How does your OCD affect your life? Please share..
We all know that OCD can affect you in many ways..whether its being too clean or mentally punishing yourself because you haven't done something right. Share on this thread how your OCD is affecting you
I promise you we are not going to judge you, we will guide you on what's best for you and help you out in anyway possible!
Get it off your chest!
Right now, my OCD doesn't just affect my life, it controls it. And, it's questionable how much longer my life will even last under the dictatorship that is OCD. Currently, I can do nothing because of OCD except harm myself, cry all day, & have several consecutive panic attacks & constant anxiety weighing me down. I'm bombarded by violent images, & any move I make is reprimanded by OCD because I will cause "bad" things to happen. Tonight, OCD won't even let me sleep it off (because what if "bad" things happen while I'm asleep!?). Typing this was even immensely difficult, but I am very desperate in seeking support or comfort from others with OCD.
First of all, you have to accept your OCD and work on not letting it control you. You have to stay positive and the negativity will wash away itself I can promise you this, from now it does get better.
My OCD is practically all non-conscious acts. I suffer from dermotillomania, a skin picking disorder. I don't even know when I do it anymore.. it's such a bad habit that I can be bored, anxious, hungry, reading a book, you name it. I am ashamed of it and I feel like an ugly person that I tear off the skin on my hands, little bits at a time. It's rooted in anxiety and "over grooming" (like a very mild form of self harm) but I don't knowwhat triggers this and I don't knowhow to stop. I never sought help until I was in college and I've had this habit since before I can remember. I just really want my hands to be soft and not red anymore but I cannot stop! Any suggestions out there?
Hiya, it sounds like OCD has really been affecting you now and you just want rid of it now. Have you considered therapy for it? Also, you could try alternatives and try distracting yourself to doing other things.
Thanks, sweetBlueberry for the tips. I did see a psychologist for almost a year and didn't feel like I was getting anywhere. I also spent time with a psychiatrist who put me on mood stablizing medication before they would give me any SSRI's. I don't want to live off meds but I was also very impatient for change. Distracting myself is extremely temporary since the object of my desire (hands) are attached to my body, of course. I tried wearing gloves, sitting on my hand in class, and carrying Play-Do to give my hands some sort of action rather than picking. I feel so defeated.
@brightcloud71 I'm sorry to hear it has been so bad for you but I promise you it gets better though you have to stay strong and pick yourself up sweetheart please refer to these articles for help:https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/about-anxiety/anxiety-disorder-and-stress/compulsive-skin-picking and/orhttps://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/about-anxiety/anxiety-disorder-and-stress/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd I understand that you need to try and find alternatives for your dermatillomania have you tried ever just stopping at once?
My OCD is like this shadow that follows me everywhere I go and is there in everything I do.
I can never do anything good enough, or perfect enough. I am not allowed to take any sort of break from life, because then I am useless or not good enough. I didn't get enough done that day. I can clean my whole house but not get the dishes done and I failed.
OCD tells me that I am failing at everything. My kids, my life, my house, everything. I have weird phobias of things, and am socially weird, and no one understands me.
I exhaust myself to the point where I am crying constantly or feel like I might suddenly commit suicide (which I won't) but my OCD says I will. Or it tells me that I might accidentally hurt someone. Or hit someone with my car, or some other crazy irrational thought.
OCD exhausts me from the moment I get up in the morning. I am already behind before I even get out of bed. There is no catching up or ever feeling good about what I have done. OCD stole my career away from me.....
@asgoodasitgets I'm sorry that you are going through so much at the moment, its understandable to feel this way given your situation sweetheart you just have to try and embrace your OCD instead of letting it affect you. I can relateit can be hard but living with OCD than letting OCD live with you is so much better you just have to understand that, please refer to this guidehttps://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/obsessivecompulsive-disorder-for-dummies-cheat-she.html it may help you in some form or other.
Me too...
I have not been diagnosed with OCD but I am positive I have it, and it's preventing me from being diagnosed and getting help.
I live in constant anxiety. My heart races from the minute I wake up until I finally exhaust myself at night. I obsess over every detail.. what could I have done better? Why can't I just be normal?
