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What have you done today to challenge your OCD?


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I thought I'd start a brand new thread on this.

Every day is a great opportunity for us to chip away at OCD, even if we only do something tiny.  They all add up.

It could be "today I bought Brain Lock and put it on my kindle".

Or "Today I waited fifteen minutes beforee doing a compulsion".

Or "today I drew a vicious flower diagram to understand how compulsions keep OCD alive".

Or whatever!

So I'll go...

  • Today I made myself do two really small things which I knew I would want to either put right, or if I couldn't, confess it to my partner.  I rode out the anxety and eventually it faded away.  This was a good experiment that showed me if I resist compulsions, eventually I feel better.
  • I also drastically cut back on ruminating by constantly keeping busy and not giving myself any down time. Sort of avoidance but a  step in the right direction.
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Guest OCDhavenobrain

I refused to take a benzo just because i had crazy anxiety.

And i am not washing my feets because i am walking where a mouse have ran around. Need to face my washing, it have spiraled out of control. 

 

Those kinds of threads in which it is not about a specific situation can be really good. I had an idea about one where you could vent, but i don't know. This thread have potential, it's good with positivity.

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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1 minute ago, OCDhavenobrain said:

I refused to take a benzo just because i had crazy anxiety.

And i am not washing my feets because i am walking where a mouse have ran around. Need to face my washing, it have spiraled out of control. 

great job OCDhavenobrain! :):cheers:

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I just love positive threads :yes: I get to wear my cheerleaders outfit :cheer::a1_cheesygrin: 

Welcome back positivity :)

Even though I’m at the higher end of my heirachy I’m still taking baby steps, today I’ve took my dog a walk and I didn’t avoid the way around I normally try to. I’ve made myself three cups of tea and a tea cake and tonight (even though my daughter watched me rinse the potatoes and veg) I’ve made a dinner, something I wouldn’t normally do, I had a bad intrusive thought whilst making the gravy and I would normally throw it away and start again, but I didn’t. Only baby steps, but huge for me :yes:

Come on guys let’s keep going :cheer: 

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Thank you gbg, your so sweet :)

I’m hoping this time I can get through this, this is where I always seem to have a setback, so fingers crossed I can get through this this time, I’m taking things nice and steadily :)

Well done on your achievements over the last few days, your doing amazing ? let’s beat this :cheer:x

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My wife and I were watching Michael Portillo in Georgia on his rail journeys and the dialogue threw up some words which my harm OCD "antenna",  that looks for trouble to obsess about, focused on to. 

I felt an immediate rush of anxiety. 

So what did I do?  Just thought to myself, as taught by my therapist, "Oh that's just my silly obsession" - let it be and focused back into the programme. 

And the anxiety just eased away. 

Wish I had learned to do that years ago. It's when we listen to the OCD, and give meaning to it and connect with it, that we start up an anxiety cycle, and fall down the snakes to not coping. 

Edited by taurean
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Heather Small - what a voice :)

But another song from them can inspire us. 

"Search for the hero - inside yourself"  because inside each of us is a hero/heroine latently waiting to emerge and start beating our challenges. 

Everyone has that potential to release the hero inside themselves - they just have to make it happen. 

Edited by taurean
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I think threads like this are great too! Well done Gbg! :)

Well as I’ve said before in other threads, I have a few themes of OCD that come and go, but it’s my driving OCD that’s a bit of a problem again at the mo, but I’m working on it. I didn’t go back and check earlier though after being out in the car, so that’s progress! :) 

 

 

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4 minutes ago, Dragonfly said:

I didn’t go back and check earlier though after being out in the car, so that’s progress! :) 

 

 

That's great Dragonfly  well done you!  :):cheers:  it's no easy feat to resist a compulsion! You've shown OCD who's boss! xx

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52 minutes ago, Dragonfly said:

I think threads like this are great too! Well done Gbg! :)

Well as I’ve said before in other threads, I have a few themes of OCD that come and go, but it’s my driving OCD that’s a bit of a problem again at the mo, but I’m working on it. I didn’t go back and check earlier though after being out in the car, so that’s progress! :) 

 

 

Well done dragonfly :) keep going, you can do this :cheer:

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It is good, because the urge to check is overwhelming. 

I have experienced this with regard to the bungalow's front door when going out. So when I close it now I close it in a manner  whereby I KNOW it is locked. 

So, when an intrusion comes "are you sure you locked it?"  I already know that I did, and ignore the intrusion :)

 

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I resisted a compulsion to wash my hands after touching a package my OCD told me was contaminated. It's the first time I've done that apart from as part of an exposure where I was planning to resist. So I feel good about that, although I'm anxious about how it will affect the way I think about things I have touched since. I've written out a thought-feelings-behaviours cycle (part of my CBT) about this so I'm hoping that will help me remember that I can control how I think about things, not let the OCD do it.

