#ad - Like Aza in Turtles All the Way Down, I live with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and it can be completely debilitating. If you also struggle with this condition, I can tell you firsthand that there is hope. OCD is highly treatable with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, the gold standard treatment, which has personally benefited me tremendously.
That’s why I’m excited to partner with NOCD, the leading virtual therapy provider for people with OCD. NOCD is making ERP therapy more accessible with licensed therapists who are specialty-trained in ERP. If you need help learning to manage your symptoms, book a 15-minute call with NOCD and start regaining your life from OCD, just like I did.
OCD isn't always visible! While the media representation of OCD often revolves around visible behavioral compulsions like hand-washing or checking, OCD compulsions can also be entirely mental. It's not uncommon for someone to behave entirely "normally" while still struggling with intense, debilitating OCD symptoms. Here are a few invisible or 'hidden' symptoms of OCD - have you experienced any of these? What other symptoms would you add?
For those of us living with OCD, intrusive thoughts are unwanted and often distressing ideas that seem to pop into our minds out of nowhere. These thoughts can be about anything, and they can feel really overwhelming.
But here’s the thing: intrusive thoughts do not define who we are. They are just a part of the condition, not a reflection of our true selves or our values. It’s so important to remember that having these thoughts doesn’t make us bad or wrong.
Managing OCD is a daily challenge, but understanding that these thoughts are just symptoms helps me deal with them more effectively. If you’re going through something similar, please know you’re not alone.
There are resources, treatment, support groups, and a community of professionals and people who understand what you’re experiencing.
Talking openly about OCD and intrusive thoughts is one way to break the stigma and raise awareness. Let’s support each other and spread understanding.
If you struggle with intrusive thoughts and are interested in learning more about how specialized treatment can help you take their power away, check out NOCD.com or schedule a free call in my bio 💗
Swipe for only a few of the more common ways to challenge OCD —>
1. Fear of lying or being dishonest- this can lead to over explaining and confessing.
2. Belief that you’re secretly a “bad person” - could mean checking news stories and comparing your thoughts and stories to others for reassurance.
3. Being overly polite or people-pleasing - often includes excessive apologizing or being overly friendly to anyone.
And there are so many more!
With Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) we work to find values-driven ways to challenge our fears and return to the things we most care about.
1. Writing scripts about the fears - this is a common practice across many OCD subtypes since the idea is to acknowledge the thoughts and learn that you can tolerate them.
2. Tell small lies or half-truths - bear with us because sometimes ERP can be spicy! Learning to be dishonest in a way that challenges your OCD and still honors your values is the task so telling small fibs about things that are personal or leaving out details that feel like a risk is the goal.
3. “Forget” to say please or thank you - remember that if you’re engaging in these behaviors because you want to avoid guilt or distress then the niceties don’t really match up with your values so challenging that by embracing what your OCD might consider to be rude is important.
Have you tried these yet? What did we miss?
#realocd#anxietytips#scrupulosity
OCD can latch onto anything... including your OCD diagnosis, treatment, and the anxiety itself! Some ways this commonly comes up:
- What if I don't really have OCD?
- I need to be as productive as possible during ERP if I want to get better.
- I'm not as anxious as I was when I had that thought the first time - does that mean I actually do want it?
Which of these have you had? #RealOCD#OCDAwareness#AnxietyTips
Homophobia can make it really hard to feel like you can live as your true self, and SO-OCD only complicates it more. At NOCD, we offer high-quality ERP therapy to help you recover from OCD. We are affirming of all identities, and the goal of ERP is absolutely not to influence your sexual orientation - it's to empower you to be you!
Why we assign homework ⬇️
ERP homework isn’t busy work. By conducting exposures in the familiar setting of your home and daily life, you're teaching your brain firsthand what response prevention truly entails. This might feel repetitive, but repetition is key to habituation - allowing your brain the time it needs to adjust and learn. Each time you complete your ERP homework, you're taking a definitive step towards reducing the power of OCD over your life, ensuring more effective and lasting outcomes.
ANY reduction in compulsions matters! Checking it even one less time than you typically do is still progress! The more we resist these compulsions, the less we teach our brain we need them to be safe.
We can’t extract our mental health from the rest of our identity or the world around us. At NOCD, we celebrate all identities and believe everyone is worthy of high-quality care.
Hey friend- It *might* actually be on you to fix the relationship! 🤯 Or at least get help for the condition that’s affecting your relationship.
Ever heard of “Relationship OCD?”
Me neither! Until I met Dr. McGrath of @treatmyocd and he explained to me that OCD isn’t just about the insensitive depictions we’ve seen in the media and on social- it’s a complex condition that has different ways it shows up- everything from obsessive pattern related behavior (which you probably have seen on shows and movies)- to asking your partner a million times “if they love you and how much.” Yup. 😅
That latter version- coupled with control related thoughts, and more- could be signs of Relationship OCD. And it’s a big time relationship *ruiner.*
This one is for the people in partnerships where you feel like “nothing is ever enough,” or “like you can’t quite be sure how they feel,” - you’ll get some guidance, confirmation AND direction from this chat. 💪🏾
Grab a listen wherever you snag your pods. 🎙️
Not so fast, OCD—we’re doing our ERP therapy homework! Practicing ERP skills between sessions helps us stay aware of all the ways that #OCD might try to affect our lives and keep building skills to take its power away so we can get back to doing what we love again, like playing with our pets.
If you’re ready to take your life back from OCD, we’re here to help you get started. You can go to our website to find out more about ERP therapy and book a free call with our team.
#realocd#exposureandresponseprevention#erptherapy
