Obsessional rituals are repetitive behaviors or mental routines that individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) feel compelled to perform, often disrupting daily routines and leading to significant distress. These rituals are time-consuming and significantly interfere with daily activities or functioning. People may spend hours each day engaged in these rituals, which can be driven by anxiety and provide temporary relief from OCD-related distress.
Obsessions and compulsions are uncontrollable, intrusive, and time-consuming thoughts or images (obsessions) and/or repetitive acts or. Some rituals arise from the belief that doing so can prevent a feared outcome, while others are thought to make something positive happen. It is important for OCD patients to trust their instincts and not to engage in obsessive-compulsive behaviors that interfere with their daily lives.
Obsessional rituals can be likened to checking every window and door is locked/closed multiple times over and over again, as they involve repetitive actions, thoughts, or rituals that individuals feel compelled to perform. Obsessional rituals are related to PTSD and involve elements of fear, disgust, and repetitive thoughts pertaining to the environment.
In summary, OCD is a long-lasting disorder characterized by uncontrollable, intrusive, and time-consuming thoughts or images (obsessions) and repetitive acts or rituals. These rituals can significantly interfere with regular routines and obligations, such as work, school, family, or social activities. People with OCD often have fixed beliefs and can be resistant to change, leading to severe and violent reactions when challenging routines and rituals.
📹 Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Through my eyes
Go through a typical day of a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This video is based on a personal account and …
What are 5 example of rituals?
A ritual is defined as a specific sequence of words, gestures, and actions, often utilized in religious ceremonies, rites of passage, and purification rites. These sequences are typically observed in a variety of contexts, including religious acts, birth, marriage, funerals, formal events, and other significant life transitions. They are characterized by adherence to specific norms and a discernible order.
Should you ignore OCD rituals?
Ritualizing urges decrease over time, similar to anxiety and distress. Postponing compulsive actions for several hours can help reduce distress and increase self-control. Distractions and letting time pass can also decrease the urge to ritualize. As time goes by, a sense of perspective and self-control develop. If the urge persists, try postponing it again by waiting until noon and seeing how it goes. If postponing is not possible, consider practicing slow thinking and acting during the ritual or changing some aspect of the ritual.
Practice 2: Think and Act in Slow Motion During the Ritual: This involves slowing down thinking and physical movements during the ritual. This practice can help change the ritual pattern and reduce the urge to ritualize. By focusing on the present moment and letting time pass, individuals can gain a greater sense of self-control and reduce their distress.
How can OCD interfere with someone’s daily activities?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition characterized by obsessions and compulsions that can significantly impact a person’s life. It can lead to avoidance of activities that trigger obsessive fears, making it difficult to perform daily tasks. Some individuals may even become housebound. Recovery from OCD can be achieved through psychological therapy, self-help techniques, and medication.
What are the 4 types of rituals?
Gluckman distinguishes four kinds of ritual, with rite of passage being a typical constitutive ritual. However, the terms “rite of passage” and “ritual” face difficulties as analytic concepts, making it difficult to differentiate between common behavior, rite of passage, and ritual in a strict sense. Van Gennep’s original expressions of the basic features of the rite of passage are vague, and the core problem is what people want to change through ritual.
Travel away from home but not for subsistence is a human behavior that has been widespread in all societies since ancient times. It wasn’t until the late twentieth century that tourism became a general necessity of life, promoting the development of related industries around the world. Determining the coordinates of tourism in cultural anthropology and establishing an analytic framework of tourism are frequently the focus of research for tourism anthropologists.
Graburn and Nash, two important researchers in the anthropology of tourism, have debated these basic questions. Graburn suggests that tourism is a “modern ritual” in contemporary society, where people are outside of their daily lives and in the travel life, which differs from routine work and life. He divides the life of the tourist into three stages: secular work-divine travel-secular work.
Nash later proposed that the purpose of travel, attitude toward travel, and the traveler’s behavior vary from person to person, and not all kinds of travel are similar to pilgrimage. While Graburn’s points of view can be useful for analyzing tourism, it’s important to be wary of being trapped into any one conceptual scheme, particularly one that may acquire a quality of truth in the minds of its proponents.
Should you interrupt OCD rituals?
Ritualizing urges decrease over time, similar to anxiety and distress. Postponing compulsive actions for several hours can help reduce distress and increase self-control. Distractions and letting time pass can also decrease the urge to ritualize. As time goes by, a sense of perspective and self-control develop. If the urge persists, try postponing it again by waiting until noon and seeing how it goes. If postponing is not possible, consider practicing slow thinking and acting during the ritual or changing some aspect of the ritual.
Practice 2: Think and Act in Slow Motion During the Ritual: This involves slowing down thinking and physical movements during the ritual. This practice can help change the ritual pattern and reduce the urge to ritualize. By focusing on the present moment and letting time pass, individuals can gain a greater sense of self-control and reduce their distress.
What are repetitive rituals?
Rituals are mental acts that are repeated excessively, often involving actions like checking, counting, or touching. They are less ego-dystonic than OCD-based behaviors, as they have a specific sequence for the behavior. Cleaning rituals may be accepted as the best way to do things properly or to get things fully clean, and a “fully clean” state is often desirable or the goal of the behavior.
Compulsions can be rituals, but not all rituals are compulsions. There is often a realistic connection between the ritual and the outcome it is meant to prevent. Non-OCD rituals take less time and have less impact on someone’s life, as they may take up more time than the person wants.
Safety behaviours are not clearly defined in current classification systems, but they are commonly used by therapists treating anxiety disorders, including Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and are rooted in cognitive-behavioural conceptualizations of anxiety disorders. While many compulsions can be rituals, not all rituals are compulsions.
Do people with OCD like routines?
Obsessive compulsive disorder patients often adhere to daily routines to combat anxiety, as uncertainty is a significant source of anxiety. However, this approach can lead to a prescribed pattern of behavior that lowers spontaneity and prevents experiencing new things or meeting new people. This can result in a life that is essentially a robot performing its duties, unable to experience new things or meet new people.
To combat this, it is essential to be aware of the real reasons behind prescribed behavior patterns and actively mix structure with spontaneity, similar to having an outline but with the freedom to fill it in various ways. This approach can help individuals manage their anxiety and maintain a balanced life.
What are the dark side of OCD?
Morbid obsessions represent a severe form of OCD that can give rise to intense, painful, paralyzing, repulsive, and debilitating thoughts, doubts, guilt, fears, and anxiety, thereby rendering it a particularly startling and disturbing condition.
Who is the most famous person with OCD?
Celebrities with OCD include soccer superstar David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio, Howard Hughes, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Camila Cabello, and Daniel Radcliffe. Beckham has shared his experiences with OCD and its impact on his life. Other famous people with OCD include Howie Mandel, Leonardo DiCaprio, Howard Hughes, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Camila Cabello, and Daniel Radcliffe. OCD can increase success by promoting self-improvement, but it is essential to seek professional support when needed.
Elizabeth specializes in anxiety, trauma, ADHD, and OCD treatment, integrating DBT, CBT, mindfulness, and EMDR for comprehensive care. Dr. Patel, a family physician, specializes in women’s mental health, burnout, anxiety, and depression.
