dordmagazine

[dordmagazine]

This.

Hey if you have rocd stop googling relationship advice. Its just going to make your obsessions worse and the reassurance is short lived. Stop it.

#actuallyocd #rocd #ocd #trust me on this #breakthestigma #endthestigma #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #anxietyattack #anxietydisorder

[dordmagazine]

The way I explain it to people,

Imagine we saw a movie about Bigfoot. We both know Bigfoot isn’t real. The movie proved Bigfoot isn’t real. Prior to the movie I had no fear of Bigfoot. But for some reason that day I thought something was outside of my window and I immediately got scared it’s Bigfoot. I shrugged it off. But it was still in the back of my head. Eventually every sound I wasn’t expecting, I thought it was Bigfoot. I know Bigfoot isn’t real. But for some reason reason I’m scared he’s going to hurt me and my loved ones. But he’s not real. I heard people used to carry poppies around to keep Bigfoot from eating them. So now I carry poppies in my pocket and I placed a few in your bag when you weren’t looking. I know Bigfoot isn’t real. But just to be safe. I feel better knowing I tried.

i feel like ocd is so hard to describe to people that dont have it... like... everyone gets light intrusive thoughts that are basically just impulses or things you can shrug off. but with ocd like... you get intrusive thoughts that feel like YOUR OWN REAL THOUGHTS and ?? the fear that those thoughts might be true is intense and causes panic and sometimes you dont get anxious anymore and youre numb and youve accepted the fact that you think the thoughts are real because youre not panicking anymore even when theyre not., plus with many types of ocd like rocd and hocd there's no way to get a definite answer and so its just an eternal loop of anxiety

#ocd #actuallyocd #actually ocd #ocd things #rocd #hocd #pure ocd #pure o #pure o ocd #breakthestigma

[dordmagazine]

This. Acting out on your compulsions can actually make ROCD worse over time. Instead try writing them a letter or talking to the mirror or writing positive and incredible things about your partner. But leaving will make you feel worse. It’s a very short term relief.

““Leaving doesn’t bring ROCD relief.””

— -robert bray, ocdrecovery

#mental illness #pure ocd #rocd #breakthestigma #endthestigma #mentalhealthawareness #ocd #mentalhealthmatters #anxietyattack #anxietydisorder

[dordmagazine]

If you’re distressed by it, it’s an intrusive thought. If you’re disgusted by it, it was a groinal response. Your intrusive thoughts are not you, even if your brain tries to convince you that they are. You are safe. You are ok.

[dordmagazine]

The way I explain it to people,

Imagine we saw a movie about Bigfoot. We both know Bigfoot isn’t real. The movie proved Bigfoot isn’t real. Prior to the movie I had no fear of Bigfoot. But for some reason that day I thought something was outside of my window and I immediately got scared it’s Bigfoot. I shrugged it off. But it was still in the back of my head. Eventually every sound I wasn’t expecting, I thought it was Bigfoot. I know Bigfoot isn’t real. But for some reason reason I’m scared he’s going to hurt me and my loved ones. But he’s not real. I heard people used to carry poppies around to keep Bigfoot from eating them. So now I carry poppies in my pocket and I placed a few in your bag when you weren’t looking. I know Bigfoot isn’t real. But just to be safe. I feel better knowing I tried.

Rocd (Relationship OCD) makes me see problems where there aren’t

I’m not saying that my relationship is perfect. Just like any relationship we have our problems… we argue sometimes, there are things that we don´t like about each other, and oh god let’s not talk about my mother-in-law. (I don’t like that term but I don´t what else to call her). Relationships are hard! I’m 100% aware of it, but the irrational part of my brain, my OCD seems not to undersand that. It makes me see problems where there are not and exaggerates those who are actually real. It’s painful, not only for me, but for my partner. He tries his best to understand what im going through, but sometimes feels attacked because I question everything he does. To be honest, I don´t know how he puts up with me. Right now things are not as bad as they were 3 years ago,, but I´m still struggling. 

I made this account to vent and also let other people with ocd know that they are not alone. 

