Ocd help

I wish I knew why but I’m so ocd about sweating that if i think I’m sweating I completely change my shirt or shorts and have someone in my family check me and almost every time they say I’m not sweaty; but I still think I am. And I also put on deodorant at least 4 times to make sure my armpits won’t sweat or stink; and I’ve tried to lower the amount I put on. But, no matter how much I’ve tried dealing with the thoughts they become too much to overcome and I give into the compulsion. Any words of advice, wisdom, or something that helped you either completely or 90 to 95% of overcoming your ocd. Because I would really like to get it to a place where it’s pretty much under control,

[tsquared23]

Christine, I know the feeling I change shoes bc I think my feet smell and always reapply deodorant when I change shirts. I also have bad sense of smell which makes me more anxious that I’ll smell bad and not know it. I know my therapist would say we have to accept that maybe we are sweaty. And maybe ppl will avoid us, etc. and just accept that uncertainty and still go out and do what we planned on doing. Which is erp, and then eventually the anxiety subsides. And then even to purposely not apply deodorant and sweat and go out in public or something like that. If the anxiety doesn’t subside that means we are still ritualizing in some way. Maybe some ritual like checking with others, smelling ourselves, avoiding. We have to cut out all rituals for the erp to work. Hope that helps and good luck. Who cares if ur sweaty

[Hidden in reply to tsquared23]

So I should not apply the deodorant and go do something in public. Then what happens if the thoughts start?

[tsquared23 in reply to Hidden]

Well u would build up to that. Starting with first just not asking anybody if u are sweaty. And if the thoughts start, u kind of go with them(which can be hard to accept) but what I would say is”maybe I am sweaty, maybe I smell awful, maybe ppl will not want to hang out with me, etc” and u continue to keep going with it, and eventually ur mind will move on to something else, and then when it comes back to those thoughts continue to just go with it and say maybe I do smell bad, maybe ppl will avoid me, and then u realize a few min later u haven’t even been thinking about it. But then maybe u Christine would say to me, “well I don’t wanna smell bad, so what about that part” but that’s only something u can come to terms with. It’s ok to not like the situation but still accept it. I hate accepting some of the insecurities I have to accept but they will never go away until u do. Then i find out i have more things im insecure about I just never got to them cause I was tied up on the past ones for so long lol. Def not trying to be a therapist here, and tough to explain by text, but I just feel ur pain so trying to share what has helped me

[tsquared23 in reply to tsquared23]

Maybe somewhere to start would be looking up erp and how that works. It’s really scary at first but then liberating, and ocd therapists will tell u it’s proven to work

[Hidden in reply to tsquared23]

So pretty much an example of erp for my ocd deodorant would be able to put on deodorant once in a non patterned way. And if I start having the thoughts just tell myself it’s okay if I sweat and who cares if I sweat. And don’t smell myself throughout the day

[Hidden in reply to tsquared23]

I just also hate the feeling of being sweaty and don’t know how to get over it and not check myself to see if I am or not

[tsquared23 in reply to Hidden]

Yes u are right one with ur erp. And the key to the thoughts is to not make yourself feel better just accept the uncertainty (otherwise the thoughts for me turn into rituals that I will say over and over in my head). So u just say maybe I smell bad, but know deep down who cares. We have to accept the anxiety and go thru it rather than avoid it. And I know what u mean about hating the feeling. What my therapist said that helps me is 1)u will gain more insights that this stuff doesn’t really matter. Also u prob aren’t sweaty ur mind is just telling u that u are, but if u are sweaty u are sweaty so over thinking about it doesn’t change that anyways. Also ppl are so wrapped up in their world they are worried about how they smell and look. Plus if u are sweaty, u will be forever so ppl will either have to accept the sweaty you or not accept the sweaty u, but at least u will know where u and they stand on things. So much easier said than done but good luck, I’m rooting for you

[Hidden in reply to tsquared23]

Well today I put on my deodorant only once. So that’s a positive, but I’ve checked and smelled a few times. But one step at a time. Right?

[tsquared23 in reply to Hidden]

Yeah that’s great, nice work. It can feel liberating to know we don’t have to do what ocd tells us to do

[Hidden in reply to tsquared23]

Is there any apps you use to help with your ocd?

[tsquared23 in reply to Hidden]

I have a worksheet I use now, it’s called a 7 column thought record sheet, that helps me work thru thoughts, I think this link might take u to it getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/Thou...

[Hidden]

Thank you.

