Jump to content

Andrea

OCD-UK Member
  • Posts

    574
  • Joined

Everything posted by Andrea

  1. Hi littlered I am happy you feel positive talking about your OCD :clapping: . You have no idea what this means for me in this moment!!.... You know...I always going to figth against OCD :boxing: ....But the last 2 weeks... I`ve been feeling myself so lost and miserable... like never before... In fact ...I am going to let you know something else...Yesterday I was so depressed that :down: I passed all the morning crying in my bedroom... suddenly I remembered your reply (Oct 12 2009) and write you back (Posted Yesterday, 7:04 PM) was the only thing that made me get up of my bed ...and continue my day with a little of self steem and respect for myself. believe it or not... you help me to understand that tomorrow is another day!! THANK YOU FOR THAT!!! Andrea. P.S. I have no idea about getting an appointment with a CBT therapist, here in chile there no that kind of specialist . But I am totally sure that someone in the forum will help you with that , don`t worry!!..
  2. Hi Hanna :original: You are wellcome!! I am glad you have a diagnosis then!! You know what? I am agree with you about a low self esteem is probably a consecuense of having OCD. So based in what you described ...what you have to do now is.. :boxing: build your self esteem and confidence :boxing: ... Honestly I have to do the same, I really do. a big hug, Andrea.
  3. Hi littlered, You are wellcome!! You have no idea how happy I am with your reply :clapping: . That what you said about most of your anxiety comes from the fact that you feel like you are really blessed in life and you know that nothing lasts forever.... WOW, I` ve always been worried about THE SAME!!! Ironically I never realized that I was thinking in that way before reading your reply, Thank you littlered :laugh: !! You have no idea how you help me If you prefer do not tell to your parents that you are having a hard time with OCD, then don`t tell them, but at some point you feel that your OCD is giving you too much trouble you should look for a consultation with a specialist in CBT. (And even if you feel that you don`t need a therapist, keep in mind that he can give you good tips to destroy your actual rituals and help you to identify problems and asxieties that maybe you are not taking into account today) Andrea
  4. Hi littlered I have OCD related to religion too and I am 26, so don`t worry you are not the only one with this kind of OCD. Andrea
  5. Hi Congratulations Florence!!! :homesh: keep going!!! Andrea.
  6. Sorry guys I posted by mistake to all the group!!
  7. Hello Hanna! You know, I identify a lot with the signs and symptoms that you have described before.. ....I was diagnosed on 2004 with OCD.... but the best way you can confirm if you have OCD or some kind of mental illness is to meet for a mental health professional for a consultation... it is possible that you are dealing with some kind of anxiety or mood disorder...Who knows? maybe it is not OCD ...maybe all you need is a little help to believe in an alternative opinion of yourself!! ... a good psychologist can help you to improve a low self esteem... and when the health professional complete the diagnonsis he will recommend the best treatment for you.... it is important you talk to your parents or someone you can trust, like a good friend, about how you are feeling :hug: If you are having a hard time, don`t hide the way you feel from the people who cares about you. I hope it helps, Andrea. P.S. Try to look for a mental health professional as soon as possible for a consultation.
  8. Hello jessica!! :boxing: ( FIGHTING AGAINST OCD ) How have you been with the sleeping situation? Andrea.
  9. :original: Dear Claire88! With mental preparation, I wanted to say, have a plan "B" in your pocket that help you avoid to put unnecessary pressure on your sholders. Some strategies to control in a better way those things that you really CAN and eliminate some of the stressors in your lifestyle. It could help you with your OCD. :box: For example: Don’t wait till the last minute when you should drive to somewhere, do it with plenty of time to eliminate some of the stressors (like traffic, etc). The next time one thing on the road starts bother you, make some exercises breathing in the middle of the stressful situation to stay calm and continue driving!!, For example when I think that I am going to collapse I take a deep breath, a reallyyyyy DEEP ONE! and if i need it.. I take 2, 3 or all that I need of them. AND ALSO keep a positive and brave actitud, for example, like legend well say pulling over just increase your OCD, I am totally agree with him, but JUST IN CASE that you have to, don`t FELL yourself GUILTY!! keep in mind a positive actitud! and say: "I am pulling me over, but only because one of my OCD thougths is giving me too much trouble. Now I'm taking a little break, nothing bad will happen IF I JUST KEEP DRIVING". And when you were ready, in a very bravely way, you continue driving even IF some new thougths appears in your mind, you just keep driving! In case you are in your office.. and the OCD is given you a bad time, sometimes it is a good idea to "take a break", maybe going to somewhere you can be alone for a few minutes and think with out any presion, for example I used to go to the bathroom for a minutes or some empty room, any place where you feel save, will works)... and when you calm down yourself a little..then you go back to continue whatever you were doing in your job. Andrea ...Don`t give up Claire88!!!
