Help for some OCD that’s reoccurring.
I need some advice. Very recently I am obsessing over little things like tiny balls of dog hair that my pets shed. A piece of food stuck to a dish. A speck of something a fly left on my chair. I have very good eyesight I guess! I’m too hard on myself and I seem to be giving the OCD a lot of power. I’m wondering if ignoring these tiny things will help? I’m 77 and disabled, alone quite a bit since my husband works two jobs. Usually none of this bothers me. I prefer not to add any drugs since I already take blood pressure meds.
Any ideas about intrusive thoughts? I’d really appreciate help.
@resourcefulGrapefruit5459
I have a furry orange therapist who goes by many names, but in this instance I’ll call him Velcro-butt, or Vbutt for short. His name represents his remarkable ability to collect leaves, twigs, sometimes small bugs and other assorted forms of garden litter, on his tail and bottom side.
My OCD most often takes the form of perfectionism. Apparently, this manifestation is what Vbutt feels that is his primary mission to help me overcome. His therapeutic approach is to place bits of his garden harvest at both convenient and inconvenient locations throughout the house. His rationale is that eventually, after wearing myself out cleaning up after him, my OCD will surrender to exhaustion. Enhancements to his approach include distributing flakes of cardboard from his scratching pad all over the oriental rug in the living room. The rugs, beds and other strategic locations around the house also become therapeutic instruments through distribution of cat hair and additional bits and flakes of unknown origin.
So, I can either laugh, cry or run screaming into the woods. I think any of those behaviors, if extreme enough, would make my little therapist proud. Fortunately, I mitigate my emotions with humor.
I still make the house immaculate, knowing that my little therapist will take action, embracing his role, starting within the next few minutes.
I have made progress though. I can be sitting and reading, and he’ll enter and deposit some manner of litter right in front of me, and I’ll continue reading – for a little while at least before I clean up after him.
I also manage through distraction and meditation. For example, while I’m online, I’m not affected by Vbutt’s activities, nor am I bothered with it while doing yard work or reading.
Meditation quiets my mind, reducing anxiety and unwelcome thoughts. When I’m relaxed, I can usually suspend my compulsion to participate in Vbutt’s therapy sessions.
If you’d like to discuss it more, feel free to message me.
I took find myself upset and stressing over what others may seem silly, however, just know that you are an amazing individual. For me, I ignore them when I am upset and then come back to them when I have a better mindset. So I go and listen to calming music, vent to someone, or just take a walk away from the thing that is upsetting me. Once I have a better mindset, I go back and finish what I was doing. I try to remember to think positive about what I am doing and try to focus less on the negatives. I hope this helps.
I took find myself upset and stressing over what others may seem silly, however, just know that you are an amazing individual. For me, I ignore them when I am upset and then come back to them when I have a better mindset. So I go and listen to calming music, vent to someone, or just take a walk away from the thing that is upsetting me. Once I have a better mindset, I go back and finish what I was doing. I try to remember to think positive about what I am doing and try to focus less on the negatives. I hope this helps.
I can relate. I have hair obsessions. Remember OCD is a disorder and it’s not our fault.
Do you have a core belief about yourself that may be effected you in ways you don’t realize? I sometimes think I am stupid or incompetent or lazy. I have found that repeating to myself, “I am competent enough or I work hard sometimes” can be helpful. OCD can be our way of dealing with uncertainty and anxiety, Sometimes it helps to feel the fear, but do things that give us anxiety anyway or not do rituals that just reinforce the OCD. It is hard to do, but in the longer term will help us I think. Kimberly Quinlan has a useful website and podcast.
I can relate. I have hair obsessions. Remember OCD is a disorder and it’s not our fault.
Do you have a core belief about yourself that may be effected you in ways you don’t realize? I sometimes think I am stupid or incompetent or lazy. I have found that repeating to myself, “I am competent enough or I work hard sometimes” can be helpful. OCD can be our way of dealing with uncertainty and anxiety, Sometimes it helps to feel the fear, but do things that give us anxiety anyway or not do rituals that just reinforce the OCD. It is hard to do, but in the longer term will help us I think. Kimberly Quinlan has a useful website and podcast.
