#ocd tips | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

frankiensteinsmonster · 4 months

Text

🎀 Things that help me Cope with OCD in my life 🎀

My OCD is driven by anxiety around contamination and living with my partner with allergies.

TW for Disordered Eating Habits caused by OCD and mention of intrusive thoughts!

🌧️ water bottles

for hydration. Bc of a million and one reasons, I can't drink water normally. Not only am I not used to it in the first place, but I have severe anxiety around contamination, and both my mental and physical health prevent me from doing the dishes, which can impact my ability to consume Any sort of substance.

🌧️ prepackaged foods

On that note, individually wrapped foods are a huge life saver. I can't eat off our normal kitchenware if I've ingested an allergen within five hours of eating (see next item) since I can't brush my teeth until then to be sure that I'm Clean. On top of this, I have other issues that impact my ability to eat. Things like granola bars, candy, sleeves of crackers, and packaged tuna/chicken are my go-tos but other foods exist. Fruit is also a good one if there's any around!

🌧️ disposable utensils

Once again, my brain is fucked and it makes me Not Eat and dishes are Hard + not always an option. Disposable utensils are IMMENSELY helpful.

🌧️ lotion

Handsanitzer is literally like holy water to me. This is not amazing for my health or my skin. I can at least help my skin with keeping lotion on hand. Pun unintentional, but welcomed.

🌧️ masks

Not only as a COVID precaution, but as a World precaution!! I feel so safe in my mask whenever I'm out and about + added bonus of not needing to worry about my face, esp with reflective hide-y sunglasses on. Also, more specifically, I worry less about breathing in other people's AIR or them spitting on my face as they speak around/to me, which in turn, gives me less violent intrusive thoughts which is great for both of us!

🌧️ gloves

Autism + OCD combo

I love the separation between me and the outside world via All my clothes (I am usually in long sleeves and tights), but adding casual gloves have been so great for my bc although washing my hands is easier, I can avoid needing to do that so much if I have a second pair of hands I can just take off and wash later

+, as mentioned. Sensory needs.

☔Things that I'm considering and why ☔

- Tweezers for picking out medicine from their jars.

I hate sticking my hand in there + it's really hard if it's a large jar bc if I feel like I've contaminating this big fuckin jar-- my options are Worry About It Every Time I Need A Tylenol (I have fibromyalgia btw, so that's like. Every fucking day) OR I throw it out and wait, in pain, until we can get a new bottle. Tweezers will fix me.

- Smaller bottle for my bulk medicine bottles.

Basically for the same reasons as above. If I end up feeling like I've contaminated a big bottle of pain medicine, it'll impact my ability to Drink Water if we don't have water bottles, which is something we're figuring out how to keep a steady supply of. So it can be a huge fucking struggle. If I have a smaller bottle and periodically refill it whenever I'm out of the little bottle out of my bulk stash, in the event that I've contaminated the little bottle, it will be more okay to throw away that bottle! Winning and thriving!

- Paper soaps for portability

Some bathrooms don't have soap and it's unfair and literally fucking disgusting. You can tell I'm mad about this. And sometimes I use up all my handsanitzer! It's not super often I need soap that just Isn't there when it's supposed to be, but to me that's all the more reason to keep some on my person at all times so I don't have to carry the shame of dirty, water washed hands 🤢🤢. Fml!

- Wet wipes

Inexpensive from what I understand, also portable AND multi use!

I use a cane, and wheelchair atm and am looking into getting elbow crutches as a happy medium bc my town isn't fucking accessible. That aside, I love wiping down strange and familiar surfaces alike, plus sometimes people touch my shit with it without my permission and that's just reality and sometimes even I need to touch my mobility aids with dirty, contaminated hands. 😞 Having antibacterial/soap wipes would make me feel so much safer in the world! (Antibacterial wipes alone cannot get rid of allergens on surfaces, soap and water is much more effective but Anything is better than Nothing and also I have.. ocd. Not everything I do is going to be logical.) Also!! Clean hands town, population: me (again)

#ocd #actually ocd #ocd tips #mental health tips #menhera #mental helath #actually neurodiverse #neurodivergent #neuropunk #mothie speaks up

11 notes · View notes

frogb0nez · 4 months

Text

I hate how all my disorders blend together. Like wow thanks ocd for making me breakdown the second my partner has left to go on a walk because one of my themes makes me delusional about cheating when he literally just wants to let me sleep and it's fucking healthy. Thanks 4n4 for joining in and telling me of course he is because how could anyone love me when I look like this. At least it makes for good motivation to ⭐ve and the crying burns calories, gotta try and look on the plus side. As long as I pull it together before he's back everything's fine. I'm so sick of feeling so fucking alone in this...

