Whenever I encounter content or thoughts which trigger my O.C.D.'s themes, I perform one of two actions: Either I attempt to face said content/thoughts with no results other than increased uncomfortability, or I try to do away with it all and anything remotely connected to it all to a very extreme degree. Both of these options end up making me feel as though I can do nothing in my life without becoming my fears. Is there anything that I can do?
When I get intense thoughts I like to wash my face with cold water or use sour mints, to ground me as much as possible.
Trying when you go home from work or school to drive ( if you don’t drive, walk) take a different route, it help break up the pattern.
1 Like
How well do those actions work for you? Are they helpful, or are they ways to seek reassurance?
1 Like
Hi Anonymous,
thank you for sharing this. you are aware of some of your triggers which is great, so write them down maybe.
have you ever considered a therapy in that direction ? is there something that can help you in your area ?
grounding technice as a coping mechanism is great, like @Metalskater1990 mentioned. every of us is working
differently, so that also is given with coping skills. what works for you, might not work for someone else.
to find the right ones, can be very difficult. i write a lot, that helps me to get thoughts out of my mind.
breathing technice are very good, focus on things you love or that keeps you distracted.
you are loved my friend, and you matter most. take care 
Hi Friend, Thank you for posting. I have found some general grounding techniques you could try if you are triggered and need to calm down I hope one or all of them are helpful to you. I wish you all the very best. Much Love. x
This second technique gets you to use all your five senses to help you to get back to the present. It starts with you sitting comfortably, close your eyes and taking a couple of deep breathes. In through your nose (count to 3), out through your mouth (to the count of 3).
Now open your eyes and look around you. Name out loud:
5 – things you can see (you can look within the room and out of the window)
4 – things you can feel (the silkiness of your skin, the texture of the material on your chair, what does your hair feel like? What is in front of you that you can touch? A table perhaps?)
3 – things you can hear (traffic noise or birds outside, when you are quiet and actually listening things in your room constantly make a noise but typically we don’t hear them).
2 – things you can smell (hopefully nothing awful!)
1 – thing you can taste (it might be a good idea to keep a piece of chocolate handy in case you are doing this grounding exercise! You can always leave your chair for this one and when you taste whatever it is that you have chosen, take a small bite and let it swill around your mouth for a couple of seconds, really savoring the flavor).
Take a deep breath to end.
I keep gems and crystals in my office just for this purpose but look around your house for things that have a texture or are pretty or interesting to look at.
Hold an object in your hand and really bring your full focus to it. If I was looking at one of my gems I would see the patterns that run through it, see the color variances. Some have veins of different colors going through the or sparkly bits. Look at where shadows may fall on parts of it or maybe there are shapes that form within the object. Feel how heavy or light it is in your hand and what the surface texture feels like under your fingers.
This can be done with any object you have lying around or if you know you are going into a stressful situation, take one of your favorite small objects and put it in your pocket or purse so you can do this calming exercise on the go.
When we are anxious our thoughts about our worries go around and around in our mind. Never ending and building on each other until we feel drained by them so we try not to worry. Whenever you try not to do something it is guaranteed to make you do it more so instead, observe your thoughts like you are an outside looking in. Just watch your thoughts for a minute. Imagines leaves floating on the surface of a stream. For each thought that comes to mind, allow that thought to take its place on a leaf and watch it blow away in the wind. Or allow the thought to turn into a fish and watch it float away down the stream. Allow those thoughts to come and go, you don’t need to respond to them.
There are several ways to distract your mind so it stops thinking about whatever it is that is worrying you and focuses on something that isn’t emotionally driven. Here are my favorite two quick ways to do it.
Pick a color. How many things in different shades of that color can you see around the room or out of the window? Still feeling stressed? Pick another color.
Count backwards by 7, starting at 100. It isn’t that easy and needs you to concentrate. This one can also be helpful to do when you are finding it hard to sleep.
Place your feet on the ground and in your imagination pick your favorite color to draw an outline around each foot. Start at the heel and using your imaginary pencil slowly go up the side of your foot to your pinky toe and then make sure you draw around each toe and then go back towards the heel. Repeat on the other foot.
