body stringlengths 51 39.8k | subreddit stringclasses 5 values |
|---|---|
So. I’ve been doing my own research, and personally, I can’t stand having to go through the motions of the nightmares, because mine are extremely sensory based to put it vaguely. I would rather be awoken and take an hour to fall back to sleep. It’s better than the next day being completely spoiled by what I experienced in the night.
I was wondering if anyone has ever thought of using a Fitbit or something similar to have it make a noise or shake, in order to wake me up from a nightmare, based on my heart rate? I think it would be a good thing to explore. I thought about getting a service dog but they are far too costly. Even during the day, it would be like a wake up call or warning sign for a disassociation, which cause even more pain when occurring in public. If I could bring those symptoms down without the use of medicine I think that would make a huge breakthrough in my life. | ptsd |
And honestly, it's consuming my thoughts. I want to let everything out of my head. And I am constantly finding myself wanting to overshare to the people around me.
I don't know how to find a therapist and it's paralyzing. My doctor connected me with one last year but I forgot to do my intake form and she had to drop me. I want to try to call her again but I have no idea how to find her contact information, and I can't get in to see my doctor until the end month.
I constantly find myself wanting to dump everything I'm thinking on here, but I have so much to say and I don't think any of it makes sense really. Just the tiniest little things consume my head for hours or days or weeks. Some of it probably makes me seem like a bad person.
Also, need to start the process of finding the right medication for me (have been unmedicated for years now). But I don't have my next appointment for almost a month and I am currently fed up with myself.
...I guess I want someones help. Even if it's only a little comment. This is hard. | ADHD |
Why tf is this even a thing, as if normal OCD isn’t bad enough, this shit making it more complicated as if this disorder wasn’t complicated enough already!! | OCD |
I don't want to be like this, this isn't me, please forgive me... | depression |
I feel like an awful person. Recently I've kinda entered another depressive episode and I genuinely don't want to speak to anyone outside of school. Normally I would be left alone since my friends don't really talk to me much online and sometimes it bums me out because I'm not as social as I want to be, but for the most part I've gotten comfortable with the system we got going. A few days ago, I reached out to a friend I lost contact with a few months ago because I wanted closure. However, this was taken by them that we would be friends again and I said "sure why not?" then I realized why it was so hard for me to be friends with that person. They constantly want to talk, on call, on text, everything.
Every night, they call me and the conversation always goes nowhere. It doesn't help that when we talk their main objective is to annoy me as much as possible, even when I tell them to stop doing certain things because I'm getting irritated or uncomfortable. I know that I should be responsible for who I have in my life, and if I don't want to be friends with someone I don't have to. But I feel so shitty for reaching out to them and then immediately regretting my decision.
I've explained that sometimes I just don't want to talk and they understand that but I don't feel they understand the level I'm talking about. I'm about to go on winter break and I am for real thinking of telling him that I straight up just don't want to talk for the entire break.
Relationships are so hard to keep up with and I feel like I'm just making myself feel miserable for trying to appease others. | depression |
I just someone to listen to what im saying instead of telling me a solution im already aware of or couldn't go through with it because i feel like it wont matter if im gonna die anyway | depression |
I know i shouldnt bc ive been really fucking down but i want to sleep bc im so fucking tired | depression |
I read somewhere that asperger people are more naive than neurotypical people and therefore more likely to be scammed. How true is this? | aspergers |
Like, this happened today.
First of all, I am half diagnosed. I got told by a doctor that I had aspergers.
So I am never entirely sure that I have aspergers but I have that feel that “I have something”
Thing is, my mom was planning a vacation. She made plans, then changed them once (ehh okay, guess I’ll have to accommodate again)
BUT THEN THERE COMES A SECOND TIME. Oh oh oh nononono.
First time was a date change, so not a big deal.
Yeah, so the second change was changing not only the location, but the people that are going with us.
There’s like 5-6 extra people that are going with us now. (Not just any people, it’s people that I don’t know)
I try to tell my mom that it just didn’t like this new “plan” that she has.
BUT HERE COMES THE CHERRY OF MY DAY
When I tried to tell her she got offended by what I said. She told me that I was very rude and that If i preferred to stay in my home she would have “no problem” (lies)
So my grandma just goes and tells me a real long lecture about how I should think before I speak (AS IF I NEVER HAVE DONE THAT)
At this point I’m just tired. I’d rather stay silent and just be there feeling uncomfortable
And I can’t say that either because I would just say another thing that would hurt someone.
Sorry for venting here but I got no one else to tell this. And another point of view would help.
Good day. | aspergers |
Anyone else? Like I’ll turn around and then I’ll see someone’s butt and stare and turn away | OCD |
Not sure if this is the right sub, but I haven't been able to clean my room because the way I have it now feels safe and everytime I try to clean it, I takes me so long because everything feels wrong and then it ends up like I originally had it in the first place. I also notice I spend an unnecessary amount of time organizing things at work, but not in a "wow this is so clean", but in a "what the fuck are you doing" way. Everything just feels off and it's frustrating because nobody really understands what I'm talking about so they think I'm just using it as an excuse to be lazy.
Sorry if this is explained badly.
I just always have this feeling of impending doom and for whatever reason, I'm on meds which is why I think it's not extreme as it could be, but it's still annoying and embarrassing. | OCD |
My doctor has just prescribed me Parnate. I am currently down to 5mg Prozac. Do I really need to spend 5 more weeks getting this out of my system or could I start Parnate after 15 days or so when the amount in my system will be less than 1mg? The reason I ask is because I do not do well during withdrawals. I get extremely irritable which makes me difficult to be around. It also affects my ability to do my job. I'd like to start Parnate as soon as is reasonably possible. I know there is risk of Serotonin syndrome, but I imagine these are only at therapeutic doses? If you have any insight please let me know. Thanks. | depression |
Im digging a bit around in this phenomenon. There is no scientific Data i can find that mentions this but adhd People talk about it frequently. So is it just something everybody experiences or is it adhd specific?
Is it linked to other illnesses aswell?
Do you know people that have constant head music and are definitely not adhd? | ADHD |
I just started a low dose of Zoloft today. Anyone have any tips or recommendations or insight on what I might expect? | OCD |
I'm a 19m from uk, currently still living at home but got a job at least for now.
I'm incredibly depressed and fighting off suicide pretty much every day, I think I might have burned out my social batteries because I really dread interacting with people at this point, I honestly don't really want to see the few friends I have or interact with family anymore and preferably avoid people.
What job, career or skill should I acquire to set this up as my life? | depression |
Hey y'all, I started ERP about a month ago and I'm having a tough time staying motivated for fear that I will immediately succumb to a compulsion after resisting it (I have counting compulsions as well as body-image related OCD.) Any advice/words of support/wisdom from those who have had successful results from ERP? Thanks so much :) | OCD |
Feels bad man, girlfriend of 10 years left me in october, changed almost everything about myself in that time, don't have friends from before and other friends from college/uni live in different cities.
Finally planned just a nice chilled night out, few drinks, maybe some games of pool. Suppose I should add that I was teetotal for the majority of my last relationship, meaning tonight would've been my first time drinking again and trying to socialise like normal people in a long time.
The one person I was relying on to stop me being alone flaked.