106 notes · View notes

uncanny-tranny · 7 months

Text

If you're trying to get out of the Moral Purity sinkhole, I think reframing how you think and feel can be a helpful first step.

Instead of being petrified by my very thoughts being "pure," I tried to internalize that... it can't be achieved, moral purity, so instead of being pure, maybe I could be kind? Or just even nice, anything but the crushing sould-destroying urge to make everything pure enough.

I think that's why, now, I'm incredibly suspicious of any group or community that demands purity. What good is purity if you can't even focus on anything else, like being compassionate or funny or deep or anything because you must only focus on being pure?

It's really hard to break out of the moral purity merry-go-round, but I think learning how to step off before you vortex yourself into the pits of hell can be a welcome change.

#mental health #mental health support #moral purity #moral purity ocd #and of course this won't help anybody. this is a tip for if you haven't tried it before or don't know if it'll help for you #in fact this tip doesn't always work for me either but i found it helpful to actually take a backseat to how Morally Pure i was #unfortunately like everything else this is a skill you must learn to hone

111 notes · View notes

haruharuz · 1 year

Text

Mindset Challenge: Week One

I’m an effort to improve my mental health (as it is kind of horrific) I’m doing a mindset challenge. I’ll post one of these every week so you can follow along.

Reframe your thoughts: Change the first thought in quotations to something similar to the second thought as often as you can. Follow up with an ACTION (A).

“I should have done more” : “I cannot bring back past time, but I can do more in the future.” A: Do one thing for a goal without procrastinating or use a pomodoro for 30 minutes

“I wish I would have-“ : “I didn’t do something I wanted, but I will do that soon!” A: Make plans to do something you think you’d WISH you’d done in the future. (Go out to eat, color, concert etc)

Feelings & Solutions:

“I’m so behind!” = feeling overwhelmed, demotivated, anxious. Solution: “What can I celebrate?” + Write/Say 5 things you did that were productive in any way today.

“I’m never going to make it.” = feeling tired, unoriginal, demotivated, and uncared for. Solution: “It is okay if I do not, but I will try.” + Write down two positive thoughts about your version of “making it” + 3 minutes of yoga or more

Stop Obsessive Thoughts:

That thought isn’t helpful right now

This is irrational I am going to let it go

I should not be making myself suffer, I deserve to feel good

Shadow Work Journal Prompt:

What was one time you royally fucked up? How did you respond? What did you learn from this? How do you feel about this now? Write down three things you need to hear in regards to this situation.

Other:

Go one hour per day with no social media. This is the perfect time for working on goals or relaxing

Do at least two yoga sessions per week that totals up to 1 hour.

Mental Health Checklist:

Have you eaten a meal? Have a meal or a snack.

Have you had water? Drink a glass.

Is your space messy? Tidy it for 5 minutes.

Did you brush your teeth/hair? If not, go do that.

Are you still in pajamas? Change into comfortable daily clothing.

299 notes · View notes

thatoneluckybee · 5 months

Text

Tips for Writing Characters with Trichotillomania

- Someone with trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder!)

I’m really glad that people are starting to realize that BFRBs actually exist! And with that, I’m happy that this means it’s not JUST me headcanoning characters to have BFRBS or CREATING characters with BFRBs. HOWEVER. With this, it is important that these disorders are represented well. I have trichotillomania myself, so here’s a list of things that I look for in characters and when making my own, and tips for accurately portraying a BFRB!

This is focusing on trichotillomania as I have it. I might make some on other BFRBs but I’ll have to do a lot of research and talk to people or read accounts of people WITH the specific BFRB. (I pull my hair and bite my nails, so I cannot about other BFRBs I don’t have off the top of my head.)

