I’m constantly counting every move I make. From my steps, to how many times I put my drink down after taking a sip (and of course counting my sips), it is brutal sometimes, and frustrating. I get so angry that I almost want to stop, but I know the outcome is usually followed with becoming anxious about something bad happening.
I appreciate any advice.
That’s certainly an interesting piece of advice. I never thought about nutrition, and sleep being a factor. I’ll have to look into that and try to make those two things a lot better. Thank you for your response.
Don't credit anything like this - healthy eating and, if necessary, carefully chosen supplements, are good for you anyway, and feeling physically good helps you to feel mentally good. But it is not a cure for OCD. And OCD is a mental illness. Mental illnesses may have physiological causes in part at least, but that is not the whole story. How our bodies react to emotional pressures and trauma is also part of it.
Counting is often involved in OCD rituals. Medication can damp it down, and CBT and ERP can help you to overcome it.
I developed an elaborate daily counting ritual when I was about 10 or 11 - it also involved tapping different parts of my body while I counted. I didn't know anything about OCD then, few people did. It became increasingly irksome, and I managed to cut it down and in due course ditch it altogether when I was about 12. I can still remember how free I felt to be rid of it! In fact I was using CBT methods without knowing it.
CBT takes persistence and practice, but it is effective. Self help books that use it can get you started, with or without professional help. Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and The OCD Workbook are good - they explain OCD and have CBT exercises you can adapt to your own use.
Thank you for your response. Did you have intrusive thoughts? Thinking if you didn’t perform the task a certain way, or amount of times you feared the worst is going to happen? Trying to see past those thoughts is my biggest struggle.
I still have intrusive thoughts! And I still have 'good' and 'bad' numbers, which are usually quite random. I've managed to cut down most of the counting, though.
One method I've been taught is to tell yourself, when you have an intrusive thought, that you won't worry about it now, but you'll give it ten minutes worth of worry at a particular time later that day. And then it comes and goes, and you've forgotten about it!
It also helps to try to incorporate ERP into your daily routines. And although it's difficult to do, and you'll have many failed attempts along the way, it is effective. Don't think of them as failed attempts - each one is helping to undo the OCD.
Thank you!
Hello,
OCD is in fact a mental illness/disorder. Very much as Sallyskins said, proper nutrition and exercise can be helpful in overall mental health and quality of life. However, it's not a cure for OCD. The gold standard treatment for OCD is Exposure and Response Prevention or ERP.
If you're looking for videos or information you can access online I highly recommend Nathan Peterson's Youtube channel and Instagram page. He's an OCD Specialist who has tons of amazing information online for free.
His Youtube 
youtube.com/channel/UC3Clvn...
I also really love Kimberley Quinlan's podcast (another OCD Specialist)kimberleyquinlan.libsyn.com
Do you have a therapist you're currently working with?
Thank you for the response and material. I have watched some of Nathan Peterson’s videos, but will have to watch some more, and will definitely check out Kimberley Quinlan’s podcast.
I do have a therapist, and we are working together using CBT, but she is not an expert in dealing with OCD, so I’m currently hoping to find some exercises that I can practice.
You're absolutely welcome. Dealing with OCD can be so tough and I know it can be hard when your therapist isn't a specialist. Both Nathan Peterson and Kim Quinlan have self-directed ERP courses you can sign up for which are very low-cost.
Kim Quinlan also has a great book about OCD amazon.com/Mindfulness-Work...
I also love Jon Grayson's bookamazon.com/s?k=freedom+from...
If you'd like any other resources please feel free to ask.
-Alex
Thank you!
Counting is my biggest compulsion. I use it for reassurance-seeking. Mostly counting steps. I used to count almost everything, but I’ve cut it down to mainly just steps. I’ve tried to make up ERP exercises to counteract it, but they don’t seem to help much. I don’t have an OCD therapist right now because hardly any of them take insurance. I have a therapist for MDD and anxiety (ins. covers), but it’s online, and I’m getting really tired of online therapy; it’s not for me. Anyway, as a former OCD therapist told me: give yourself permission to stop counting. Maybe your therapist could help you come up with some ERP strategies to help you. Good luck.
I’ll definitely check this out. Thank you!
I have good and bad numbers, too. I try to avoid/stop doing or DO a physical compulsion/thought ritual, on certain numbers, or I believe something bad will happen to others.
The numbers for me, each mean something specific or represent a feeling/idea. I used to have this problem much worse than I do now, but it still affects me to some degree. It's superstitious thinking.
I have the same fear of something bad happening that doesn't always include numbers. Oftentimes, if I don't perform a behavior or think a certain way in general, I believe it will result in something horrible happening to everyone in my life, even ppl I don't know.
I sympathize very much w/ people who experience this, BC it is a hell of a way to live. All OCD suffering is hell, but personally, having intrusive thoughts and doing compulsions to get rid of them, is one of the biggest problems for me. I really do feel for all of us, though.
I hope you find relief soon! Good luck to you.
Am I alone in this? Has anyone else experienced this (or something similar)?
Does anyone here have pure O Ocd?
Anyone have experience changing therapists?
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Anybody else with aggressive intrusive thoughts?
