Obssesive thoughts

[owainm]

Hi there I am along term sufferer of OCD GAD and Panic. I can manage my symptoms to allow me to live day to day however I have not worked for 7 years since I lost my last job after and major breakdown. The thing I cant stand about OCD in my case is the fact that it seems to constantly re invent itself. I reach a point where I think I am managing fine then wham I get OCD about something that had never bothered me before. My latest problem is I suffer from extreme obssessive thoughts invovling some one else harming me. If I get in to an argument with a stranger or do something I deem might offend some one else I become obssessed with thoughts of them finding me and harming me, this is really debilitating and is affecting me severely at the moment. Does anyone else suffer from this or a similar problem?

Thanks Owain

[NatalieSmith]

Hello there :3
I have that problem too. Sometimes I start thinking obcessevily about a subject that I've never even consider before; and I also have some weird "rituals" whenever I think of something bad, like sometimes I have to do the same thing 3 times, etc. I know how bad it is, but you just have to calm down and realize that this is just your OCD playing those dirty tricks with you! :D Whenever you have these thoughs, try really hard to focuse on something else and believe that nothing bad will happen. :3

[nervy-paul]

OCD is a frightening and evil disorder. Sometimes it feels like a living thing, the way it alters itself to 'get at you' another way, after you have got it under some control on one aspect. I used to suffer from it terribly - counting, tapping, having a set routine before I could move on to do the next. It is more a mental thing now, thinking about loved ones, and something unpleasant happening or them being upset, and I need to shake my head a number of times, muttering 'no' afterwards. See? That reads so weird to me - it can make you doubt your sanity sometimes. But IT IS controlable, distract yourself when it bothers you, that can help. Take care. :)

[Maj]

You can be reassured that many sufferers are on this site with the same symptoms. Repeated thoughts are unpleasant, but always remember, they are only thoughts. No matter how horrible they are, what form they come in, they are thoughts. Try and not be afraid of them. They depend on your dislike of them to keep happening. If you find it unbearable then your doctor can help you. Medication can make a huge difference with repeated thoughts and obsessions. Even just until you get your strength back to use coping strategies yourself. Don't despair, you are not alone.
Myra:hugs:

[cece]

Attacking those thoughts head-on with CBT exercises like the TEA form can really help too. It's the way you are processing your thoughts that keeps them coming back at you. Join a CBT group or read the book by Sam Obitz called Been There, Done that? DO THIS. We used this book in my CBT group. It's an introductory book and real simple and inspirational. Focus on doing the TEA form exercise everyday and soon you will be thinking more realistically and a lot of your obsessive scary thoughts will start to dissipate. Good luck and take care.

[Lizzy73]

Hi Owain. I have been suffering from similar obsessive thoughts when I have felt stress over the last few years, but its been pretty bad for the last 6 months. I imagine myself harming others, self harm and worry about other hurting me. My focus is all about knives but I have no idea where that comes from. I have fortnightly sessions with a therapist which has helped me understand that they are just thoughts. I still find it hard not to give those thoughts the power they seek when I feel the fear they give me. I guess this is just to say I completely empathise with you, I know just how real it feels but every day I remind myself that (1) they are just thoughts (2) I have never even come close to doing the horrible things I imagine and (3) when its really bad I tell myself that if I was actually dangerous one doctor or another would have locked me up!

[cece]

Good job countering those thoughts Lizzy:hugs:

[jinty]

the term for these thoughts is unwelcome or intrusive thoughts...apt because sometimes no matter how hard u try they jst keep sneakin back into ur head. im hopin that talkin to other people like me mite help..maybe bein on this site mite help u like i hope it mite help me..cause sometimes u feel its only u that thinks like this..ive had ocd for thirty years so feel free to ask anything..feel like an expert on the beast that it is!

[charlotte83]

Hi,
Although I haven't had that particular obsession, I can relate to the OCD constantly changing. I also suffer from general anxiety and occasional panic attacks and it seems to vary whether OCD or general anx is more of a problem to me at any one time. I think as you overcome one obsession it does tend to "evolve" into something new as the underlying OCD is still there. The way to beat it is to know the sings of when something is an obsessive thought and stop it in its tracks. You can't prevent yourself initially thinking "what if" but you can stop it getting worse and worse and accepting it as OCD. Just keeping letting the thoughts wash over you no matter what form they take. On the whole this works for me and only once in a while if my stress levels are very high does my OCD overtake me before I've had a chance to realise it is OCD.

[cece]

You may want to try countering the thoughts in TEA forms as identifying the errors and countering the thoughts tend to take their power away.

[Neuro]

I finally find out why my problem won't die. 'It keeps reinventing itself' is exactly the problem. Stupid OCD.

[cece]

That's why it is so important to counter your thoughts in a TEA form daily or most days to stay on top of whatever the thoughts are morphing into.