What are some examples of obsessional rituals that interfere with routine activities?
Those afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) frequently engage in elaborate rituals, such as hand-washing, counting, or checking, which can be time-consuming, exhausting, and disruptive. Furthermore, these rituals can precipitate overwhelming thoughts, distress, and anxiety.
What is an example of an OCD ritual?
Compulsions are behaviors performed in response to obsessive thoughts, often repeated to relieve anxiety. Examples include handwashing or counting. However, everyone with OCD displays different behaviors, and while these behaviors temporarily alleviate negative feelings like anxiety, guilt, or fear, they are only temporary and can significantly impact the quality of life. Common compulsions in OCD can be physical or mental, and can include repetitive tasks, repetitive thoughts, or repetitive activities. Despite the temporary relief, compulsions can be a significant part of the individual’s life.
📹 John Green on how he deals with obsessive-compulsive disorder and ‘thought spirals’
Best-selling author John Green opens up to 60 Minutes about living with mental illness and how he copes with it. Sunday at 7 p.m. …
Holy shit, when you said “it feels heavy” when washing your hands I was shocked. I went through a really bad hand washing phase with my OCD and I had that exact thought. My hands literally felt heavy and sticky and I was hyper aware of the way my fingers were touching each other. It’s so insane how powerful the mind is at convincing you of physical feelings that are not actually there.
My grandmother had severe OCD. She used to wash her hands first with water 50 times, then with a handwash 100 times, and then again with water another 50 times. And then she just kept counting it. As a kid, I never understood it. All my family made fun of her and thought she was some psychotic woman; even her own children and husband. But now I understand, what she was going through and how hard it must have been for her. Grandma, wherever you are now I love you.
As someone with severe OCD, the hand-washing part made me burst into tears. THAT exact clip is what I live through every single day. I wash my hands maybe 30 or more times per day unless I had a more calm day with less things to touch as well as less stress on me. I cried mainly because my entire family doesn’t understand my OCD. Some of them think I’m annoying and stupid. They think that my OCD should be easy to fix (sometimes they tell me to “fix” my OCD), but, unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as they think it is. I’ve struggled with this for years. Im scared to touch anything in my house, I have to wear long sleeves or a jacket the entire day, so that I may open and shut doors, turn off the faucet, grab certain things, and protect my arms from getting dirty. It’s a pain. I cry because of how lonely and miserable I feel. The only person who truly understands and supports me is my boyfriend, but my mom also supports me but lately it doesn’t seem so. None of my friends know how bad my OCD is—only a few of them even know I have it. It’s terrible. Every day I have a certain way to do things otherwise I break down. There was a time when I was washing my hands and I accidentally touched the soap dispenser (which was located directly behind the sink) while rinsing my hands and wrists. I cried as I washed my hands again. I’m unable to control how long I wash my hands for. I could wash for 30 seconds to even 3 minutes. My hands may crack and my wrists may burn but I can’t stop it. If I don’t wash my hands after touching something my brain says is dirty, my hand (or hands) will feel detached from my body.
The comment section really did it. People keep mentioning that someone close to them has OCD and it made me feel good that they are perusal this and being aware of how OCD affects the life of their love ones. They are opening their minds to understand how hard having OCD is. I hope I have someone like ya’ll. Being supportive and all.
There was a article I watched that explained ocd a bit differently. Here’s how they explained it; “OCD and or obsessive compulsive disorder is when your mind tells you to do things a specific amount of times or way to do it and tells you if you don’t, something bad will happen. You’re being lied to by your mind and you are aware of it, but you aren’t in control of it and it forces you to listen.” That hit hard man.
My heart melted perusal this. Growing up, I didn’t rlly know what ocd was and the people around me often use perfectionism and ocd interchangeably. This article rlly opened my eyes to what an individual with ocd may experience. Hopefully, more people learn the difference between ocd and perfectionism and make better informed decisions when using the terms
OCD is characterized by a feeling of necessity to do something that is often completely unnecessery and may even harm you, but not doing this will leave you feeling an unbearable mental discomfort. Similar to an addiction, in which you know smoking the ciggarete is bad, but not doing it gets you going insane
I always thought OCD was being obsessed with cleaning. That’s why when I actually got it, I didn’t even notice it was OCD. I thought it was just some weird habit that I do. Walking in an even amount of steps. Having to apply the same pressure on my right and my left so it would be balanced. Having to step within the boxes of my tiles. It’s only now that I realized what was actually happening. It even affected my thoughts, I would have to do certain gestures in certain places
I have OCD, I was really bad with it when I was around 14-15 years old. I had to do stuff a certain number of times if I didn’t I thought something bad would happen. It got so bad I had to speak to my Mum about it and she was honestly amazing! The relief to talk to someone about it made me feel so much at eased and less stress. Since my Mum passed away in 2020 my OCD has been really bad. Whoever is reading this I hope you find someone who you trust to talk about it because it will make you feel so much better and you will feel like a ton of bricks have been lifted off your shoulders!
My OCD is somewhat similar to the kind potrayed in the article. It’s annoying and worst of all, it causes me extreme anxiety if something triggers my OCD. My heartbeat becomes faster, my chest feels empty and I feel this sudden gust of fear during the anxiety attacks. My doctor told me a few ways to reduce this displeasing effect, one of the most useful methods being attention divertion. When our mind, especially one with OCD, is triggered into thinking something bad will happen, that same thought will keep on occuring to us. But, if we choose to occupy our mind by doing something that will divert our attention someplace else, our mind will slowly calm down and those thoughts will not occur again. It has proven to be very helpful during my OCD triggers. I am still healing from it, and I know this journey takes time. However, I believe that I and many others like me who are also part of this community can successfully rejuvenate from the stress and heal from this distressing mental illness. We can do this, everybody. We can. Lots of love from a fellow OCD sufferer. Let’s lead the best lives.
I was severely traumatized years ago as a teenage, got diagnosed with OCD. Spent my whole life fighting OCD. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 6 years totally clean. Much respect to mother nature the great magic shrooms.
me reading comics Me : oh yeah I definitely have read the text My brain : re-read it again Flip to the next page My brain : You havent really read that text back then, do you know if theres a comma, period, or ellipsis and how much dots they got there? Me : well lets try to read it again flips to the next page My brain : did it have any capital? Oh well u didnt know that didnt you, so go read it again
In third grade I suddenly started trying to become “perfect” like have a perfect day routine. It’s rlly hard to explain but- I’d have to wake up at an exactly even time, take exactly 10 steps to the bathroom, take exactly 3 minutes, come back at exactly __:05, get dressed in the exact outfit perfectly without messing up (I’d repeat this over and over), eat breakfast in the exact amount of bites I’m “supposed” to, and log into class at exactly __:45. If I messed up I’d have ruined my whole day and I’d have to start tomorrow. I wouldn’t do certain things like hang out with friends or family because I might “mess up”. I’m a bit better, but I’m still trying to recover 🙂
I suffered severe anxiety and mental disorder 23 years ago as a teenage, got diagnosed with OCD. Spent my whole life fighting OCD. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.