-G 

#ocd #rocd #relationship ocd #breakthestigma #endthestigma #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #anxietyattack #anxietydisorder #anxietyfighter

[dordmagazine]

Hey! I just commented suggestions on a lot of posts that you can see on my page. But the biggest thing with ROCD is understanding how the brain works. Your amygdala is trying to keep you safe by imagining something that doesn’t exist. This sounds silly, but it’s really telling you “hey this might happen. You need to prepare.” I think of it like a child, and our amygdala is the part of the brain that’s least developed. When a kid points out something, like snow. It’s wondering if you, the rational adult sees it and has a plan. Even if you don’t, you can shrug it off and tell Amygdala “yes it’s snowing.” And Amygdala goes on with its day. Never thinking about the snow again.

Another thing to remember with ROCD, you’re only feeling this way because you value and want this relationship. You may even love them. If you did not love them, your amygdala wouldn’t be trying to make sure you’re prepared for everything that’ll never happen.

ROCD effects healthy relationships because we’re not used to them. Our brain only reacts to what it knows. So if you’ve never felt this deeply about someone and you trust them, your brain has no ability to predict what’s next. Meaning it freaks out. Meaning amygdala starts planning for everything under the sun.

It’s easy to get mad at ourselves when we have these thoughts, especially ROCD based ones. But just breathe and remind yourself what the brain is doing and how there’s no danger.

Repetition helps, exposure helps, habit and workbooks on cbt and erp therapy help a lot.

OCD based disorders, especially ones stemmed in pure o are really responsive to treatment. You can absolutely get through this!

do any of you suffer w/ ROCD and how do you deal with it!!! so annoying!!!

#ocd #rocd #relationship ocd #breakthestigma #endthestigma #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #anxietyattack #anxietydisorder #anxietyfighter

[dordmagazine]

Numbness is normal in every mental illness. It’s pretty much your bodies way of getting a break. Our bodies can’t live in fight or flight forever. But when we have an anxiety disorder, we live in a constant state of fight or flight.

One thing I highly recommend is continue your routine and any treatment you’re doing. Even though it’s hard not to, don’t fixate on the numbness. Don’t question it. If it helps just say my body is tired. And let that be your reason.

Week 2: Anxiety turns numb

When my rocd first started, I was anxious as hell every single day. I constantly looked for reasons, trying to figure out why I’m feeling the way I feel. Being ocd, you try to figure out your thoughts, which cause even more anxiety.

I used to be anxious all the time, heart would race, wouldn’t eat, very depressed and I cried a lot. But for some reason, my anxiety and racing heart went away? I still have my obsessive doubts but it turned me numb to feelings. And I really don’t like it. I can function normally now which is nice, but it makes me feel my rocd is fake and I almost miss feeling the anxiety. It scares me not being anxious. The thoughts I have are out of my control, can’t unthink these things. How can I feel this way when I know why I am having these thoughts, they can never go away, it’s so annoying!

Rocd, you suck dick. I hate you.

#ocd #pure o #relationship ocd #rocd #breakthestigma #endthestigma #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #anxietyattack #anxietydisorder

[dordmagazine]

Hey!

These are super common ROCD thoughts. If you ever find yourself in a cycle like this, what helped me a lot and is something commonly used in therapy, write down what you wish you said or a letter to the person.

It sounds a little silly but it works by mimicking to our brains that the event happened. Our Amygdala doesn’t know the difference between real or imaginary. So when we’re doing things like this, we’re able to help train our brains and reprogram our responses, which is critical to healing from ROCD.

Which is super possible. ROCD is incredibly responsive to proper treatment. It’s actually easier for our brain to create new neuropath ways that don’t activate fight or flight than maintain ones that do. So after a bit of repetition and work, your brain will really start aiding you in this.

Ocd - “She hates you. She’s not answering cause she’s over you and annoyed cause you told her too much about the break up. Stop talking about yourself. You’re selfish. You’re going to ruin the friendship. You need to be alone. Stop relying on others. God why can’t you just be ok with relying on yourself. Shit maybe she does hate you and you don’t want to be alone. Maybe you should text her. Ask her. But that will annoy her. But she’s your friend she should understand. I’m gonna text her. No dont. Fuck. Oh wait I heard her come in and leave. Where did she go? Is she ok? With friends? I should text and ask…no…that’s too intrusive. She’s hanging with your friend without you. They must hate you. No no no no.”

