auroramaple

Hi everyone, it’s been ages since I’ve posted on here! But I’ve had a bit of a spike in my OCD. I’ve had some health issues the past week and the doctors are unsure/concerned of the issue. I obviously won’t go into detail (for personal reasons and to avoid assurance seeking!). But I’ve really struggled with it. i think a big reason may be due to the fact that I’ve not really had to deal with problems with my physical health before. But I cannot stop googling and ruminating, telling myself the worst outcome is going to happen. I know this is a super common theme, so does anyone have any advice? thanks 🩷

Me and my partner moved into our new house in December last year, my OCD took a big spike then too. I’ve come to accept that any big changes in my life will cause my OCD to spiral but I think each time makes us that bit stronger!

Been on a big walk today and spent time with family, definitely eased the OCD for the day

Hi everyone, it’s been a very long time since I visited the forums but I’ve had a wobbly day so I thought it would help to get my thoughts out anyone else struggle with big changes? I’ve got a new job in September (I’m a teacher and I’ll be working at a different school for a year) and it’s set my OCD off again. I’ve noticed straight away that my intrusive thoughts have increased massively. I’m not sure if it’s a case of I’m having more thoughts than normal or if it’s that I’m attaching feelings to them again. where I’m at with my journey, I’m very lucky to not have my life be as interfered by OCD anymore. But any time I experience change, it spikes massively. It’s like my brain switches completely and I just don’t know how to cope with the intrusive thoughts again. Any advice on dealing with life changes and OCD? I know it will ‘pass’ but I get fed up of waiting. I’d really like to try a more proactive approach. thank you

This definitely sounds like your OCD is playing up about your medication. I had a very similar experience when I first started taking sertraline, I was convinced I was going to get psychosis and be sectioned. Of course it turned out it was my OCD (which will intensify because you’re taking medication) and it did surpass. I’ve now been taking it for 3 years and I have no regrets at all, it’s helped me more than I ever thought it would just remember everyone’s experience is totally different and it may not work for you - and that is totally okay. I also struggled massively with sleep in the early days of taking sertraline! I found the only thing to help was listening to sleep casts - usually calm music/noise (like rain) and someone talking over the top. Headspace has great ones hope things get better!

I’ve just started an audible membership to listen to stories whilst I go walking, there’s tonnes of OCD-related books, does anyone have any favourites or recommendations? thanks

Hello, I know this is quite a popular discussion topic but I wanted to hear from other people’s experiences. My OCD journey has been in a pretty stable place for the past two years, with the odd flare up. however I’ve noticed that over the past year my OCD rapidly spikes around the same time a month when I am due my period. I started to track them using the clue app (which is brilliant and would fully recommend!) and I can also track my mood which has been really helpful to spot the patterns. For a while it was quite manageable, as I assumed the dip in my mental health was due to my period, as it can’t be coincidental that it’s the same time every month. however, it’s becoming really intense and I’m finding it harder to come out of the spike, getting through the day is becoming harder. I’m getting to the point where I’m considering seeing the doctor about it, although with the very little knowledge about the correlation between the two, I’ve got a feeling they won’t be able to do much for me. I already take antidepressants (full dosage) and I’m on contraception. has anyone else had a similar experience? I hate the feeling of anticipating a spike in my OCD every month. thank you 🩷

Everyone is different so the best person to speak to is your doctor but from my experience, every time I upped my dosage I experienced some intense side effects which wore off. I’m now on 200mg a day and it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Hope things get better!

I love all of these answers, and they resonate so much with me. I’ve been on sertraline for 2 and a half years. I’ve happily accepted that I’m probably going to be on this medication for a very long time. It doesn’t ‘fix’ OCD, a lot of that is down to our willingness and hard work. But it does make the journey easier. I found that it allows me to tackle those thoughts whilst living a normal (ish) life. I’ve just had a big set back (genuinely thought I was back at square one) and just like @snowbear said, you just have to start again. And the more times this happens, the easier it is to start over

Hi everyone, Im posting this because I’m feeling quite deflated after a bit of a spike with my OCD. I’ve had several themes, one of them being around my relationship. I’ve been with my partner for nearly 7 years. We’re in a very strong relationship and have been through a lot with my mental health. He’s been an absolute saint throughout the whole journey and I could never thank him enough. I had a very severe obsession about me being unfaithful/having feelings for someone else. It was about a male friend from work who I was pretty close with, he was really a lovely guy and was there for me through a lot of other life things that were going on at the time. We used to go on a lot of work nights out, I didn’t have the best relationship with alcohol, and it was definitely a coping mechanism during the tough life circumstances at the time. There was one night where this friend stroked my leg in the taxi on the way home and I didn’t stop him. fast forward 2 years later, I remembered this said event, which I’d obviously forgotten about and it spiralled out of control. I made myself very ill. It was before I knew I had OCD, or even knew what OCD actually was. The compulsions were horrendous - confessing again and again, checking memories, convincing myself things happened when they didn’t. I convinced myself that I had feelings for him. It was a very hard time. After a long recovery and seeking help/medication, I overcame this theme. However occasionally there are small triggers. Such as recently, we have been watching a TV show where the main character has an affair. It has brought all of those feelings back. I just feel totally devastated and ashamed. Of all the themes I’ve had, of harm and even POCD. This one hits me the hardest. I think it’s because I love my partner so much and the thought of losing him breaks my heart. I’m truly holding out that this will be just a blip, and will surpass. But I can’t help feeling that these triggers are going to come for the rest of my life and the thought of having to deal with feeling like I don’t deserve my relationship every so often is terrifying. I’m so sorry for such a depressing (and long) post. I just needed a place to express these feelings as it would be very hard for someone without OCD to understand. Any advice for these feelings would be very appreciated