So now I'm left feeling like I have no friends, no relationship and fuck all left. It just hurts. | depression |
The only time I’m able to truly be myself and relax is BY myself and even then I struggle to freely be myself | depression |
I’ve accepted I’m just too disabled for this bs and it will never go right. | aspergers |
I always do this thing where I’ll get really into something and pour all my time into it for like a month. Eventually I start focusing on something else and often think “man I should go do that other thing I was focusing on” but can’t get my focus to shift for the life of me. Are there any techniques to keep fixating on something for longer? I can do this on two of my interests but the others just rotate in this big cycle and I have no idea what the difference is. | aspergers |
I've recently noticed there is a huge difference between how people interact on Zoom and how people interact in a live group. I don't go to parties much, but when I do, it's the one-on-one interactions I have that stick with me and drive me to go there in the first place. I'm definitely not constantly engaging with everyone in the real room at all times. That is exhausting. I'm sure even neurotypical people find it exhausting. It's like every time you do anything with other people involved, you get trapped in a large group where you're either not permitted to speak at all, or you have to simultaneously speak to every person on the screen equally.
This has led me to realize that this is exactly how social media works. I've never liked social media for that exact reason. Very little of it is direct connection; it's mostly just talking at people and seeing who reacts. This pandemic could have been an opportunity to relax and play to my strengths for once, but instead, it turned every social encounter into a show where I'm either stuck as a passive observer, or stuck talking at people and connecting with no one. I have started becoming that one awkward guy in a good number of Discord servers I'm in, where I'm sure I could do fine socially if I could just stop talking myself into holes. It's like it's just all kind of bottled up though. The desperation for meaningful connection is actually palpable. I think I'm lonely for the first time in my entire life!
And the kicker? I'm sure if I didn't literally have to be in all these Zoom conferences or on social media to keep my career on track, I'd be fine, and possibly even thriving, just being by myself. A good majority of them are "We need to keep meeting up or our company will literally not survive the pandemic."
Currently, I'm trying to curate a list of people I like and don't talk to as much as I'd like to, so I can reach out and see if any of them would be interested in a direct conversation. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to evaluate which of my contacts I like and if I'm just desperate. I wish Zoom were more like an online RPG, where you could just walk off wherever and choose who to talk to. I think it's the lack of agency that's doing it. You don't get to choose who you talk at, or sometimes you don't even get to choose if you can speak at all, in a Zoom meeting. I'm surprised so many people are okay with this, or okay enough with this that no viable alternative has been proposed yet that could make this whole experience less painful.
Is this a thing any of you have pondered much? Has all this Zoom stuff made you any more or less lonely than usual? Has it impacted the social circles you had at the start? Does social media seem more like a neverending Zoom conference than it probably should? | aspergers |
One of the worst aspects of ADHD is that urge to blurt out what you're thinking immediately or you WILL forget it. After several years, I've gotten better about it at work at least. Last night, I was talking with my partner, ended up talking over her, and she stopped me. The next 30 minutes was her venting her frustrations at me for doing that. I explained to her that if I hold my thoughts in, it literally leaves me feeling like I might explode, and if I keep it in, I simply forget what my thought or response was and end up extremely frustrated. She took that as me not caring about or listening to what she has to say because I'm obviously only waiting to see what I want to say, and that it leaves her feeling I don't care about her pieces of conversation. Idk what to do. Anyone who doesn't have ADHD never seems to actually understand this. She isn't the first partner that's been pissed off by this, and all I ever get is 'just wait your turn', obviously simple in concept, not so much in reality. I JUST started low dose ritalin and anticipate that as my doses titillate upward to what I need, I'll naturally get better about it, but in the meantime, how do you know? How do you know how much of it is ADHD, and how much of it is actually under your control, and if you're simply being a crappy listener that is more focused on one sided conversation? I hate this aspect of it so, so very much 😔 | ADHD |
Hope this doesn’t break Rule #4, marking NSFW just in case.
I grew up watching Drunk Minecraft, and various other shows. At least down here in America, alcohol is practically glorified.
Well, I finally turned 21, and got my hands on some. This shit tastes vile, the texture is all awful, the flavor is hidden behind how bitter it is. I can’t even get drunk. I’ve tried. I just get tired, and my sleep headache arrives sooner. Apparently, I hold my drink pretty well. The only thing that means for me is that I need to slog through a lot more to even get buzzed.
I just don’t understand the appeal. My friend online is trying to get me to become an alcoholic, (I really can’t tell if he’s being serious) but I just can’t. I’m probably just gonna suffer through this vile shit until I’ve drank it all, then I’m gonna go dry. This shit was expensive and completely not worth it.
Is there some appeal I’m not getting? I just hate this shit so much. It tastes like ass, the texture doesn’t help, and I have waaay too much of it.
Edit: Wasn't expecting this to blow up so fast tbh. It's hard to keep up with you all.
The general consensus seems to be that no one drinks it for the taste, they drink it to get drunk. And since I have to drink a shit ton to get drunk, that's just not worth it to me. I manage my time and money to an extreme level, and it's constantly in the back of my mind, just how much time and money I'm wasting here.
Going out of my way to buy ingredients, mixers, etc., just to enjoy this, does not sound like fun to me. It just means getting drunk, which isn't nearly as appealing to me as it once was. I don't really want to go through the trouble of finding The One either. A lot of you have mentioned spending a good few years trying different brands and types until you found one that suited you. That just sounds like a horrible waste of time and money to me. I mean no offense, but I just can't stand this stuff enough to keep trying.
I'm probably just gonna go dry. I don't need it burning a hole in my grocery budget anyways. If my friend decides to force the issue, then he's gonna get cut off. Simple as that.
I'm not gonna go for weed or pot either. I've never tried them, and have no plans to. Between religious, social, and personal reasons, I refuse to even touch the stuff.
Thanks for all your help guys. I appreciate it. | aspergers |
I currently take 70mg of prozac, but I still pick at my skin pretty often. My psychiatrist recommended the lowest dose of Guanfacine for me to start taking in addition. Has anyone tried it and had any good or bad luck with it in regards to OCD or skin picking? Or what medications have you found help with your skin picking if you suffer from that? | OCD |
i’m neurodivergent but do not have OCD, but i’ve been reading about mental contamination as a symptom and i’ve only really seen it described as a symptom of OCD specifically.
i’m wondering if it’s possible to experience mental contamination even if you don’t have OCD? i feel like it’s something i experience often (especially at the peak of bad anxiety), but is there another term for this symptom for ND ppl without OCD, or is it more of a universal symptom not specific to OCD?
apologies if this makes no sense haha! i’m just trying to learn a bit more about it. | OCD |
I know it sounds absolutely insane, but I sometimes find myself missing the people that treated me like shit growing up and from college. Many people have hurt me emotionally in life, whether it was simple schoolyard mean kids or people actually targeting me for my ASD, or even people who don't mean to give me flack but are just that way as people. However, I can really only think of a few of these people that I have absolutely no desire to acknowledge their existence and they are all relatively recent people in my life. Is this just one of my Asperger things or might it be more nostalgia for the past since a lot of really good things happened for me at the same time these people gave me issues?
EDIT:
So...judging by the responses, I think I'm starting to realize that it's not really the bullies I miss, but rather the simple times. Like the people who messed with me in adulthood, whether I was actually the target of bullying or not, messed with me (usually indirectly) over much more complicated or personal reasons. The bullies from grade/middle school were just mean because they were braindead morons who didn't know better, kinda like the bullies you would see in 90s kids shows. The people who were mean towards me from college up to now were/are mean to me because of legit cemented prejudices on their part, whether it was NT friends who straight up told me I was one of the few ASD people they know that aren't future sex offenders/school shooters, coworkers who think that anyone who is a regular Mass-attending Catholic supports pedophilia and hates women, or those who don't believe everything "Q" says is busy being brainwashed by the media. Plus in adulthood, now that I am in professional settings, it's a lot harder to defend myself without potentially drawing the ire of the professional setting as a whole. Back in the grade school days, I guess there was much less at stake (though to be fair, I was an early 2000s kid, pre-social media and whatnot). Today, you make one mistake, even if 100% by accident or unintentional, and not only do people harass you to no end, but they spread the word around fast, stage harassment campaigns, try to get the staff on their side and you in trouble, get you "cancelled", harass everyone you are friends with, and basically try to ruin your life.
