Hello

[Tidal]

Hi everyone,I am new here and feeling pretty overwhelmed and alone at the moment-I am feeling the need to connect with others who understand what it feels like to have OCD.

Are there any other parents here who have OCD or also have children who OCD? My 7yr old is also struggling with OCD-its so hard. I am doing my best to support her but am also in the midst of a OCD flare up myself and have so much guilt..

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing ok

[deValentin]

I have OCD and I have a family member with OCD. I understand your guilt and may be frustration. These types of response are counterproductive. Let me tell you how in large part I overcame them. I used to depend on a risk-free predictable perfect environment to feel good, so I was ready to do anything to make it happen. This is the core of OCD, in my opinion. I couldn’t get what I wanted because it’s not realistic. I couldn’t stop striving for it because I needed to feel good. I was caught in a trap. The end result was that problems kept accumulating in my life accompanied with guilt, frustration, and discouragement. Then, at the end of my rope, I asked myself what kind of life I really wanted to live. Where do I want to be 1 or 10 years from now? Aiming for that goal became my source of comfort. At the same time, I had to struggle like an addict would. I attempted for so long to settle in my mind all the issues that were tormenting me, I was so emotionally dependent on the chase for complete certainty and the “just right” feeling that it was difficult to learn another way to cope. However, with patience and persistence, it paid off. It’s not perfect now, but it’s manageable. I wish you well in your recovery.

[Natureloverpeace]

Family and Loved One’s OCD Support Group is a very helpful group for support and resources. It meets virtually the second Saturday of the month and is run by a licensed therapist who specializes in OCD, and his mom, who is a very enthusiastic advocate. The group opens up with a guest presenter(s) and then has a question and answer session. Everyone on the email list receives an email with the resources that were discussed during the group.

The IOCDF just started a new livestream for Supporting Families that meets on Thursdays. The first one was last Thursday. I don’t know how often they do that particular livestream. They are recorded so you can always watch them later if you can’t make it at the actual time. It’s on various social media platforms including YouTube and Facebook Live. Just type in IOCDF and look for Supporting Families.