Intrusive thoughts
Im struggling a lot recently with my OCD intrusive thoughts and impulses. The thoughts are really distressing and they take over my day, I get myself so worked up with them it makes me feel sick and dizzy and energyless. Ill have intrusive thoughts like if I dont do something a certain way then something bad will happen and it will be my fault, so I have to carry out a certain ritual eg tap 3 times or look out of the window 3 times at a certain object, Ill even be eating a box of chocolates for example and my thoughts will tell me dont eat one of them certain ones or dont eat any at all or this will happen.
theyre so hard to cope with, Ill read up on intrusive thoughts and try to tell myself my thoughts arent reality and cant hurt me or anybody else then manage to ignore a few impulses for an hour or two but my thoughts will tell me oh but if you ignore me then what if it happens? You dont care? Then I have to do it.
has anyone got any coping strategies they use that has really helped you stop following the thoughts?
@searchingforcalmness
Hey! I'm really sorry to hear that your OCD has been flaring recently and you've been having trouble handling it. From what you've said, I can gather that it must be really frustrating and difficult to handle with these intrusive thoughts that you're having. It's good that you're reading up on ways to help yourself though! That's the first step to really understanding yourself and what you can do to feel better. 7 Cups has a self-help guide on OCD and I would encourage you to read that! Unfortunately, I don't know much about OCD and have never experienced it myself, but if you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to reach out to me and I'll do my best to support you. 
Stay strong!