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How long for anxiety to fade


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12 hours ago, Hopingtorecover said:

I’ve totally relapsed on this and I’m changing them out of their uniform straight from school. So annoyed with myself. 

Try to not be hard on yourself. Try to just get back on track and move ahead. Recovery is a long process with lots of ups and downs. 

Can you identify anything that may have made you go back on this? Any stress or a specific trigger?

 

 

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I think one day my husband picked the middle one up and I noticed that obviously his arm was kinda supporting his bottom (like how you carry a kid - can’t explain well) and it just freaked me out that his arm might as well have Touched the school toilets then he would pick up the baby. So then I just made excuses to change them or bath them after school. 

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1 hour ago, Hopingtorecover said:

I think one day my husband picked the middle one up and I noticed that obviously his arm was kinda supporting his bottom (like how you carry a kid - can’t explain well) and it just freaked me out that his arm might as well have Touched the school toilets then he would pick up the baby. So then I just made excuses to change them or bath them after school. 

ok so you freaked out in the moment and slipped back. Do you think you can acknowledge the threat exaggeration and get back on track to not having them change when they get home?

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Just wondering how you are getting on with this @Hopingtorecover

I know it can be tough when the anxiety gets higher but i've always found that if i can stick to it through those times, the OCD improves a lot as we gain the confidence that we can handle the anxiety without resorting to compulsions or avoidance.

 

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I’m actually away but I know my husband is obviously letting them wear uniform so it’s kind of an exposure for me. 

my latest obsession is seeing a kid with his hands down his pants at out toddler group and knowing my husband will be setting up the toys this week, that fills me with anxiety and not sure what to do really. I have just started seeing a clinical psychologist via Skype so hoping to make some progress fast. He did say with 3 young children this is likely to be the most stressful time of my life.... so clearly not going to help my ocd. 
 

thanks for asking @leif

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1 hour ago, Hopingtorecover said:

I have just started seeing a clinical psychologist via Skype so hoping to make some progress fast. He did say with 3 young children this is likely to be the most stressful time of my life.... so clearly not going to help my ocd. 

That is great that you are starting with a psychologist--hopefully that will give you the extra support you need. And yes, i agree, the stress of 3 young children can certainly make the battle harder. But on the upside, you can also see those children as good motivation to keep at the work. You are doing such a great job of keeping at it. Good for you for continuing on despite the anxiety--tough but well worth it for the long-term release from it!

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5 minutes ago, leif said:

That is great that you are starting with a psychologist--hopefully that will give you the extra support you need. And yes, i agree, the stress of 3 young children can certainly make the battle harder. But on the upside, you can also see those children as good motivation to keep at the work. You are doing such a great job of keeping at it. Good for you for continuing on despite the anxiety--tough but well worth it for the long-term release from it!

Thanks very much. I hate that ocd has placed restrictions on all our lives and I long to be better for them. I guess the only way out of it is through it and that’s filled with anxiety. But i also love the feeling when you do something ocd doesn’t want you to!

how are you in your recovery journey @leif? I don’t think I know your story. 

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3 hours ago, Hopingtorecover said:

Thanks very much. I hate that ocd has placed restrictions on all our lives and I long to be better for them.

Yes it's that kind of motivation that will get you through the crappy anxiety!

3 hours ago, Hopingtorecover said:

how are you in your recovery journey @leif? I don’t think I know your story.

I'm in a relatively good place at the moment, though the ocd is still very much present and still putting enough restrictions on my life that i know i shouldn't get too complacent.

I had severe ocd a few years ago where compulsions took all day and my avoidance of everything was so extreme. I really could hardly function. So compared to that I feel very free.

I also experienced a bit of a setback a few months back and so started on the forum here to get some much-needed support. I've improved a lot since then, but I can certainly see many places i need to keep working on. I still avoid public toilets, shower too often, do too much laundry etc, so would like to keep working on all that.

Public toilets is my big one that i would like to achieve as i feel it would give me a lot more freedom.

3 hours ago, Hopingtorecover said:

But i also love the feeling when you do something ocd doesn’t want you to!

Yes exactly. Such a boost of confidence and feeling of freedom! Keep that feeling in mind! And let's keep at it :) 

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I originally contributed to this thread on the  2 September. Nobody has mentioned medication. Medication can reduce anxiety. Such as SSRIs.

The technical name for the fading of anxiety, or the fading of any focus of mental attention, is habituation. A core idea in behavioural psychology. A baby is genetically programmed to look and have an interest in human faces. As the baby gets used to a human face, she gets habituated to it, gets used to it, she switches her attention away from a particular face. In my example, the baby feels no anxiety. I use it  to illustrate the notion of habituation.

Our attention in OCD is directed towards anxiety inducing stimuli. Be it a tap a dog turd, a lock on a door or whatever. This dysfunctional focus of attention is the essence of OCD. You sit with the anxiety and the anxiety will fade - habituation- but the duration and intensity of the anxiety does vary. In the initial stages medication can help you ride the anxiety.

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6 hours ago, Hopingtorecover said:

@leif I’m glad you’re in a better place than you were. What made the difference for you?

I was one who medication made a big difference for. Though I must say I would have rather done it without, and going on it was a last resort. Of course as everyone says, cbt is a must alongside the meds and that is what I did. Just worked slowly and steadily through my workbook and kept at it.

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5 hours ago, leif said:

I was one who medication made a big difference for. Though I must say I would have rather done it without, and going on it was a last resort. Of course as everyone says, cbt is a must alongside the meds and that is what I did. Just worked slowly and steadily through my workbook and kept at it.

Are you still making progress? Do you see a therapist?

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On 19/11/2019 at 01:30, Hopingtorecover said:

Are you still making progress? Do you see a therapist?

Yes still making progress--but just feels at a much slower pace compared to when I was just coming back from that really bad relapse. The motivation piece is harder for me because my life feels ok despite the OCD restrictions so I really need to try to get more of that going. I feel like I've been working on using public toilets forever and feels like I should be much further ahead with them by now, but the progress is slow but still there. Besides obvious things like that I can see progress also in my approach to life. I see myself trusting myself more that I can handle anxiety, or that I can trust my assessment of a situation instead of asking for reassurance. 

No I'm not seeing a therapist. I've actually never seen a therapist that treats OCD for more than 2 sessions. Just cost-wise it hasn't been an option. So very glad for the good workbooks out there and also for this forum!

How are you getting on with your psychologist via skype? How often are the sessions? And are you sticking with not having the kids change when they get home from school?

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Well done @leif for making so much progress on your own. Yes as I type I’m feeding the baby while they sit in their uniforms. Repeat until it’s boring now I think! I also managed the morning routine with them and eliminated a whole bunch of compulsions by copying how my husband (when I let him) does it. I’ve got my second Skype therapy this evening. 

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7 hours ago, Hopingtorecover said:

Yes as I type I’m feeding the baby while they sit in their uniforms. Repeat until it’s boring now I think! I also managed the morning routine with them and eliminated a whole bunch of compulsions by copying how my husband (when I let him) does it. 

Excellent! Very well done!

7 hours ago, Hopingtorecover said:

Well done @leif for making so much progress on your own.

Thanks :) Really I don't feel I did it all on my own though. I had an excellent book, a supportive family, a good doctor...and then later this forum. Good supports are really so important--it really is hard work! 

Staying on the forum reminds me to keep at things.

Keep up the good work, Hopingtorecover, you are doing so well!

 

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