Let's Share Advice For Dealing with OCD

[JCS008]

I come to this forum semi-often, and most of the posts and thread are about people describing their trials and tribulations with OCD. How it's affected their lives and how much they suffer because of it.

I was thinking we should have a thread to share small tips with one another. At this point, some have suffered for years, while others are just slowly discovering their OCD.

Let's try to keep this thread as a small advice thread for people to drop advice that have helped them when dealing with their OCD issues.

 

[RiiyaRox_]

[Gone for good.]

 

[Brittney]

Great idea for a thread!

I’m sure many others with OCD have better moments, times when the OCD isn’t’ weighing on your mind as much (a time when you don’t feel like you completely going crazy…)

I think it’s really helpful when your in this moment, to write a few things down, so when it’s really bad again you have something to look back at and remember there is a time when it’s not as bad as your feeling/suffering right now.

I have found that when I’m suffering, I forget I’ve had times it wasn’t as bad. I still might do all the compulsions but the thoughts part of the OCD aren’t so bad. That is when you really need to be active in keeping a Journal or even posted notes (I hide my posted note in my draw lol there just for me)

My fav post it notes to myself are simple
“when I’m feeling good/better I know the amount of days I suffer aren’t as long as the days I’m suffering”
“when I’m feeling like OCD is on top of me, I have to trust my post it notes”

Sorry if that doesn’t help anyone, or sounds very simple minded but it helps me

 

[iwillovercomeOCD]

I have conquered a few of my obsessions/complusions. I find that in SOME cases, exposure therapy can be very helpful, though VERY uncomfortable because it is essentially "weening" you off from your compulsions and making you go face to face with what torments you. My one exampe is- When I was in high school I used to obsess that every time my boyfriend got in the car he was going to die while driving. As a result, I made him text me as SOON as he got to his location. I would map out what I thought would be a realistic expectation for time it would take for him to reach his destination. I knew it took exactly 15 minutes late at night for him to get to his house from mine. I would do counting rituals and other things to pass the time. Then if the time exceeded my expectation BAM! = Full blown panic attack. I even got to the point where I'd drive by his house in the middle of the night to see if he was okay. Eventually, the compulsions stopped giving me as much satisfaction. For my exposure therapy I did a few uncomfortable steps:

1. Have him text me at some point during the night but not during the "15 minutes" I designated in my head (but at least I wouild still see the text in the morning or at some point in the night)
2. Only have him text me randomly about getting home 3 or 4 nights a week
3. Then one or two nights
4. Eventually he stopped texting me all together.

I somtimes get nervous now if he drives someplace on a snowy, rainy night etc. but I definatly have it under wraps. Hope this helps!

 

[durda_dan]

i don't quite have my OCD under control, i'm still suffering intrusive murderus thoughts.
But what i think helps is talking to a friend or my girlfriend about it, writing down my problems, and if i can i find that crying helps me a lot.
it will go away and come back, last time i went away i was happy! it's gone it's gone, andyesterday and today have been hard.

 

[matthew brownlee]

put yourself in contact with the situations that lead to your obsessional fears, and resist the urge to engage in your usual compulsion, thats just a lil advice from me

 

[Dudley]

I found that having a hobby helps out, especially if it's pretty thought-intensive. For me, writing (not list making, that just leads to more list making for me lol)