help with OCD!!

[dogwood]

Hi,

 

i've had microscopic bits of OCD for the past few years, but nothing that I was ever aware of or bothered me enough to make me upset.

 

but in the past few months, it has gotten dramatically worse. i know part of that is probably linked to the constant stress/anxiety from being in school and having so many exams and papers... but i also know my dad has an obsessive nature, as well as my little brother, so no doubt there is a genetic factor too.

 

despite the cause.. i was wondering if anyone could help me, because this has really started to become a problem. it's nothing extreme like you see in the movies, i still lead a completely normal life and it is completely incongruent with my personality - i'm quite laid back and messy. but i am finding lately i probably spend almost 1 hr a day wasting time with obsessions and compulsions. they are so stupid, things like checking the stove and toaster, setting my alarm over and over, and even making sure my hair straightener is unplugged, and that my piano (keyboard) still works. sometimes i only spend a few minutes on it, but other times i can get stuck in it and spend 20 minutes in a row or something until i am incredibly miserable and frustrated and going crazy over something that is all in my head...

 

any suggestions as to how to reduce this?? i dont have the money to see a therapist, and the problem to me is not bad enough to do that anyway. i have tried gradually decreasing amounts or types of obsessions/compulsions or decreasing the number of times i have to do something (with OCD it's all about the 'perfect' numbers).. but im not sure it's doing much. anyway... help please. it is wasting a lot of time and ruining my mood and making me anxious for no reason at all.. i wish it didnt exist.

[JackPotential]

OCD is a warped, maginified way of getting control. You control nothing in this universe. All you can do is give. Do something once and let the chips fall where they may.

[dogwood]

hahahah... what a terrible response. obviously you know nothing of the disorder, such as the very crucial fact that it is illogical, and often has nothing to do with other factors in one's way of thinking or life.

[Bella20]

I was put on Lexapro and it's helped a lot

[dogwood]

sorry, not a "terrible" response... just not helpful. as you said, OCD is magnified, and your advice was incredibly 'big-picture'. too far a gap to bridge for a disorder like this.

[dogwood]

and to bella20, thankyou, but i am still looking for other tactics that will help before i resort to medication which i would much rather not do.

[Bella20]

and to bella20, thankyou, but i am still looking for other tactics that will help before i resort to medication which i would much rather not do.

 

 

If you don't mind me asking, why not? If someone has thyroid disease, you are put on medication. OCD is a mental illness, and medication would do wonders for you. I've had no side effects at all. I used to be really anti-medication too, but I honestly now feel like it's more about the stigma than anything else.

I would suggest looking into it. Are you on therapy?

[dogwood]

there are 2 reasons i am opposed to mediation.

 

1. i have been on several different medications before when i had insomnia, and it was very unhelpful, and produced negative side effects.

 

2. as i said, the frustration i am experiencing with OCD is only frustration. it is not consuming my life, it has only become bad recently, and i know it is partially related to stress. 'mental illness' is just a way to define something abnormal - but there are varying degrees of every abnormality. this feels like a minor degree to me, so i dont feel the need yet to try medication or therapy, and would rather try techniques on my own first.

[dogwood]

I've given up posting on this site. I rarely get helpful advice. In case any moderators come accross this.

[mermaid44]

I have OCD too. I posted about it a few weeks ago and got alot of very helpful responses...Maybe the responses would apply/help in some ways to yours also?

 

Here's the link:

[dogwood]

thankyou, mermaid. i read the responses to yours, and some were quite helpful. i also came accross an answer on "yahoo answers" where someone else recommended simple and straight forward repression. it seems to be commonly recommended. i tried it yesterday, and it was difficult at first, but i notice that no matter what the compulsion, after i have left the room and moved away from it, and moved on to another activity, it fades. it's the process of stopping and moving on from the compulsion/obsession that is so difficult.

 

so i will keep trying that. and it's true, nothing happens. it really is all in our heads. how have things been working for you?

 

i also have another tip i discovered for you or any other OCD'ers out there. it may not seem very convenient, but I find that hanging out with a friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, anyone - helps a LOT. just having someone else around makes me feel so much more relaxed and casual, and it's much easier to let go of and forget obsessions/compulsions. sometimes it is when i spend too much time alone, studying, and things like that, that the OCD starts to overwhelm, but then if my girlfriend comes over some relief comes and i feel i can pull myself out of it and be more relaxed, just by her presence.