Do you have a hobby? A job? A passion? Does it help

[Gale1101]

Hey 

So I just decided to stop fighting last night and accept my anxiety and it faded but it's came back again today. I'm trying tnot to fight and just accept. I do realise tho that I spend the most of my time in the house. I barely go out and interact. I have my family to talk to and a few friends but that's about it. I don't work and I don't have any hobbies. I have nothing that I am passionate about. I love and adore my family and do everything for them. I have realised that every time I get these flare ups of OCD it's when I have nothing much going on. When I have been at uni or working etc I always do much better. 

Do you guys find the same? 

As well as accepting where I am right now I am also trying to think of some hobbies or things I can start to feel good about myself. 

Any suggestions welcome? 

[Closed for repairs]

Hobbies, are great, it’s an answer to the question, “ what am I going to do with my time now I’m not doing compulsions?”

Obviously OCD can ruin them the same way it ruins every thing, and you start to attach to much importance to them, but basically hobbies are good!

Ive let my veg patch go last year and need to get it in shape.

Im trying to do more crosswords.

I want to do more cooking.

I want to learn about electronics/ aurdinos/ raspberry pi!

but if I don’t its no big deal it’s a hobby not my job.

[Hal]

Hi Gale,

5 hours ago, Gale1101 said:

I have realised that every time I get these flare ups of OCD it's when I have nothing much going on. When I have been at uni or working etc I always do much better. 

Do you guys find the same? 

As well as accepting where I am right now I am also trying to think of some hobbies or things I can start to feel good about myself. 

Any suggestions welcome? 

You've hit on such an important part of recovery..focusing on other activities plays a pivotal role in helping to break the cycle. The more any of us can find something that really absorbs our attention the easier it is to brush the thoughts aside as the nonsense they are, just as everyone w/o the disorder does.

Things aren't too bad at the moment, but when I have struggled I've personally found it nigh on impossible engaging in things that are mainly mental in nature like learning a language or reading a novel...that may just be me tho. I find a good balance between something requiring a bit of thought and something physical helps the most.

For me, that's gardening and like CFR growing fruit and veg...running as part of a group has been great too. I guess go with trying as much stuff as you like...something you give a try might not turn out to be a good fit, but you can move on to something else. 

How about a local film or book club, or maybe a walking/running group? There are also adult education classes...I've always liked the idea of taking up pottery, or an art class. The RSPCA always need dog walkers, or perhaps your local hospital needs volunteers? 

Whatever you go with, I think this is a fantastic idea and will really help.

[Cub]

I'm sure you must be good at something. I love to cross-stitch personally, while watching detective dramas. My OCD can feed into my writing, but I just have to keep pounding away at it. I'm sure you can find something nice that'll suit you beautifully. It's good to focus on the nice things in life; something has to be lovely. 

[daja]

I like the ritual of making a green tea in an evening. When I can I enjoy crosswords and arrowwords. And playing board games like Bananagrams and Othello. I just found an online community for “board game geek” so I might discover other board games I like - “Go” looks good. Prefer a tangible game rather than on a computer. I like going on walks when the weather is good. Even these things cause me anxiety - sometimes I can fight it; other times I feel so anxious I have to decontaminate to a greater or lesser extent depending.

[dksea]

9 hours ago, Cub said:

I'm sure you must be good at something.

Heck, you don't even have to be good at something to enjoy it as a hobby! You can be terrible at things like drawing, singing, etc. but if you are just doing it for your own enjoyment that doesn't really matter.  Its nice to find things you enjoy AND do well at , but its not necessary. 

[Never-ending]

On 17/01/2020 at 08:37, dksea said:

Heck, you don't even have to be good at something to enjoy it as a hobby! You can be terrible at things like drawing, singing, etc. but if you are just doing it for your own enjoyment that doesn't really matter.  Its nice to find things you enjoy AND do well at , but its not necessary. 

I agree! I need to do exactly this and have a hobby to help me as I’m at home all the time too. I find that when I can’t think of something, I either read which really helps or get engrossed in a tv series. I havent got the greatest attention span so sometimes tv can just be background noise but when I find something I get into and enjoy it helps amazingly with distracting me and shifting focus! 
Is there anything you used to do that you could explore more maybe?