#ocd #actually ocd #relationship ocd #breakthestigma #endthestigma #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #anxietyattack #anxietydisorder #anxietyfighter

[dordmagazine]

The best thing to remember with ROCD is it attacks healthy relationships. And they’re nothing wrong with you or your partner. Your amygdala is trying to protect you from a threat that isn’t real. A lot of the reason we feel this way in healthy relationships is because they’re so different from what we know. So our brain, which doesn’t care about happiness, it cares about habit, freaks out because it suddenly can’t predict what’s going on. And we lose control.

Which is why the biggest thing in ROCD is needing assurance and control. When that’s threatened, we want to run. Again, just to keep us safe.

But the threat is entirely imaginary. And that’s okay. Eventually our brains catch up and there is recovery. OCD based disorders, especially pure o based like ROCD are incredibly responsive to treatment.

One thing that helped me so much! Was making a list of things I knew to be true. I’d fill up a entire sheet of what I knew to be true about my partner. And everytime I’d get a intrusive thought while writing it. I’d stop and say “this is a thought. I’m only doing facts right now. This thought can come back later if it’s important” and repeat the process. Sometimes stopping 16x. And then I’d take a photo of it. When I’d get a attack in public, I’d take my phone out and start reading everything. Repeating again, if I have an intrusive thought, it can come back later. When this paper is in my hand, I’m not entertaining any thought. Only reading.

There were days when I’d go into another room away from work or people and do this exercise 4-6x a day.

The thing with ROCD recovery, you’re retraining your brain. It’s entirely possible and actually super easy once you understand what’s going on, repetition matters. You need to repeat the same methods over and over and collect these little victories. Eventually just holding the paper in your hand and not reading it will help the anxiety. And then saying one or two things about your relationship will help. All working up to having a thought and ignoring it or saying, “oh it’s just a thought.”

I have plenty of books about this if you’d like. Both for professionals and clients, they’ve helped me so much. Shoot me over a message if you’d like some recommendations!

ROCD

I obsess over being boring or not worth your time. I obsess that you don’t care when I know you do. I obsess over if love is real when I know it is because I love you and all the dorky things you do. I obsess that someone will never love me but you know what? You do. You love me. I may have ROCD but it doesn’t have me. You have me and I want you to know I love you and I know you love me too.

#rocd #relationship ocd #breakthestigma #endthestigma #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #anxietyattack #anxietydisorder #anxietyfighter #anxietyfree

[dordmagazine]

What helped me a lot with my BDD, take a chalk marker and write down on a mirror a bunch of positive things about yourself. Make sure some involve your appearance. And everytime you have a bdd attack, walk to the mirror and trace each word with your finger and repeat them.

You can list things like smart, kind, loveable, funny, ect. My BDD effected my smile, so it wasn’t until a year of doing this I was able to list my smile, but I’d mention my eyes because I knew I could look into them. Or when I feel gross about my body, even though my BDD effected my smile, I’d take washable paint and paint the part of my body I was fixating on. Something like drawing a flower on my leg or hearts all over my neck.

These things work because they create a fixed anchor into reality to bring us out of our spirals. The feeling of a brush or mirror calm our amygdala down, which is the part of the brain responsible for these thoughts.

You can also get a textured braclet like a Lokai or a fabric scrunchie and everytime you feel anxious rub it while saying a word. Single word. Just something repetitive that feels good to you. For example, I’d repeat “hi” or “mocha” because I like how the letters roll off my tongue. A repeative act like this allows the body to calm down and fixate on a simple action. You’re also bringing in two senses to ground you. And repeating the word is like a chant, your body naturally slows down its breathe as you do this. And instead of thoughts, all you have to focus on is one word.

Hope this helps!

Am I the only one who feels the need to CONSTANTLY asks for reassurance? Like the same questions over and over again? Yeah my brain sucks like that.

#actually ocd #relationship ocd #body dismorphia #body dysmorphic disorder #bodypositivity #compulsion #obsesion

[dordmagazine]

This. All of this! I’m so glad that you put this together.