What IS a BFRB?

BFRB stands for “body-focused repetitive behavior.” BFRBs are a group of disorders listed in the DSM-5 under “Obsessive-Compulsive and RELATED Disorders.” BFRBs are NOT OCD. They are closely related, but are DIFFERENT things! A BFRB is defined by bfrb.org as a “repetitive self-grooming behavior…that can lead to physical damage to the body and have been met with multiple attempts to stop or decrease the behavior” and WebMD as “intense urges…that can cause damage.” (A BFRB is NOT the same as self-harm!!!!) In short, a BFRB is a behavior or habit that hurts you and is nearly impossible to stop or control. The easiest way I’ve found to describe it is like pressure. Next time you have an itch, try not to scratch it. It’s difficult! It feels like a pressure building up. Now, imagine that “itch” is really the INTENSE urge to pull out your hair, pick at your skin, bite at your lips, and the like. THAT is a BFRB.

What about Trichotillomania (or Trich)?

There are two main types of hair-pulling: FOCUSED and AUTOMATIC. Oftentimes, people’s trich does not neatly fit into one category. One trichster can engage in both (like me!) or it could depend on the location of the hair on your body. Focused means you are AWARE that you are pulling when you pull. AUTOMATIC means you are NOT AWARE that you are pulling.

Secondly, trichotillomania DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE. People can pull from ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE. Oftentimes people who mention trichotillomania only consider pulling from your scalp. But we, as human beings, are mammals. There is hair everywhere. Other common places include eyebrows, eyelashes, the pubic region, underarms, arms, and legs. But if there is hair at ALL, trichotillomania can cause you to pull it. Some people have specific locations they pull from, and not EVERYONE pulls from EVERYWHERE! (For example, my scalp was never an issue until this past year, and I have had this BFRB for several years. It began with my lashes, then progressed to my legs and brows. I pretty much have trich for everywhere now. Yay.)

ONTO THE TIPS

For many, trich can be a self-soothing behavior. If a character has trichotillomania, they may gravitate towards their hair when they are startled or under stress, even if they are not pulling. An example of this could be a character running their fingers through their hair when anxious, or running their fingers over their eyebrows when frustrated.

A BFRB is not something to be ashamed of. However, there is a LOT of stigma around them. Many trichsters WILL attempt to hide their BFRB from people, especially strangers. Even the most kind-hearted, honest cinnamon roll may lie to a loved one about why their hair is thinning or why their arms are sore. Some common ways of this are wearing hats or styling one’s hair a certain way, wearing pants and long sleeves, or avoid hairdressers and doctors.

IT HURTS. There is often PHYSICAL PAIN that accompanies trichotillomania! What inspired me to write this post was quite literally me being grumpy because I was having to hold a towel to my arm because I dug too deep trying to get an ingrown hair and it bled more than expected. Pulling, especially if it’s from sensitive areas of your body like your nose, pubic region, fingers, feet, eyelashes, etc. where there are many nerves, can HURT. There will likely be red, bumpy skin. There may be blood. There may be scars.

There is going to be hair everywhere and yes it is annoying and no it’s not stopping anytime soon. Vacuums will clog. You will get hair stuck to the soles of your feet when you take off your socks. It’s gonna be everywhere.

Some people will chew on or eat the hair. This is known as trichophagia. I do not know much about trichophagia as I do not have it myself. However, I DO know that people with this can experience issues like stomachaches, indigestion, and the like. That’s okay. That’s normal.

You cannot love someone’s trichotillomania away. Please, please, please do not do this. You can help someone if they want it, you can love them, you can try, BUT THIS IS A DISORDER. It is NOT a choice. It is not something a character needs to “try more” with. I see a lot of posts under the trichotillomania tag here on Tumblr that are excerpts of fics. 99% of the time, it’s Person A forcibly stopping Person B from pulling and begging them to stop “for them.” I am not saying there is something inherently malicious about these! But someone cannot just stop “for you.” I’m sorry. It’s still a disorder. Please avoid the “stop for me!” trope if possible, or at the very least avoid this being the “cure-all” for a character’s BFRB.