So, overall, I guess I don't really miss my school bullies as much as I miss simpler times (of my early-2000s childhood; I can't speak for everyone) when meanness was just a sign of stupidity and lack of understanding, not a sign of absolute hatred over my interests/beliefs/personality quirks. | aspergers |
I'm having a hard time setting up a structure and routine for my everyday life, everything from making food and cleaning to engaging in my hobbies.
Does anyone have tips to share about how you structure your days? What kind of routines works for you? How do you make yourself stick to the routines even when you don't feel like it?
Any advice is really appreciated! | aspergers |
Anyone else relate to not keeping up to date with what date it is?
Like when people say ‘ooh, I went on a cruise for a fortnight and I completely forgot what day it was!’ That’s me every day.
I’ve always struggled with months of the year, partly because of the order (dyslexia to blame for that I guess) but also it annoys me that the weeks don’t fit into them properly. Also, seasons. I’m from a farming background and the year is divided up by what jobs are to do when. I was always disappointed that it wasn’t harvest time during winter and I couldn’t understand the nuances of lambing time and potato picking time.
This extended to school holidays as they would always happen ‘suddenly’. Like I’d find out on the Thursday that I’m off all of the following week. My friends seemed to know. The holidays even had names like whit week etc and I’m just there trying to figure out what month it is.
Eventually I have associated days and months to ‘feelings’. Like Synesthesia. I have no way of putting into words what the feelings are but certain timescales have an ebb and flow.
I remember vividly as a kid I would refer to days like places on a map that we had to travel to and my sister thought it was weird so I covered it up. In my mind, I visualise a week as a ‘thing’ and I walk around ‘it’ to see the day that is being talked about. | aspergers |
If the thoughts don’t start with what if are my thoughts not intrusive or obsessive ? | OCD |
hi, i was recently diagnosed with ocd this past week. i was prescribed zoloft (to take regularly) and klonopin (to take as needed). for the past year and a half my therapist and i have been suspecting i had ocd, so when my psychiatrist told me i had it i was weirdly relieved, but then i quickly started to doubt myself. i worry i lied to her/manipulated her, especially since she prescribed me a controlled substance and i haven't even felt the need to take it.
for background, i've struggled with anxiety pretty much my whole life. i started having panic attacks suddenly around age 11/12, and ever since then i've struggled with intrusive thoughts and obsessive thinking. i think i possibly, on occasion, have compulsions such as checking my pulse obsessively and hitting myself whenever i think of things i don't wanna think about. those come and go but never stick around for too long. i may or may not deal with mental compulsions more than physical ones, such as seeking reassurance, avoiding places/things, obsessively researching things, etc.. i just can't seem to tell what may or may not be a compulsion honestly. i don't take drugs/drink because that stuff amps my anxiety up like 9483982x. my sleep isn't great and never really has been, sometimes i have trouble getting to sleep (because my thoughts) and staying asleep. i have nightmares somewhat often that are usually vivid. i pick at my skin and pull at my eyebrows often too.
the reason i doubt myself and this diagnosis is because these issues come and go, and i told my psychiatrist this. i also told her that i spend "maybe" half the day thinking in circles, which honestly might have been an over-exaggeration. i do spend half the day thinking in circles, but only when i'm really anxious. and i think what set her diagnosis in stone was the fact i told her that i think in circles, and that it happens for that long.
hopefully this post makes sense, and i apologize if it's really messy (i have a really hard time putting my thoughts into words lol). | OCD |
Hi I'm a 21 year old male,Native American and grew up on a reservation. My mom and dad (never married) separated when I was 5 because my dad was a drunk and I was left to live with my grandma (dad's side) which wasn't a very happy home because I lived in poverty and it really affected me later on in life I also had siblings but they were living with other family members, even though they didn't live a great life, I still felt like they lived a way better life than me. In school I was a really good and smart kid but by the 2nd grade this is where things took a turn and went downhill, I was near my shed and was getting firewood when my older drunk cousin came over and bashed my head with a glass bottle which I had to go to the hospital to get it removed luckily my skull wasn't damaged but it still left a dent on the back of my head and.
3rd grade is where I became less smart in school because I kept feeling depressed, I remember wanting to go to school to get away from home and yet I just wanted to be funny in class so I can get laughs and feel like I was somebody instead of a nobody so yeah I did and it led to another downfall in my life because I began to show signs of ADHD and was immediately put on medication where it fucked me up.... To make things worse my grandma (dad's side) was abusing me at home and I was too afraid to tell anyone at the time, I was also seeing a psychiatrist to seek help for me which didn't help at all because I didn't like the psychiatrist but was too afraid to speak up and say things and somewhere in-between that time I was raped by a stranger who would always hang around these apartments near my house, I never told anyone ever before and this is the first time I'm saying anything about it but he died in 2013
Around 6th grade I was still being abused at home and I remember my grandma had kicked me in my chest and it left a small bruise there so I never took my shirt off for awhile until it went away. Skip to 8th grade, I was in trouble for hacking computers at my school which wasn't my fault like it was my ADHD that kicked in and we'll then I was sent to this place which was called alternative school where there was nothing but one classroom and you did schooling on the computer where you were monitored and God I fucking hated it. Halfway through my 8th grade year I was sent to live with my mom's family for unknown reasons ..... I stopped taking my ADHD meds by choice which made me feel depressed and such but I stayed there until my sophomore year but in my freshman year I grew keloids on my chest where my grandma had previously kicked me years ago but back at school I just kept ditching so I decided to move back to my dad's family hoping that things at least changed and to my surprise nothing really much changed... I eventually just dropped out of school in the 12th grade because my depression got really bad and because I was still ditching...and because of my constant ditching I never really learned anything in school and I never really fitted in and I never really had much friends....
I eventually moved back to my mom's family where I have been looking for a job and was trying to finish my GED but never really finished it because my Instructor who was my friend and was close with had passed away due to a heart attack and in May of this year I was very depressed that I had thoughts of suicide so I went into a haven behavioral hospital and when I got out I was talking to my therapist and I opened up to her but I never told her about my keloids or the dent in my head and I was also put on meds which I stopped in October but this past September I got a job and was lucky enough to even get that job.....
Sadly I do not have that much money for surgery for my keloids or the dent in my head☹️. Oh yeah I forgot to mention that I also started making music, I actually started back in December of 2019 and also learned DJing as well and that actually makes me forget my troubles....
If I could go back in time I would go back and tell younger me to live with my mom ☹️😭 I really feel insecure about my body (chest on up) and nobody in my family knows about my keloids ... Well I never told them because I feel so embarrassed that telling anyone is just scary so I thought I'd tell Reddit about it and I've never been seen with a shirt off or in a pool since I've gotten keloids | depression |
this is a small, barely relevant problem. i'm diagnosed with pOCD, i'm fifteen, and i kinda really wanna try alcohol. i know for a fact that drinking one drink isn't gonna get me drunk, but i'm still terrified of losing control and hurting my little brother. would it be a compulsion.... not to get the drink??? this is confusing lol | OCD |
Currently got COVID (and feeling like utter crap; I’m not one of the lucky one to be asymptomatic) and finding that my OCD is kicking in more than it has done for quite a while -especially the intrusive thoughts.
