SnowFairy

I can definitely relate, I try to avoid being at home alone at all costs. When my husband is there I can distract myself but when I'm alone with my thoughts it's harder.

Thanks Caramoole ?

I am currently in the process of withdrawing from an SSRI after 17 years. (I was put on it for depression, not OCD.) I have slowly tapered my dose over 6 months and took my last dose on Saturday. I am definitely feeling some withdrawal symptoms but nothing too severe. I am hoping these pass with time. From what I've read the key is to do it slowly - a lot recommend reducing by 10% at a time. If you find you are getting severe symptoms you may be tapering too fast. Good luck!

Like I said, just my opinion ? I've read a lot of books on OCD and that was the one I found most helpful.

The best book (in my opinion) I have read on OCD was Brain Lock by Dr Jeffrey M Schwartz.

You know what's funny? (Not haha funny obviously) I suffer from harm OCD and one of my many obsessions on this theme is the fear that during my party days when I was a teenager and in my 20's that I committed a crime while I was drunk which I have no memory of (due to being drunk). I can tell right away from reading all your posts over the past year or so that it's clearly OCD and nothing more but I'm not able to look at my own situation as objectively. Whenever I speak to people who have a similar theme to mine and I hear their story I can always see quite clearly that's it's OCD but I can't see that when I look at my own situation. Perhaps it's a case of not being able to see the wood for the trees. I don't really have any advice as I'm struggling myself at the minute, I just found it interesting that people seem to have no problem identifying OCD in other people but struggle to do so in themselves. Maybe we need to take a step back and ask ourselves how would we view the situation if it was happening to someone else?

I'm glad others can relate, it's nice to know there are other people out there who understand what it's like. Let's hope this is the year we can all be strong and do what needs to be done to kick OCD's butt ? I turn 40 on Friday and I refuse to enter another decade of my life being held hostage by OCD.

It's nice to hear others can relate, it's such a lonely thing to go through. I look at other people with envy and think why can't I be like you and not have this constant mental torture, you feel like you're the only one and there must be something wrong with you.

I suspect that this is where I'm keeping myself stuck - by carrying out compulsions without realising they are compulsions. Sometimes I will catch myself thinking about it without realising it if that makes sense - it's like the thought has been there for so long and I'm so used to reacting to it that's it's happening on autopilot. One thing I do struggle with is I find it hard to consistently react correctly to the thought when it comes in. Sometimes I'm able to dismiss it quite easily without it upsetting me too much and other times it hits me like a ton of bricks and before I can stop myself I've reacted with fear and the anxiety is sky high. I know this is what keeps it going but sometimes the fear is there before I've even had a chance to recognised the thought for what it is.

Thank you for the advice. Is it possible to get to a place eventually where the thoughts no longer bother you even if they are still there? I've been stuck on a particular thought for over a year now and I can't bear the thought of it being there forever. I feel like it's just sucked all the enjoyment out of my life for the past year - no matter what I do it's there in the background tormenting me.

Hi everyone So I have been trying not to ruminate and when a thought comes I have been trying to see it for what it is (an OCD thought) and not engage with it and move on to something else. I think I'm managing not to consciously engage with it but I feel like I might be subconsciously doing it. Even when I refocus my mind onto another task, like reading a book, it's still there in the background at the back of my mind and I wonder if I'm engaging with the thought subconsciously without realising. I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong and this is why I've been doing this for a few weeks but the thoughts are still there or is that normal?

The morning is no worse than any other time of the day when it comes to the thoughts coming in

Thank you, I will definitely be aware of this ?

At all times of the day

Thank you, this makes sense. Hopefully I will be able to get to a place where the thought isn't automatically accompanied by fear.