Another quick way to focus on your feet when you are in a stressful situation is just wiggle your toes inside your shoe. Pay attention to the sensation as you move each separate toe. Do some move independently of the others? Tense up your whole foot then stretch it out. Now do the other foot.
As you can see, grounding helps you get out of your brain and bring your focus to your body. Try them all when you are only slightly worried about something and then chose the ones that you like best and practice them so they are easy to remember when you really need them.
Sometimes my clients tell me that they just can’t concentrate enough to do any of these grounding exercises because their body seems too pumped full of adrenaline fueled energy. If this is happening to you, it is good to kick-start the calming down process by doing something physical first to get that pent-up energy out and then come back to your favorite grounding techniques.
- Run on the treadmill/elliptical if you have one at home
- Run up and down the stairs
- Take a brisk walk or run outside
- Cleaning up the kitchen, house or backyard channels that extra energy into something useful
- Dance around the house while listening to loud music
1 Like
From: ManekiNeko
I’m so sorry these intrusive thoughts keep rising up and keep combating you with fear. Can I ask if you are having professional support through this? I know some people may find journaling helpful to list their triggers and to address “what is the worst thing if xyz isn’t resolved that will happen”. For some it makes it easier to note that their fears are those intrusive thoughts attacking and aren’t the only result possible. Because there is such a big arrangement of apps and things that people struggle with when it comes to OCD, there is an app finder you might find helpful to pin point some coping techniques. No pressure of course! But if you ever need it’s here Mental Health App Guide | One Mind PsyberGuide
1 Like
From: eloquentpetrichor
Hey there, Anonymous. Thank you for sharing with us. This sounds like a struggle and you are a strong person for doing what you can to try and not succumb to your fears.
I like what Metalskater said about grounding techniques. His may not work for you but you may be able to find some of your own that help you in a similar way. I hope that some of the links and methods the others have mentioned help you find something that works for you. Good luck, friend 
1 Like
From: Microsmos
Hey there @Anonymous_User1, thank you so much for reaching out and opening up about your OCDs. There can be a lot of stigma and shame surrounding these struggles, so I just want to reassure you with the fact that if you ever want to share a little bit more specifically about what you’re struggling with, then there won’t be any judgment. Of course, sharing is a possibility, not an obligation at all. Always express as much as you can and want.
As for your question, I would like to echo @MetalSkater1990 regarding the cold water (sometimes it can even be holding an ice cube, going outside to breath cold air or simply wash your hands with cold water. When we struggle with specific thoughts that generate anxiety, it can be really hard to rationalize and get unstuck from your own hide. Developing activities that will help you focus on your body, to use your physical senses (dance, exercise, yoga… etc) could be things to implement in your routines, if it’s not present already.
All in all, we’re so proud of you for seeking support and making sure that you don’t deal with this just on your own. <3
1 Like
From: Manni XP - Snow Edition
Hey, thank you for sharing. OCD is no picnic. I’ve found that meditation helps pull me out of some of the loops. An expert might help you identify more tools! It might not “fix” everything all at once, but it can definitely help put matters back in your own hands.
1 Like
@Metalskater1990 @Aardvark @Lisalovesfeathers @DiscordReply
Thank you all for your supportive suggestions. I will do my best to review them and see if I can incorporate them into my life.
1 Like
To answer your question, I was receiving professional help up until my second and most recent therapist, much like my first therapist, repeatedly misunderstood what I said, which could have had severe consequences.
1 Like
I’m really sorry that you’ve had such negative experiences before. Therapy is definitely an endurance race sometimes, as we don’t necessarily find the right therapist to us at first. I’ve personally found a therapist that truly helps me now, but had to try and met at first a psychiatrist and two other therapists. Either their approach wasn’t helpful to me, or I wasn’t comfortable with them or the way they interacted. After these first experiences I surely had times when I wasn’t trying to seek therapy anymore. I took a break from it. Although trying again when I was ready happened to led to better outcomes. On this path, we’re all different, but I wish for you to keep seeking professional help if you ever feel like it could help. The reasons that led you to meet them at first may still be present. It is unfortunate and frustrating when we reach out to a professional and our expectations aren’t met. Your well-being matters so very much though, and you deserve the best support that is.
