justlittleocdthings

[justlittleocdthings]

#actuallyocd #ocd and relationships #relationship ocd

[justlittleocdthings]

This is the anon of your last post, thank you for the advice! :) will see what to do about it

No problem anon, hope it works out! <3

[justlittleocdthings]

Had a friend use the term “i am a little ocd” last week (as in “everyone is a little ocd”) and now don’t know what to do because feel so invalidated :/

That's so frustrating anon, I'm sorry! It hurts when people don't seem to understand the impacts that their words have.

Occasionally, if I know the person, I'll say something like "Oh, you have intrusive thoughts and compulsions? I'm sorry to hear that, OCD is really debilitating" and sometimes that's enough to make them backtrack. If you wanted to get more to the point, and you have a good relationship with this friend, you could say something like: "Hey, I know you didn't mean anything by it, but it's actually kind of hurtful when people make jokes about having OCD. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a debilitating illness that's made my life very difficult, so it feels invalidating when you compare it to [wanting things to be orderly/liking items to line up/whatever the friend said]. I'd appreciate it if you could try to avoid statements like that."

Hoping this friend is understanding and listens to you! If anyone else has suggestions, feel free to reply.

#actuallyocd #ocd #ocd advice

[justlittleocdthings]

Crazyheadcomics

[justlittleocdthings]

Literally never talk about my OCD on here bc it feels like an invitation to harassment, but this was very comforting to hear

#this is so helpful!!

[justlittleocdthings]

I bought a sword a few months back (because I like swords). But I started getting these really scary intrusive thoughts about testing it's sharpness by cutting my arm with it... and cutting it off. I freaked out for a week, convinced I was going to be tempted to do this and serious shit would go down. I hesitated buying it, but did, after reading more reviews. What also helped was that irl the sword was NOT sharp enough to do damage. I kinda don't want to sharpen it still.

ah yes, those thoughts sound familiar anon. i’ve got ones about tripping and falling with a knife in my hand and accidentally stabbing myself or someone else. harm-related OCD thoughts can be really scary and gruesome, but it’s really great that you were able to push through them and still get the sword you wanted! 

you also don’t have to sharpen it if you don’t want to, although your thoughts definitely don’t mean that you actually will do anything to yourself. it’s your call, and you should try to remind yourself that your intrusive thoughts are just your brain trying to scare you!

#knives cw #gore tw

[justlittleocdthings]

There should be more about about the less well-known symptoms of Obsessive-compulsive disorder, things such as

hyper-morality (extreme black and white moral reasoning)

hyper-responsibility (feeling responsible for everything to a self-destructive degree, even feeling responsible for events which have nothing to do with you)

intolerance of uncertainty, (feeling very uncomfortable if you do not know everything about a given situation). 

Excessive and persistant desire for reassurance

Extreme bouts of anger

Everyone who has OCD has it in a different form, so they might not show all of these symptoms but for others it can be a defining part of their illness.

[justlittleocdthings]

Hello I am really struggling lately. You know the whole "knock on wood" thing? To me that's not a joke. I literally do it multiple times per day. I also have a phobia of the number 3. I'm scared something bad will happen when anything is 3. Is this common for OCD? I am diagnosed and often feel so alone :(

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear you're struggling. I also have a thing with "knock on wood" and panic that if I don't do it that something awful will happen to my family. From what I've heard, fears or phobias of certain numbers are also very common for OCD sufferers. OCD tends to be a very superstitious disease unfortunately, so what you're going through is perfectly normal. You're not alone in this, I promise.

[justlittleocdthings]

OCD - living with risk.

Coping with ocd is basically about learning to live with risk. ocd-sufferers are obsessed with control. More than normal. Everybody likes to feel control to some extent. But people with ocd take it to the extreme. They find it very easy to dwell on something that a non-sufferer would not care to worry about. It is a battle of constant worry, and it is a war we are doomed to win if we fight it. Why? because you can never ever know for sure if your fear is true/will happen.

