Promises OCD

[Guest Gingle1]

Does anyone else have experience of mentally making promises to do things and then feeling bad if you dont do them or then trying to do them perfectly when you do?

This sounds ridiculous but its really got me worried. I put my towel on a radiator this morning, thinking I would hang it out later. But now I've convinced myself that I promised God I would put it on the washing line (which I cant remember if I did or not). I know that if I try and put it on the washing line I'm gonna try and do it perfectly and I'll feel like a bad person if I dont put it on the washing line. I really dont know what to do.

[Guest Gingle1]

Hi Lawrie,

Thanks for that. I did hang it over the line but I did it because it felt like the 'non-OCD' thing to do as it needed drying anyway. I was pleased with myself though because I wasnt there for ages putting it on the line.

Today's just been a bad day I think. Yesterday I'd done so well and I now feel tired out from all of my thinking today. But I think I've had to get so bad to get better so this evening I'm trying to pull myself together :laugh:

[Guest Gingle1]

Thanks Lawrie. I may well try that. I have a GP appointment tomorrow so hopefully that will go ok. I'm quite pleased with myself now cos despite taking longer than a person without OCD would in the shower, I managed to get myself out of there and not get too worked up. I'm really gonna try to not let my OCD get the better of me today.

[Guest Lisa]

Hi there

I have a similar problem with making mental promises. It started by me trying to stop myself from doing rituals, I'd promise I wouldn't do a ritual or I would be cursed and I still do this sometimes when I get 'stuck' doing something. But now I'll just think of doing something and I'll think 'what if I promised I'd do that' and then I have to try and do whatever it is and it'll have to be perfect or exact otherwise it might not 'count'. I have been trying to not give into the urge to 'fulfil' the promise but it's hard. Hope you manage to fight back.

Lisa x

[Guest Nobodys Fool]

i do that when get up in the morning, i say what im gonna do like against the ocd, like not engaging in it or being myself etc, but i get angry if i havent done it by the end of the day. ocd twists everything