Thanks for posting the topic, it helps to explain what I'm feeling, and to read about other people's experiences.

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5 hours ago, LeopardM said:

I resisted a compulsion to wash my hands after touching a package my OCD told me was contaminated. It's the first time I've done that apart from as part of an exposure where I was planning to resist. So I feel good about that, although I'm anxious about how it will affect the way I think about things I have touched since. I've written out a thought-feelings-behaviours cycle (part of my CBT) about this so I'm hoping that will help me remember that I can control how I think about things, not let the OCD do it.

Thanks for posting the topic, it helps to explain what I'm feeling, and to read about other people's experiences.

This is fantastic LeopardM.  Resisting compulsions is sooooo hard - well done! Keep going! :cheer:

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So my aims for today are:

  • to not ruminate all day.  If I get the urge, I will tell myself I'll "ruminate tomorrow". It can remain unsolved for today.
  • to not confess anything all day.  I am going to really try and bring on the OCD by doing lots of things I would want to "confess" and then not confessing them.  OCD can bite me!

I don't know if I'll manage these but I'll see how I go.

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Tossing in some good beneficial distraction into the mix may help :)

Don't get angry with yourself if you struggle - struggling is an important part of the success story - when we are eventually successful after a big struggle, it makes success even sweeter. 

We don't need to be Wonderwoman, and very few of us are - but we all have the capability of kicking  OCD's behind :)

 

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8 minutes ago, taurean said:

Tossing in some good beneficial distraction into the mix may help :)

Don't get angry with yourself if you struggle - struggling is an important part of the success story - when we are eventually successful after a big struggle, it makes success even sweeter. 

We don't need to be Wonderwoman, and very few of us are - but we all have the capability of kicking  OCD's behind :)

 

Good advice Roy :) x

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It’s not been a bad day or a good day, but at least I’ve been trying :yes: 

Ive been to town with my sister and for therapy purposes I ventured off alone a lot of the time (9.30 - 2.30). I went into shops, tried things on, spoke to people and paid for my items. Did a couple of compulsions, but most of the time resisted. I only checked once before leaving the house. 

Ive took my dog out and even though I had some bad intrusive thoughts I didn’t give them my attention. 

Made a cup of tea, but sadly i gave into it and I threw the first one away and now I’ve made another, Im determined to drink at least half of this one no matter what thoughts I get.

I still think I’ve done well and any setbacks are a good learning point :yes:

 

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17 minutes ago, lostinme said:

It’s not been a bad day or a good day, but at least I’ve been trying :yes: 

Ive been to town with my sister and for therapy purposes I ventured off alone a lot of the time (9.30 - 2.30). I went into shops, tried things on, spoke to people and paid for my items. Did a couple of compulsions, but most of the time resisted. I only checked once before leaving the house. 

Ive took my dog out and even though I had some bad intrusive thoughts I didn’t give them my attention. 

Made a cup of tea, but sadly i gave into it and I threw the first one away and now I’ve made another, Im determined to drink at least half of this one no matter what thoughts I get.

I still think I’ve done well and any setbacks are a good learning point :yes:

 

I think you have done very well. 

OK so you gave in several times, but you didn't cave in -- you were back on that horse and up and at it again :horse: 

I particularly like the guts of doing that shopping on your own. 

Leaving intrusions be - not giving them belief or meaning, not connecting with them, is spot on. 

 

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Today while in work my OCD tried hard to convince me that I need to solve my OCD by logic. But I have sticked to the point that I will not apply ANY KIND OF LOGIC to SOLVE my ocd and stick to just refusing to OCD in any way (mentally).

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Remember that sketch in Monty Python when "nobody expects the spanish inquisition?" :)

Mmhhh,well we should expect OCD - because once it has manifest itself, it will look to take a grip. 

So if we learn to observe the themes and the way it works, we can expect it - and remember it may be a falsehood, exaggeration of minimum risk or a revulsion. 

We can be ready, spot it in whatever guise - then not give it meaning or connect with it. 

Who else was expecting it today - and how did you get on? 

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1 hour ago, taurean said:

I think you have done very well. 

OK so you gave in several times, but you didn't cave in -- you were back on that horse and up and at it again :horse: 

I particularly like the guts of doing that shopping on your own. 

Leaving intrusions be - not giving them belief or meaning, not connecting with them, is spot on. 

 

Thank you Roy :) I never cave in no matter what, but some days are harder than others usually because of outside contributing factors and stresses. One day I will stop on all day and not fall off and hopefully become the grand national winner ? what a prize that would be :)

Still going strong, made another cuppa and soon going to make some food ? let’s hope all goes well and I avoid all that OCD throws at me :cheer:

Keep going guys we can do it :yes:

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