Struggling with POCD please help!

[Civics23]

I have been struggling with this for a long time now and it will come and go, it changes my mood and also is very upsetting at times I know I would never do such a thing. But also I need to be able to calm these thoughts... anytime I see a kid online, or see a kid in public I have these over bearing thoughts in my head but when I'm near or holding a kid they subside alot but still there...

Does anyone else struggle with this? And can anyone help Me? What do you do when you struggle with this?

Please help!

[Civics23]

Anyone?

[MyNameIsTerry]

There will be lots of threads on here about POCD, I know I've seen many in my time on NMP.

It's interesting how it decreases when you are near to a child in real life as it's often the opposite way as it increases due to fear if doing something so the need to avoid a trigger becomes a problem and it just feeds the cycle further (just as avoiding seeing them on TV or online can too).

I think it's important to understand intrusive thoughts at first by educating yourself from medical sources so that you understand these are even part of OCD initially as this can help you feel a sense of hope because we don't often hear intrusive thoughts discussed in the media we often learn from about OCD until we go through it all and start to talk to others.

But learning to reduce your negative reactions is very important when these thoughts come just as it is to learn not to respond with more panic to a panic attack. The more you do this, the more they fade in intensity until you stop bothering you at all as the subconscious changes your core beliefs around this perceived fear.

And be careful with endless rabbit hole questioning as it's just the obsessive part of the cycle. Learn from medical resources, accept it's about OCD and not the monster you fear coming out of you or "the real you" that is what POCDers always seem to go through (just like the harm based intrusive thoughts side), and time is spent on accepting that thoughts are allowed to exist as they only have meaning if we choose to give it to them.

It's all repetition from there and time.

[Civics23]

Thank you for the reply I know I can't feed into them cuz if I do they make them stronger and stronger. I was in a restruant and my mind was saying. Well here is your chance, you gonna do something? So I told my self I'm not a person that seeks out this and goes to stores and try and find and do something of that act. It's not me, and not who I am. People that do that, seek it and do it daily... and want that like a man wants a woman in his life, they want kids... thats not me I need to get back on my meds for sure thanks again for the reply