That is the thing with ocd; the fears are rarely (if ever) about things that you can easily prove/disprove. Instead, they are about things that are fairly abstract. How do you know that you are a murderer? how do you know that you are crazy? how do you know that this is just your ocd talking, and not a valid fear?… basically, the ocd-sufferer is obsessed with the investigation process of a certain question. The intolerance for uncertainty is what drives the whole process. You need to target the root of the problem, not the symptom. In other words: the thoughts are not dangerous themselves. 

As you may notice, the obsessions seem to change overtime? one period you may obsess over whether or not you are a serial killer. The next time you may worry about becoming a drug addict or seriously injure yourself?… the problem is that you can not deal with the thoughts in a healthy way. The problem is the intolerance for uncertainty and unwillingness to accept the certain aspects of lfe that involves risk. I know you may not be willing to think, “yes, I might be a serial killer”, but at the core, that is exactly what you need to do… 

Accepting risk and living with fear is the only way to “overcome” ocd (as in coping with it in the best way possible.) Because here is the facts: you are not a serial killer. Whatever your fear is, I can guarantee you that you fear this because it is something completely out of your character. Ocd is tricky that way; it makes you believe that the thoughts are meaningful and that their content says something about you. When really, you are just a person suffering from ocd. 

Please take my word and listen to my advice: do not try to debate your obsessive thoughts. Whenever a fear shows up, just say to yourself; “yes, that might happen. I do not know.” Basically what you are doing here is acknowledging that with life comes certain risks and that many things are theoratically possible. (the ocd-brain has difficulties with separating theoratically possible from probable.)

So, in short, ocd-”recovery” means feeling things. It means embracing possibilites. It means not lying to yourself, and it means not sugar-coating things. Tell yourself exactly how it is; “yes, it is possible.” and do not try to run from that fear. Running is what validates fear. Running is what makes the fear feel real. Running is what contains the vicious cycle. 

I always like to compare it with a scene in Harry Potter (the second movie) in which Ron jumps into a bush of nasty plants. At first, Ron does everything he can to get rid of the plants (they are snarling around him like a group of snakes) but then Hermione tells him to stop fighting it. So, at last Ron shuts his eyes and forces his body to stop moving. And what happens? the plants stops moving. They let go of him. Ron is free. 

wow… this became way longer than I intended it too. Oh well, I hope someone may get something out of it :)

[justlittleocdthings]

So there are things that I do that never seemed odd until I started mentioning them, and I got weird responses, and recently I've lost a lot of sleep because I can't turn my mind off and I keep thinking about future things and they scare me, and I'm always paranoid of what others think of me and I avoid certain places because I'm bad with social interaction. I make up dangerous scenarios, and I have these "rituals" that I do because I just can't NOT do them... Could you tell me if I have OCD?

Hi anon,

While I can’t personally diagnose you with OCD, I can tell you that not being able to turn your mind off, having intrusive thoughts, and having rituals that you feel compelled to perform are all potential symptoms of OCD. I would check out the following websites about OCD symptoms and see if they apply to you:

Symptom List: Do I Have OCD?

What is OCD?

The Different Types of OCD

OCD Help Guide

If you feel that many of the symptoms describe you, there’s a good chance you might have OCD. Also, it might help you to read other people’s experiences with OCD and see if you’ve had similar experiences.

Hope this helps, and I hope you’re able to get some sleep and find some relief soon. Even if you aren’t able to access a therapist there are a lot of online resources that can help you manage your symptoms!

[justlittleocdthings]

It’s not “Pure O”

There are few resources about OCD, so information and support for people with Pure O is even more scarce. Most of the posts about it on tumblr are people just explaining what it is, many without firsthand experience. 

Essentially someone with this form of OCD has disturbing intrusive thoughts, images of themselves doing whatever they would find objectionable (sexual, violent, blasphemous, destructive, etc.) and they obsess over the idea of losing control and acting on their thoughts. The term “Pure O” was coined based on the idea that this form of OCD had no compulsions, just obsessions. It is the most well-known and commonly used term for this disorder, but not the most accurate.