The thing with ROCD is patients are in distress from these intrusive thoughts because they do love and value there partner. When we look at the data ROCD typically effects very healthy relationships and both partners care deeply for each other.

Intrusive thoughts are made up fears our amygdala comes up with to keep us safe. They’re not reality. They’re not stemmed in truth. They say nothing about our ethics or values. They’re just fears.

If we can teach ourselves to obsess over fears and intrusive thoughts, we can teach ourselves to be free of them. Recovery is possible.

Especially in ROCD.

*note: all OCD based disorders, especially those stemmed in pure o including ROCD are incredible responsive to treatment with some of the highest success rates in any mental illness.

I was reading a website and a guy was answering a girls concerns and thoughts regarding her relationship OCD. It helped me a lot. His replies to her thoughts are in bold: 

I should feel in love with my boyfriend 24/7. Impossible thing – you can’t feel these hormones all the time. Even if you could, you would start getting immune to it. And wanting a higher kick. 

 I have a boyfriend whom I consider to be in love with, hence I should not feel attracted to other guys or find them good looking.Impossible. You can’t switch this off. It is like saying “I do not want to feel hunger anymore.”

If we are having fights over small issues that means we’re not meant to be. A right couple do not fight.I don’t know of any relationship that does not fight from time to time. The issue is how we do it, not that it happens.

If he is not doing enough things for me, then that means he doesn’t love me as much as I do. I probably should be with someone who does things for me more than I do. This is a communication issue and male/female thing. The important thing is that BOTH are willing to put on the effort to address this.

I shouldn’t feel bored of him if I love him. If I feel like getting out on my own spending a little time away from him than that must mean I’m bored of him. You don’t stop being an individual when you get into a relationship. You can become more flexible like watching action movies with your boyfriend but you still like your chick flicks…

I shouldn’t marry him ’cause I already know him so much so after marriage it’ll be all same and boring. (spike given by a friend) You make the relationship exciting if it needs be. When things tail off – the infatuation feeling – you need to make things kind of happen again. I had a really great time with my wife, playing bowling last week. You have to find the solutions. And you cannot feel excitement all the time, it is not healthy.

If I move in with him, I’ll get bored cause of living with the same person all the time. Our love might fade away. Yes, or it might grow to a deeper level. It does not grow deeper when people are apart. But it will require work.

If I find some other guy hot then that must means I’m not in love with my boyfriend 100%. Or it just means that you find the other guy hot.

If my boyfriend is a bit immature or isn’t upto the level of understanding about life and love and other things then we can’t work out. Every relationship is a compromise. You are not perfect either. But this is the point of love – growing together by means of compromise.

if I’m looking for signs then that must mean he is not the right one for me.How do I know this is the one for me?Or Is this Mr. Right or Mr. Right-now?!” Maybe I should keep looking for signs. Ultimately, no one knows. No one. Our best bet is to become Mr. and Mrs. Right through a lot of work, patience and service. Becoming is reality. Being is fiction.

LOVE IS HARD WORK. By putting two imperfect people together, we can’t expect perfection to happen!

#relationship ocd #rocd #intrusive thoughts #relationships #relationship #ocd #obsessive compulsive disorder #love #breakthestigma

[dordmagazine]

Emotional Detachment is a common symptom in anxiety disorders, it's a defense mechanism for when you're experiencing more than you can tolerate, so your brain just switches that part off, or at least mutes it substantially. Your emotions will come back once the anxiety has subsided (we're talking a week or two after, not a day or two).

The symptoms of emotional numbing include:

Losing interest in important, once positive activities you used to enjoy

Feeling distant or detached from others

Failing to access to your feelings

Feeling flat, both physically and emotionally

Experiencing an inability to fully participate in life

Having difficulty with experiencing positive feelings such as happiness

Preferring isolation rather than being with others

This reaction is a perfectly normal response for your brain to create. I’ve seen a lot of people think they’re even more broken or fucked up because of it. But it’s really a normal reaction to keep you safe.

