HDC Posted September 12, 2018 Share Posted September 12, 2018 Hey guys... I have a question. Why does OCD make you feel like you can't answer a certain question (you know you can but you are scared of your own response...? Like you are scared that you feel unsure) Like my brain asks questions like 'would I ever really want to kill my family' and I immediately feel like I cant answer. 1. Because i know it won't help me... 2. Because I'm worried I'm unsure... Have a feeling I may have asked this before but... HDC Link to comment
Skullpops Posted September 12, 2018 Share Posted September 12, 2018 Hey, It's the demand for absolute certainty that OCD craves. You're afraid to answer, because you're afraid it's the wrong answer, and OCD won't tolerate that uncertainty. The best thing you can do is leave the questioned unanswered. Terrifying huh? It's what you have to do to break the cycle though. Trying to figure it all out is a classic compulsion. If you can break the compulsions it's a game changer. It's not easy, takes lots of practice, but it's achievable. Next time you feel the need to try and "work it out"....refocus your mind and energy elsewhere, something productive and/or an enjoyable hobby. OCD won't take kindly to this and will start screaming at you, it's alright to ignore it. Link to comment
cookiemonster Posted September 12, 2018 Share Posted September 12, 2018 Like the train at the station scenario. The trains the thought / question you are stood at the platform, train pulls up to platform you have the choice whether you get on. Link to comment
HDC Posted September 12, 2018 Author Share Posted September 12, 2018 46 minutes ago, Skullpops said: Hey, It's the demand for absolute certainty that OCD craves. You're afraid to answer, because you're afraid it's the wrong answer, and OCD won't tolerate that uncertainty. The best thing you can do is leave the questioned unanswered. Terrifying huh? It's what you have to do to break the cycle though. Trying to figure it all out is a classic compulsion. If you can break the compulsions it's a game changer. It's not easy, takes lots of practice, but it's achievable. Next time you feel the need to try and "work it out"....refocus your mind and energy elsewhere, something productive and/or an enjoyable hobby. OCD won't take kindly to this and will start screaming at you, it's alright to ignore it. Thank you for this! Link to comment
Skullpops Posted September 12, 2018 Share Posted September 12, 2018 1 minute ago, HDC said: Thank you for this! You're most welcome. Don't be beating yourself up for not mastering it straight away, it really does take practice. Link to comment
HDC Posted September 12, 2018 Author Share Posted September 12, 2018 Working it out is one of my biggest compulsions... glad you helped me notice that! no, I've done well over the last 4 years of suffering but, I will get there! Link to comment
Skullpops Posted September 12, 2018 Share Posted September 12, 2018 4 minutes ago, HDC said: Working it out is one of my biggest compulsions... glad you helped me notice that! no, I've done well over the last 4 years of suffering but, I will get there! It's a really common compulsion, one I struggle with too. It's utterly terrifying "leaving it alone" to start with but it does get better and easier! Every time you resist a compulsion you weaken the obsession. Link to comment
HDC Posted September 12, 2018 Author Share Posted September 12, 2018 12 minutes ago, Skullpops said: It's a really common compulsion, one I struggle with too. It's utterly terrifying "leaving it alone" to start with but it does get better and easier! Every time you resist a compulsion you weaken the obsession. I trust leaving it though... because I've been here before, I trust that it will die down again! Link to comment
Skullpops Posted September 12, 2018 Share Posted September 12, 2018 12 minutes ago, HDC said: I trust leaving it though... because I've been here before, I trust that it will die down again! That's the spirit! You're already well on your way! Link to comment
HDC Posted September 12, 2018 Author Share Posted September 12, 2018 2 hours ago, Skullpops said: That's the spirit! You're already well on your way! Let's hope so! Haha Link to comment
stanwee lee Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 On 12 September 2018 at 11:38, Skullpops said: Hey, It's the demand for absolute certainty that OCD craves. You're afraid to answer, because you're afraid it's the wrong answer, and OCD won't tolerate that uncertainty. The best thing you can do is leave the questioned unanswered. Terrifying huh? It's what you have to do to break the cycle though. Trying to figure it all out is a classic compulsion. If you can break the compulsions it's a game changer. It's not easy, takes lots of practice, but it's achievable. Next time you feel the need to try and "work it out"....refocus your mind and energy elsewhere, something productive and/or an enjoyable hobby. OCD won't take kindly to this and will start screaming at you, it's alright to ignore it. You say refocus your mind and energy elsewhere, how do you do this? Does that not just make ocd worse because you are running away from it and not accepting it I have tried doing this but I just seem to come back to where I started. Forgive me if I sound like I am disagreeing with you, I'm not I just don't know how to do this effectively. Link to comment
PolarBear Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 You're not running away from it. You're saying, "You are not important. I have better things to do." Link to comment
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