New to OCD - trying to heal naturaly please help

[Gopala]

Hi Everyone

Well i never thought i would be posting on a forum to do with mental health. Im sure glad i have found this site and see that im not the only one who is going through this hell.
It started about 3 months ago - i have 2 beautiful children who are my world. We have internet at home and im always so careful to protect them from online danger like "porn". We have the best internet filter and while i was modifying it i noticed that it doesnt work with one browser as it wasnt compatible. i started the "what if" thoughts and was consumed with guilt and panic. There is no reason to think that my kids saw anything harmful online - however i cant stop worrying about it, have had panic attacks and have this constant intrusive thoughts about "what if they saw something" and i have hurt them because of it. I have also just started having intrusive thoughts "what if i went crazy and hurt my kids". This is the total opposite of what i want - i love them more than life itself. Im now stuck in this hell of non stop anxiety and worry.
Im not taking any medication - my doc wants me to take citraprolam but i have not been taking it.
I have cut out nearly all junk food and am exercising, taking vitamin b complex and evening primrose oil (im a guy lol).
I saw the 4 steps technique online which i have been doing for 2 days and ist helping a bit but its so hard.
Have any of you not taken meds and had CBT / lifestyle changes with sucess?

Wishing you all well

Gopal

[Stormsky]

hi
i have ocd, have had intrusive thoughts of harming myself and others, and I dont take meds either.... remember these are just thoughts, and they affect us so much because they are the complete opposite of who we are.... the more fear we have of those thoughts, the more they come.... you know you dont want to harm your kids, thats why these thoughts frighten you.... if you actually wanted to harm, you would be scared..
this is all part of OCD and anxiety causing this... you cant fight the thoughts or try to ignore them.. let them come,see them for what they are,stupid thoughts, and let them go. the more attention you give a thought, the more importance you give it.. so dont give these thoughts attention... just say to them I AM NOT GOING TO HARM ANYONE, so you can just go away.. im not interested...
I take Vit B, cut down on caffeine... exercise is good... and am reading BRAIN LOCK, which helps.

[Gopala]

Dear Stormsky

Thanks very much for your reply. Im having an awful morning and am tempted to take meds the doc gave me. However i know deep down that i have to deal with the issues i have and this is not going to be done with meds. I have ordered Brain lock - how is that working for you?

[Stormsky]

Hi
Mornings can be hell... my thoughts are all over the place in the morning....meds dont cure the problems , they only mask them... but if you feel you need them, then thats fine, lots of people find them lifesavers...
Brain Lock is for OCD- explains what is happening in the brain causing it to be stuck in gear...
it gives a 4 step process to help you move forward ... im half way through book at present., its simply written and easy to understand.... let me know how you get on with it. x

[MummyJ]

I have just had a baby and have these exact same thoughts. It's an absolute nightmare, I know. Here is my story

To be honest I have tried EVERYTHING to stay off meds for my anxiety but for me, they do work, and make it a lot better. I have tried st john's wort, and exercised vigourously, ate very health, and never drank alcohol or took drugs, but still I felt anxiety.


Don't be afraid to take medication if it helps. If you have a chemical imbalance...then medication can be effective. Do you have a reason for not wanting to take them?

[RB263]

I take one melatonin pill (not sure of the mg) when I'm feeling really anxious or feel an anxiety/panic attack coming on. It's a natural sedative. It might make you sleepy, but for me, it just calms me down. Two pills will make me sleepy. You can get it practically anywhere (in the US, anyway).
I've also heard of "kava." It can come in pills, drink mix, drops, etc.
It's basically just another type of sedative. I have never tried it, but I am going to.
It supposedly just helps you relax. It's used a lot for people who have social anxiety. I'm not sure where in the UK you can get it, but here in the US it's sold at a lot of health food stores. You do have to be careful not to overdose or overuse it though, as it does have some nasty side effects like liver and kidney damage.

Hope this helps.
It's been mentioned, but exercise and diet do play a role.
Get out of the house everyday and do something active. It's good for you to get fresh air and exercise, and it also keeps your mind occupied on other thoughts.
As for diet, stay away from greasy junk food. Get lots of iron and omega 3's. It's good for your brain function ;D
Good luck.

[Gopala]

Thank you very much all of you. My heart truly goes out to you all, this really is a terrible affliction to have. I can see now that my obcessive fear of trying to protect my children has now spun back on me and turned it into "what if you hurt them". I cried yesterday at the very thought of harming my kids. So i have to accept i have OCD and move on - not allow my mind / brain to ruin my life. I am doing some meditation which is a great help and reading "brain lock" this book is really good as it allows you to see that these intrusive unwanted thoughts are not you and rather they are just feeding on your fears. Keep strong everyone - i wish you all well. I will update my post as time goes on. Thanks again for all your support love Gopala

[MummyJ]

best of luck. Found this excerpt from a book last night which has some really great information

google.com.au/books?id=nBboR42SJcAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=postp artum+depression+for+dummies&hl=en&sa=X&ei=d_xGT5O uHarkmAWvioGQDg&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=ocd&f= false

---------- Post added at 02:58 ---------- Previous post was at 02:57 ----------

Sorry...hopefully the link will work this time
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=nBboR42SJcAC&lpg

[dallas11]

I take natural supplements "prescribed" by a naturopath. I find they're very helpful but to get an efficient supplement needs analysis you would need to go and see someone. I have found it very helpful and am now restricted to very 'mild' OCD, however my GP still wants me to be medicated. I used to have thoughts about harming others and 'what if' my parents died and my sister died and all my friends died (I don't have kids and didn't have a partner at that point). I also did one session of CBT where the therapist said I don't need it anymore because the things that I do are not harmful to myself or others anymore, nor are they interfering in my life. I would encourage you, if you are truly fearful, to seek assistance in assessment however consider naturopathy and other avenues which do work for a number of people, especially with reducing anxiety and negative thoughts.