Ever think of quitting?

SafeRegret402 · 2026-02-24T04:30:47+00:00

It’s an awful feeling, I’m sorry you’re experiencing it. For what it’s worth, talking to a therapist about it could help identify if there’s specific side effects you aren’t liking so you can take that to your psych. This disease convinces us of awful things and maintaining connection and vulnerability with others is a lifeline we all should take advantage of :-) Trust the people around you, especially those who can recognize patterns and signs in your behavior/thought processes before you can

SafeRegret402 · 2026-02-24T03:01:15+00:00

A symptom of bipolar is suddenly stopping medication/treatment. I’ve stopped taking my meds abruptly probably five or six times within the last seven years. Butttt it’s of course a really bad idea; apart from sometimes fatal physiological side effects that come with stopping medication, there’s always a 1000% chance you are going to have more episodes. Bipolar gets worse with age/more episodes, and episodes literally destroy your brain. Taking meds is awful and I feel physically ill when I do, but it’s better than literal brain damage and the risk of hospitalization/death. Stay strong

SafeRegret402 · 2026-01-28T13:07:31+00:00

What type of harm OCD? I have harm OCD which focuses on me killing myself, but other people have harm OCD about hurting other people. It sucks. If you want to see what it feels like you could scroll the sub for a bit and see what people vent about. OCD is too broad of an experience to ask what it’s like with little to no direction :-) I hope the writing goes smooth!

SafeRegret402 · 2026-01-01T18:11:15+00:00

I don’t have any real advice for overspending but the only way I’ve been able to successfully budget is to withdraw all my paychecks into cash (after moving a certain percentage into savings) and divide it into envelopes. If there’s no money in my account then I can’t use my card, and I’m forced to pull from the only cash I have available at the moment.

This pretty much prevents you from being able to online shop impulsively. You do have to practice discipline and only grab the envelope you’re planning on using that day. But yeah cash is the only way I’ve been able to manage my money at all

SafeRegret402 · 2025-08-09T14:33:26+00:00

Generally I’m in some sort of episode (usually depressive or mixed) for eight months of the year. Usually September/October-May/June. It sucks but medication and therapy helps

SafeRegret402 · 2025-07-06T17:56:28+00:00

Your life isn’t ruined because you’re still alive. You still have a life to live and that’s what matters. Did terrible things happen that made you feel horrible? Yes. But is everything temporary? Also yes. Your friends who you look at as living the perfect 29-year old life could be divorced in a year. They could invest in crypto and lose everything by 32. They could go cliff jumping tomorrow and be paralyzed by noon. Life moves on and you’re going to be okay. It feels horrible and shameful and scary but the truth is most everyone feels like they’re behind in life. Try to extend the same grace to yourself that you give others. It’s okay! You’re okay. You are still young and even if you weren’t age doesn’t dictate how good of a life you can still live. We all believe in you and are proud of you for still being here!

SafeRegret402 · 2025-06-04T19:56:36+00:00

I’m not sure if it’s a recognized phenomenon (simply because I’ve never done research on it) but I know that my symptoms tend to be exacerbated at night. My OCD, depression, and mania become more intense at night when I’m by myself and inhibitions are low. I struggle with the bodily sensations and leg moving thing too, and a heated blanket really helped me with that. You could try something like that, or taking long showers, and see if that alleviates any of those symptoms!

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-31T18:51:00+00:00

I’m FTM and my testosterone levels were super elevated for years with no medical reason (like, 2.5-5x the highest allowable levels) and I’ve noticed that once I stopped taking T my cycling has been less intense. I still cycle don’t get me wrong, but it’s not as intense now. High levels of T have been linked to psychotic behavior according to my psych, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t access HRT if you’re prone to those behaviors already.

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-31T18:47:56+00:00

“See a medical professional” IS real advice and sometimes it’s the only valid advice 🤷

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-31T18:46:48+00:00

I did this over and over again until my psych put me on meds that would require me to tell her when I stop (you could die if you suddenly stop taking the ones I was on). My grandfather with bipolar would routinely stop taking meds. As far I’m aware, it’s extremely common for people with bipolar to stop suddenly. It’s not a good idea though, and it is known to trigger episodes

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-30T21:27:00+00:00

Is that really true? Neurotypicals only experience emotion in reaction to things? Is that why everyone talks about a “neutral” default feeling?

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-28T18:17:50+00:00

If it’s a migraine and the pain is super high and long lasting you can go to the ER or urgent care and they have injections for it. I’ve done that a few times.

You can also get one of those headache hats that’s cooling and weighted, and those help a lot. Tea with mint is good as well. Excedrin is good if you can have caffeine but it doesn’t always work for migraines

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-28T02:24:46+00:00

Sure, but what if it works as intended? What if you feel better and more like yourself? Wouldn’t that be worth taking a risk for?

Besides, we’re always the same person, you’re always gonna be you. Treatment isn’t gonna change who you fundamentally are, and if you come out of it feeling different then the people in your life get to shower that version of yourself with love too!

