Hello

[Skippy]

I am new to the forum and just wanted to say hello. . I am 60 and have had OCD for a long time on and off and was diagnosed about 6 years ago. 

I can go for years with my ocd in the background and dismissible . Sadly my dad died 8 weeks ago . The anxiety from this has resulted in 8 weeks of OCD despair and I have used this forum seeking reassurance which i know feeds my OCD but in desperation I needed to hear others voices.

I finally joined the forum today as I wanted to acknowledge I had a disorder that I could not cope with myself.

I hope to find support here and hope I do not use my membership to constantly seek reassurance and maybe I can be a part of a community who share their experiences and coping methods as well as experience with things like CBT and therapy

 

 

 

 

[Orwell1984]

Hi Skippy and welcome. Sorry for your loss. You did the right thing by joining. OCD kicks us when we are already down, but there is a great support network here. 

[Andrea]

Hi Skippy,

and I am very sorry for your loss. You will find great support here. 

 

[taurean]

Hi Skippy I am 68 and only got diagnosed when I was 50. 

In my earlier life my OCD was in short episodes, but these began to get longer and I sought help. 

My path through CBT therapy for OCD was hampered by a particular feature to my own issues - constantly-repeating thoughts in my mental chatter. 

But thanks to a new therapist, and help from the members here, I found a solution that seems to be working. 

When people group together to help each other, with common aims and goals, great things are possible. 

Sorry to hear about your loss. The stress will have made your OCD worse, so try to prioritise delegate and find some me time for relaxation. 

What helped me when my surviving parent, my mother, died was the support from friends and family, and the family solicitor. And a strong belief that she was at peace at the end of a fulfilled life, out of the pain of cancer, and I and my sister now held the baton in the relay of our family's life. 

Smooth classics on Classic fm, which runs from 22.00 hrs to 01.00 hrs enables me to grab a partial listen - however busy or challenging the day - and just relax into the music, easing away tension and stress. I can recommend it. 

All the best 

Roy 

Edited February 12, 2019 by taurean

[Skippy]

Thanks for your wise words . I have always found relaxation very difficult but I have had mindfulness therapy in the past, and will try to repractice what I learnt from it . 

[taurean]

Mindfulness is good practice. It was mindfulness-based CBT for OCD that made a big difference for me, and I am able to easily slip into the mindfulness state now. 

In a true state of mindfulness, with us just focusing in the present in the moment, my therapist taught me that we shift out of the active "doing" part of the brain where all the obsessing and compulsing takes place, and into the benign "just being" part where mindfulness lies. 

[Madchoc]

So sorry for your loss, take care of yourself  you did the right thing joining this forum, welcome. Xx