I have had severe OCD for the last 40+ years and its debilitating and you feel so helpless at times because it does take over so much of your day. The routines and rituals are enough to drive a person insane. I hate it and ive been trying to stop it for years but revert back to it when under stress or something negative happens. My heart goes out to those who share this awful condition. My prayers go out for happiness and healing to you all ❤
OCD can manifest in very different ways. For me it’s not washing my hands a certain amount of times just till it feels right. Intrusive thoughts in the form of graphic images, and contamination fears especially having to do with food are my most common symptoms. If you feel like you might have OCD or something similar see a therapist, I had no idea I had OCD till recently, Im 20 years old. Point is: It can look very different person to person.
having ocd is like being blocked out from the whole world. i can’t do anything without washing my hands or spraying down furniture with antibac, or having to check things over and over again. i can’t even sit on seats in my house or watch tv and when people think it’s just being overly clean really annoys me. for me it is to do with contamination, but for others it could be cracks in the pavement etc. ocd is like hell.
I spent 12 years in an OCD ‘bubble’ (got out of it in 2018), and ‘woke up’ in a really **** up life (severe family neglect and trauma, no positive relationships to speak of (friend or family or lover), neglected health, not ‘socialized’, no skills or career opportunities, barely a job) I told myself I couldn’t possibly have OCD because my ‘obsessions’ weren’t hand-washing or lightswitch flicking. I was raised in a very neglectful household, so I didn’t even know anything (not my severe isolation, or severe social anxiety, or severe depression) was wrong with me. I just thought I was ‘ambitious’ and I was ‘getting ahead’ in my career. My ‘obsessions’ were idea-based. I was convinced I would be a writer and an artist, so I needed to have a great well of ideas to work with. I would spent hours getting ‘inspiration’ for new story ideas or new monster ideas and I would jot them down in notebooks. Or I would clean up digital documents or folders involved in a story idea. Or I would decide that my written notebooks weren’t ‘neat’ enough, and would rewrite them. Or that I needed to get through my Google bookmark folders of ‘inspiration’ and the cycle continues. And continues. And continues. Notebooks and documents and things just never quite being enough, and I never get any closer to my goals because I just keep ADDING THINGS TO THE LIST. I nearly failed high school classes other students claimed you had to TRY to fail, all because I would whip out my collection of notebooks to rewrite during class.
idk if i have ocd but i feel like i may have something similar??? i have a lot of symptoms but some main ones are that i check to make sure i did things like 2 or 3 times (like if i locked a door), i always have to do the same thing to the other side of my body (i usually chew 3 times on the left side of my mouth and then 3 times on the right, repeat. and also if i’m wearing sunscreen or makeup or something i’m incredibly paranoid and if i accidentally brush one part and it is possible some of it came off, i have to do it to the other side.), and i absolutely HATE stepping on the cracks of sidewalks, but i don’t necessarily go back and step over them all the time (although sometimes i do). i have a lot of anxiety too, and it’s really annoying lol. oh also when one of my shoelaces come undone i have to undo the other one and then tie them both again to make sure they’re both the same tightness. thx for coming to my ted talk lol
As someone who undeniably has OCD…this article makes me feel so much better. People always say I have OCD because I like things to be need and orderly. Or arranged a certain way. And yeah that may be part of it. But…OCD is so much more. I find myself repeating the same action over and over again till I get it right. Something as simple as walking in a room takes me 5 or 6 tries before I am satisfied. And if I don’t do it till I get it right I feel wrong. Course, when I do it till I get it right…I can tell you it is the most unbelievably satisfying thing ever. And I constantly worry about everything. I have bad anxiety…and a bit of paranoia. But it’s so much more than making things perfect. That’s what no one gets.
When she said, “not this foot, the other foot first!” I swear that was the most relatable thing. I’ve been having these little obsessions ever since I was a kid and I can’t explain them, I have to do them or the fate of the universe hangs in the balance. I’ve not been diagnosed with OCD, and I knew what OCD was, but what I didn’t know was that I might actually have it.
My type of OCD isn’t shown in this article. I’m the safety checking type and it’s very annoying just to get out of the car and check if the car doors are locked, that means I’m like testing the handle a few times and once I’m already halfway inside the shopping centre I have to go back out and check if my car door is locked properly. Oh and this includes all doors that can be locked. So now some of my door handles at home are loose now, from all that jiggling just to make sure it’s locked fml
I too see some people brag because they clean a house alot say in a happy boast oh I’m so ocd Are you kidding me? You have no idea how much suffering an actual person with ocd goes through For anyone to brag or laugh Or make fun of anyone with it Deserves to have a taste of what we go through for a week or so just to find out how bad this illness is I’m sure they’ll think twice about ever making fun about it again It is literally hell on earth! Imagine a pain and misery so bad than death is better than life.
i’d just like to point out that your handwriting is absolutely gorgeous !!! i don’t have ocd but i’ve read a lot about it and was recently told by a neurologist that i have obessive compulsive “traits”. this definitely seems very bothersome and hard to live with but i’m glad to see that you’re somehow managing. stay strong <3
I don’t have OCD, but my sister does. Recently, she’s brought up how alone she feels because many of her friends don’t try to understand it. So, I’ve been searching for articles to help me understand better. Thank you for this. I know I’ll never truly understand her experience, but I don’t want her to feel like she has no one close that can be there. I love my sister, and I hope other people see this even if they don’t know anyone with OCD.
I’ve been diagnosed with OCD since I was 10 yo and had my lowest points when I was 14 yo while I was on medication and I was always having breakdowns one after another to the point I became suicidal and it effected my whole family, then I decided to take control of my life when I discovered that OCD is so vicious the only why to calm it is by stopping satisfying it as it askes for more. I’m so proud of the whole work I’ve done on myself and proud to say that my life has been normal for almost 15 years now. One of the things that helped me forget about OCD is having cats as they always manage to distract you from the compulsive and intrusive side of your brain.
As someone with OCD, I just want to say this to my peeps — it’s not a never ending nightmare. You can learn to live with it and utilize healthy coping mechanisms. Yes, it’s hard, but you can do it! It doesn’t define you, it’s just apart of you. So remember to breathe and do your best to allow yourself to be reasonable. But most importantly, be kind to yourself.
This article is SO incredibly stressful for me to watch bc of how accurate it is and nearly triggering episodes again 😭 the hand washing, the tedious tasks of doing it a perfect number of times or restarting, THE WALKING EVEN NUMBERS IN THE SEGMENTS ON THE SIDEWALK, and so much more is so deeply relatable; for me another big thing with my OCD is I’ll have a random bad intrusive thought in public around other people, and I’ll ask myself “why the hell did I just think that terrible thing???!” And then my OCD will spam ask me “did you mean it did you mean it did you mean it did you mean it” and I’ll keep saying “no no no no no no” but after asking myself for like 5 or 10 or 30 or however many minutes in a row I’ll start self doubting myself and feel like I’m some monster and want to distance from people out of fear of saying such terrible things out loud which only makes the cycle worse – for a while I managed to have control over it (I think by not being out in public as much and being more online with friends especially with covid, but even in public I’d not really get those thoughts anymore) but recently it kicked up again just like how it was when I was younger and yesterday I spent 12 hours straight hopping from one airport to another and surrounded by people and constantly trying to convince myself I don’t mean the intrusive thoughts and I don’t want to hurt anyone and I’d rather die than hurt someone else emotionally or physically or whatever it may be and yet it’d keep asking me endlessly.