Wikipedia says: 

“Pure O” is not purely O at all. Compulsions are instead “less observable,” “covert,” often so well-hidden that the person performing them may not even realize that’s what they’re doing. From here on, I’ll use POCD as more accurate term. but I don’t begrudge anyone who continues to use Pure O to refer to their own experiences.

Read More

[justlittleocdthings]

that ocd feel when you feel a minor pain somewhere and obsess over it until you are positive you are dying

[justlittleocdthings]

Form your habits

free printable you can download here

Forming your habits can be extremely difficult, here’s a tool that can help you achieve that. I use a 21 days calendar because it’s customary in these sort of things. It’s not scientifically based but usually 21 days are enough for most people to create a new lasting habit. Sometimes you’ll need more.

All the sections in the printable are there to help you, so I really recommend you fill every part! Let’s see what those are:

Triggers - it can be anything, even an alarm on your phone, but I suggest you ‘latch’ your new habit to some old one you have. Like if you want to start flossing, use as a trigger ‘after washing my teeth’ or something logical like that. Also put this printable somewhere you can see, so that you’ll be reminded of it!

Rewards - while the habit in itself should be a reward you definitely need something a little more short term because sometimes it’s difficult to see the long term plan. Something small and easy, like congratulating yourself, or crossing off the task in your planner or app, or buy something small like a song or an app, or do a little dance or whatever it might work for you and might bring a smile on your face.

Why am I doing this? - This is possibly the most important. if you don’t have a personal reason to form a new habit you’ll never find the motivation to do it.

Tiny Victories - More often than not you’ll face all sort of obstacles during your attempt to form your habit. Consider from the beginning a list of small wins that are a ‘lighter version’ of your habit. So you don’t have to punish yourself if you don’t get that day to perform your habit. It will make it easier for you to start the habit and it will not become a chore. 

“but I just don’t want to today…” - We are our worst enemies. You know yourselves pretty well, you probably have tried more than once to attempt this habit, so you know how many excuses you can come up in the next 21 days to avoid working on your habit… “I’m too stressed to do this” “I was so good yesterday I can take a day off” “I’m on vacation”… and so on. Make a list of replies to yourself, now that your excitement is at the top so in the next days you’ll be able to read it again and convince yourself to actually do what you proposed yourself to do.

Here’s a list of good habits you might want to try:

daily review of your planner

cleanup your desk

meditate

take a walk

exercise for 30 minutes

15 minutes of gesture drawing

wake up early

work 30 minutes on your personal project

use a language app

write in your journal

clean something

drink enough water

[justlittleocdthings]

I’ve been having bad days and drawing this helped me remember things.

I hope it helps you, too.

[justlittleocdthings]

Trypophobia - The fear of holes, the feeling of great discomfort you get seeing large amounts of small holes in one area. Please spread this so curious people don’t have to Google it, the Google results are horrific and triggering for those who suffer from it.

#ugh ugh i have this it's so awful!!

[justlittleocdthings]

Mental Health Resources for the Bi Community

This week #BiHealthMonth connects the bisexual community with various resources that can best support them. Today we spotlight some resources for mental health-related needs:

Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255 

GLBT National Hotline [phone]  GLBT National Talkline 1-800-246-7743 (for youth up to age 25)

Trevor Project Hotline [phone] (for youth ages 13-24)

Trans Lifeline 877-565-8860 (US) or 877-330-6366 (Canada)

Gay and Lesbian Medical Association’s LGBT Healthcare Provider Directory

World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH)’s Transgender Healthcare Provider Directory

Bisexuality-Aware Professionals Directory

Estraven Le Guin: How to Find a Bi Competent Therapist

Bisexual Women of Color (BIWOC): Bisexual Health & Self-Care

American Institute of Bisexuality: “It Gets Better” Video 

[justlittleocdthings]