Hi guys, just wanted to post on here because it’s been a really rough day today. I had some pretty intense training about safeguarding at work and it was heavily centred around past themes I’ve had. These are themes I’ve really not had issues with for a long time but I suppose I found it quite triggering. I’m trying really hard not to ruminate and even though it’s increased the intrusive thoughts I feel like I’m not letting them affect me as much. I’m just struggling with the feelings of guilt today. I can fully appreciate how important the training is though and it’s something I have to sit through. So on a positive note, I suppose I’ve had a huge exposure today and I’ve made it through it!

Hey, thought I’d share some positivity Been struggling a bit recently with my OCD, I’m a teacher and it’s the summer holidays so I think the lack of routine has thrown me off. I’ve been making sure I’ve got lots of things in my toolkit to keep me busy. Today I was struggling a bit more than usual so I took myself out for a 2 hour walk and listened to an OCD podcast. I felt so much better afterwards. So I just thought I’d share this and would fully recommend!! It’s the simple things that help us on our journey. Also any OCD-themed podcast recommendations would be amazing!

Hi I wanted to post this to ask others’ experiences with having OCD and drinking alcohol. I’m not a big drinker at all but will occasionally drink in social situations like birthdays, nights out etc. I do tend to get drunk in these situations too (which I know is okay and something I’m allowed to do ) I’ve always had a bit of a funny relationship with alcohol, quite often my anxiety spikes afterwards, which I know is common for people who don’t even suffer with mental health. I’d noticed as my OCD improved, my relationship with alcohol improved but I still did get some of that anxiety the next day. Some of my previous obsessions have linked to drinking also (mainly ROCD). I actually decided to have a break from drinking and haven’t since February. I was at a wedding this weekend and had my first drink for a while, I got quite drunk, as did all my friends and I did have a good time. But as suspected, the anxiety crept in and now I’m starting to have some thoughts and rumination about whether I behaved appropriately. anyone else struggle with this? I’m wondering whether staying sober is the right path for me. I do enjoy drinking in social situations and the OCD doesn’t always creep in but when it does it makes me question whether it is actually worth my while. just a thought I had - was interested to hear others’ experiences!

Hi everyone, it’s been a while since I posted on here. Since starting my OCD journey 2 years ago I have come on leaps in my recovery, and I’m in a much better place. I’m just having a bit of a blip this week, which I do have occasionally, my mental health is just not at its best. Obviously this is completely normal and that’s what my rational brain tells me - but of course my OCD brain is trying to tell me otherwise. I hate when I’m in this headspace, I’m by no means anywhere near as low as when I was really struggling, but there’s this annoying voice niggling away at me. I get into this mindset of ‘I’m going to be like this forever’, ‘you’re back at square one again’ or ‘you’ll never be truly happy’ Usually these blips pass, I just find it so hard not to be pessimistic when I’m in one. anyone have any advice when you’re having an off mental health period? thank you

Hi Kemu I really wanted to reply here as I feel like I was in a very similar situation. Unfortunately it can be so hard to get a diagnosis, which is very frustrating. I’m afraid I don’t know much about Scotland in terms of getting diagnosed as I know it’s different to here. I was very lucky that I was able to get a private diagnosis. But at the end of the day, someone telling me I had OCD didn’t make a huge amount of difference. I knew I had it, I think my OCD brain just needed confirmation (it is the doubting disease after all ). Most people who have OCD probably haven’t got a diagnosis, but you can still seek help I think being honest with the doctor is the best way forward, as scary as it is. OCD-UK has some great resources as someone mentioned previously. in terms of telling other people, I think it’s a good idea, as long as you’re comfortable with it. You do not have to go into detail about the intrusive thoughts. Just simply say, I have OCD and I wanted to let you know. I told my boss and it lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders. Your boss sounds very understanding so I’m sure you’ll have no issues at all! I’ve spoken to selective friends/family about my OCD, again you can tell them as much or as little as you want to. It’s whatever you feel comfortable with