I am not diagnosed with ocd but heres some stuff i think about “if you dont say goodnight and i love you to your parents they will die tonight” “if you dont look behind you right now, there could be a man following you and you would never know” “if you dont look out of the shower right now, youre going to get murdered” “if you dont tell this person you love them, they will die” “check on your family, they might be dead” “check outside the window to make sure nothing outside looks weird” “if you dont do this the world will end” and thats every major thing i can think of right now as of now the things i think of have morphed into things more like:(and these are all extremely repetitive and very scary to me) “wash 2 times” (when i wash my feet in the shower) “look out of the shower curtain now” “click click click click” (when i have a pen)
My OCD is getting worse. I don’t touch the sink or let my shirt touch it. Whenever I go to the washroom, I wash my feet and hands. If water droplets on the floor jump and land on my skin, I wash that area with soap. I don’t touch doorknobs; I open doors with tissues. I can’t let my foot touch the ground, but if it does, I wash it with soap. No one sits on my bed because I don’t like it; if someone does, I change the bedsheet. I clean my phone whenever I come back from somewhere. When I go out, I always put my hair in a ponytail. In public, I don’t touch my hair because my hands are full of germs. When I come home, I immediately change my clothes, wash myself, and clean things. Sometimes, even when my sister hands me my cup of tea, I hold it with a tissue. There are many things I do, but my family doesn’t understand because they think I do this intentionally. I don’t have any control over myself. I really try to be normal, but it’s so hard. Sometimes they trigger my OCD, and I get angry and shout at them because they don’t understand and blame me every time.
a friend of mine was diagnosed with ocd few years ago and she opened up to me about it, and recently she got diagnosed with ptsd as well. it isn’t easy living with ocd. how burnt out u feel everyday, this article educated me alot about her situation and gave a very good practical representation about ocd.
Sometimes I used to think I had OCD. But more recently I’ve realized that OCD isn’t just perfectionism. And now seeing this article I now truly realize what it actually is, and how serious it is. I do relate to a lot of the things that she did during the article, but I can usually just tell my mind no and move on.
Ngl that was so hard too watch, cause it was wayy to accurate. The hand thing especially. Seeing u describe it as “heavy” was exactly how I’ve been trying to explain it this whole time but just couldn’t find the proper word for it. The knowing that u will be late but listening to the voices part and the feeling guilty for not being able to ignore them and missing out on stuff, as well as the cracks on the streets felt so real. Ngl it was very comforting seeing this article i feel a little less like a weirdo.
Very interesting article. I have worked with a guy that has OCD. He liked working with me, because I did my best to smile politely and be eagerly patient with his rituals. He said he got more relief and felt less anxious doing them around me. He started doing some of them less often, the need for them wasnt as strong when he felt less judged. I guess the anxiety spiral lessened when it felt OK that he had them. Miss that dude, he was so smart. Pained me that I couldnt hug him and magically make it all go away. Man… I wish I had magic hugs ;-;
I remember when my ocd was really bad and i just hoped that I wasn’t all alone doing stuff repeatedly and just hurting myself mentally and physically. It was so much stress everyday just trying to negate that voice in my head which brought me so much difficulty to do even the simplest day to day things. It used to waste so much of my time which made me late to lots of occasions and just school in general and it overall brought my family stress too. It’s been a long journey since a few years ago and i can say that its much better now, thanks to the support my family has given me and to the counsellors that I have spoken to. Controlling your mind is not an easy feat at all but the journey becomes worth it when you just keep going. I still have ocd and it really sucks sometimes but its just another part of my life that i want to control instead of letting it control me.
I was diagnosed with it some months ago, and it is hell, its so stressing to have this unwanted thoughts, and its so difficult to make them go away. I know it stupid to do certain things to calm down, but it makes me feel better. Remember getting out of the comfort zone is a way to progress, it can be a slow and small change, thats alright, just remember to fight it 🙂
My sister has OCD, it’s not very severe. Sometimes she’ll go to certain spots in the house and she has to touch them otherwise it feels weird for her. Sometimes she will spend around 30 minutes in the bathroom brushing her teeth, which brushing your teeth is important I know but, I think that’s longer than you should. I love her so much and I would hate to see anyone make fun of her for it. My parents always thought she was weird but in my eyes she is still perfect. She has good friends that are willing to protect her no matter what and I’m happy for her. Love you sis ❤
You portrayed it perfectly. I’ve struggled with this all my childhood and it keeps getting worse and worse, I’m just looking forward to moving out in a few months so I can finally get therapy and start working on my mental health overall. Btw for those curious, in my case OCD shows up as: • If I touch anything at all accidentally, I have to touch it three times again to make it four and then do it on the exact same spot on my other arm/leg/etc on the same spot on whatever I touched, the exact number of times. • If I do xyz thing, xyz bad incident will happen. If I don’t do abc thing, abc bad incident won’t happen (abc and xyz things can be daily activities that are crucial and fundamental in everyday life, like eating. This combined with eating disorder is a horrible experience.) •I have to step on the exact same tile exactly sixteen times with both feet or it’ll haunt me for days. •I have to blink my eyes exactly sixteen times, consciously. •I have to look at the same spot and look away and look back again, sixteen times. These things may seem very minor but I’m grossly oversimplifying how it actually is. Imagine all of these and much, much more, each of these occuring fifty times a day, and then struggling with your own brain and giving in because of how debilitating and horrifying of an experience it is. Everything I do, I have to repeat four, eight or sixteen times. It doesn’t just waste my time, it fucking kills me inside and hurts my brain when I do it AND when I try to overcome it.
I have ocd, depression, anxiety, an eating disorder, Tourette’s and body dismorphia 🙃 Thank you so much for the lovely comments I appreciate them all so much ❤️ I’m back again to say a big thank you for the comments and am proud to inform that I’m doing much better. I’ve recently got into the law of attraction and it has honestly changed my life ( I really recommended it :))🙌 I will just say that some people think I’m lying and I’m truly NOT. I wouldn’t dream of lying about a thing that’s so terrible and that affects so many people. If your struggling too just know that your not alone and there is always help ❤️ stay safe everyone xxx
My ocd is hard to explain, I basically have to do everything 5 times e.g check the time,I have to do everything in sets of 3,,5 or 10, If I touch something with one hand I have to do it with my other hand, I have to count every little thing. It wastes so much of my time, but I can’t stop, I have not been diagnosed, but I am positive it is ocd. Everyone else that is suffering from this, God bless you🙏
I do this thing where if I flip a switch with my left hand I automatically feel like flipping it again with the right hand or if tap something a three times with one hand I have to do it with the other hand. Even if its accidental. Or if I’m walking on tiles and I step on one crack with one leg I have to do it with the other leg. I remember flipping the switches on and off over and over again when I was younger But I don’t do it anymore only at certain times but not many
This article depicts OCD in a very good way. I’ve never been officially diagnosed, but it runs in my family. If something brushes my arm, I get tingles and feel super uncomfortable until I intentionally brush the same spot on my other arm. I can’t wear flip flops or slides because I’m worried about one of them slapping one foot and not the other. I can barely stand doing things one handed, like writing or using a mouse despite doing those things my entire life. I can’t have just one earplug or earbud in. I can’t wear ripped clothing that has a rip on one side and not the other. I have to do things in a VERY specific order, and if I don’t, or someone messes with it, I freak out. The cracks in the sidewalk; I have to step in a square an even amount of times, and if I don’t, or step on a crack, I have to completely restart in my brain and try to get back on track. It’s so frustrating to put up with, and some people just say that I fake it. Please share this. Share this so people can understand the struggles people with OCD go through.