These disorders are so widely misunderstood and underrepresented. There is a lot of misinformation. Please do not shy away from creating characters with a BFRB, in fact I highly encourage it! But pleasepleaseplease do some research beforehand and listen to people with these disorders. Good luck!

#writing #writblr #writing tips #fics #trichotillomania #bfrb #trichophagia #mental health #mental illness #tagging the following because trichotillomania and other BFRBs are often associated with/comorbid with these:#anxiety #ocd #adhd #autism #audhd

30 notes · View notes

roundaboutnow · 3 months

Text

OCD folks, what is your advice for people who are probably undiagnosed? how do you take care of yourselves and combat the thoughts/impulses?

im pretty sure and im pretty sure my therapist knows it too, but im not ready to admit it bc i know theyre going to agree and im not sure im ready for it to be real

#ocd #theyre already helping me with adhd and autism tips bc like they said it doesnt matter if i am or not i have these symptoms and i need help #but im scared to diagnose myself with a third thing bc it's like im self diagnosis georg or some shit #ive already heard my therapist mention that some of my behaviors are consistent with OCD so i know its accurate #but i dont know how to handle it #and we havent really talked about it

15 notes · View notes

hotfudgecherryrosy · 5 months

Text

Something I've found that helps me when I'm taking notes is color coding. I've had more of a compulsion to do that since starting my meds which made my OCD a bit worse, but going back over my notes to color them has made it stick in my head more. I have to reread what i wrote, but I'm also assigning it a color which is like a compartment in my brain because im very normal about color. Highly suggest if u think this would work for u

#studying #study tips #studying tips #neurodivergent #nd #ocd #actually ocd #autism #actually autistic #autistic #adhd #actually adhd

23 notes · View notes

pink-elefantz · 2 months

Text

when u get caught on a regret loop try being like ok what now. i compulsively say im sorry like a hundred times a day to an empty room and i gotta catch myself on 1 of them and be like im sorry. what now. the light is hitting the building outside. peppermint oil smells good. this is a good song. this makes me happy. the trees are glittering around in the wind. here are some things we can do today. what happened happened and it is over and if its something that actually matters and needs to be fixed i will do what i can to fix it and if it's unfixable i will do better going forward and put better things out into the world. that is all a human being can ever do. what now

#ocd #rumination #real event ocd #tips #recovery

14 notes · View notes

famewolf · 14 days

Text

speaking of ocd, I think I'm realizing that I truly don't have anxiety and it's literally just my ocd. im not anxious about anything until it involves me and suddenly I'm spiraling

#[static]#it's hard to describe succinctly but the anxiety I deal with nowadays is directly related to my ocd and autism #some anxiety is so easy to brush off but the ones stemming from my ocd are extremely difficult to get out from under #i'll spiral for weeks about one specific thing and ruminate on it and mentally worry and pick at it forever #it's utterly exhausting jfkdghdf some days are easier than others #and often that one thing I ruminate on becomes multiple things all stemming from the first thing #like recently it's been my car ... the thing is totally fine ... runs fine drives fine but ive been freaked out by it for the last 3 weeks #every time i go into the shop theyre like ... everything is good in fact its in good condition for its age and they'll mention like #one thing that will need to be replaced to keep it in tip top condition and then my brain will fixate on it and imagine all the ways #something horrific will happen if that doesnt get changed and then that leads to all the other things in the car suddenly freaking me out #i defs used to have general anxiety and depression but those went away literally the day i got top surgery #poof instantly gone it was wild and i kept waiting for the other shoe to drop #never did but now my ocd has been really bad the last 6 months cuz of all the extra horrifying things going on #so i thought it was just my anxiety coming back but this week i realized it was my ocd and have been treating it accordingly #and ive seen some relief but i definitely need to go back to therapy once i get my insurance again #its the only way to get a hold on it and my last therapist ended up moving states so we didnt get to work on tools for it very much #im yapping at this point i just needed to vent for a second about how truly yucky ocd makes me feel

7 notes · View notes

stepintomytardis · 4 months

Text

I like to defeat anxiety by rerouting my brain to yelling self assurances at myself such as:

YOURE SO NORMAL

YOU LOOK SO AVERAGE DOING THIS ACTION

THIS IS SUCH A REGULAR HUMAN THING TO DO RIGHT NOW

THIS IS SUCH A REGULAR REACTION GOOD JOB

by screaming these things at myself nonstop I am both amused by the deranged-ness of them and also distracted from anxiety thoughts xonstantly

hope this helps

#ocd #anxiety #tips #mental health #mental illness #like when its 2 am and i really want a ramen but i think everyone will stare at me if i get a ramen #so i have to overload my brain and muscle memory through the activity

11 notes · View notes

awallflowersjournal · 9 months

Text

17 notes · View notes

growandrecover · 1 year

Text

OCD and hand washing

Since cold and flu (and covid) season is approaching, I thought I'd make a post about obsessive hand washing because it's something I've been struggling with for years. So here are some thing you can do to protect your hands and maybe lower the amount of compulsions surrounding cleaning/washing if you can.

If your hands are not currently split open or raw, buy or use some cream that's thick and fit for dry, sensitive skin. My favorite is Cetaphil's Moisturizing Cream for very dry to dry, sensitive skin. However, it's a bit expensive, so I've been using Equate Therapeutic Dry Skin Cream. (From my experience the creams are thicker and make my hands feel better, but they come in jars, so if you have a fear or compulsion about not wanting to put your hands in your products, they have tubes and bottles out there)

If your hands are split open or raw, please don't use lotion or cream on them! Trust me, it'll burn. A few years ago, I looked up remedies, and I found that olive oil doesn't burn and does the trick! So when my hands were split, for the first day or two, I'd put olive oil on a few times a day, and then after they healed a little bit, I'd move to a lotion and vaseline combo. Although, olive oil has gotten a bit more expensive where I live, so if you live somewhere where it's the same, coconut oil can work as well.

I totally forgot to add- if you wash your hands with very hot water and dish soap: please do not do this anymore! it's drying out your hands so much faster. dish soap is not meant for hands, it's very rough. also, water so hot to the point it's steaming is only detrimental to your skin. you'll kill the germs by using regular hand soap and cold water. :)

Tips on not to wash as much:

I get it, you feel like you need to wash your hands. Especially now as everyone's getting sick, it can be pretty scary if you have ocd. I've been there too, and am currently struggling with it. You're not alone.

Ask yourself if it's *absolutely necessary*. If you just came in from work/school/the store, then yes of course, go wash your hands. But if you touched something like the remote (that maybe the people you live with touched), it's not going to kill you to not wash your hands. This is coming from someone who couldn't touch the remote or any doorknob (in my own home!) a few months ago, but can do so now without washing her hands. Yes, it's extremely difficult, and will likely invoke fear and other unpleasant emotions and feelings, but if you can, maybe just try one thing at a time. For example, maybe try not washing your hands after touching the refrigerator door (if that's not an issue, pick something that's relevant to you). If you can't- that's okay, this is a hard thing to do!

Wear gloves if you can. Yes, this may be reinforcing your compulsions, but if you still really struggle with washing your hands over and over and over, gloves could be able to help you. You can get a pair of regular gloves, or you can buy disposable ones if you're dealing with something you may not want to get on cloth gloves.

Distract yourself. If you're doing something where an obsession and a compulsion usually come into play, try a distraction. You could turn the tv on, put on a YouTube video, listen to music, or talk to someone.

Try to rationalize your way out of it. If you have OCD or struggle with similar symptoms, you know that most obsessions and compulsions don't make any sense. So if your brain is telling you to clean something or wash your hands, logic your way out of it. If it's telling you that you'll get hurt if you don't clean all the doorknobs, ask it why? Any germ that may be on there is not likely to kill you. Unless you don't have your covid vaccines, or have a compromised immune system, there's most likely nothing to worry about.

If you live in a place where masks aren't mandatory, wearing one may ease your concerns. You don't have to if it's not required, but I've been wearing one the whole time, and I don't worry anywhere near as much when I go out because I feel protected.

