OCD eye blinking

[88cev88]

So I have a new compulsion where I have to blink my eyes so nothing bad happens. But so much blinking causes me to rub them more and now one eye is red. Ugh!

[deValentin]

Does it help weaken your compulsion?

Let me explain. Few years ago, I had the compulsion to write down on paper every tought that came to my mind and could help me find a way to be happier in life. If I had no pen and paper on hand, I felt panicky because I thought that I may forget the idea that just came to my mind and therefore miss the chance to solve my problem.

Once I went camping. It was a 100 km treck, and someone was supposed to pick us up at the other end. Still to this day I don't understand why I left my pen and paper home. When I realized it, it was too late to turn around. The person who dropped us off was gone anyway. As luck would have it, I couldn't borrow a pen and paper from anybody, and I never took my phone with me because where we hiked there was no phone coverage. For a long time, I felt anxiety flooding my brain for fear an idea would come and I couldn't write it down or trust my memory to remember it. However, I kept on walking. At the end of the 5-day trip, I didn't care anymore whether I had a pen and paper or whether I would lose potentially critical ideas that came to my mind. Circumstances had helped me overcome that compulsion. Now I can go for a long walk without any device to save ideas that may come to my mind during that time.

So, my question is, does the irritation in your eye help you control your blinking or motivate you to switch to a new ritual to ward off dangers?

[88cev88 in reply to deValentin]

That’s interesting, thanks for sharing. Yes, I think it does to an extent, I just may have to wait for another ritual to show up I guess. Most of my other rituals only occur in the bathroom so I doubt they will replace this.

[deValentin in reply to 88cev88]

The ability of OCD to morph is remarkable. It's why some people recommend to address the core fear, which is usually the fear of something bad happening if you don't ritualize or ruminate. If you get over that fear by doing overall what's good for your self-esteem and sense of optimism, the urge to ritualize will weaken.