I don’t (think I) have OCD, but are you ever like “okay, check the door to make sure it’s locked.” walks away “wait, but what if I imagined things?” runs back and checks a second time “Okay good… but what if I was imagining things both times?” runs back to check it one more time “okay, that’s probably good.”
I have diagnosed OCD, it’s different for everyone, the repeating thoughts and the compulsions are hard to live with. Sometimes i freeze up when im about to say something, or when i need to say something, my mind is repeating and screaming at me over and over “say it, say it” but i just cant get my words out. My experience may be different from other people’s experiences, but please don’t try and put someone down who has troubles like this just because someone else with OCD “has to be more perfect or more clean”, the compulsive thoughts can be lots of things and they can range from mild to very severe and dangerous thoughts
For me, the most upsetting thing was after using the iron, it was placed with the hot metal side down on the wooden floor, and the ‘voices’ weren’t at all obsessing over that. The idea that a thing like a wrinkle in a shirt could make someone late to work/school, but they might not pay attention to something dangerous, cause they’re focused on something mundane ( a hot iron on wood vs a wrinkle in a shirt ) I’m not sure that was intended,but that’s how I took it. And I’m sure in extreme cases, situations like that may occur..
Honestly when people say “oh im so ocd” I don’t mind all that much because i know they don’t actually think that odc is just “being organized” or liking your surroundings to be neat. The thing that annoys me most is when i explain to someone what ocd is and they still heavily insist that they have it and they clearly do not, and imply that i dont know what im talking about
Have had this disorder for years now. And let me tell you, that whole sink episode hits different. Wash three times, over and over. And then once you do, you don’t believe you counted correctly. So you do it again. Then you might as well do it again because your hand touched the sink that was dirty in the first place. That repeating thought in your head. Someone could tell me something and it won’t leave my head until I bring it up again. Thank you for shedding light on this debilitating disorder. I’m fighting the battle every day of my life.
I had serious OCD at the time of covid! I wouldn’t use to sleep before doing tons of unnecessary things like washing my hands 9 times or maybe closing the curtains in a special manner! I hated doing that and still had no control over myself… But one day I decided to change myself! I started forcing my mind to stop doing unnecessary or repetitive things, it was pretty hard for me but I managed to train my mind like that! Now I don’t have it, I have overcome it and that’s how everyone can!
I’m sorry I can’t watch the entire article because I honestly just started crying out of nowhere. Being aware of yourself having OCD and being unable to have a normal day to day life is twice as painful than actually doing your rituals that stimulate your emotions and thoughts in that moment. I personally can’t deal with my OCD as in, I just don’t wanna think about it, I don’t wanna think about knowing that I’m suffering from having it. EDIT: I have a boyfriend which I love, that also helps a lot when I get ‘OCD attacks’, that’s what I call them, but he obviously doesn’t have it himself and so cannot relate which can sometimes lead to fights where he tells me that he’s exhausted and mad exactly because he doesn’t know what it’s like and how he can help me more. I’ll definitely use the article to show him and maybe help him understand a little more!
As a person with OCD, there is so much I have to deal with. I struggle mainly with contamination ocd, basically it’s where you strongly dislike the thought of germs, microbes, gross things, etc… I also deal with a lot of other symptoms of ocd, but I struggle a lot with this category. keep in mind this is not like the stereotypes at all. The thing is, I always get intrusive/unwanted thoughts, for me those thoughts like to “flash” in my head. I try to make it stop by a “please no not this again, nonono” kind of thing. I hate going to school/public restrooms, because I think of how contaminated it probably is. I hate when people I don’t know touch my hands (specifically my hands) because I don’t know if they wash their hands long enough, or maybe even at all. I’ll spend whole minutes trying to wash my hands so they are clean enough. When I’m wearing something, I don’t like how it looks on me so I try to adjust it for long periods of time to make it look “decent.” I hate how I look and I’ll spend hours in the mirror touching my face, attempting to “fix” it. I’ll make sure the water faucet is turned off for like, 10 times in a row. If something is out of place, I’ll try fixing it in a specific spot for the next 15 minutes. For me, that’s only the bare minimum. I could go on and on about all the things I go through, but it’s just that ocd has affects me in so many ways of my life, I wish it would stop
Hi guys i want to tell my little story here:) in 2021 i started little changes in my life. Like if i did my routine well or not. Whenever i saw things that disorganized for me i cant go to sleep before i organized these things or i check every single thing. first i thought this is anormal and this is just a personal think, i felt lonely. After some research i realized this is a symptoms of ocd then i watched this articles like that i realized this is exactly me! I realized im not alone. I told my psychologist after a long time. After a few times he direct me a psychiatrist for medicine he gave me a medicine i started forced myself do not these routines at the beginning its really hard to doing but after i used to i felt better so much. And now at 2024 i still have little things like that but %85 i rid of these things. Do not forget youre not alone and know that this is just a mental disorder you can face it:) -sorry for some grammer mistakes
As a person whos a negative thinker, I dont have OCD. But perusal this article made me sad… for those who are suffering, remember me. a person with no OCD but a negative thinker. that can ruin my brain but im working on it, and remember lets fix this together! and lets become better! Your not alone, Remember! dont be shy to tell you parents, friends, relativies, Dont be shy.! dont think that “OH SHE WILL SAY NO ITS NOT A BIG DEAL” dont think that! share your emotions, informations and why you have it. Think before you speak. or they mght not understand, to be honest i wanted to turn on the AC and i was thinking my mom would say ” No dont and why?” and i was not about to tell her then, I just went to her and she glady said Yes, And dont forget to Pray and also tell God. How you felt. And Pray that someone will help you.. Dont worry, Your not Alone. Im here, A negative thinker. >3 that can ruin your brain. And dont give up! u can do this! >3
This is literally me. I’m so glad that I’m not alone having such disorder. I’ve had this thing with me since I was 3 years old. It’s all started with : “If I walk, I need to make sure that I step first with my right foot the same amount of times, that my left foot did”. Edit : Thank you people for your stories, likes and support!
Thank you for making this article. I haven’t been diagnosed, but I strongly suspect I have OCD. It gets so bad sometimes I feel like I’m shrinking into myself, like my mind is a locked room and no one can get through to me and I can’t get out. I hate it so much. I would give a lot to not have to deal with it ever again. Bless you.
