Doubts and Anxiety through the roof

[sped691]

Hi, 

This is my first post. Over the past couple weeks my OCD seems to have gone to another level. I always seem to to worrying and doubting about something and when I resolve one worry the OCD seems to immediately latch onto another worry and it turns over and over in my mind. I'm exhausted. Its starting to seem like I can't do anything or touch anything without a flood of doubt washing over me about whether I've done it correctly or whether I've damaged something. I can recognise that OCD is targeting me at my weak spots but recognising that does seem to help any. 

It's starting to disrupt my sleep and I feel like I can't face getting up in the morning as doing things just creates opportunites for doubt about everything to flood in. Been late to work everyday last week. 

I feel I just need to reach out. Any tips or suggestions from anyone would be much appreciated. 

FYI I'm a 38 yo male and I have been dealing with OCD since I was in my early teens. 

Thanks

[Symps07]

Hi Sped691,

Reading your post is like reading a review of my own life these last few weeks right down to the fact that I am also a 38 yo male!

I have been struggling with my job for a while and since before Christmas was not sleeping and then was struggling to get up in the morning and was also getting into work late.

It spiked last Tuesday evening and I have been off since Wednesday last week and I am currently referring myself to my local NHS Mental Health department to see a therapist.

My first suggestion would be to ask if you are seeing a therapist and if not, it sounds like it would be something worth doing.

If in the meantime there is anyone you can speak to about your OCD who you would feel comfortable talking too, that might also help.

I'd also recommend trying to take any unnecessary and un-needed pressure off yourself. For example, if there are things that need doing around the house such as cleaning or tidying up, you can put pressure on yourself to do things to the point that they become daunting and this creates more anxiety that certainly won't help with your OCD.

Perhaps at work, you can try slowing things down and prioritising tasks so you can deal with more urgent tasks first and then take time to ensure that they are completed before moving onto the next job.

I know not all of this is working on your OCD, but looking at how my own OCD have reached the stage that it has, I can see that I wasn't always kind with myself and I put pressure on myself to do things that didn't help my anxiety which in turn stopped me from working on my OCD or feeling to overwhelmed and tired to do anything about it or just added extra anxiety onto existing problems.

Symps