Hi just wondering if anyone could give me some advice i suffer severe ocd which is causing me hell from the moment i wake up until the moment i go sleep, i know what iam doing is wrong but i physically carnt stop it, everything in my life i seem to check for example having a drink out the fridge i check the expiry date then check it again and stare at it for that long it doesnt seem right anymore then i panick the fridge door isnt shut so i open and close it and push the door to make sure it's shut,i panick about glasses,plates etc not been clean and inspect them for ages, i struggle to put anything in the bin because i worry there might be something important that im throwing away even if its a sweet wrapper i know it sounds crazy and i know its rubbish but my head wont let me, when i park my car up i check all the windows are up even if i know i havent used them and i check the interior light is off then i walk off then have to go back to check again and then again. The list is endless of the rituals i do daily it is taking up my whole life and now my kids are starting to pick up onit and think im acting strange ive tried to break the cycle for example getting a beer out the fridge without checking the date constantly but my head just wont allow me i start getting brain fog and get all sweaty and heart races.
Has anyone else experienced similiar to this and does anyone have any advice as this is ruining me
Thanks for reading
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dannybrizzo
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Hi, what you describe is pretty common OCD experience. Maybe someone else has an advice, I would recommend seeking therapy. It's good you are able to function on a day to day basis, driving, making food...I have a sibling who is doing much worse. I urge you to seek professional help, because it is important to do it as soon as possible, as it will not improve with time, it will deepen. But always remember that you can recover. I wish you the best!
Thank you for sharing your story. I have suffered living with OCD for 32years. I am just 45! I have FINALLY started to get treatment and find it helps. I still get really bad days, were my checking can seem like it's out to get me ALL day. But CBT has helped me massively. Have you had any treatment for yours? Just under 2 years ago, I found out I could have treatment for my OCD. I just thought it was something I just did?! I NEVER realised there was life the 'otherside' of checking!! I can totally relate to your story and no how debilitating it can make you feel. I got very good at hiding mine, as I started to realise it was not 'normal' behaviour 🙃
Probably in the last 10 years, I started making a joke of it, saying things like, 'I just need to check the door is locked, my OCD is 'playing up''!! Do you ask others for reassurance? I'm terrible at this. I think, if I pass it onto someone else, then it's not my problem anymore & they're responsible if anything goes wrong?! Are there some things you seem to check more than others? My big problems, are my handbrake button on my car, the doors at my work, the taps in the bathroom at my work. And loads more! I have to check at least 4or 5 times, until it 'feels right'. Sometimes, it doesn't ever feel right and I have to seek reassurance from others. The feeling is horrid though, feel sweaty, sick, palpitations, anxiety. Something 'bad will definitely happen, if I don't go back to check. After living with this nightmare for most my life, I can honestly say, there is help out there and light at the end of a very dark tunnel. 😆
I am currently on 200mg of sertraline and having CBT, which combined is helping massively. I know it probably doesn't feel like it now, but you WILL beat this. Always here to offer support, listen & share experiences. Take care,
Been there, done that! It's a full time job, having OCD! But there is plenty you can do.
First of all, use by dates are there more to protect the manufacturer than you, in case they get sued. I've eaten/drunk many things that were quite a bit past their use by dates, including a couple of hot cross buns this morning (toast them and you won't know they're a bit stale). It's really only with meat/fish/shellfish that you need to worry. In those cases, I'd be much stricter.
For a start, there's medication. A lot of people are resistant to medication, but it can really help to make those OCD demands less insistent. It takes, usually, 4-6 weeks to start working, but meanwhile you can fight with OCD with CBT, or cognitive behavioural therapy.
Try to think of the panic as being a bit like a wave that swells but then breaks on the shore. In the same way, your panic will reach a peak but then start to subside. It really will. It may take a while, but it still will. And if you still can't resist the OCD, don't think you've failed. Each attempt is a gain.
Perhaps the book Brain Lock by Jeffrey Schwartz could help. There's an extensive focus on the checking sort of OCD. The case studies include one of a woman who was so afraid of leaving her coffee machine plugged in that she would put it in her bag and take it to work just to be sure!
Make an appointment with your doctor. Give the meds a go and ask to be referred to a CBT therapist or team. Meanwhile there are things you can do to make a start.
You sound exactly like me. My OCD rituals got so bad I had to give up my job a year ago. I am bad enough in doors, for instance I have only just started to use an iron again and the cooker is still a no go area and has been for years as I can't believe I have turned it off afterwards but outdoors I am even worse. If I am left to fend for myself, I just eat things like ready brek or pot noodles, things i can just boil a kettle for. Getting out the house is a nightmare as I have to check everything over and over. I had to give up driving because I could never reach a point where I could believe it really was clear and safe to pull out. I have a particular fear of losing my bag while i am out which results in me keep putting it down and picking it up again much to everyone's amusement. I have often missed buses while I am doing this and often missed my stop to get off because by the time I have checked I have picked everything up, he has driven off again.I am sorry I can't advise you on what to do as I have tried everything. All I can say is now the stress of going to work is out of the way, I have managed to calm down enough to use an iron and at least have the time to try and work on the other things, where as before it was just a question of trying to keep going on less and less sleep, getting more and more stressed and doing less and less. It took all my energy just to hold my job down. Now I have at least got time to try and improve and am calmer overall.
Hi danny.. I truly feel your pain to be where you're at just now.. it will get better if you adopt a few techniques combined with perhaps but not always medication..could I ask what is the thought that encourages you to perform the rituals. What is the fear that causes the need to do the rituals?
Hi, agree that getting referred for CBT and medication from your GP is essential. In meantime the OCD Workbook is very helpful and advice from OCDUK website. My wife found the free series provided on YouTube by Katie D'Ath and Ali Greymond very helpful.Best wishes
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