At 28, I’ve never been medically diagnosed with OCD, but I’ve recently been assessing my mental health, and I’m just now realizing that OCD is something I’ve suffered from my entire life. Obsessions and compulsions related to counting, symmetry, organization, routines/habits (that I won’t specify), and extreme self-criticism/scrutiny have consistently caused anxiety, depression, addiction, and somewhat manic behavior. Fortunately, we can manage this through reflection, meditation, prayer, and communication and even use this to our advantage if we can website our obsession and compulsions into positive/productive things.
What gets me is if one of my foot steps in a puddle and the other one doesn’t so I go back and make sure the other side is also wet so it’s “equal” because it annoys me so muchhh same thing if I step on a crack with one foot then I have to step it with the other… lol I’m weird … I literally thought I was the only one🤷🏻♀️😂
I’ve had severe ocd my whole life and no one understands how overwhelming it is. It literally makes me cry every day because it takes over my whole life. It also makes me really mad when people are like “I have such bad ocd” because they have to color in the lines or sum like that’s not what ocd is all about. It’s awful.
I have no signs of OCD EXCEPT for the fact that when i watch any article or movie i really REALLY hwve the urge to skip back 10 seconds to get EVERY last detail, and it takes me double tue amount of time to watch something than the runtime and its REALLY annoying. I looked it up and apparently people with OCD do that, and i wouldn’t think much i have this SO BADLY. Ive tried stopping but i cant. Also i used to have the urge to walk back in my steps just because the thought of it popped up in my head. Plus my brother has OCD. So i feel like i might have it lightly, although it doesn’t bother me that much. OH and i also sometimes keep drinking more glasses of water to have my mouth perfectly lubricated. Actually after perusal this I’m starting to notice a lot of things I do that I never really thought about.
I haven’t diagnosed with OCD, but i realised all my actions and i said to myself “I might have an OCD? Why did i do this? Can i just stop checking all over again?” Watched some OCD articles and then i said to my self, “Why i experienced worse than this?” Imo, this article is best to represent what OCD feels like, it’s not always washing your hand excessively, but some are “It shouldn’t look like this” “Is this right?” “I think it’s like that” “Did i do wrong?” “Am i doing all right?” “What if its like that?” “Lets do all over again for a double confirmation”. After all the fear in your mind, you’re going to do it all again anyways. In my case its “If you’re not checking your bag once at night, once in the morning, and once before you go, your day will be ruined because you left something. And if you don’t check once again when going home, the stuff you left will gone forever” or probably the most common everyone had, but in my case “If you don’t wash your hand twice, you’re going to get diseases”
Hey! I always check things multiple times that I don’t want but just trust issue, also I get thoughts of doing something that I will absolutely hate and I always put things on it’s correct position and my biggest problem that I hate when I draw a line and it’s not straight like if I have to highlight on my tab and if it’s not straight then I erase it again and again until it becomes straight……Am I perfectionist or is it a sign of ocd ?? Please reply if u know …I randomly click this article but after reading comments I am confuse please help me to find out if any body knows who is reading my comment…And thank u for reading this much longer ☺️
My brain: Before you leave, say goodbye to that chair and touch it! Me: Why? My brain: Do it, you stood on it for 5 hours, it’s important! Me: Ok *does it* My brain: Again. Me: What? Why? My brain: I wasn’t sure. Me: Sure of what? My brain: Sure of-… I don’t know, do it again or you will think about it for the next day. Me: Ok, fine, last time now!! *does it* Satisfied? My brain: Well now I am convinced bu-… Me: NO, THE END! *walks off a bit angry and thinking about the poor chair*
I completely understand, cause it doesn’t feel like the first two washes were enough. Even though it IS, our brains go “Mm no, your hands are still dirty somehow. I’m sure the third time we’ll get it clean.” I’m not sure why, but it’s like I can FEEL the contamination on my hands even though I don’t see anything there.
Why is it that ocd is only about washing hands then what do I have I don’t understand once I see an insect in a article or somewhere outside mostly spiders I keep cotton balls in my ears nd keep dusting myself my clothes so there would be no insect when I know there is not any insect there but I still do it I feel like an insect would go into my body if I don’t keep my nose and ears shut I feel like an insect is crawling on my legs my back and I check like 12times 13 times before going to sleep before sitting anywhere to check weather is there any insect even if it’s a really really small one I see it I get disturbed for like hours I do and continue this behaviour what should I do about what is this problem my friend told me it was ocd but after perusal this article I guess it’s not but now my condition is really Getting out of hands
I have OCD as well, and this article made me realize that many of the behaviors I have are very common, while others are more extreme. For example, I would have to wash my hands after touching the shoes, door handles, or even sink handle because I would feel like they are dirty. I also have certain pens my brain only allows me to use for certain subjects in school, and when I mix the pens I feel like I need to go wash my hands obsessively. The part in the article where she was explaining that her hands felt heavy until she washed them several times is all to real, and makes it difficult to stop compulsive behaviors because your brain makes you feel like you actually have something on you, when really its long gone. OCD is a real and important issue, and it is really difficult to live with! Thank you so much for this article!!! ❤️❤️❤️
People just don’t realise how frustrating and complicated life is for someone who really truly has ocd. It’s something that effects people’s lives daily and it really gets to me when people make assumptions that they have it and joke about having it just because they like to keep things tidy and then say “omg I’m so ocd”. That’s not what ocd is at all…
I was never been diagnosed with OCD but when i was like, 11, i used to loose one or two hours everyday before going to bed just to certify that all the lights were of, doors locked, stuff like that, but when i went back to my room i was allways thinking like: did i closo the door? Even after doing it with my own hand and my own eyes i still was allays thinking in that and i couldn`t sleep. I am 17 now and i have much more control on myself. My advise is exercysing a lot, go to a psycologist and put limits on yourself
My grandmother have a neighbor. Her name is sara shes 60-70 years old. She have OCD. Everytime you go near her house. You will see that every 3 weeks she change her whole house. Even if she has to fall in Debts. One time When i was young. Me and my grandma visited her for the first time with me. And i went to her garden with my shoes on. She started looking at my shoes and started screaming instantly and hitting her head on the wall. People say having OCD is something amazing and makes you Extra hygiened. But people who have OCD suffer from it alot. Hope everyone with OCD Feel better.