Thankfully I’ve done enough therapy to have an idea of how to navigate a “flare” up like this but I was wondering if there is a psychological reason for it and if anyone else gets the same thing?
My guess so far is; I’m feeling poorly = brain thinks it can make me “feel better” by throwing up intrusive thoughts and doing compulsions to get the dopamine hit?
Idk, it’s interesting even if highly upsetting and frustrating. Does anyone else get this? | OCD |
Hello first of all i just want to say that i have it a bit better now but still want some help.
My mom told me that I needed a haircut and that she had booked a appointment, already I didn't want to go because I want longer hair but it's really hard for me to say what I want. (Sometimes I can't even ask for simple things that I need/want and I hate that i can't just do it) When we got to the hair salon I got anxious and wanted to leave but I can't just do that, we wait till it's my turn I sit in the chair and the hair dresser asks what I want and I say "I don't know" (I do that every time) and she asks my mom and she picks the side length and I say that I don't want that much length off the top. (At one point they say that they finally stopped me from having long top hair that goes to the side and that it looks kinda gay but my mom say she will accept me if i am. But it really made me sad and angry to hear that like wtf how and you be homophobic and try to be a ally in the same sentence) I just sit and see the hairdresser cut off a lot of my side but also the top hair length (I maybe had 3/4 cm but now it's only like 1/2 cm) but i say nothing. On the way home my mom says that i look nice with the new haircut and i say that i fucking hate it and that's it's so fucking short and bad (Almost started crying. I almost never say what want to and i kind of surprised myself that i did say that) it was a silent rest of the drive home. I walk up to my room and try to not cry but it's too hard to keep it in and i started silently crying in my bed and just want the world to end so i don't have too look at myself and wanted to die.
I have a lot of problems with how i look and my face and hair is a big part of it and hateing my hair so much and knowing it takes a long time to grow back is so hard to live with.
Sorry for the long and messy post but i really needed to get this of my chest.
I don't have any direignoses yet but we have started the process of getting one.
This is my first time posting on here hope I can get some advice and tips, I don't have anyone in my live I can talk/vent to hope you guys well read and understand me. | depression |
There are two independent things that she told me I seem to have PTSD from.
The first is my marriage and it's premature demise which left me divorced at 23. It was entirely my fault, and I spent the last five months of that relationship in complete isolation and constant anxiety, getting screamed at with insults that made me wish he would just hit me instead.
The other thing was getting laid off, coincidentally 4 days after I dropped five grand to move out of the apartment I shared with my ex (we still lived together for six months after he filed for divorce). It was my first job out of college, and I'd been there for a grand total of 8 months, and the company was pretty shitty in the upper management area. But I loved that job, and the layoff was totally sudden, so much so that my department had a new employee who started Monday and got laid off on Friday. But I was lucky, and quickly got a new job that I don't hate and came with a $10.5K raise. So really, I should feel happy about the whole thing, right? But I still miss my old job.
Certainly getting divorced, moving (twice), and losing a job within a six-month time span would be stressful for anyone, but I feel like a fraud if I claim that it gave me PTSD when there are people who have gone through way more traumatic things. Like, you get PTSD from being raped or your child dying or something like that. I just got yelled at a little and was unemployed for a month. That seems like nothing in comparison. But I guess I have expressed the typical symptoms, like nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, paranoia, etc. But even though I have the symptoms I still feel like it shouldn't count cuz my situations aren't "real trauma"
Life has been very good to me I'm a lucky lucky person but somehow I'm still so fucked up why | ptsd |
can an intrusive thought that comes up last longer than like a second or so, say if you had pocd and a thought came up and you discuss it in your head for like 15 seconds before realising aaaaah what am i thinking, is this too an intrusive thought cos its starting to give me anxiety attacks that i thought on something like that for so long | OCD |
Like people reacting to a show I just watched or a game I played. It helps me study how normal people should react instead of a sociopathic cold face and practice normal facial expressions. | aspergers |
I dont know why I do this but usually when im half asleep or brushing my teeth I just start scraping and popping at my skin to get every blackhead or pimple or cyst. Its getting really bad now and I want to stop before I get permanent skin damage (if i havent already). When I start picking at my skin its almost impossible to stop. I want to look good for my boyfriend but I just cannot stop picking at my skin and I dont know what to do. | OCD |
I’ve been told by my therapist whenever the subject of dating comes up that I should look for someone who is also autistic. He does present a valid argument for doing so, in that they are more likely to be accepting than someone who is not.
Unfortunately I have a lot of counter arguments for committing to someone who is on the spectrum, based on what I have seen in individuals and my own personal experience. I’m not saying I would write off someone just because they’re autistic because that’s a silly reason. And none of these points are meant to generalize anyone so don’t take offense.
Firstly, I’m looking to be a partner, not a parent. Dealing with someone who is autistic can be a lot like parenting, although that’s more true for the lower end of the spectrum than the higher end. If anything, *I* should be the one being parented. Even though I am capable of doing a lot without adult supervision, I can’t survive on my own at the moment.
Secondly, a lot of girls with autism are not only rare, but they are not relatively close either. This does reflect the fact that autism is more common in boys than girls. I do know some girls who are autistic but I would not date them because they are not as high-functioning as I am (or at all). Again, this goes back to my first point. When it comes to online dating I have had conversations with a few women on the spectrum but most of them were pretty far away from me (about 45 minutes to an hour driving from me).
Thirdly, a lot of people with autism don’t like being touched. This would cause a major problem in a relationship because intimacy would basically be prohibited.
Fourth, some of them can’t hold down jobs. If they can get a job, it’s usually not something that’s highly coveted and pays pretty low. I’m currently working at a Wendy’s (been there 3 months so far, and it’s not my first job) and there is a definite possibility that I could be there for a while as most companies seem to be rejecting me for anything that’s office-related. If I move in with somebody they may have to do most of the heavy lifting financially.
Fifth, some people with autism can be childish. When I say this, I mean they like watching TV shows that are meant for children or even preschoolers, even in their 20’s. While I don’t think there is anything wrong with doing this, I do think it’s a problem if that’s all they will ever watch. I don’t want to be with someone if all they ever want to watch is whatever is on Disney Channel or Nickelodeon. And when it comes to video games they will usually abstain from anything that has violence. One girl I did chat with online for a little bit likes Cooking Mama and she never talked about any other video games. She also watches Disney Channel & Nickelodeon a lot and never mentioned any other shows.
Sixth, some people with autism cannot handle loud sounds. I will admit that when I go to a store or a place I don’t usually go to on my own I usually do bring AirPods. But there is an event that I go to every year and it’s REALLY loud. I don’t suffer from sensory overload there, and I don’t want to have to sacrifice my time there to calm down someone who might.
Seventh, they can be annoying and not realize it, even if they are high-functioning. I’ve made efforts over the years to be less annoying to people and I don’t want to have to teach someone else that. Again, if anything *I* should be taught not to do that by my partner, and called out for it when I do.
Eighth, people with autism can be unattractive (not always the case, but it does happen). Some of them don’t exactly know how to take care of themselves and they need to have their hand held like a child. Also, on a related note, three autistic girls that I did talk to that I met on Facebook Dating are not my body type.