[ChristianWolff]

Christine,

I have the same issue w/ perspiration. Although I rather enjoy a good workout sweat as long as I can shower and put on fresh clothing right after. I will not wear clothes that are damp from sweat and must change them. I always use an antiperspirant (not as frequent as you indicated). I have accepted this behavior as what is normal for me. Took some time getting to this point, but what choice do any of us have? We can’t rewire our brains.

Wishing you the best.

[Hidden in reply to ChristianWolff]

I wish I didn’t have those thoughts and could get over it. But anytime I feel some type of sweat I have to change that’s also why I don’t like wearing tight shirts sometimes and I hate the sticky feeling after I’ve sweated. Any advice on what I can do to not sweat or how to get over this. Because I’m a person that doesn’t sweat/ sweats very little.

[Hidden in reply to ChristianWolff]

I know I’ll always have those problems but I want to stop it. It’s like no matter how hard I try I jut can’t stop doing it.

[ChristianWolff in reply to Hidden]

Christine,

As hard as it might be, the best thing you could do is to calm yourself, relax through things like yoga, meditation, tai-chi, and the like. Since you do not perspire much to begin with you are ahead of the game already. Some years ago I went through a period of excessive perspiration and panic attacks, a truly horrible time in my life. Medications only made everything worse. So I made a concerted effort to learn about meditation techniques, aroma therapy, a change of music listening. During physical exertion I will perspire and when out in hot humid weather that I really dislike. So I take a shower and put on some fresh clothes and it's all good again. Life gets easier the calmer we can be.

[Hidden in reply to ChristianWolff]

I have began yoga and meditation and even that doesn't help the thoughts. And when I usually put it on once in the middle and up and down I still feel like its wet or it's too dry and then when it's too dry I don't smell like my deodorant. But I'm wondering if it also has to do with the fact that I've been on antidepressants for 10 years and then for 3 years before in high school I was on Adderall then Vyvanse. Because I never remember having this issue with these thoughts in middle school. So, I'm wondering if it's because of my medication.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

And I go to a yoga class twice a week the only 2 days they offer it and the other days I go do meditation and go on a walk for 10 to 15 minutes.

[ChristianWolff in reply to Hidden]

Attending the yoga class is excellent. As for medications, I am not the person who can offer much in the way of advice.

[Hidden in reply to ChristianWolff]

Yeah well the only time I feel sticky or sweaty or wet is when I put on deodorant about 4 different times all around and my underarms are completely white.

[mopedmike]

I'm wondering if your doing anything dietary to help build up the serotonin . As you may already know OCD is caused by a lack of serotonin in the brain. It seems you have already formed a thought pattern and I know that can be hard to overcome but it has been easier for me since I started eating more walnuts and Bananas as well as the vitamin supplements and chicken or turkey along with whole wheat or oats helps build it up. you can look on line for the vitamin supplements but should check with your Pharmacist to make sure that they will not interfere with other meds that you may be on. It hasn't helped me 100% I'd say more like 85 to 90% I imagine you'd enjoy a double digit percentage drop in your struggle with OCD.

[Hidden in reply to mopedmike]

Is there any apps you use to help with your ocd?

[mopedmike in reply to Hidden]

I just looked up on the internet "what builds up serotonin." Be careful of course but I couldn't see the harm for me eating those healthy things anyway and then I did ask my Pharmacist about the Vitamin supplements.

[Hidden in reply to mopedmike]

I meant apps on your phone that can help you with gently overcoming your ocd

[Hidden in reply to mopedmike]

Well I’ve started eating more and gained about 10 labs. I usually eat a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast, and either a sandwich or a heated up chimichanga for lunch with some fruit sometimes, and whatever my mom makes for dinner. And I’ve also stopped drinking energy dink’s and sodas or anything with sugar and in the last 4 weeks I’ve only had maybe 2 to 3 sodas over that period of time. So that’s helped and I’ve stared going on walks for about 15 minutes and started going to yoga classes and doing meditation and breathing t home.

[Hidden in reply to mopedmike]

I’m not a big fruit eater but sometimes I’ll have some apples or etc. But I did have some multivitamins. Would it be possible that if I take the multivitamins it’ll help to calm my ocd down.

[mopedmike in reply to Hidden]

There is no easy button you must do the homework. I Eat Bananas and walnuts and chicken along with whole wheat or oats to promote Serotonin. I also looked up what sup laments helped promote it IE.Magnesium,Turmeric and Complex B there were others but they interfered with my heart medication. So check with your pharmacist. I also enlisted the help of youtube by watching funny stuff that made me laugh, "laughter is the best medicine" . I shouldn't have to remind you that a poor diet does not help with depression.

