Sudden OCD fear spike after socialising?

[Agrippina]

I am working towards getting a job and my own place again this summer, have been doing CBT with ERP for 2 years and am on medication. I am generally improving and doing largely okay. I made a few friends during lockdown and yesterday we hung out together all day, went out for lunch and played boardgames, it was great. I then went to stay at my sister's flat, we chatted and had takeout and it was fine. Then like a sledgehammer I had a horrendous night - huge spike in OCD fears about all sorts of things, felt the sort of fear levels I used to feel when hungover despite not having drunk anything, awful and vidid nightmares and this morning a massive sense of things being wrong, having done wrong, having done something awful I can't remember etc.

 

I know this is all fairly standard but I have been really thrown off by the sudden smack of it. I am trying really hard to be rational about it and I suspect the sudden spike of OCD fears was due to a whole day of socialising when I am not used to that. Please give me your opinions and also if anyone has experienced a sudden spike like this themselves. I have been reasonably steady for a while and this has freaked me out and scared me.

[Bev53]

Hi Agrippina

It sounds like you've been doing really well. I sometimes find when I have had a really good day I can get a spike of  anxiety for no 'apparent' reason. With me I think what actually happens is I  have the thoughts that 'wow, I've really enjoyed today, life is good', and then my sneaky mind says but 'what if....'

I know it's hard, but try and put last night behind you, and carry on just as you have been doing. 

Best of luck. 

[Agrippina]

22 minutes ago, Bev53 said:

Hi Agrippina

It sounds like you've been doing really well. I sometimes find when I have had a really good day I can get a spike of  anxiety for no 'apparent' reason. With me I think what actually happens is I  have the thoughts that 'wow, I've really enjoyed today, life is good', and then my sneaky mind says but 'what if....'

I know it's hard, but try and put last night behind you, and carry on just as you have been doing. 

Best of luck. 

Thank you. That sounds about right - a really good day and then the OCD starts to niggle away at it, or in this case smash into it suddenly. I need to keep telling myself it is the OCD, that it is feelings and not facts, and to keep calm. I am currently feeling really scared but that is not evidence that anything negative happened.