Ninth, they don’t know how to be social. It’s definitely no question that most people on the spectrum, at least the high-functioning ones, want to be loved. But in order to be loved, they need to learn to be social. I don’t want to go through the trouble of teaching someone to be social when it should be taught to me. It’s one thing to be socially awkward or shy but it’s another thing to not even know the basic rules of talking to others.
Tenth, some of them cannot drive or take public transportation because they don’t know how or are unable to. I drive all the time, and I occasionally take the train. If I’m going to be in a relationship with someone I expect them to have those skills too, ESPECIALLY if it’s a long-term relationship. I’m not going to do all the legwork just because I’m more competent.
These are the main reasons why I would be hesitant to date someone with autism, even though I am autistic myself. If someone mentions that they are autistic I would at least try to converse with them, but at the same time I have my standards and I will write them off if they don’t meet them. I do not want to be with someone who smokes, does drugs, or wants to have kids (there’s a few more but I don’t need to list all of them). If they do any of those things, I will not consider them romantically even if they are on the spectrum. Just because someone has the same disability as me doesn’t mean we’re a good match for each other romantically.
I’ve been desired by women in the past, although it wasn’t very common (I’m an average looking man). Similarly, I’ve desired women as well. But I’ve only had one romantic relationship in my life so far, and I was the one who ended it. She was not on the autism spectrum, but we did have a lot of things in common with each other and we loved each other’s company. Unfortunately I never felt the physical attraction and I couldn’t think about her sexually.
Personally, it does bother me when people think that just because I am on the autism spectrum means that I should only date others that are also on the autism spectrum. It bothers me not just because of the stuff I know I wouldn’t be able to handle from someone else, but also because I have had experience with dating and relationships with at least one other person who was NOT on the spectrum. That would be like saying people in wheelchairs should only date other people who are also in wheelchairs.
Again, I don’t think there would be anything wrong with me dating someone who is on the spectrum, and my dating pool is open to anyone who is. But just like anyone else, I do have my standards and I will stick to them. If something about them does not meet my standards, I don’t want to be with them even if it means waiting a very long time for someone else to come around. | aspergers |
Not sure if it's my meds or my brain but it's hard for me to hang in there much longer.
Part of me is incredibly sad and lonely. I fantasize about being dead often. I think of hanging, shooting or ODing daily.
As much as I try to be upbeat and positive, internally I'm dead inside.
I don't feel appreciated, seen or cared for. At this point I'm hanging on bc I don't want to go before my dog does.
Fuuuuuk, I don't look depressed but what's going on behind my eyes is pretty grim. | depression |
Now it feels like enjoy my intrusive thoughts, this would be easier to brush off but I do enjoy **certain** aspects of it. For example I have sexual intrusive thought, I enjoy the concept of sex but not the subject. I also have this weird compulsion which has bring me a lot f doubt. Whenever I feel anxious or have sexual intrusive though, I just keep playing it in my head and think other thoughts on purpose until the anxiety goes away. I dont do this for any gratification. Im only 13, please help me. | OCD |
I don’t think I realize how many of my thoughts are actually intrusive thoughts. I’m constantly catching myself thinking something that I think of a lot, and then realize “wow that’s a recurring intrusive thought”. So there’s probably so many of my thoughts that I am not noticing are actually just my OCD. | OCD |
I just can’t talk about it. Tell me about your experiences. | depression |
I have absolutely nothing left. I have no skills. No college degree. All of my friends are gone. No family. I feel like it's only a matter of time before my boyfriend leaves me because I'm such a loser and have nothing going for me. My therapist shut down his practice and moved at the beginning of the pandemic and I haven't been able to afford/find a new one.
I'm just struggling to see any reason to keep trying. | depression |
So today has been really weird. It began by waking up from a really vivid and scary dream like I’ve never had before which made me feel incredibly strange when I woke up. Anyway I was on my way to work this morning where on the train this really weird guy randomly introduced himself and asked me if he looked good and gave me a creepy smile. I didn’t think much of it and I told him I was getting off to my stop and he said goodbye to me. I moved a couple of carriages away and got off because I was little weirded out by him. I was walking to work and I looked behind me and this guy was following me but was talking to this lady who was trying to go for a run. This really ticked off my ocd as I’ve had an obsession focused on being stalked by some person out to kill me. He stopped talking to the lady and proceeded to follow me into the shopping centre I work at. I went into a different store and I don’t think he saw me go in there so I think at that point I lost him. Ever since I’ve been feeling so disconnected from reality and I’m starting to feel like I’ve slipped into a different dimension. My mums also been really sick recently and I’ve been stressed out about looking after her and whether or not she needs to go to hospital. My obsession with the whole stalker thing had been not so active recently and now I feel like I’m in some sort of shock. I’m worried about having to sleep at home by myself if my mum goes into hospital tonight. | OCD |
So.. I don't know how to explain this, but I'm gonna try. Does anyone else get anxiety that things are going in slow motion, but they are also going fast. This happens a lot in dreams and I wake up crying. When I try to describe it it makes me sick. I can think about it and what it looks like. Sometimes it triggers me when I see cars or grass moving slowly. Does this happen to anyone else? It happens to my friend too, but does anyone know what this is? | OCD |
I'm terrified of doing literally anything in case I begin to ruminate over something else.
I am accepting the thoughts as possibly true and trying to move on. But the thought doesn't leave. It gets louder. And louder. Until it's the only thing that I can focus on, and the next thing I know I'm trying to cancel out the bad thought with a good one, and I'm deep into my ritual. My brain is grasping at almost everything and turning it into a negative thought to try to make me ruminate over it constantly until I give in. IT'S DAMN EXHAUSTING!
I keep telling myself that my OCD is freaking out and getting worse because I'm fighting it and I hope its true. My OCD is panicking and trying everything it can to burrow back into my brain and stay there, but I am going to pluck that little shit out and yeet it into the damn Pacific ocean if I have to.
I'm doing what my therapist is telling me to do and to stand my ground and fight, but it feels so...wrong. It's taking so long for the thoughts to leave. My superstitious OCD is getting louder as well, and it's telling me that God will be angry at me for having these thoughts and that I have to cancel them out RIGHT NOW otherwise bad things will happen. Utter BULLSHIT.
Thanks for listening friends, sorry for the rant. I'm gonna make myself an iced coffee and take a breather.
​ | OCD |
Hey again.
OCD, GAD, Depression. I'm a 33 year old dude.
I don't want to go into details because this stuff makes me super uncomfortable, so I'm going to describe as much as I possibly can without naming names or anything specific.
Basically during this past summer of attempting to get me off Paxil to try something different, my OCD got so aggravated that it changed form in August to something I wasn't prepared to deal with. Something that's kind of been an issue here and there for a bunch of years now but has never been a *major* thing until now.
It also brought with it some actual intrusive thought issues, which is also difficult because I haven't had to deal with intrusive thoughts of this nature since way back in 2005 or 2006, when this all began.
When this all began, the OCD was primarily using someone who I don't want to specify as its primary topic. We'll call this person "A".
"A" was someone who I thought was very attractive, but was off-limits and was also someone who was hated deeply by people I was close with.
Because I was a hormonal teenager who didn't understand what OCD was or that I even had it at the beginning, I didn't understand why "A" was on my mind at all times.
If I found a fellow classmate attractive or considered asking them out, the OCD would insist that they looked like "A" and that that was a bad thing. It's one of many reasons I never dated yet.
Here's an important example of some other shit the OCD did with this topic.
I remember holding the doors outside my first period classroom to be nice and to also look impressive to any girls that I held it for. Silly, I know.