This means that even if I try to see a doctor, I am so afraid I'm going to lie to them about my life and they aren't going to help me that I tend to "forget" my appointments. And then I am way to afraid to fix my mistake.
I'm a chronic skin picker since I was probably 11 or 12, when I started getting acne. My family sees it and tells me to stop but it's become second nature to me. If there's a mirror, I will pick at my face. No mirror.. arms and legs will do.
My compulsion is always to avoid. Hide from Facebook, don't answer my phone or door. Hell, I won't even open my mail. When I make even the slightest mistake, I can never ever admit to it - I will avoid like crazy and hope it all blows over. (It never does, which just makes the anxiety that much worse). I never answer the phone for numbers I don't know.
Right now I'm dealing with financial issues. I am so bad with money. My brain tells me it's okay to spend this, you'll have more on this day and you can replace it. Then when I can't replace it, I panic and don't tell anyone. Last week I was supposed to make a donation for a fundraiser I held. Unfortunately we had a small fire in our electrical box that we had to replace, literally the same day, and I thought I would be able to make the donation a couple days later.. but I have not been able to. And too scared to pick up the phone and tell the lady what's going on.
I am trying to find help. My PCP referred me to a psychiatrist over a year ago but I have not been able to find one that takes my insurance and new patients. At this point I get panic attacks just thinking about making the phone calls to find one.
I can relate to everything you've said here. I am so sorry that you have to go through this. ((Hugs)) if you want them.
Thankfully I am better now, but OCD use to affect my life in a way that I could not go through out my day without doing certain rituals. Or I would get anxiety attacks until I did what I had to do. It was terriblebut I had to almost trick myself into stopping. By ignoring the thoughts and the pain I felt inside.
I have lived with OCD most of my life. I have serious problems going out but am scared of many things in my apartment. I can't stop obsessing and don't enjoy any part of life in the least.
I have what is called 'Pure O OCD', which means I have more obsessions than compulsions. I used to have more compulsions, but most of them disappeared as I got older. Basically, my brain is constantly scanning for threats and danger, and I live in consistent fear that something bad is going to happen. When something seems a bit off, it's enough to send me into a panic. I worry about everything and everyone, and I obsess over what I can't control. Even when something good happens to me, my OCD finds a reason to be upset. It causes me to doubt and hate myself. I am tormented by violent, upsetting thoughts that keep me awake at night. It causes me to worry that everyone hates me or looks down on me, which causes social anxiety and as a result, I don't have many friends. I hate to sound like a whiner, but I feel like it's good for me to open up. I hope to get some support as well as help others with their own problems.
I have very similar symptoms, although I know it as "harming type". It does not matter how much I do not want to do something, doesn't matter that I an unlikely to do something, my brain and my illness tell me I am GOING to perform an action, and as a consequence, I will go to unbelievable lengths to avoid committing a deed that I have no desire to do to begin with. A lot of this involves having no contact with pets or family members, thereby creating a twofold torture. And it is torture, there is no other word for it.
@tr1ag3 Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings here. I am glad you have shared, and I am also truly sorry to hear that you are facing this, currently.
Is there anything you have tried, thus far, that gives you any relief from what you have described as torture, relating to the OCD as you experience it, presently?
Medication, psychiatric treatment with CBT, and amazing support from my spouse. I have to monitor my stress levels constantly, and know when I am taking too much upon myself. As I also have bipolar II, this can be a bit tricky. I have been doing very well fit almost a year, however the past few weeks have brought a mild resurgence of my symptoms.
You are describing typical symptoms of primarily obsessional OCD. I have had those same kinds of thoughts and impulses, but realizing what they are has helped me deal with them. These thoughts are very upsetting, but the fact that they upset you means that you have too much of a conscience to ever do these things.
@GoldieLox98 First of all, I am sincerley sorry to hear you are facing this challenge, I truly am. Secondly, I do not think you sound like a "whiner," as you termed it, at all. I personally think it takes courage to share here, as you have done, and I thank you for sharing, and applaud your courage.
I hope you find the support you seek, here at 7 Cups of Tea. This is a wonderful site, and community.
