Can't Battle OCD Without Some Relief from Physical Symptoms - Impossible Situation

[Wren]

Have you heard of the concept of 'Radical Acceptance'? It's borrowed from ACT and DBT and generally uses mindfulness skills to put into practice. It's worth having a google if you haven't tried it. 

I personally developed a hatred of CBT worksheets - probably because I am contrary  and also got so tired of them - so I ended up using the concepts to design my own - maybe something you could try. I also have autistic traits so some of the mainstream CBT ideas needed to be adapted for my needs.

[Keyboard Worrier]

No, I hadn't heard of that.  Just had a look, and again I see the principle, but it's still just words on a page without understanding 'how' to actually do it.

I'm likely on the spectrum myself, which is probably why I'm not getting this lol.  I'm good with quantifiable things like facts & figures.  But feelings & emotions are things I just don't seem to get.  People often think I'm being awkward or contrary when in reality I'm as frustrated with myself as they are and just trying to wrap my head around it!   

 

[Wren]

Acceptance is a kind of paradox, so not easy.

People often think I'm reassurance seeking or asking questions to be deliberately rude or annoying but in reality I genuinely don't know the answer and need help. A 'spiky skills profile' is typical of autism which means a person can seem very competent in some situations but clueless in others and this often gets misinterpreted as wilfulness etc. Eg when I was younger if someone asked me how I was feeling I couldn't answer, not because I was being difficult, but because I genuinely couldn't always recognise and label my own emotions even though I was a 'straight A student'. I found going through a DBT self help book really useful with tackling this as DBT was designed for people who have difficulty recognising and controlling their emotions, and it's a therapy which doesn't shy away from 'saying the quiet parts out-loud'.