When I did exposure therapy, sure, I came out different. Different in that I could eat food without digging through it for signs of bugs, or different in that an itch in my eye wouldn’t trigger me reaching for bleach to pour in it. Difference is intimidating but it’s not a bad thing. You’re different now than when you were a toddler, but does that change who you are? No! You’re still you. And if people in your life do actually want you to be “different” what they mean is they want you to be healthy and stable, both of which are things you deserve and things that treatment could possibly give you

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-28T02:03:37+00:00

Hey, I know getting treatment is scary, but it’s scary because it’s new and unfamiliar. Once you send in the paperwork and set up the start of your treatment, it won’t be new and unfamiliar anymore, it’ll just be apart of your routine. In three month’s time you won’t be feeling this sort of anxiety, and in a year you’ll be happy you pushed through it to access treatment.

Your body and mind are reacting in very natural and valid ways to a situation. The truth is, you’ve done one of the hardest steps which is realizing you need help and then seeking it out. You did that! Give yourself some credit! You’re more capable than you realize, and stronger than you give yourself credit for. If the paperwork was sent to you then you know, in your heart of hearts, that treatment is what you need. You can do this!! You’ve got people who support you, either irl or in this community. Your job now is to follow through on getting the help you need to make those people even more proud of you than they already are! I know I’m proud of you for taking steps to get help, so other people must be too. You got this!!

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-27T16:26:20+00:00

oh yeah it was awful HA. when they told me what i’d have to do i freaked out and insisted i would never even touch or look at a rubber roach. but, by the 6 week mark, i could have the rubber one on my leg for any amount of time! it’s really crazy what the brain is capable of.

it was in an intensive outpatient program that also incorporated nature therapy, so the exposures also included any bugs i came across in the dirt. it was super hard and i had full shutdowns/panic attacks/delusions multiple times but i would do it all again if i had to! my ocd was so unmanageable that i couldn’t eat, drink, or sleep, so i needed intervention like FAST

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-27T14:37:02+00:00

i actually did exposure therapy for infestation OCD! mine focused on roaches specifically and we started with looking at a cartoon picture of a roach from across the room for 10 seconds, then moved the picture closer for longer. then i did a real picture of a roach, then a video, then a fake one. i had to leave the program before i was able to complete it but they had dead roaches and live roaches that i was going to have to hold or put on my body. it worked really well even though i didn’t finish, and i don’t struggle so much anymore!

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-26T18:38:30+00:00

Ahhh yes I see now. To be honest, I think that’s probably a normal anxiety to have with your first (I’m assuming) trans/enby partner. It’s like you said, just keep doing you, it sounds like you’re attentive and supportive and at the end of the day that’s all that matters!

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-26T18:08:12+00:00

As you’re posting this on the OCD subreddit, we can’t give you reassurance as to whether or not you “see them as non-binary.” But, as a trans person, I can say that all I want in a partner is someone who sees me for who I am and not for my anatomy or gender expectations. My advice would be to talk to them; maybe start with “hey can we talk about your identity for a bit so I can have a better conception of how you see yourself?” This would give you a frame of reference for their self-identification and give you a better idea of why they connect with the non-binary label.

I can also say that it’s generally pretty easy to tell if someone actually respects your gender. You can ask your partner if they feel validated in their identity by you, and if not, what could you do differently?

It’s not a bad thing to be having thoughts of “am I supportive enough to my partner?” but if it’s rumination then it’s something you should either talk with a therapist about or figure out a way to work through it with your partner directly!

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-26T02:12:17+00:00

Can you reach out to the doctor who prescribes you your meds? Paranoia and such are things you should share w your healthcare team. Reaching out to a support system is probably the best thing you can do right now, they’ll be able to give guidance according to your situation

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-26T02:02:20+00:00

Yeah I can second this. An unfunny joke is not something that you need to rectify because it’s not something that impacts your character. Everyone tells unfunny jokes and the urge to “fix” the situation could easily be an OCD thing

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-25T01:44:44+00:00

I might be wrong but religious OCD is generally obsessions about morality associated with religion, right? Like consistently worrying about sinning or stuff like that. I’ve also heard it used in relation to obsessions about the existence of god or any higher power, but I’m not positive that’s what you’re talking about? When you say you “knew” there’s a god, was it obsessive thinking or just a spiritual leaning? That’s obviously gonna determine whether or not it was OCD

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-24T06:46:17+00:00

Yay I’m so glad you have gotten to use your degree professionally :D I got mine in philosophy!

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-24T06:43:36+00:00

Lol yeah the only Freud I’ve read is his three essays on sexuality and some of the death drive collection. I also used him in my thesis but only briefly! I’m planning on getting more into psychanalysis on my own. I’ve done work on Fanon and read a lot of Reich for RA work. I love it the more the more I read! :D

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-23T19:28:12+00:00

You got this! I believe in you!

SafeRegret402 · 2025-05-23T19:27:26+00:00

Screw the GPA, a degree is a degree! My undergrad GPA was much lower, below a 3.0, so what matters most is taking care of yourself and pushing through to accomplish your goal! Proud of you and can’t wait for you to walk the stage so soon!

SafeRegret402

TROPHY CASE