Motivation

How does everyone keep motivated to do ERP daily? Does anyone else have trouble concentrating at work? I was just demoted from my position. I struggle when I'm there but try to hide it. I'm so embarrassed of myself. Anyone else feel this way?????

[dutchgirl71]

I do feel the exact same way. I am struggling at work as well and finding it very difficult to do ERP. I’m sorry I’m not very helpful…but you are not alone in your struggles!

[Hidden in reply to dutchgirl71]

I'm sorry you are struggling also. It means a lot that you replied. Dr. Jonathan Grayson always is such a great motivator, I maybe should read his book again.

[dutchgirl71 in reply to Hidden]

That is a great idea! Dr. Grayson is awesome. I loaned my boom to someone and never got it back…guess I should get a new one.

[Hidden in reply to dutchgirl71]

Yes!

[alexandraisobsessed IOCDF Advocate]

Hello,

I wanted to reach out and say I'm very sorry that things are so hard for you right now. Being demoted at work must be tough. I can't imagine everything you're feeling right now. I'm really glad you're here. This community is wonderfully warm and supportive.

Do you mind if I ask what kind of ERP you're doing at work?

I do not do planned exposures (ERP) daily. Those exposures tend to be difficult and very tiring. I like to have time to process the exposure afterward.

What I do daily is practice ritual prevention. In other words, I practice resisting compulsions daily, but I do not do exposures to purposefully push the boundaries of my fears daily.

When I'm practicing ritual prevention I notice that I'm having an intrusive thought, pause and label it as intrusive and then do my best to redirect my attention to something else while completing the task at hand as if I didn't have OCD. It can be hard to do this effectively at first, but it becomes easier with practice.

I hope all of this makes sense and is of some help to you.

[Hidden in reply to alexandraisobsessed]

It totally makes sense. I appreciate you reaching out to me and caring. It's been a long time since I belonged to a community like this. Thank you again for replying to my post.

[alexandraisobsessed IOCDF Advocate in reply to Hidden]

You're very welcome. I love coming here and being in community with everyone as my toddler allows me I hope you're doing better this week.

[Sallyskins]

Doing ERP is a sort of constant activity, at least for me. So I am often resisting doing compulsions as a matter of routine. It isn't about motivation; if anything, getting rid of compulsions and being able to control my OCD is motivation enough! It's just something that you need to do as a matter of course.

I've had struggles with work myself - most of us with OCD do our best to hide it, particularly from work colleagues! It's an embarrassing condition and one that is difficult to explain to people who haven't got it.

It doesn't do much for your self confidence, getting demoted at work. I've found that jobs that are repetitive and boring and where you have to answer to a boss for each little thing you do can make OCD worse. Is there any way you could explain to your employers the problems you have with OCD? Decent employers will make allowances for disabilities.

[Hidden in reply to Sallyskins]

Thank you for your reply....no I don't think it would matter if I told my boss. The bottom line is if I can't make enough money for them and someone else can because they are faster and more proficient, then it's better for the business. I can't blame them but I blame myself. I feel like being on antidepressants for so many years have really taken their toll on my brain along with the nearly constant thoughts about who touched what! 😊I do try not to clean but as of lately I have been very wishy washy about it and usually do give in and clean. I know I should resist it but lately it seems easier to give in. That's what I need the motivation for....to be brave and not give in.

[Sallyskins in reply to Hidden]

Is there another job you could do? Although I do appreciate how difficult it is to get employment if you have OCD. Employers have a duty to their workforce and to society generally. I do blame them if they only care about making money! And it can affect business - I and many others prefer to buy goods and services from employers who treat their workforce fairly.

I have myself been on antidepressants for many years. I don't think they harm the brain - I think it's more the OCD that is so hard to deal with. Antidepressants help only so far - the real treatment is the CBT and ERP. It's so easy to get into a rut with your routines and rituals and breaking out of them is uncomfortable.

How about trying to incorporate the ERP into some existing rituals or cleaning routines say, during the morning when you get up to get ready for work? Make a point of it. Then tell yourself you aren't going to worry about it until you get home. The chances are that you'll have forgotten about it by then.

Each little victory over OCD can make you feel good - and that gives you motivation to try harder. Think of the freedom you will feel in not having to clean constantly! Freedom from OCD rituals - that motivates me!

[Hidden in reply to Sallyskins]

Thank you so much. Your support and suggestions mean a lot to me.

[alexandraisobsessed IOCDF Advocate in reply to Hidden]

I understand it's easy to blame ourselves and feel that we have failed when something of this magnitude happens. I would encourage you to please be compassionate with yourself. I had a job that had very similar demands and it was incredibly stressful for me every single day. I often felt very sick before going into work and felt completely exhausted coming home because the fast pace and extreme efficiency the work demanded was triggering. After I quit, I realized that job hadn't been a good fit for me dealing with OCD and learned that it's okay for me to recognize I need a slower pace and supportive work environment. I hope in time you will find something that suits you better.

You can totally break out of these rituals! I like to break mine down into a list of small rituals and tackle them one at a time so it feels more manageable.

One week I might wash my hands less. Then, I'll tackle another one and so forth. Before you know it ritual prevention will become second nature.