Please know you can choose to use any of the resources here, including connecting to Listener(s) for 1 on 1 chats, following persons on their "Feed" here, the self helps guides, the chat rooms, and of course, these Forums.
All the best to you as you move forward, Lils
Mine is only mild to moderate but I'd still say it impacts me pretty drastically at times. I used to have a problem with my hands cracking and bleeding but I have since switched to a less harsh sanitizer that my hands can tolerate if I end up using the entire bottle in one day. After making that switch my biggest problems with that particular compulsion are the looks and rude comments I get, and the panic attacks when I realize I am without sanitizer. The next compulsion that really impacts my daily life is correcting, whenever I see homophones being used incorrectly I have an irresistible urge to correct it. People who don't understand ocd get incredibly frustrated with me and it makes me look down upon myself for being so irritating. In addition I absolutely hate explaining that I have to do this, that I have ocd and that I'm not trying to insult anyone. I also feel as if I am using ocd as a scapegoat which isn't the case but I suppose that is just my anxiety talking. The others are pretty manageable I mean my obsession with even numbers is whatever and the constant counting gets tiring but I guess that's manageable, it could be much worse. Now from time to time if I'm like unusually stressed I go from double checking all the doors and windows and double spraying the doorknobs with Lysol (side note: the vanilla one dissipates into a rather pleasing scent which makes those around you a little less angry) to doing so upwards of 10-20 times and that is incredibly exhausting and frustrating. So overall it does impact me somewhat significantly but it could be much worse. My obsessions however, are another story for another time.
Hi @TheseBrokenWings,
I love your positive attitude and balanced view of OCD. Yes, it can be immensely challenging, but it could be worse. It's also clear that you're doing your best to minimise the impact your OCD has on others. It sounds like you've a very caring person! One of the toughest things about OCD is the way it can interfere with relationships and lead to isolation, so I hope the correcting compulsions don't get in the way too much. As this thread shows, you're not alone! We're here for you :)
@TheseBrokenWings wow it is crazy to look back on this over a year later. I'm doing much better. I still have the obsessive thoughts but I'm getting to the point where it isn't a huge of a hindrance on my social life. The thing with even numbers is still a huge deal but I suppose it is much easier to deal with than some of the compulsions I've had in the past. I've found that as my anxiety improves, my OCD does as well. It isn't gone, but it is now much more manageable.
Okay so my OCD has made me somewhat paralysed, I can't do most of the things now. I have maily contamination fears. i wash my hands so much, i don't touch things touched by other people, I don't like shaking hands or hugging people. infact I don't even go out of my house. Going out is like a nightmare for me, My family doesn't understand my condition, so i have to deal with it alone.
Sounds like you're feeling trapped by your OCD, @Dreamerlife9. Being housebound can be so disheartening, frustrating, and lonely. I wouldn't wish it upon anyone! I'm sorry to hear that your family doesn't understand what you're going through. I hope you can find some understanding here at 7 Cups of Tea.
My OCD has never been cleanliness, and only a small part was about things like pegs matching and volumes being on an even number. Mine manifested in a very tactile obsession, where if (for example) my elbow touched a wall or a window, I'd need my other elbow to touch the same wall or window. (Not very safe while driving!) If I scratch my pointer finger with my thumb, I'd need to do it on the other hand too. And I'd get stressed that mate I'd forgotten that I did it in the first place and just did it on the other hand and didn't know how many times I'd done it on each hand and had to keep scratching my fingers on both hands until I'd done it 50 times on each hand. The same with tensing the muscles in one should, I then had to do it on the other side, and suddenly I was doing it 50 times on each side.
Hi @RosieRose1986, thanks for sharing about your OCD. Trying to get things even on both sides can be a real nightmare. Lesser known forms of OCD are often misunderstood, but I hope you'll find that we're an understanding and supportive community. Welcome to 7 Cups of Tea!
Thank you :) I can already te that this will be a huge help for me.
@RosieRose1986 I know hard that is. My right side needs to touch everything last. My number is four. I also am a germophobic. It is interfering with my life more than you can imagine. My family thinks it's something I can just push through, but I just can't. I understand what it's like and it's comforting to know that you go through something similar. I'm here if you ever need someone to talk to about it!