  10. Hi :original: , The same thing happened to me!! What do I do when that happens? Drink some warm milk before bedtime. It may sound like a grandmathers usually say, but it does help!!. Also when I want to sleep and I can`t, I used to do something REALLY REALLYYYYYYYY boring too get myself tired sooner. If you like napping.. try don`t take a too long nap, because you will recover all the hours you didn`t sleep the nigth before...And when you should go to bed again, you will not feel tired. I hope it helps, Andrea.
  11. Hello Claire88 and Beth :original: , Have you ever tried to do a mental preparation before get in the car?... Andrea.
  12. Hello Fali :original: , I`d never seen an article with audio recording of Patient Voices with OCD It is so great and different!! THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS SPECIAL ARTICLE!! Andrea.
  13. Hello legend Good article!! :clapping: Excelent way to show us that we are not the only people that are living with a psicological torture. Andrea
  14. Hello Johnny, You know what? After reading your message, I`ve been wondering myself why this happen, I mean, why when people with OCD resist an urge, it goes? (it could take time, maybe a lot, but it finally goes!! :clapping: ). And reading a lot of the invaluable information that appears on the OCD-UK website and specially The Four Steps (summary) by Dr Jeffrey Schwartz. I think that an answer could be that it happens because when fight all these intrusive thoughts with mental or physical rituals (checking, reassurance, hoarding, etc). what we really are doing with these actions (rituals) is causing bilogical changes in our neurons and an imbalance in our brain chemical like a consecuence of the anxious caused for the OCD thoughts. But my point is that maybe for this it is so important that when we fight against our OCD :boxing: doing the opposite to avoiding a feared situation or objects and expose ourself to what makes us feel anxious, we are causing at the same time a biological change in our neurons, and helping to balance our brain chemical, and this is the why the intrusive thoughts finally goes, when we refuse doing the compulsions, the brain and the mind start working in a better way because we contribute with our own brain chemical. So our neurons change when our mind start learning new ways to explore and challenge the meaning attached to the thoughts(CBT) and for this is so important the CBT therapy and simultaneously (if it is necesary) use medications like a kind of ...and this is how we can figth and mantain the chemicals in our brain in balance and mantain our OCD under control. What do you think? do you concur with this OCD mechanism idea? Have a good day with your OCD under control , Andrea.
  15. Hello Emma.c, I think that there is no a rule that teach you how to identify the intrusive OCD thoughts, AND if you think that still is difficult to know when you are having an OCD thougth and when you are not, I am totally agree with you because it is not easy and also takes time start to understand and recognise the OCD thougths, but don`t torture yourself if maybe you can`t do it NOW, because in some point you will succeed.. ...like I wrote you before "Practice makes perfect", Try to keep going with your life as well as you can and when you feel that you are scared with a situation or an object or you feel that something that you are thinking is really bother you and you can`t stop thinking on that :lamo: , well...I believe it could be a kind of first clue :Lighten: that can make you start to recognise that what ever you were thinking in that moment and was causing you feel so anxious would be an OCD thougth. Maybe can help you some information from The Four Steps: Step By Dr Jeffrey Schwartz that appears on the OCD-UK website : http://www.ocduk.org/2/1relabel.htm The critical first step is to learn to recognise obsessive thoughts and compulsive urges. You don't want to do this in a merely superficial way; rather, you must work to gain a deep understanding that the feeling that is so bothersome at the moment is an obsessive feeling or a compulsive urge. To do so, it is important to increase your mindful awareness that these intrusive thoughts and urges are symptoms of a medical disorder. Whereas simple, everyday awareness is almost automatic and usually quite superficial, mindful awareness is deeper and more precise and is achieved only through focused effort. It requires the conscious recognition and mental registration of the obsessive or compulsive symptom. You should literally make mental notes, such as, 'This thought is an obsession; this urge is a compulsive urge." You must make the effort to manage the intense biologically mediated thoughts and urges that intrude so insistently into consciousness. This means expending the necessary effort to maintain your awareness of what we call the Impartial Spectator, the observing power within us that gives each person the capacity to recognise what's real and what's just a symptom and to fend off the pathological urge until it begins to fade and recede. I hope it can helps, take care and keep FIGTHING :boxing: Andrea.
