L.M.

Glad to hear you are getting back to normal after a bout with COVID... Hope your day went ok with getting on with things without too much rumination. My challenges have been going ok...ups and downs for sure... Mostly just working with the days as they are offered to me rather than any set out challenges, but should get back to that...

@Ma29 You are really such an inspiration! Good for you for all the work you have done. @northpaul Awesome! Must be nice to achieve a nice clean clutter-free place as a result of following through with advice you got through therapy!

Hope you're feeling better determination. That is excellent you are using this time to step up to that extra challenge of not ruminating while not feeling your strongest. That does sound really tough having to manage a chronic pain condition along with the ocd. Good for you for doing your best with it!

@GreenyGreen23 Sorry to hear you had a rough time after the run. Yes, sometimes we can put all the things in place that seems like should make us feel better, but ocd can still hit. So we just keep on learning. A big thing I think is learning how to not avoid the anxious feelings but to just move ahead without compulsions regardless. That is when it won't matter if the brain goes into anxious panic. We just carry on not trying to get rid of it. It sure is difficult in practice but once we see how it works on during our less anxious times, we start to gain confidence that it will work as we move up our hierarchy. I still have lots of difficulty when the anxiety really hits hard but when I can remember to not to engage in compulsions and just move on with my day, it goes so much better. Really looking forward to hearing how your CBT sessions go!

That's awesome James! Hope you have a great weekend too!

That sounds good.--getting on with the day. I know rumination can be a tough one. I have had some good successes last couple of days. Pushed myself out of comfort zone the other day and felt the anxiety come on later on and wanted to just sink into rumination and googling and despairing....but got up and made a meal, and did my laundry and the day went much better then. I also opened and used some food that I had put away a while back because of contamination fears.... however, now i have a new grocery item with more contamination fears! lol.

@howard These are the recommendations I would classify as adding compulsions/avoidance behaviours that will just fuel ocd further: Those are all recommendations that would only fuel the ocd further. I completely agree with all what @ocdjonesy said in her posts. Move on, go to the gym when you feel like, look around the room. No big deal!

@BelAnna Awesome! Sounds like a really good day out. Good for you for facing those fears and doing it anyway! Ah yes! Breaks are allowed! How was the weekend?

Hey @GreenyGreen23 Yes I can well relate to ocd taking up so much time. Hopefully you can find the way that suits you best to really start on CBT because that is what really gave me so much freedom and so much more time in a day as well as relief from the terrible distress I felt on a regular basis. I don't know what is 'normal' for laundry,(i think it's good to realize there is no 'normal', we get to decide what we think is ok for us), but I do know for me that by facing the ocd stuff I had around it, laundry has become so much more manageable. I decided what is 'normal' for me and my laundry and am so glad to not be having to do so much of it these days! How have the last few days been for you?

Yes that is common to feel it will go on forever or it will be too much to handle...but that is where the cognitive methods are helpful and then learning how to use a hierarchy to break our approach down into small manageable steps so the anxiety isn't overwhelming. I would really recommend getting a book that uses cbt as a method and reading through it so you can see how the whole process works. Or there might be some good talks on this website that might make you feel more comfortable with the idea too...

The workbook I used and still refer back to on a regular basis is called "Getting over OCD--a 10 step workbook for taking back your life" by Jonathan Abramowitz. I found it excellent for getting into understanding CBT and how it works, and for helping me find the motivation to face the anxieties around doing cbt. Lots of excellent worksheets, and methods all broken down to what I found a really manageable approach.

I actually have ocd about posting links! lol! But yeah I was just googling it and while I did find various worksheets that come close to what I used, it wasn't exactly what I used and it would also not be that beneficial if you don't have the write up about it and how it is applied to ocd... I can say that the workbook I used, which includes the worksheet I used, is called "Getting Over OCD-a 10-step workbook for taking back your life." It is by Jonathan Abramowitz and I found it really helpful.

I have found this whole thread an interesting and informative read. It is really good to hear from people who have either supplemented their CBT , or found another route that seemed to work for them. I know @taurean has often mentioned additional approaches he made that made a big difference in his recovery as well. I know for me I am currently looking at more ways to add to the improvements that CBT and meds has made for me, since I still have a ways to go before i would consider myself recovered, so it is good to read about what others have explored. And yes I would hope that people posting would always be shown respect, and allow for a respectful discussion about it. I had been wondering what psychoanalysis worked for people, so thank you @Handy for specifying which type you found helpful.

This is so great! Wonderful for not giving in to the compulsions!

Did you begin with this? If so how is it going? I am feeling quite happy with how my week's gone in general... Put away laundry I was afraid was contaminated Didn't shower or change after feeling triggered at grocery store Ate from my garden that I had contamination fears about Touching lots of trees, rocks, flowers out on my walks