If you need/want to reach out, please do! I'm here for you all, and I wish you nothing but the best ❤️

#ocd #contamination ocd #obsessive compulsive disorder #fear of germs #germaphobia #germophobe #mental health #mental health tips #neurodivergent #neurodivergent tips

120 notes · View notes

littlepetbee · 4 months

Text

me, talking to my bff about possibly having ocd: but i don't have Bad Numbers and Bad Shapes like you do

my bff: uh huh and when's the last time you ate off of yellow dishes or cutlery?

me: um never because i'm not gonna let the yellow contaminate my food or my skin obviously

bff:

me: ...yeah i heard it too

#personal #ocd #looking back it's like....duh #DUH.#i can't help it that warm colors (excluding pink) are inherently disgusting and dirty and gross and should be avoided at all costs #colors is only the tip of the iceberg lol but i feel like it's one of the most obvious

11 notes · View notes

emita-ita · 6 months

Text

GUIDE: DITCH SPOTIFY & YOUTUBE MUSIC! music on mobile youtube FOR FREE, NO DISTRACTIONS AND 0 ADS!!

TLDR; I installed the "Distraction Free Youtube" extension on Firefox on my Android with this guide. Now my feed looks empty (no reccommended videos/shorts -> no distractions). No doomscrolling. Also I listen to music on shuffle while using other apps!!

PROS:

Listen to music on shuffle, while using other apps, while your screen is turned off. For FREE 🤯 no ADS

Highly customizable, choose to hide your youtube feed, next up video reccommendations, comment sections, the dreaded Shorts, and much more!

It shows at the top of your notifications making it easy to stop and resume.

No more doomscrolling!

No more paying Spotify!

You don't feed into big corporations greedy industries <3 you live a calmer life while rejecting capitalism 🧡🧡🧡

CONS:

It's a biiiit more sluggish than the app. Music plays perfectly but sometimes video is laggy.

Everything is smaller scale since it's the desktop Youtube webpage on your mobile screen. Have to zoom and move around, hard to click small things if you have trouble with that. sorry :(

Steps and Quality of Life Tips under the keep reading 💙

Step 1

Follow this guide! I reccommend to follow it on pc for more ease (not necessary). Don't add the Google Translate extension like the guide, add "DF YouTube (Distraction Free)", its logo is a black square with a white triangle.

It looks very cumbersome but trust me it's done under 10 minutes! My replies and ask box is open, please please ask for help I'm very happy to help!

Step 2

Important, when you use Youtube on Firefox it redirects to the mobile web (m.youtube.com). The extension doesn't work with this. You need to click the three dots to the right of the website URL, and click "Desktop site".

DONE!! ENJOY

Quality of life tips

Extension and Add-on mean the same thing btw!

Click the three dots (like the image above) and click "Add to Home screen". Hold and drag it somewhere. This creates a shortcut! Yippie! Now we have completely replaced Youtube ♥ You can do a shortcut for each of your playlists 🤯 wow

The music plays perfectly, but the videos are sometimes sluggish. (Other times they're fine!) Probably just refresh.

You can put the Firefox search bar on the top if mine is ugly to you lol

10 notes · View notes

recoveringsylveon · 1 year

Text

sometimes u gotta have a gentle reminder that ur a human and you need food water rest love and hobbies. this is ur reminder :3

31 notes · View notes

mickeys-malarkey · 2 years

Text

Two of the best art tips I ever got – which really helped both my Same Face and Same Body Syndromes – were 1: “don't use shape language to indicate a character's morality/gender, use it to indicate their energy.”

Angles ≠ Evil/Masculine

Curves ≠ Good/Feminine

Triangles = Active/Energetic (think of an arrow)

Squares = Stable/Sturdy (think of a house)

Circles = Passive/Squishy (think of a baby)

And 2: “it's more interesting if you use shapes that don't match the character's energy and/or if you mix energies.”

A little bit extra of my own: when cartooning, don't be afraid of the shapes. Drawing men and action poses, especially, got so much easier when I stopped worrying about making them look “human enough,” “consistently styled enough,” or whatever else and just leaned into making them big ol’ bricks and squishy marshmallows and sharp toothpicks and, and, and. They also, ironically, got a lot more recognizably human, consistently styled-looking, and everything else I was previously worried about achieving. So.

130 notes · View notes