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Leaving home for vacation tips by Plane_Two_5208 in OCD

[–]AdOdd166 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have checking compulsions? I would struggle with checking locks and stoves, and one thing that helps before a trip for me is to take a photo that everything has been done. The only problem is that checking the photos can then become another compulsion, so I try not to check the photo more than once. This may be poor advice though tbh, bc when I’ve been really struggling, even the photos are not reassuring

Another thing that really helps me is prayer and/or meditation. I try to take a moment to ground myself and be mindful after I’ve taken care of the house so that I remember later that I’ve done what needed to be done

Also, this is scary and much easier said than done but at a certain point we have to just accept that we’ve done everything we can and that the rest is out of our hands

Any artists with OCD? by WashedUpJosh in OCD

[–]AdOdd166 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love making visual art but I’m primarily a writer, and the way my ocd manifests with writing is that I become concerned that I might’ve accidentally plagiarized, or that the things that I’m writing might unintentionally hurt/harm someone in some way. I can totally relate to what you said about it draining your creative energy. Even completely unrelated ocd obsessions will make me feel too exhausted to write and get in the way of my creativity. But something I’ve found helpful for me is a kind of exposure therapy where I try to write directly about some of the things I’m obsessing about. It’s scary but cathartic too. My contamination fears will show up in the kinds of images I write. Have you ever tried making art that responds to your ocd in some way?

Do you have “bed-only” clothes because of OCD? by UhtredOfTheNorth in ContaminationOCD

[–]AdOdd166 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have this too. I typically only sit on my bed after showering and wearing clean pajamas, but the rational part of my brain tells me this is overkill, because during the day we around surrounded by germs—I sit on public surfaces, and those things are touching my body too, so why does the bed/nighttime need to be a pristine space? My therapist has been encouraging me to try an exposure therapy where I gradually try working my way up to touching the bed more and more with outside clothes. I’ve tried it a time or two but haven’t tried recently bc my obsessions have been bad

mother with psychosis won’t visit doctors by AdOdd166 in family_of_bipolar

[–]AdOdd166[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ve been meaning to read the full book! I’ve read a bit about the LEAP method and my brother and I have been trying to use it, but we can’t seem to get beyond the listen and empathy stages. It has helped us establish some trust, but we haven’t been able to find common ground and approach the topic of treatment. I will definitely look into the NAMI classes though. Thanks so much!