One thing that’s always helped me is doing a morning mind dump. Every morning grab a notebook and write down everything in your head, even on days when you’re numb. They’re no right or wrong amount of things. And close the book. Don’t look back until the journal is filled up. It’s just a great way to remind yourself that there’s still something left in there. Even if you don’t feel it. Also a great way to clear the mind.

Literally just had a conversation with my situation about this. It's so hard, especially when you work a full time job and take care of a third party. I hope with time and feeling like I have a schedule again, and a better one, it will get better. I can move through the paralyzing debt that ADHD, being one of many mental disabilities I have, puts me in. I'm still growing, we're all still growing. And we're never grown from learning, connecting, or doing anything we want and still feel at peace with the world I've created for myself.

#adhd #adhd paralysis #adhd feels #adult adhd #mental illness #mentalwellness #mental heath support

[dordmagazine]

Dord is a non-existent word entered into the second edition of Webster's New International Dictionary by mistake in the 1934 edition. It stayed until 1939, when an editor figured out what was happening and wrote this note declaring dord to be “&! A ghost word!” A lot of people have to fail at their jobs for dord to make it in: the writer, the etymologist, the proofreader.

When our Editor In Chief, Diana, started her magazine, Dord was the perfect name. It was something that shouldn't exist but did. Dord perfectly describes our intrusive thoughts, anxieties, and fears. But in so many ways it holds room to be hopeful.

When our fears exist, even when they shouldn't. So do our hopes.

#dord magazine #anxietyrelief #anxietyhelp #anxietydisorder #anxietysupport #anxietyfree #anxietyawareness #anxietyattack #anxietyrecovery #anxietywarrior #anxietyfighter #socialanxiety #socialanxietydisorder #socialanxietyproblems #socialanxietymemes #socialanxietythings #socialanxietyqueen #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthwarrior #endthestigma #breakthestigma #mentalhealthblogger #mindset #mentalstrength

[dordmagazine]

What The F Are Intrusive Thoughts?

Lesson brought to you by the fact that most of us are having intrusive thoughts right now, no one talks about it, it's considered taboo + scary, and tbh the psychology community does a bad job of normalizing this common evolutionary behavior.

What The F Is an Intrusive Thought?

Imagine this, you're going about your day, and suddenly you’re hit with a thought that’s bizarre, shocking, uncomfortable, triggering, or overall anxious. No reason for it, it just pops up. 

Could be the voice in your head saying the worst thing you can imagine is happening 

Could be a gut feeling followed by intense anxiety and thought spirals 

Could be thoughts of doing something shocking and out of character for you (usually sexual, violent, or suicidal)

Could be in terms of a relationship (thinking you’re not good enough, they’re not good enough, suddenly fearful of commitment despite having intense feelings for that person)

Intrusive thoughts are actually perfectly normal. Literally everyone has them, not just those with mental illnesses. Intrusive thoughts don't necessarily mean you have a mental condition you need treatment for. Intrusive thoughts are not messages, red flags, signals or warnings, despite how they feel. Even for my intuitive people, your intrusive thought doesn’t mean the situation is actually going on. It's just a thought with zero meaning behind it.

Intrusive thoughts feel so threatening because anxious thinking takes over, and the thought appears to have some intense power that it actually doesn't have.

Common intrusive thoughts we don't call "intrusive thoughts", but they really are: 

Thinking our partner doesn't want us 

Thinking our partner will leave or is cheating 

Fearing everyone at the office hates us 

Convincing ourselves we'll fail 

Thinking we'll go broke

Being afraid that fictional things will happen (ex being fearful that you’ll live the plot of a book you just read)

For some reason we don't associate this type of anxious thinking with intrusive thoughts, but they're classic intrusive thoughts. Other thoughts include thinking about having sex with someone you'd never sleep with, getting in fights, getting raped or abused.

It’s important to note, if you are having intrusive thoughts of getting raped or abused, or doing the actions, that does not mean you want to rape or abuse or get raped and abused. For people who conduct these behaviors, these are not intrusive thoughts. They don’t think much about them and move on. These thoughts cause great stress for you because they go against your values and you’d never do them.

For Example:

People who have intrusive thoughts about cheating, usually value commitment, relationships, and family.