Me, as a person with ocd perusal this makes me emotional. You don’t know how much it gets worse, how we (people who has ocd) are trying to control it but its hard to. I hope you get to understand us and rather than making fun of us or letting us down, try to help instead. We may not know how one can go through something, let’s all understand and respect each other. and also a reminder that OCD is very far from being Perfectionist. Ocd also includes of unwanted thoughts, repitative actions, and can cause to severe anxiety, overthinking or to depersonalization de realization disorder. To those who has ocd or other illnesses, you’re amazing, strong and you’re just perfect as you are🤍 love you everyone🤍
I used to have this when I was little. I didn’t know why I was doing it, I am very religious so back then the only thing I could think of is that I was “talking to the devil” and that if I didn’t do what he said something really bad will happen, I remember there were bad numbers and good numbers, Every time I cleaned the bathroom before I went to sleep I would turn the bottles of sope and stuff around a specific number of times but some times I felt like I did it wrong and had to do it again and again until I was satisfied. There are a bunch more things that I did but I got better by “taking a vacation” I thought “hey! I’ve been doing this for so long, I need a vacation and then I’ll start doing it again, ok?” I still have a little bit today but “taking a vacation” helped me a lot. And I never went to therapy or anything like that. Edit: I can’t believe he w many people relate to this, it’s nice to know you’re not alone c:
here is how i cured my ocd completely, i believe ocd happens because of unresolved trauma, and i was suffering from ocd recently because of triggered trauma, and my ocd intrusive thoughts increased, so every time when i got triggered, i started noticing physical sensations in the body instead of fighting my thoughts and feelings, i started being present with the feeling in the body, i started giving my attention to that physical sensations whenever intrusive thoughts came, or feelings, i grounded my self, and took deep breaths 4 inhale and 8 exhale through pursed lips about 10 times with each completion of breath i said to myself ” i am okay, i am safe and i am alright ” and ocd went away after few days, and also i began to do chakra meditation every night, these problems i believe are mostly due to imbalance in life forces. Do this it has helped me hope this help you too. wish you guys peace and love.
It’s the most infuriating thing when people who do not have OCD say that they do, it isn’t the simple act of wanting things to be neat and tidy, it’s certain obsessions that can be different for different people. I’ve dealt with OCD since I was around 11 and around a year ago I had almost completely controlled it but now come back completely. For me it’s having to have everything at an angle and can never touch if I say goodnight to someone I have to do it in groups of 2 or 4 if I say goodnight and they reply I unconsciously say it again, then I’ve realised I’ve done it 3 times and the whole process can even cause anxiety attacks for me it used to be having to step on every leaf I see, it sounds stupid but if I didn’t I would run all the way back even if it was super far away, it’s something that affects your life and people who are glorifying it just makes it seem like a good thing Sorry this isn’t intended for anyone to read I just had to vent lol
I was never diagnosed, but I’ve been researching about OCD for a few years now and talked to a few friends who have it and I’m pretty sure I might have it. I hate the idea of self diagnosing and stuff, but if the amount of things that I relate to about OCD, which includes really really bad intrusive thoughts and dozens of repetative behaviours that I’ve hated for years. These types of articles, and meeting more people with ocd (even if I don’t actually have it, then people with very similiar problems to mine) it all makes me feel better about myself.
One of my compulsions was to outline or trace things with my eyes, usually to the beat of 7. Trace the edges of the ceiling until I get to 7 corners. I was able to conquer my OCD and get my life back. But after having counted to 7 so fast so many times in my life, it still feels weird to count past 7 when I’m counting out loud, almost like I missed my exit driving to work.
I’ve never watched these type of articles because even tho I have ocd I thought I wouldn’t relate to them as I asumed they would just be those silly articles about everything being clean and streight etc wich isn’t ocd. I’m actually sobbing because this explains my ocd almost perfectly. Especially the repetitiveness of the numbers in the beginning! I feel so heard and understood. Thank you for making this article
I’ve had like three sessions with a psychiatrist and he called me “little obsessive” because I manifested some OCD behaviours but I wasn’t really affected by it… I went to therapy to work on my anxiety but now I wonder what it really is. Like, sometimes my “anxiety” makes me check dozens of times whether if I have my id card with me or not, and sometimes I burst into crying because I’m not sure. I know I can’t say I have ocd but it’s nice seeing this article and feeling less abnormal.
Finally, someone who actually knows what they are talking about with OCD and doesn’t consider it a perfectionist disorder… I have to repeat many things, rub my nails against my teeth (especially after scratching smth), feel like there’s a string tied to everything and walk back any circles I take, and many other things that drive me nuts. First article to explain why I do it!
As someone with OCD and ticks, the “check the garage door 5 times to make sure it’s closed at night”, “check to make sure I turned my alarm clock on 5 times”, “make sure I wash my hands after every contact with raw meet while cooking”, “can only use even number volumes on tvs and radios unless multiples of 5”, does get annoying. Yes, those are some of the things that drive me up a wall. And after dealing with this for over 30 years…..I realized a few things that work for me but that were very difficult to start to implement in my life: 1. My brain is nagging me about things which may not reflect necessity and I need to trust my memory that I did see what I actually saw. For instance the garage door was closed the first time I checked therefore it would be a waste of time to check it 10 more times before bed. Beating this nagging feeling is difficult. You may have a more difficult time falling asleep. 2. I can just not do the things and walk away. Again, nagging feelings may persist, but it’s important to immediately find something to occupy your mind with shortly after walking away from something. Idle minds are the OCD’s playground so to speak. 3. The world won’t fall apart if I do leave the garage open on accident, or if the tv is on an odd volume. Not to say something bad will not happen if you leave the door open all night, but life goes on and you deal with it. Check once, and walk away. I believe that most if not all OCD people can beat the disorder themselves without medication just by taking a leap, but it takes willpower and mind over matter control to tell yourself that the nagging feelings are not what controls your actions it’s what you choose to do that controls your actions.
i have no idea when it started, but as a kid i used to take forever in the bathroom brushing my teeth and taking showers. i would always get yelled at for it whether i was with my mom’s side of the family or my dad’s. nobody understood it and at the time i didn’t either, but i knew i had to because if i didn’t always do it the same way as i usually did, such as brushing over each side of my teeth a certain number of times and in the exact same way that i always do, it would bother me tremendously. i never understood why, but when i was young and i’d get interrupted i would have mental breakdowns over not finishing up how i’m supposed to. growing up i knew what ocd was, but i had always thought ocd means you’re bothered by everything, not just hygiene like myself. only as of recent, i realized what i always had was ocd, it’s just mines is more towards the way i handle myself in the bathroom. ocd isnt always the same for everyone. nowadays i hate dealing with my ocd, it really frustrates me because it’s very very tedious, but it’s like i can’t say no to the way i do things. it’s for sure a mental issue, and it’s so frustrating that i barely take care of myself because i hate fighting with myself or feeling the mental and physical fatigue. i really hope one day i’ll overcome this, and i know i can little by little. to anyone reading this who have been struggling like me, you can also overcome this !!make sure you change up your routines little by little everyday to where it starts to feel normal.