  16. WOW! It is a huge thing that you controlled yourself and avoid screaming. OCD sucks!! in so many levels. But don´t feel so bad cause what happenned you, I am totally sure that most people with OCD have had similar experiences when they are going to a shopping centre, I had a similar day like yours but in a supermarket, but I was not able to choose the food items that I wanted to buy (due to my OCD thoughts) so I just did my best in there, and returned to my home feeling me awfull and extremly anxiuos, worried, tired with a lot of thoughts on my mind. I think that when I remember that day I can understand pretty much how you are feeling right now. And I am complete sure that a lot of members have felt in that way too in some point of his/her OCD life. One day my psicologyst told me that the goal on this "OCD GAME" is controlling the anxiety. So I´ve been trying to follow her advice, but I trully believe that it is easy to say when the world is not on your shoulders and your heart is not heating really fast because you only can foccuss on your fears. Well, Practice :boxing: makes perfect! so if something is hard it dosen´t meant that it is impossible to achieve ..rigth?. I`m going to practice controlling the anxiety in my next "supermarket situation" or at least I am going to try it. would you like to try doing the same in your next "shopping situation"? I hope you are feeling a little better tomorrow or soon. take care, and don´t give up Andrea.
  17. Hi dtrotter9, Something similar happen to me when I am on the computer, I mean, I get a loooot of anxiety and it is because I have an OCD pure, so my rituals are mental, for example if somebody make a noise that scared me, or turn on the TV and coincidentally there some tv program that scared me .. "BOOM" I live in my own "OCD city" and when thoughts appears and appears, I tend to believe that maybe some one want to see what I am doing. Sometimes is difficult just turn on or turn off the PC, or scare me those windows that suddenly appears with publicity on the internet. That kind of stuff that you can`t control around you, makes me anxiety when I am on the computer. take care, andrea
  18. Hi Claire, Don`t you worry I didn`t take it in an offence or personal way. The reason I sent the correction is that I don`t want to write something politically incorrect or that cause a confused or wrong interpretation. Thank you very much for your words. best wishes to all OCD suffers from the OCD-UK discussion forum Andrea.
  19. Hi claire, I wrote "sth." like an abbreviation for the word "something" . And I wrote it in that way because my native language is the spanish and I`ve been learning english lenguage watching a lot of movies and studying by my own, So "sth." usually appears written like "something" in spanish/English dictionaries in a shorter way. It is a little funny, because now I can see that is not a common way to say it. Please be patient with my words and phrases. I am really working on it! :construction: It is so sad when you try to express something but you can`t do it correctly because you don`t know how to do it in an apropiate way! Andrea.
  20. Hi Claire, I think that at the moment that you start to think in that question, you are ready!. Been scared is ok, it is a normal feeling, I believe that been scared of make something wrong or an awful situation happens will be always when we fight to OCD, but like all the things in life: "Practice makes perfect", with the time that feeling of anxiety will be less and less until it will be easy to control. like my psychologist told me ones (I hope that help you Claire): " you`ll never know what will happen if you don`t try it". Don`t be scared of feel anxiety , take it like something that should happen :cool: when you don`t listen what your OCD tells you. The dificult part (I believe is that) We must learn to resist the anxiety that appear when we ignore our OCD. So lets be all brave and feel the anxiety with out be scared of ! I hope you have a good day. Andrea, a brave OCD suffer.
  21. Hi Claire88, I`m sorry about your ritual, I complete understand you , I have rituals every day, and they sucks too!!!.. you know what? ...2 days ago, a friend told me that she stopped one ritual that she was having for 10 years!!! And guess what? since then, she is sleeping well and her anxiety just has gonne. I dont think TOC is an "easygoing" illness, BUT She makes me wonder... What is the worst thing that could happen if I don`t listen my OCD thouhgts for a change? What if I don`t listen My OCD and then I realize that nothing happened after all?... I am still thinking about that and when will be the day that I`m going to say ENOUGH!! and I will have the courage to stop my worst ritual just like my friend did.... take care, Andrea .
×
×
  • Create New...