People who have intrusive thoughts about hurting an animal, love animals and would never harm one intentionally.

People who have intrusive thoughts about their religion, are usually extremely faithful and take their faith seriously.

Intrusive thoughts are intrusive because they go against your values. You are not subconsciously represented by your intrusive thoughts.

The Science

Here’s the facts, we get intrusive thoughts for a few reasons.

First one, our brains get bored and try to entertain themselves. I wish I was kidding. We’re taught the brain is a complex thing, but it’s really a toddler. In fact the part of the brain associated with intrusive thoughts, the Amygdala, is the youngest part of the brain. It’s kinda still learning how to brain. 

When we get bored or over stimulated, the Amygdala comes up with situations, so the body can send up doses of chemicals and hormones. Our brain likes to imagine things, it’s just sometimes daydreams turn into nightmares. 

Most common reason our brain has Intrusive thoughts, is because it’s evolved to keep us safe. So it constantly scans the environment for danger, running through all the possible cases. While doing this, it generates thoughts that you are unaware of. When it hits one that causes you fear, it becomes a conscious thought.

When fear hits the body, within seconds fight or flight turns on and the Amygdala is turned screaming. It wants you to come up with a plan to stay safe if the event ever happened.

Once you do, the screaming stops. If you ignore it, sometimes the screaming gets louder. We see this a lot with patients who have OCD, the thoughts get louder or keep coming back harder when we try to ignore them.

In a way our Amygdala is saying “Can’t you see we’re in danger?”

The problem is there is rarely ever any actual danger. The Amygdala is the brains faulty security system. It’s triggered by wind the next County over.

The brain does this so that you are alerted to the potential threat and can then problem-solve your way out of it. Our brain honestly thinks it's helping us. But as I mention everytime I talk about anxiety, we're not outrunning bears anymore. We don’t need overly sensitive Amygdalas.

That’s why OCD treatment uses exposure therapy designed to reprogram how we perceive thoughts in the mind. Treatment involves pushing yourself to do what scares you and ignoring the need to control everything. Overtime the brain adjusts to your responses and you have less obsessive intrusive thoughts.

Follow Your Gut

I’m a natural intuitive. So for me to follow my intuition I had to make peace with my intrusive thoughts.

Remember, our brain doesn't know the difference between real threats or imaginary ones. The brain thinks "I thought of it, it's real". Think of it like a toddler holding an imaginary tea party. We know the cup is empty, but the kid honestly thinks imagination made tea.

I see a lot with people who are practicing their intuition or learning to trust their gut fall into the trap of feeding their intuitive thoughts. Out of nowhere they get an intrusive thought that their blessing, prayers, or manifestation isn't coming. And they freak out because they think it's divine guidance.

My dears, your intrusive thought isn't divine guidance. It's your bodies glitchy security system. Your gut, the universe, or god, didn't telling you that your person will never love you, that the job isn't coming, or that you'd never get rich or have a family.

The thing with intrusive thoughts is they often keep coming up, which tricks us into thinking that it actually means something or it's divine guidance. But the reason these thoughts come us is because we never told our brains it's not actually a danger or threat.

How To Make Them Stop

First things first, if you have intrusive thoughts find a Therapist who focuses primarily on OCD. Many Therapists claim to have worked with OCD patients but lack the education or experience to support your healing journey. 

The thing with traditional talk therapy is it can usually make OCD and Anxiety worse. If you are seeking out professional help, which I always recommend, find a Therapist who is trained in Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP). If you’re on the edge of deciding to see a therapist, there are incredible patient guided workbooks designed to help stop intrusive thoughts.

Some of our favorites are:

The ACT Workbook for OCD: Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Exposure Skills to Live Well with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Marisa T. Mazza PsyD

Brain Based Therapy for OCD: A Workbook for Clinicians and Clients by John B. Arden

Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts: A CBT-Based Guide to Getting Over Frightening, Obsessive, or Disturbing Thoughts by Sally M. Winston PsyD and Martin N. Seif PhD

Brain Lock, Twentieth Anniversary Edition: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior by Jeffrey M. Schwartz

How To Be There For Someone With Intrusive Thoughts

Intrusive thoughts can effect our relationships in every way. It’s hard to see your loved one go through suffering you can’t understand.