[Hidden in reply to mopedmike]

Could I take multivitamins o help give me the seretonin

[mopedmike in reply to Hidden]

I'm not saying Multi vitamins are bad but they may not have the ingredients nor the strength required to be effective. Check with you pharmacist.

[Hidden]

I don’t know I was also diagnosed with depression and adhd in high school. I currently take 10 my of lexapro for my depression, but I don’t take anything for my adhd because when I was on the medication it just messed with my appetite and head. I don’t know what type of supplements I would need to take to build the seretonin back up. Any suggestions?

[Engen]

Two things have helped me make huge leaps forward with my ocd, which for the most part manifests as intrusive thoughts.

The first was Inositol in my morning coffee and occasionally a little more throughout the day. (having it in my coffee keeps me in routine)

The second is learning how to rewire my brain. Dr Jeffrey Shwartz four steps ocd protocol is very good for this. hope4ocd.com/foursteps.php

[Hidden in reply to Engen]

With the reattribute step if it becomes overwhelming and you start to feel like you have to do your compulsion, do you try to find something else to do to keep yourself from doing the compulsion while telling yourself it’s my ocd. I’ve told myself it’s the ocd but then the thoughts become too overwhelming and I have this coloring app. Do you think it could help for me to do it while I’m telling myself it’s my ocd because I really want to do my compulsion. Also, with the fifteen minute rule do you use a time for that. And do you have a counselor or anyone that recommended for you to take the inositol?

[Engen]

Yep, so this is something you get better at it the more you do it.. I would say be okay with the process and give yourself permission to not always get it working.

Personally I like to acknowledge it, "oh hello ocd, i see you there again", and say things to my self like, "this is just the ocd again,, it is just a well formed neural pathway that is over firing,, it's not something I need to do but my brain chemistry is just out of wack right now and its giving me this compulsion and that's okay." "now I'm going to do something else"

Then finding something else to do is the next step. So your colouring app maybe good for this, but if you're finding that you still are drifting back into the thoughts, you may have just become very good at that app to the point that you can multitask with it a little to easily, so you could choose to focus on a task that is a bit more demanding of your attention instead. Maybe change it up each time so that your mind can't habituate too easily to any one task.

I don't use a timer, but thats just me.

For the inositol, I don't have a counsellor or anyone, I found out about it through my own research and I'm not on any medication so I tend to just try these things out and see if they work. Having said that, so far as I can tell it it just an alcohol sugar and doesn't seem to be dangerous to try.

[Hidden in reply to Engen]

So I don’t read much but I have the kindle app on my phone so maybe I’ll try that tomorrow

[Hidden in reply to Engen]

I feel so disappointed in myself I went 9 minutes without putting deodorant on more than once. But, then the thoughts just became too strong and I put more deodorant on another 3 times to make it an equal four. I wish I could just make these thoughts go away.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I just feel like I have to put more on for it to be visible and for me to know that it is on and I won’t sweat

[Engen in reply to Hidden]

Be gentle with yourself, 9 minutes it a great start, it takes a bit of time to change a behaviour that you have learnt to do so well.

When I was at the height of my intrusive thoughts, I would instantly react with anxiety, the moment they entered my mind I would be panicking and trying to force the thoughts away. But as you may well have found, the more you push against it the more it pushes back. I see it as a survival mechanism that is over trained in trying to protect me from something that makes me feel bad by making me feel a sense of urgency to correct it, which then spirals out of control.. It's very frustrating, but I think the first step is to teach your body/mind to be calm when it happens, don't punish yourself for it and learn to observe it almost with a sense of fascination.

[Hidden in reply to Engen]

Teach myself to be calm when the thoughts happen or when I give into the compulsion? And how do I look at it with fascination? You mean the more I push against it which is me saying don’t put the deodorant on or I need to put the deodorant on. Or pushing it away by giving into the compulsion?

[Hidden in reply to Engen]

I have come to the conclusion that I will never be completely over my ocd but I’ve just got to make small strides. So, instead of saying I’ll only put deodorant once maybe I’ll say I’ll put it on twice but not as much that it makes my underarms completely white and kind of wet. And instead of doing it 4 times over and over that my underarms are white all over the side try doing it just twice or 4 times without it being done and my underarms aren’t white and I don’t get deodorant stains all over my shirts. So, that can be something to work on. It can be a step. The last two days I’ve only done it twice but my underarms were still pretty white. I’ve jut got to accept the fact that there maybe days I give into it to help me feel better but I’m going to try and tell myself that it won’t make me feel better it will just make me want to do it over again.