ocd

[ghost8]

Maybe someone has a similiar experience to this. I realize I have a
bit of ocd- which before I became educated I thought of it as obsessive
handwashing, repetitive ritualistic behavior etc... As It relates to me I will
overanalze things again and again which I know very well the answer,
and second guess myself. The biggest part of this is worrying about that
I will react this way and getting tensed up. Just this type of thinking will
set me u for repetitive thinking such as :did I hear the answer right? Or Oh no
I'm starting to feel that anxious feeling of making myself miss something in a an explanation because I'm getting worried about these reactions and cant concentate. I also have to know every detail about something as if
missing something is abig deal- is doesnt matter how unimportant it is.
In other words worry about worry. The good news is I have got better.
This made it hard to be a student years ago and math was quite difficult.
No meds except xanex. Iwas taking celexa which I hear can help and
I'm trying to rememberif it did but since this is situational I'm not sure.
If it did I think only a little and I hate sex side effects. I feel I can help myself by having a clean mindset because at times when I clear my mind this does not happen. Also meditation. I dont believeI I have ADD because my concentation is OK. I just really have to learn to to trust myself.Advice,Comments? Any similiar behavior?

[mamascrazy1985]

hi i have ocd too and its not fun i dont wash my hands alot or cheat a door handle or whatever i just have obsessing thoughts and i clean alot.. not tooth brush to the floor clean but i clean regularly.. i mostly obsess over pains or anxiety and i second guess myself all the time on anything like a quiz and then it turns out i was right the first time... i have a bad habit of second guessing with money too... like this is this amount of money but i can take that and spend it on this this or this... its so frustrating.

[mishka]

I had terrible OCD when I was a child at school. Nobody knew what it was then so it was ignored. I would wash my hands obsessively - then it got to the point I couldn't touch ANYTHING let along my own skin without having to wash my hands. I couldn't do PE at school as my hands would bleed due to being cracked and infected.

I had rituals I can to go through before I did anything - which got bigger and bigger.

I was only 14 yrs old and didn't know why I was doing what I was doing.

I just grew out of it. to a degree ;) But looking right back now I can see that I've always had this anxiety disorder.

[ghost8]

Thank you for your replies - just knowing others deal with some of the same symptoms is helpful but I wish we all could live without a cloud
over us. Its simple : if you anticipate or worry about a reaction then it takes on alife of its own aside from the reality which is not any big deal at all- things done many times before very handily. At least now I somewhat
understand it- when I was younger I would wear myself out with this.
Any ideas on how to let it go more- I know things can never be perfect.
Like I said drugs dont seem to help and not sure if needed and I hate my
lobido being effected I still want to enjoy sex the way I know it should be.
Any meds out there for this that dont put you in a fog or make me feel like sex-so what. Has any one found meditation.any particlar books effective? What about martial arts or some other activity? I was not impressed at all with therapy - some incite but basically rehashed same stuff .Also sometimes I have social anxiety but I also feel fine and confident many times-makes no sense but as a whole I am better now with my maturity, Thanks for any input,

[palow]

Compulsions, phobias, panic attacks, these are all caused by the underlying anxiety. The underlying anxiety was caused by some very negative thinking patterns that you picked up, like all-or-nothing thinking, worst-case-scenario thinking.

You need to get into a structured programme of practising thoughts and actions that are positive and life-affirming. You should wean yourself off the drugs. They are useless.

Have you ever thought of buying one of those anxiety treatment programmes off the internet? There are some really good ones: Linden, Panic Away, Anxiety Lie, Panic Puzzle and Easy Calm. Linden does a diversion programme where you do something to distract yourself everytime you get into one of your anxiety fits. Panic Away and Anxiety Lie use a different method: you have to bulldoze your way through your fear. These methods work.

Patrick

[ghost8]

Thank you for your reply and your time I wiill def check out the
info you mentioned. I appreciate the efforts of your trying to help
- this gives me options, Its interesting I feel Im getting more here
than from months of therapy.