I'd be there, with my back to the door, and my OCD would cause my mind to start imagining "A" on their knees in front of me, about to... y'know. Engage the crotch region with their face.
I remember this type of thing getting so bad that when I was alone I would actually physically attempt to "push" the imagined "A" away from me.
Also at this time, and for many years, I was unable to *look* at the real "A" person in real life and would avoid ever talking with them as best I could.
I would say that the absolute worst thing about this situation is the fact that it was never actually resolved. Like literally every other OCD issue I've ever had, there was never a resolution - something worse came along and took the previous thing's place.
Once the religious issues became extreme and severe enough, the OCD completely abandoned "A," to the point where I actually was able to develop a somewhat healthier connection with them in present-day. *Somewhat.* It's... far from perfect, but it's better.
I tell you all this because the OCD has turned all of that up to 11 and substituted someone else in "A"'s place.
"B" is not someone I am attracted to. "B" is someone that I'm supposed to have a much healthier connection with, but thanks to the OCD, I don't.
In spite of feeling no attraction to "B", the OCD figured out how geniunely upsetting and devastating it would be to me to have "B" take the spot that "A" occupied years before.
And so ever since the beginning of August, I've had to spend a substantial amount of time each day attempting to stop the OCD from putting the imagined "B"'s face on my own face (as if they were kissing me) or on my crotch (as if. y'know.).
It's genuinely disturbing and upsetting. And as bad as it upsets me, as disturbing as it is, it **also** pisses me the FUCK OFF because this is a person I should have a healthy connection with. Not this bullshit.
So throughout the day, I find myself having to imagine faces of celebrities or comedians or anyone I can think of being on my face or crotch in an effort to keep the OCD from putting "B"'s face there. Which, as we all know, only serves to empower the OCD.
And of course it's also pulling the "that girl you find attractive looks a lot like "B" doesn't she?" bullshit, the same as before. Although I don't know if it's the OCD or me, but one particular girl may actually have a very very slight resemblance to "B", which makes me feel horrid.
Honestly though I've started to feel that I just have a tendency to see one person's face in another's, I think I just have a brain that's hard-wired to see patterns and similarities in things.
But back to the main issue. When I get tired enough of imagining random people's faces, sometimes I get upset enough that I imagine just removing my mouth or even my uh. male organ.
Whether I'm using faces as a shield or imagining myself constantly removing parts of my body, I'm still continually feeding the OCD by engaging with it like this.
Now, here's the point of the matter.
I've heard ERP all my life. I've heard ERP til the cows come home. I even tried it for the religious OCD with two separate therapists and both failed.
I am not about to intentionally do this shit as exposure therapy.
I thought about it throughout today. "Just let the OCD put "B"'s face wherever. Acknowledge any sensation you feel on your lips or in your crotch. It's just OCD, it's just your body's sensations, it's all just thoughts."
And the few glancing times that I tried this, I had to stop. Because I can't. I can't.
Now, I'm on 40mg of generic Paxil and my psych has added some amount of generic Wellbutrin (possibly XL?) as of two days ago to see if that'll assist the Paxil in medicating the OCD.
And I am currently without a therapist because I am having an incredibly hard time finding someone I can afford/is covered who knows how to treat OCD, is not a fucking idiot, and isn't leaving in a few months.
If I am not comfortable doing ERP to confront this whole ""B"'s face on my mouth/crotch" thing, is there **anything else I can do to try to fight it?**
It's upsetting. It's disturbing. It's embarrassing, too. I wonder if anyone's noticed me spacing out staring at my documents at work because I'm anxiously attempting to mentally put some celebrity's face on my penis.
I'm tired of this shit.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. | OCD |
I don't want to hurt anyone but I'm afraid I'm going to snap for some reason even though I don't think about it or plan anything. I've never had a temper or been violent and those two things are still true. Probably from severe physical trauma growing up.
I was making a transaction today and the guy had a round face and leaned over and in my head I thought "I could hit this guy" and immediately put it away, but I don't know why. Also when I'm alone with women it happens - it's usually vulnerable people. But never children, and never sexual. And the thought is usually "I could do something right now." and I never entertain it and before/after I don't think those thoughts. For example I was in my friend's apartment and I was like, "I get that we have been friends for 5 years, but how does she trust me here? I don't understand."
I don't know how to make this better. I'm in therapy but it's for a lot of shit, like severe PTSD, anxiety, depression, and possibly a personality disorder (praying to God not NPD or APD).
I only just turned 22. I don't want to spiral into anything fucked up. Some chick came over and I was thinking "I could hit her right now" and I have no fucking idea why I thought that shit because I don't want to do that EVER to ANYONE.
I find comfort in knowing I could have abused my ex back/hit her back/hit her when she stood in the door screaming at me to hit her, and didn't defend myself besides basic Brazilian Jiu-jitsu against two attackers in the past. It makes me know I don't want to hurt anyone, like today I saw an old woman walking a dog trying to get something out of its mouth, and I stopped to make sure she could get it. And a squirrel ran in front of me today and I panicked and braked.
I would never harm someone. I don't know why I think about it. | OCD |
Hey all. I’m just here to rant, feel free to comment support but I am NOT looking for advice on how to handle this situation legally/personally etc. I’m only prefacing my rant with this statement bc more than a few people have given me unsolicited advice on this matter.
So, I live in a small 4 unit complex. All units are friends of mine. We are like family. I trust them 100%. But under me are 4 businesses and one is a taco/beer place that just opened by two men in their 30s. I have never tried to talk to them previous to this bc honestly I didn’t like the vibes. Not only that but they are at war with one of my neighbors and the landlords, being generally disrespectful, noisy, threatening, etc. It comes of as if they really don’t care and think since they’re a business they have run of the place. I have lived here for 15 years.
I was home doing laundry after work in the afternoon. I had to switch my wash to the dryer so I headed downstairs with my dogs into my backyard where the laundry room is.
I walk up the walk way that’s between the laundry room and a shed that the restaurant uses. It has an entrance that gives them access to our yard in case of emergency. There’s electrical stuff there yadda yadda.
As I’m walking up I can see first through the laundry room window 2 pairs of my underwear laid flat on the washer where I did NOT leave them. I then have the shit scared out of me by some tall youngish guy wearing an apron and busser garb. He was in the door way and I nearly screamed. I stepped back to catch my breath and he’s saying “Oh, I am so sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” Then I’m reading his face and can see fear in his eyes as I start to notice 4 pairs of my nicest underwear and he says “Uh I was told to clean the towels!! They instructed me to clean the towels!! That’s all!!” Then he runs back through the shed door. I realized he had moved my wet clothes to the dryer for but pulled out (only) 4 pairs of my nicest underwear (I’m non-binary but wear femme chonies) we’re laid out flat and one was rolled up in a ball next to them. And No he didn’t jerk it into them, but I do think he was going to take them. I look in the washer and there are towels from the restaurant in there.
So I’m sloooooooowly processing what I just saw. Firstly, the rule is that NO ONE is allowed out there from the taco place, nor are they allowed to wash their towels, plus they have a towel service. Secondly I’m telling myself the usual denial tactics “Maybe he thought he was doing me a favor.” 🙄 So I call literally 4 of my closest friends and my neighbor to make sure that my assessment as this being REALLY FUCKING CREEPY is real. It was real. Everyone told me the same thing. It was weird, scary, and inappropriate. And I know it is but my brain will not accept this.
This happened yesterday. Thank god I have people who can come over right away and I was able to have a emergency session with my therapist but I still had to miss some work and i don’t get sick leave bc I’m my own boss.
