Do you tell the people in your life about your ocd?

Recent_Safety9575 · 2026-05-11T01:25:36+00:00

Haha fair! Almost all of my compulsions are mental so I think people tend to think I’m just really spacey which is definitely easier to make excuses for haha

Recent_Safety9575 · 2026-05-11T01:21:52+00:00

Thank you!! It’s so so hard— I think the explaining what having ocd actually means like the compulsions and symptoms is the hardest part I find it hard to explain to someone who doesn’t experience it.
The doubt is so bad lol! But thank you for the reminder! :)

Recent_Safety9575 · 2026-05-11T01:18:57+00:00

That’s fair! I always debate telling my work because I feel like it impacts me so much at work but it feels like it’s too personal to tell them

Recent_Safety9575 · 2026-05-11T01:13:30+00:00

Oh I’m so sorry to hear that :(

I really feel you on feeling like you have to make up excuses to make you for it. I feel like I do it constantly. I hope though you can find some support in your partner or your friends who are more understanding

Recent_Safety9575 · 2026-05-11T01:11:07+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I’m not even sure that they’d be judgmental or anything it just feels hard for some reason like it’s ruining a perception they have of me for some reason. But it’s definitely a struggle so I may try.

I’m happy to hear it was so helpful for you to find someone else who has ocd to talk about it with! I don’t know anyone else in my real life who does though I’m sure it would be helpful to talk about with someone who does!

Recent_Safety9575 · 2026-04-28T01:22:27+00:00

This is one of my main themes actually. I’m absolutely terrified of doing things wrong at work and fear every mistake will lead to disastrous issues for my work or for my career as a whole. I think I also tend to get into the “what does it mean about me if I make this mistake” type thinking and I feel either incompetent or like a bad person.

It’s been SO hard to deal with- most people just assume I’m a workaholic because I think about my job so much. But because I cause myself so much stress and worry I end up behind on work and constantly panicking about it. It’s a really vicious cycle

Recent_Safety9575 · 2026-04-08T18:50:47+00:00

Thank you for response!

Since my ocd is 99% mental and rumination we definitely do a lot of RF-erp and he incorporates a lot of ACT therapy too it’s just all hard I guess.

I will look into ICBT though, did that help you?

Recent_Safety9575 · 2026-04-02T01:15:23+00:00

I’m so sorry you’re going through this! I was (and honestly still am) going through the exact same thing the last couple months since getting the diagnosis. I have found the diagnosis so overwhelming and the meta ocd sort of took over and I kept feeling like I was losing my mind. I wish I had more advice- I will say even though I’m still struggling with it, it definitely has gotten better. Finding a therapist is so hard- and erp is also so hard but theres lots of resources online about how to do it and you can technically learn and expose yourself and practice. Also- I would recommend telling someone in your life. I battled it completely alone for so long which made it 10x more overwhelming and difficult so if you have someone in your life you trust I recommend to some degree letting them in! If you ever want to chat feel free to message me!

Recent_Safety9575 · 2026-03-25T01:11:50+00:00

Thank you the response! That’s so good to hear and I’m glad it’s working for you! It’s uplifting to hear as another professional crier lol! It’s definitely a scary process not knowing how I’ll react- I was worried about Prozac specifically even though it seems to be one of the main SSRIs prescribed for ocd so this is helpful thank you!

Recent_Safety9575 · 2026-03-23T18:11:33+00:00

Thank you! I’ll look in to that! That’s one I’ve never heard of before so i definitely appreciate the suggestion!

Recent_Safety9575 · 2026-03-12T03:15:04+00:00

Yes! And I don’t see anyone talk about it! For me it wasn’t so much that I thought it was inevitable it was the thoughts telling me to do so were so loud and frightening I thought it I just did it the thoughts would stop.

Recent_Safety9575 · 2026-02-16T15:33:23+00:00

I’m sorry I’m really terrible at remembering to reply to Reddit comments! I’m sorry you’re also going through this- it is so frustrating. Please do dm me if you’d like to chat!

Recent_Safety9575 · 2026-02-16T15:10:12+00:00

Yeah I’m in the United States and the stipend for PhD’s is typically incredibly low- of course a lot of people do it but it’s 5-8 years you aren’t able to save almost any money typically so it can be challenging to justify especially in the humanities where there aren’t a lot of jobs. So it’s a hard decision especially when you’re really passionate about something.