I had OCD just like this (it runs through my family) and at the end of the day my head felt so overwhelmed that I would just lay on the floor crying, after about 2 years my mom noticed it more and more and we finally decided to go to therapy for it, after about 1 year of going to therapy, I feel great and don’t have the terrible temptations that I did before, all thanks to therapy.
as someone with an anxiety disorder and goes through very similar things that people with OCD go through (like intrusive thoughts) i can say that this article perfectly explained the disorder and hopefully this article will have people understand that OCD isn’t just about being a neat freak. Thank you (english isn’t my first language forgive me)
Going to share this right now because I feel like that it’s the right time to do so: Although I have never been diagnosed with OCD, I do feel like that I exhibit symptoms of it (and yes, the things in this article, are the things I also do feel from the constant and repetitive voices in the head and the constant and repulsive). And there have been some months and times (especially a lot last year) that I have the worst OCD panic attacks (I got one just a few hours ago after doing the business in the toilet, now writing this). And yes as a person that exhibits those symptoms (because I won’t really say that I have OCD because I’m not yet diagnosed though I have the symptoms of it), it mentally hurts 24/7 and it’s surprising that I’m stil alive besides having those symptoms, and only myself and my family has helped me to go through it. Now my OCD is not as worse as other people have it though, but even then it still hurts to have it. And because it mentally hurts, I usually don’t like to watch these types of articles, because it hits so close to home so much/I can relate so much too it that it hurts me even more mentally. I honestly wish I could heal it through drugs (because I live in the Philippines and it’s hard to get mental help due to it being so expensive due to not having free universal healthcare similar to Cuba and the Global North countries and the process of trying to get help is difficult), I’ve tried self-help but it’s still kind of failing and counseling I think would fail like self-help due to on how self-aware I am.
I don’t really know what this was, I am extremely sure that it wasn’t ocd because I am pretty sure that ocd is a permanent thing but when I was younger I had something like it. I don’t know. It consisted of… 1. Having to touch my nose/arm in a certain way if something knocked it because I wanted to make sure it was ‘straight’ even though I know it was straight. 2. Being scared that I would get up and yell in a quiet room full of people even though I knew I wouldn’t. 3. Have to touch the tap in a certain way or else my family/I would die or I would vomit. 4. I was scared if I wasn’t asleep by 7:30pm. 5. I liked doing things in odd numbers because it felt balanced to have one in the middle and an equal amount on either side. E.g. w I w
I was diagnosed with OCD when I was 22 years old. I honestly suspected it for a long time, but had never gotten the courage to go seek out help or a diagnosis at the least. I’m now 26 years old and have been seeing a therapist to help me for the last 3 years. I have a better handle on my behaviors and intrusive thoughts, but some days are definitely worse than others. I get especially self conscious at work because they’ve started to notice some of my rituals (washing my hands three times, even after wearing nitrile gloves all day…and I have to wash them EVERY TIME I take off the gloves). Certain textures make me freak out and I sometimes can’t even perform certain tasks at work because of it. I have to put together canvas photo orders sometimes, but the texture makes me panic and I can’t bring myself to touch it without gloves. On bad days though, I can’t touch canvas even with gloves. The very thought of it makes me go crazy and I can’t physically make myself do it. I have the same reaction with cash and coins too. It’s not even necessarily about being orderly or clean, it’s about control. And I have to do these things to regain a sense of control. Otherwise, I feel like the intrusive thoughts won’t go away and will have control over me. But in that same regard, they do have control over me because I do these rituals and behaviors as a result of them. It’s really such a taxing and exhausting way to live. Luckily though, my boyfriend is very understanding and loving, and helps me get through the day with all his support.
When I was little, I was going through some trauma. During that time, I used to have compulsive thoughts to touch the stove repeatedly or make sure that I always balanced the amount of times I would touch something with my hands. Fortunately this stopped happening after I was put in a better situation, but I can’t imagine having to continuously live through anything similar to OCD. It must be so difficult.
The “wrong leg” thing and the restart when stepping on cracks. I felt that. Adding “why can’t you just be normal, imagine what others would think of you when the see your restarts, oh, they’ve definitely seen those, oh no” thoughts as the cherry on top, lol. Huge thanks to the author for making this article, it made me feel seen and heard❤
Hello everyone x I’m guessing you guys have OCD as do I…. I was diagnosed I think about 4-5 years ago and I was in a really bad place as it had taken over my life and I was quite young anyways I was sent into a mental hospital because of ocd anxiety and depression … I wasn’t eating because I was afraid someone had contaminated my food and thought everyone else wasn’t real…. this was the worst experience of my life I was basically forced to go …. I cried and screamed and so on I was very attached to my mother( still am but now as bad) so it was very hard .. I even hit people out of pure fear and frustration .. here’s the bright side .. although I didn’t see it or think it at the time when I was released and my mother was given instructions I got better slowly it’s was horrible as I was basically stopped from doing anything related to ocd …. btw I’m trying to share this not for recognition and or pity I am sharing this to let others know that it gets better. Now in 2020 I only sometimes get thoughts of oh wash your hands again or well often I get no I need to touch that with my other hand aswel also like a want to throw this cup and so on but I can eat now I can do things for myself now . Stay strong everyone please!
I think I have OCD and personally I’m a checker, I check the locks, oven, outlets, etc. When they said, “something doesn’t feel right I’ll do it again” while washing her hands it was so relatable, that’s exactly what I do while checking the locks. I have lot’s of anxiety when it comes to religion, every time something bad happens to me, I wonder what I did wrong for God to inflict it on me, like something in my mind just tells me, “unplug that outlet or your mom/dad won’t drive home safely from work tonight.” I usually say repeated phrases like, “Lord sorry for the rude comment Lord please forgive me, please forgive me,” repeatedly, 4 to 8 times at least. I would stay up really late praying repeatedly, the same words every time, over and over because, “it didn’t feel right.” My conciseness would tell me I needed to sleep but the intrusive thoughts would tell me that I need to do it again. I noticed it got way worse around 2020 due to it being an extremely stressful year for me, I’m doing better now but it’s still here. I wanna tell one of my parents I just don’t know how to bring it up.
I have very severe ocd and I just had yet another panic attack. I don’t even know if I could describe how this feels if I tried. but it’s like I’m never relaxed ever period. and everything around me is triggering me at all times. it often feels like I’m a room full of people scratching chalk boards with their nails. and no matter what I do I can’t make it stop. and I keep trying to do things to make it stop but everything I try makes the sounds grow louder. Idk if anyone without ocd will understand but yea it gets to be too much a lot. And I often get in trouble for never doing well in school and just “not bothering to do assignments” but can you blame me? Ocd sends your brain into a constant state of panic. My brain literally thinks I’m about to die at all times. It’s like if you were asking a kid what 2+2 is while a bear chasing them. I know logically that I’m not going to die but my ocd paired with my anxiety can’t understand that.
I’m so glad that you pointed out that people’s rituals or symptoms can be different. I struggle with BFRB (body focused repetitive behavior) because of my OCD. My fingers bleed on the daily and I have scar tissue that hurts to touch hot water. Plus people point out my fingers look like they’d been shredded on a cheese grater. Intrusive thoughts were also really common before I started my medication. I felt hopeless, but it got so much better. To anyone out there struggling with OCD or with things OCD adjacent, know it gets better. It sounds cheesy, but it’s true 🙂
The difference is that I’ll also brush my teeth multiple times, and freak out when outside events happen to my stuff when it’s out of my control. I take medication to help often, but I need more to cope with everything. It’s always been washing my hands so many times, making sure nothing happens to my stuff, and doing things like cleaning often and brushing my teeth a certain amount of times.
I have diagnosed OCD and I had it horrible for years, until last year when I finally learnt to control it. I still have it, intrusive thoughts aren’t nice, but I have learnt not to act upon them. Thank you for this article; it reminded me of peoples struggles and how hard this is. I hope everyone out there is safe, and remember, OCD is not a part of you. You’re strong enough to change <3