Cobra
08-02-2013, 10:13 PM
People with OCD generally:
Have repeated thoughts or images about many different things, such as fear of germs, dirt, or intruders; acts of violence; hurting loved ones; sexual acts; conflicts with religious beliefs; or being overly tidy
Do the same rituals over and over such as washing hands, locking and unlocking doors, counting, keeping unneeded items, or repeating the same steps again and again
Can't control the unwanted thoughts and behaviors
Don't get pleasure when performing the behaviors or rituals, but get brief relief from the anxiety the thoughts cause
Spend at least 1 hour a day on the thoughts and rituals, which cause distress and get in the way of daily life.
I have been wondering why I can't beat this anxiety completely, and I have begun to think it is because anxiety is not the problem. Rather, the problem is I am OCD, and I have ritualized monitoring my bodily functions, which causes distress when I believe they are abnormal.
When researching OCD, I realized that, yes, I do obsess about germs, I do fear I will commit some violent act, I do have religious conflicts and can't control unwanted thoughts and behaviors. What makes me different is that rather than lock and unlock doors, count spoons and comb carpet fibers, I monitor my body for strange sensations, check and recheck my B.p. and count my heart beats.
I am OCD and didn't know it!
Maybe I'm just splitting hairs here, but perhaps if I approach this with a mind toward the root cause of my anxiety attacks, OCD rather than just health anxiety, I can rid myself of these unwanted thoughts and body checking rituals. Knowing it is just a type of OCD does help because it gives me a reason to understand why I keep torturing myself with these fear thoughts and repetitive rituals. I am not just being nutty or self indulgent.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to research OCD treatments...
Have repeated thoughts or images about many different things, such as fear of germs, dirt, or intruders; acts of violence; hurting loved ones; sexual acts; conflicts with religious beliefs; or being overly tidy
Do the same rituals over and over such as washing hands, locking and unlocking doors, counting, keeping unneeded items, or repeating the same steps again and again
Can't control the unwanted thoughts and behaviors
Don't get pleasure when performing the behaviors or rituals, but get brief relief from the anxiety the thoughts cause
Spend at least 1 hour a day on the thoughts and rituals, which cause distress and get in the way of daily life.
I have been wondering why I can't beat this anxiety completely, and I have begun to think it is because anxiety is not the problem. Rather, the problem is I am OCD, and I have ritualized monitoring my bodily functions, which causes distress when I believe they are abnormal.
When researching OCD, I realized that, yes, I do obsess about germs, I do fear I will commit some violent act, I do have religious conflicts and can't control unwanted thoughts and behaviors. What makes me different is that rather than lock and unlock doors, count spoons and comb carpet fibers, I monitor my body for strange sensations, check and recheck my B.p. and count my heart beats.
I am OCD and didn't know it!
Maybe I'm just splitting hairs here, but perhaps if I approach this with a mind toward the root cause of my anxiety attacks, OCD rather than just health anxiety, I can rid myself of these unwanted thoughts and body checking rituals. Knowing it is just a type of OCD does help because it gives me a reason to understand why I keep torturing myself with these fear thoughts and repetitive rituals. I am not just being nutty or self indulgent.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to research OCD treatments...