No2m

I can relate to all you mention unfortunately especially expecting the worst being a saftey mechanism .... how to escape this cycle? Still working on it basically it takes me to get to a low point before I expose myself to my fears not ideal I know but can be a starting point

I don't know about help as such but I offer my sympathy its hard to try to control work related ocd themes believe me how ever to me you come across as a very professional person plus other people s perception of us is not within our control so let them get on with it trust me I m experiencing the same situation right now and its hard to keep my temper but we must belive in our selves and if you ve received pay rises and bonuses you must be competent and worthy of them

I can understand both points of view avoidance not good definitely compulsion but also distracting oneself when really under the spell of ocd yes it can work for me . The bottom line seems you can have all the tools to hand but still have to tailor them to your own circumstances there in seems the problem for most of us what we can make work

What in the way of treatment have had ?

Hi kirby 42 I can echo some of your post firstly respect regarding working abroad my ocd flares just moving sites which happens a lot in my job. I find a change of scenery has my ruminating temporarily of the scale with me trying to think of all outcomes associated with new surrounding very debilitating! Also news stories I tend to avoid as much coverage as possible call it a avoidence compulsion if u like it works for me as there just seems a bias towards bad news these days and not enough good stories to balance it.Depression due to my intrusive thought s oh yes (30+years) but have managed it some how and I do also suffer scrupulosity where anything I do wrong causes huge anxiety and it is this that dominate s me now however as u state u had good years so hold on to that ideal.i myself am just taking one day at a time and refuse to let this b****y condition dictate anymore to me

Hi phil this is always a difficult time of year for a lot of us especially re families . Despite our best efforts their actions can get under your skin .Myself I have my mother in law down each year who is the polar opposite of positive a person can be so each year I have a proper spike just when I m looking forward to some relaxation !! Quite simply she's manipulative ignorant. .. could go on but unfortunately there s nothing I can do but await her departure

Hi bruces thats a big question but mostly its family for me everyone has their own outlook passions interest s I guess and they get along with it . The thing is with ocd we self analyse everything! I find myself sometimes asking exactly the same thanks to my ocd its then I get ****** off and come out fighting against it . I look at this way its had /has enough of my time so if I can win some back during the day there's a good point

When entering cbt its a lottery it seems to the standard of treatment you get some of the posts here are staggering! Although we need the structure of professional treatment the level of understanding here on the forum still takes some beating in my opinion ... have a good day all

Hi oceanblue no matter what the thought s are they don't reflect who we really are ... hope you feel better soon keep fighting

Hi cah05 sorry your struggling at the moment I ve had that pain in my head and yes the feeling of how to get through an hour let alone a day for me a big theme was/is harming others however 34years later I still have not so it can be done its a hard struggle yes but you have perfect motivation to carry on in your little one I wish you strength and positivity

Hi guys couldn't help coming back to this great thread .taurean your idea of keeping busy right up my street the more distractions to occupy our minds in a enjoyable positive manner the better! Could do with some now working round the bosses house (woe) still currently not ruminating which is good re old peculiar 3was my limit then over and out !

Hi californiadreaming .. yes we all derserve a beautiful life especially at this time of year and we all need support to grapple with our ocd and if motivation was needed it is the goal of happiness that keeps me going even through bad times... never give up people ! Good thoughts to all

Hi philm just read something uplifting in your post despite all the regrets we all will have over time lost we always tend to overlook any of the achievements experienced whilst in the grip of ocd such as your career and degrees I just forget sometimes the good stuff/memories even if few and far between maybe I should make good recollections more often cheers

Hi bel ana the type of theme you describe used to dominate me too but over the years it reduced to almost nothing how ever other themes became dominant which I struggle with today so as the other guys have said its all about ocd regardless of themes its just about dealing with what ever form intrusive thought s take

Sorry to hear your struggling lostintime when I joined the forum recently you were oneof the first to extend a welcome so I wish you well very soon and much positivity