finally spilled the beans and I'm so glad I did. My file had been nothing but supportive.

Thanks to both if you.

Or you just wouldn't notice because they're natural to you.

You need to have a good foundation of CBT therapies to draw on so when you do go out to shop you are prepared to deal with triggers. Sorry things didn't work out today.

Recovery is not a slightly inclined, flat, smooth road. It is peppered with potholes, curves, peaks and valleys. Overall the road leads up.

Thanks gingerbread. Since embarking on the road to recovery I've become very interested in helping others with the disorder. I know what it's like to suffer. My responses here may be a bit blunt sometimes but I have a lot of empathy for what others go through. Eventually I'd like to start a support group in my area where sufferers can meet, vent and maybe feel not so alone. Before the group, I am working on a book about my experience with OCD and pure o thoughts.

Gemzi3, why are you posting this on an OCD forum? If the fear is real and justified shouldn't you be posting this somewhere else that doesn't deal with mental disorders?

I figured this had to do with a trigger. Well, you know what needs to be done as well as anyone on here. Besides, think of the cost involved for me to fly all the way from Canada just to find you and kick you in the butt. Much less costly for you to kick your OCD where the sun don't shine. :-P

I am a rare one on this forum in that I believe the right medication can play a crucial role in OCD recovery. However, I also believe one needs to be trained in CBT/ERP to deal with obsessions that do slip through. Therapy is also crucial if you go off your meds. If meds are controlling your symptoms very well and you go off them, what do you have to fall back on when and if the symptoms reappear? I would never advise anyone to go off meds without having a game plan in place to deal with the eventual rise of obsessions.

Yeah I understand. It can be a real balancing act to get them just right.

You blew it. Gay men don't try and see if they get aroused. They either do or don't. Looks like that particular compulsion didn't pan out.

Were you searching on the Web previously for news stories?

I think an important part of recovery is to understand what OCD is and to gain a good understanding of your own OCD. Well done.

Inspirational Ollie. Well done.

Not that I've noticed. Do you take it all at once and when do you take it? I take 1mg at night, 0.5 MG in the morning. I was told not to take any more than a half milligram in the morning because it could male me drowsy.

I'm on respiradone. 1 MG at night. I sleep like a baby. I take SSRI'S in the morning.

GS23 your post makes perfect sense. Have a look around the forum and you'll find many people talking about how stressful situations make the OCD worse. You are not alone.

I feel for you loribee. I went through my teens with intrusive thoughts. I know what it's like. There was no way I wanted to talk to anyone for fear of bring ridiculed and embarrassed.

Don't feel silly. You're just better informed. :-)

Compulsions come in many different varieties. You should do some more research so you can understand what compulsions are. You'll likely be surprised how much time you actually spend on compulsions. The big compulsion you've probably missed is rumination. That is deep thinking, going over things in your mind. It is normal for an obsession to last a few seconds but the ruminating (a compulsion) to go on for hours.

They're a sort of magical thinking obsession. I've had them. None of them came true. Don't wait four more years to prove the obsession wrong. Start naming it OCD and resist those compulsions.

Goin' down, baby. Goin' down.;-)

To me it reads of reassurance seeking.

Sorry bout that. That would be the result of me not watching the autocorrect on my phone. It should read 'someone' not 'something.