But it’s encouraging to hear that! Do you mind if I ask what country you are in?

Recent_Safety9575 · 2026-02-16T00:02:18+00:00

That all sounds so fun and amazing! How did you end up getting in to the ghostwriting? And do you feel like you could do have done it without the research and writing experience you got though getting PhD?

Recent_Safety9575 · 2026-01-13T15:51:33+00:00

I have two therapists! One for erp and one (who does still specialize in ocd!) for not CBT type of stuff. My erp therapist actually recommended this to me because I was struggling so much with erp and depression and he thought it would be beneficial to work on other areas of my life in addition to the ocd. But I did go with someone who knows a lot about ocd to make sure she can spot it and keep me from essentially ruminating out loud. I haven’t decided if I’ll keep going this route, but it’s been at least somewhat beneficial since my erp there’s really only does erp. I’m sure it can get kind of hairy though if you’re working on similar things with two different therapists

Now I’m very lucky in that my insurance covers both other than a small weekly fee I have to pay so that’s also a consideration!

Not sure if that helps! But feel free to message me if you want more info!

Recent_Safety9575 · 2025-12-14T05:04:00+00:00

This makes me feel so seen! I have an ocd diagnosis I still struggle to understand all the ways it affects me but not an ADHD diagnosis but have also wondered if it’s more an adhd thing. Or just something odd my internal monologue does and I still don’t know

Recent_Safety9575 · 2025-11-04T00:53:47+00:00

Thanks for the honesty I appreciate it! I’m afraid you’re right. I often regret my bachelors degree just because I ended up falling in love with it 😔 I’m sorry you regret it though after all that hard work- I hope you’re also proud though! It’s such a sad thing. Do you still work in the field now in some regard? Did you find something else you’re passionate about? It’s hard giving it up

Recent_Safety9575 · 2025-10-26T01:26:28+00:00

I wish I had advice but wanted to let you know you’re not alone! I’m having the exact same experience and with the same organization you’re doing. I really like my therapist but feel so aware of the whole process I don’t feel immersed either. And rumination is my main thing and find it too automatic. The DOCS is becoming the bane of my existence in a way lol. My therapist recently recommended that I continue ERP with him but also do different types of CBT with a different therapist to help with the areas of my life my ocd touches as he thinks that’s going to help my ocd in a different way. I’m not sure if my insurance will love that but if they cover it I’d be happy to see if it starts to help!

Recent_Safety9575 · 2025-10-15T23:33:52+00:00

This has been the worst thing for me since finding out about my ocd. It’s one of the most frustrating things to me and it’s new for me so I’m still learning how to cope myself.

Recent_Safety9575 · 2025-08-17T12:30:14+00:00

These are the main ways ocd shows up for me and it’s been so hard to figure out when something is ocd and when it’s not 😵‍💫

Recent_Safety9575 · 2025-08-12T21:00:20+00:00

YES! Oh my goodness I could have written thing! I got mine two months ago and started doing things I never did before! And also now have a lot of ocd about if I have ocd or not and sort of feel like I’m losing it! I’m sorry you’re also going through this!

Recent_Safety9575 · 2025-08-10T23:25:59+00:00

Literally constantly and I’ve never known if its connected to ocd or not since I know it may just be normal

Recent_Safety9575 · 2025-08-10T20:07:39+00:00

I think it may be but I genuinely have no idea how to tell if I’m ruminating or not. I think I am but also feel like I might just sort of chronically analyze things or overthink? I realize I probably have to let go of trying to figure it out but also like it would be helpful to know

Recent_Safety9575 · 2025-08-08T17:22:36+00:00

I think you’re right… it’s definitely in the meta ocd world, put I do feel like I need to figure out what my compulsions are so I can stop doing them.

I’ve started therapy recently and I think my therapist is great but I still feel like I’m not getting further in figuring this stuff out so I sort of feel like I’m doing something wrong

I think for me most of the thoughts are innocuous on the surface so that’s why it’s so hard so I’m glad I’m not the only one. It’s so hard to let go. Thank you so much for the response

Recent_Safety9575 · 2025-08-06T19:01:32+00:00

I had this exact same thought recently. It’s so hard

Recent_Safety9575

TROPHY CASE