No matter what, we’re also here to support you through all of this. <3
Would you mind telling me how professional help has assisted you?
1 Like
Would you mind telling me how professional help has assisted you?
To me personally it has been helpful first and foremost to have a space where I can be myself unapologetically. I have a wonderful partner, sister and friends, but there are things I don’t feel able to share with them, and even less with as much detail as I would share in a therapist’s office. It has taken time for trust to be developed – my first reaction is to have lots of inner barriers up and to completely distrust the therapist in front of me. At first I was very emotionally disconnected when I was opening up about difficult things. Now I can tell that trust is more present, I feel more grounded during our conversations, and more able to name things I was afraid to put into words. It provides a space to defeat shame and fears, to normalize the fact that we are not weird for struggling.
I’m also a licensed social worker, so I tend to “see” techniques therapists/care-takers use when they interact, which made feel some conversations superficial with the previous therapists, and only increased a sense of being misunderstood. The one I see these days shows a lot more humanity - in my opinion -, is less formal, and that was a game changer. I came from 1 psychiatrist who was very cold and made me feel like she wasn’t listening to me, to someone who only displays patience and understanding (also accountability in my healing).
Having a space where I can share anything and practice vulnerability is essential to me. It’s freeing. When I’m struggling throughout the week and something sticks to my mind, I know I can bring it to our next meeting. It makes me feel less stuck, isolated or misunderstood. Not having this before made me fall into shame and self-deprecation easily.
Another aspect that helps me now is the technique she uses, which is very body-based. As someone who’s experienced early and multiple traumas, it has been a healing practice to have someone manipulating my body and inviting me to reflect on how I feel physically, without ever pressuring me, and without ever hurting me. I’m slowly re-learning a sense of safety that was taken away by others.
Then a third element that helps me is just all of our honest conversations pertaining to my thoughts, my fears, my inability to care for myself. I’ve had so far quite some “a-ha” moments where I’d finally understand some connections between my behaviors, my thoughts and my personal story. It doesn’t come all suddenly of course. It’s more an incremental of little bricks that help me pave a new road.
These are all very personal elements of course, and what we need from therapy as individuals is very different. A big part of this process is, I believe, to reflect on how we feel with the therapists we meet, and try to learn from it – what resonated positively with us, and what didn’t? From both of these questions we can start gathering answers that make us discover what we need personally from therapy. It’s a process in itself that invites you to self-reflect. A huge part of healing/recovery is held in exploring and identifying what works for us personally. Just like the DSM contains a list of MH struggles and lists of symptoms, the way we experience these always remain unique, and needs a combination of unique responses.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with me. That being said, I do have a few questions about them, namely, what are the differences between the techniques used by helpful and unhelpful therapists, and what did you mean when you said “…manipulating my body”?
The way you feel is normal. In the past (before Internet and tech) people and communities were so closely knit, you would have had people irl to talk to about this, but now we live in a very unnatural environment for us where we are so isolated we can’t talk about this stuff to break down the toxic chemicals producing in us negative thoughts. You took the right first step by reaching out here. Is there any friend groups or hobby groups you are apart of or can join? Having a core group of people you meet with regularly (every day or every other day) is crucial to mental health and physical survival. 
I am currently dealing with something very similar because the people in my environment are not grateful, so I spend most of my time encouraging people to be grateful. Gratitude is the kryptonite to all negative feelings.
I do not have a friend group, though there is a friend of mine that is usually spoken to on a daily basis.
A somewhat similar thing has been happening around me, causing patience, in my case, to be self-encouraged.
2 Likes
Patience is huge. The purpose of this universe is to test our patience. Something that’s given me peace is realizing the greatest thing a man can do is help his mother. Because I can do that, I am at peace.