I won’t go into detail about how I went about dealing with this but I’m talking to the owners tmrw. I can already predict how it will be since they have downplayed this so much. But I’m ready to handle it and i don’t have a problem w confrontation.
I guess the ranty part is, is that my brain never wants to accept what I see or experience trauma wise. Then when it’s downplayed I sink into that hole further. Not only is this their fault for breaking the rules but they made me feel unsafe in my own home of 15 years. I wish i didn’t struggle back and forth with telling myself “YES THIS IS CREEPY”. It almost happens as an intrusive thought. And I feel like this is a core issue of why I freeze and deny what I can see is wrong. It’s really hard to stop.
Anyway, thanks to any who read. I just needed to write this out and this sub has been so helpful for that. | ptsd |
8 years ago I was raped and he held me very hard by the neck, I’ve never been okay with people touching it since. Now I’m in a healthy committed relationship and it’s something I really want to work through, I feel like it’s a big step towards healing and moving forward. I just don’t know how to approach it or if there’s anything that won’t make it so scary? | ptsd |
I think that I can very easily ignore or dismiss most visuals, and generally don't care at all about aesthetic or mood or fashion or anything that requires strong visual attachment and value. But at the same time, I can grow this attachment by focusing on these things, and treating them as a new habit to frequently engage in. Like I might organize my room and look at each and every object as it belongs, and then I can decide that "oh this little plant here actually is a good addition to my room! I never really noticed it before but it seems to fit here.."
And similarly with fashion, I can ignore what I wear for as long as possible, but then once I treat it as something like a hobby or interest, then I will be quite good at finding matching colors and styles that fit me personally.
So while I am very hyposensitive and tend to be blind to most visuals, I can easily develop singular attachment to visuals as I play with them and spend time with them. | aspergers |
I'm obviously so frustrated. I have had my OCD under control for almost 2 years. Thoughts pop up and I ERP them away... until tonight! I ate some old kale. The expiration date was 6/18 and the bottom if the bag was soggy. I had it in a wrap for lunch then cooked with it for dinner as well as put some in a salad. When I was eating the salad I saw some black bits on the kale and everything spiraled from there. My 2 year old ate tomatoes that touched the kale, ate some of the dinner with the kale in it and I obviously ate a lot of it today. Fears of E. Coli and other Google rabbit holes ensued. Finally ended when my husband came home and gave me reassurance, which I know is a no-no.
I've never had contamination OCD so I'm a bit freaked out. It also spiked my usual themes of relationship and harm OCD. UGH. Feeling sick and defeated. | OCD |
So today I have work, I also have anxiety causing me to clear my throat,every minute or so because if I don't I won't be able to breathe. I can't sleep because if I fall asleep and can't clear my throat I feel like I going to choke. That I could deal with, but it happened yesterday as well (freaking allergies). Well I think all my clearing and coughs caused me to hurt my left rib/chest area. and now because I'm fully aware of my throat I have to keep clearing it. I also almost cant take a deep breath because of it . And I get to go to different businesses and clean and hope nobody assumes I'm sick because of it because I can't actually stop it at this point and heater trying to explain it to people.
Well, I'm going to try to look at the silver lining, at least I can be happy that at least this is the only thing going on right now. | OCD |
I recently found myself wasting a ton of time on YouTube. Someone on there mentioned a streaming service for documentaries and educational shows. Curiosity Stream. It's something like $2 a month and has been really interesting. They even have some of my favorite people like Mike Rowe, Jeff Corwin, and Richard Hammond. Even Sir David Attenborough. It's been well worth it and I find many of the shows motivate me or at least put me in a better mood. I was obsessed with documentaries my entire childhood and learned much from them. With TV being mostly ads and drama garbage these days, it's nice to find a place where I can watch documentaries again. I can never go back to he peaceful documentary days of my short childhood, but I can at least escape the world in a useful way for a bit. Wanted to share this here in case anyone else was interested. | ADHD |
If so, how do you handle it? Looking for ideas as mine is crippling. I take SSRIs and have done therapy for years. I am just wondering if anyone has had some sort of epiphany regarding this that they might be up for sharing. Thanks. | OCD |
I have OCD, as well as other chronic illnesses such as EDS, Gastroparesis, POTS, and Selective IgA Immune deficiency.
I have had this obsession for about four years now, where I obsess over whether or not some of my illnesses are post viral. So, in my head, I try and remember exactly when each of my symptoms started, and I do this repeatedly.
Some background info on this: When I was twelve I got acid reflux, but no one knew it was acid reflux until ten months later. I get many infections due to immunodeficiency, and I know I had a bout of bronchitis later that summer that I got the reflux+ other stomach things, though I think that was after my symptoms started. The problem is I am not 100 percent certain.
At about thirteen, I got a stomach virus( one of many that I have had in my lifetime), and all the stomach problems I had got worse. My GI doctor told me that I had post viral gastroparesis. I think I had Gastroparesis for sometime prior to that virus, though I can't be sure. Then I got another stomach virus six months later, and I was unable to eat after that one. I had to get an NJ feeding tube, and later a PICC line. I am doing better now, and I have had a GJ tube for a while now. Before the gj tube, for a period of about three years, my GI doctor kept telling me that my gastroparesis was post viral, and that it would go away. It did not go away. I had an NJ tube for six months, and a PICC line for a year, and a year in between with no nutritional support. I lost a bunch of weight. All that time, the same thing was repeated: '' Everything was triggered by a virus, and it will go away. '' I had wanted to leave that GI for years, and my parents and I eventually left him, and the new GI put the GJ tube in, and I felt better, gained the weight back.
How this relates to my OCD: I can't let the thought go that everything is caused by a virus. I keep reviewing and reviewing my symptoms and when they started in my head. I also used to be spend hours and hours on google reading about viruses and post viral illness. I go to a lot of doctors, and nearly every appointment, this particular obsession gets triggered. I also feel everything that is said about my medical history in an appointment has to be 100 percent accurate and correct. If I think that something wrong was said, I'll spend a few weeks-months thinking about it. I think part of this is that I have a fear of being fake, and that I think if everything was caused by a virus, then it is somehow fake, and that it will go away one day.
Sorry this was so long. Has anyone ever had anything like this before? | OCD |
I will finally go to a psychologist but I’ve never been to one before so I am completely clueless about anything that happens there.
I would really appreciate it if you could tell me about how you first got diagnosed with OCD, how the psychologist diagnosed you and how the overall experience was like.