I always explain intrusive thoughts like this:

An intrusive thought is like we watched a documentary on Bigfoot. Before it, I knew Bigfoot wasn’t real and the documentary only assured me that Bigfoot is made up. But every night I’ll be terrified that Bigfoot is outside of my window and will hurt me when I’m sleeping. So I lay awake and plan or sit in fear. Eventually, the fear will bleed into my daytime life and I’ll become scared that Bigfoot is behind me or will hurt my loved ones. And in the documentary it said people used to keep garlic in their pocket to ward off Bigfoot. So I start carrying around garlic and hiding it in my loved ones belongings. This entire time I know Bigfoot isn’t real. I know my behavior is irrational. But my body is still scared. Even if everything inside of me says Bigfoot isn’t real and even if it’s proven by Scientists. I’m still afraid.

If the person you love struggles with intrusive thoughts it helps to view everything from their perspective. You don’t need to feed into the compulsions, in fact you usually shouldn’t.

Someone suffering with Intrusive thoughts or OCD needs the people around them to be compassionate, understanding, and kind. When someone exhibits an obsessive behavior tied to intrusive thoughts ask them, “Is that an intrusive thought?” usually that’s enough to stop them the thought, even temporarily.

Another thing you can do is ask the sufferer to explain to you what they’re feeling and why they think that way. And don’t judge them for it. Simply nod and smile. People who have intrusive thoughts or OCD need to feel like they aren’t broken because of the way their brain is programed.

Remember, all their brain is doing is trying to stay safe. Treatment involves reframing thoughts and reprograming their brain. The goal isn’t to stop our Amygdala from being aware, it’s to make it less sensitive and less afraid.

Our brain needs to alert us of a flood, it doesn’t need to alert us of 5mph wind.

The important thing to remember with intrusive thoughts is to think of your brain like a toddler. It's pointing everything it thinks and sees out, making sure you see it too. All it wants you to do is say, "yes, I know. But that's not important right now." or "I think you're not seeing it correctly, it's actually this."

Having these thoughts are normal and although distressing they say nothing about your character. 

Follow us as we work to end the stigma around mental illness and keep an eye out for our full magazine set to release early January 2021.

Disclaimer: No one at DORD is a medical professional, meaning we provide education from our first hand experience (and our Editor In Chief’s Psychology Degree). If your intrusive thoughts cause you great discomfort, contact a license professional. If you think you're going to hurt yourself or someone else, contact a professional. If you'd like to know how to get in touch with a professional, shoot us a DM and we’ll gladly help connect you with the appropriate resources.

#anxietyrelief #anxietyhelp #anxietydisorder #ocdawareness #pure ocd #pure o #anxietysupport #anxietyfree #anxietyattack #anxietyrecovery #anxietywarrior #anxietyproblems #anxietyfighter #socialanxiety #socialanxietydisorder #socialanxietythings #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthstigma #mentaldisorder #itsokaynottobeokay #endthestigma #breakthestigma

[dordmagazine]

Meet DORD, a monthly online magazine dedicated to eliminating the stigma around mental health. We do things differently around here, each of our contributors including our Editor In Chief, Diana, is completely transparent about their own mental health struggles and has devoted their lives to making sure no one ever feels alone. We exist to change the narrative. Through our educational resources, pep talks, daily doses of positivity, and magazine issues, we'll teach you and your loved ones how to navigate mental health. Thank you for being here. Disclaimer: The information shared through our website, emails, products, and services is for informational and educational purposes only. It may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be interpreted as medical advice, nor as a replacement for professional medical advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment.

#mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthrecovery #mentalhealthsupport #mentalhealthwarrior #mentalhealthadvocate #endthestigma #selflove #mentalhealthstigma #mentalhealthawarenessweek #mentalwellness #breakthestigma #mentalstrength #mindset #mentalhealthblogger #mhblogger #mentaldisorder #itsokaynottobeokay #hereforyou

[dordmagazine]

Important daily reminder.

(Credit: Bronnie Ware)

#Mental health #anxiety #ocd #depression #mental illness