I might have worded this a little awkwardly but I am just really nervous about actually getting help after planning to do so for years so hearing your experiences and any possible advices would make me feel at ease <3 | OCD |
It really feels like I dont care about it anymore and it makes me sick, I preferred the days when I cried about this everyday because then at least i knew i was emotional about it, but i dont cry anymore i dont feel anything i dont know what happened but i just want it to stop it feels like i almost want the thoughts or would act on them. I cant even argue with them anymore i used to always argue and cry over thoughts i dont get it . Everytime i think about a male body it feels like im so attracted to it. BUT I DONT WANT TO BE ! I dont even have that not wanting anymore i dont even want to do compulsions to prove it isnt true but i still do to prove i do. What the hell is happening to me and how do I stop it i cant take it anymore i really feel like i dont even want to like women but I do. This wasnt meant to happen i dont get it | OCD |
hi! so i’m diagnosed with ocd but over the past week i’ve developed what i think is a new obsession but i honestly can’t tell because it’s not one i’ve ever heard of. so the other day i was with my boyfriend and my brain went “you’re not enjoy hanging out with him.”. that freaked me out but it went away. now i’m on vacation with my family and it’s quickly turned into “you don’t like spending time with anyone. you don’t like anyone.” or if i start enjoying my time it chimes in with “you’re not happy.” it’s extremely distressing me because i love hanging out and being around people but now, what i’m assuming is ocd, is telling me those things and it feels so real. i’m wondering if it’s ocd because i feel an urgent need to prove that i do like being with people, i’m reassuring through my friends & boyfriend, self reassuring, and ruminating. but then my brain is also saying “it’s depression” or “you’re becoming a psychopath”. this is causing me a lot of stress. i feel a disinterest and idk if it’s because sometimes intrusive thoughts can feel really real, but i’m genuinely scared that i’m going to keep feeling this and that i’ve suddenly become a psychopath or something. has anyone had any intrusive thoughts like this? does this sound like ocd? i know we shouldn’t seek reassurance but i’m just wondering if this sounds like ocd because it’s not a common theme or if anyone thinks it’s something else. | OCD |
I have and am medicated for both adhd and depression. My main hangup that can make me upset and moody is thinking about my lack of relationships. I am an 18 year old male so this is something that crosses my mind often.
I've never had any kind of real relationship, I've never gone further than holding hands. I don't know the specific reason nobody has been interested in me, but I have never been fit or socially popular. I know I am not hideously ugly and most people get along with me.
I don't have the energy to both improve myself and slog through a shitty dating app. And yet I keep wanting to be held and kissed and comforted.
I just have zero hope. If I was a total romantic failure all throughout school and am continuing to be in college, how could I ever find love as an independent adult? I'll be a decade behind everyone else in terms of experience. Having hope and crushing on people felt nice, but I don't want to get my hopes up. If I didn't have physiological urges I would give up and accept that romantic love just isn't something I can be given. | ADHD |
For me, going a whole day without a headache is what I consider a successful day.
I am extremely photophobic and so if I quint real hard the entire day, I can block out how bright the sun and other lights are a little, reducing my chances of getting a headache lol unfortunately doesn't usually work, though. | aspergers |
Hi y’all I’m have a mild case of asphegers but I graduated college and working at a job that I love. Before this I used to work night shift for 9 months and not visiting the dentist. Recently I visited the dentist and discovered that I have 12 cavities and the doctor wants me to be put to sleep to work on them. I’m very horrified because I’m scared of needles, dentist, and never waking up!! Please can y’all give some encouragement please!! I really need it more then ever. | aspergers |
I'm in therapy for 10 years. Just recently I was diagnosed with NPD and BPD. And now my whole life, depressions, suicide attempts, alcohol and drug abuse, self hate and harm makes sense. I think my mother is like a psychopath, she beat me, made fun of me, made medical experiments with me because she thought she knows better than doctors. All the puzzle pieces came together, I understand know, I'm starting to feel my inner child and emotions again. But this is so overwhelming, there's too much info, memories, emotions, aha moments. I'm swinging between crying, laughing, having panic attacks and fear of dying. My body is aching, my temperature is high, I sometimes forget to breathe. It'a like a nuclear bomb on my brain. How do I deal with this? Does it have medical term I can read about? Does reddit have groups for this? I can't find it, as I don't know how to call it. I want to vomit, scream and shut my brain down.
It' like being 30 years in prison with Hitler and finally you are free. But it fucking hurts so much. The Hitler made me a Hitler do be a Hilter for myself | ptsd |
I'm going to attend the Hella Mega Tour in August (bought tickets in February 2020 and thankfully can make the reschedule date), started doing all of my research with what to expect at the venue, parking, when to arrive, etc..
I also am unfamiliar with one the bands (Fall Out Boy), so I'm going to spend the next six weeks familiarizing my self with their back catalog. I wear headphones at work so I'll listen to hours of their music a day.
Have to do it all to ensure maximum enjoyment. Before my diagnosis last year (47 y with ASD) I would have chalked this up to a quirk of mine, but now I'm going to lean in to the Autism to make sure I'm as comfortable and ready for the experience as possible. | aspergers |
i realized the other day that i think i’m mourning myself a lot. like i’m grieving for the person i was in the “before” times. someone called me shy the other day and i was so upset and confused because i never saw myself that way. i would have always considered myself very social and extroverted but i guess ptsd will take that from you. it feels like i was a person at some point, but now i’m just an empty body where a person used to live. i wanted to share this and see if y’all relate or have similar experiences. | ptsd |
My depression just feels so non tangible. Not sure if that makes sense. It’s not like a broken wound where you can literally see and feel the problem physically. I keep thinking how people have it worse and how I should be lucky that I have a good job and an apartment and I should be happy about that. Things could be so much worse but I’m always feeling like something is wrong. Never feeling content and never truly happy. I don’t feel suicidal but I wouldn’t mind if I was told I have a couple days left to live. I just feel like I’m just making all this up and maybe I’m not really depressed and my mind is playing tricks on me. Anyone else feel this way? | depression |
I mean, every two weeks would be fine. I just don’t like always feeling like I have to worry about doing something. I can’t fully relax until it’s done. But I also can’t seem to garner the energy to do it until nearly the last minute. :( I need my personal reading time, and then time to relax and review what I’ve learned. I don’t want to get distracted by too much information at once. I also need my Marvel vs Capcom time. Lol
I’m so lucky I’m only taking one class this semester. I know how much it sucks to be taking three or four and to have no life. | aspergers |
After a long argument with my spouse and cognitive behavior therapy the next day, I’m processing just how much I’m struggling understanding a different Point Of View (POV). This is an easily accessible event to point it out, but the disconnect has been a struggle my whole life.
Like I intellectually/on the surface understand that I feel/thinks one way and he feels/thinks another, and both are valid and that’s ok.
I struggle with the why and how come. And I get really hung up on it, and will pick at it to try to understand it. I have virtually no ability to accept that I don’t get it and move on. It almost feels like a skipping record and I get stuck.
Question 1: Is there a term / phrase for not understanding other POVs or the struggle to accept them?
Question 2: Is there a term / phrase for that sense of getting stuck, hung up, being on short term repeat and not being able to move forward? | aspergers |
I’m so lost, I literally don’t know what I’m doing and I don’t want to do anything either. Everything I do, I do it because I’m told to and not cause I genuinely want to. I have friends but it’s not like I’m actually close with any of them, leading me to feel lonely. Especially after I broke up with my ex best friend of over 15 years lol. There’s so much going on in my personal life too that makes it so hard. Every night I find it hard to sleep and I can’t breathe… Bruhhh this is such a struggle <\3 these reports that I have to finish in two days ain’t helping LOL | depression |
I've been going through a good period in my life. Things are going well, I'm feeling good.
But as you all know we live with this cloud that follows us around and makes everything just grey and meaningless. That cloud has been creeping over me for the last 2 weeks. And it's finally arrived in full force.
The facade is still holding up. Everything seems fine to everyone but it's very hard to keep things going.
I've never felt like this before. The pressure to keep things together or I could lose everything I have. But the temptation to ruin everything is getting bigger and bigger.
I'm very scared, I know what is best to do. But I'm not doing it. I'm not taking care of myself and it only makes it harder later down the line. But it's almost like I can't, I don't have the energy. It's almost like I'm watching myself make the wrong choice but I'm too apathetic to do anything about it. | depression |
why do i always get severely itchy at bedtime? itll start with one small itch, but after scratching, it comes back, then spreads, and before I know it my whole body is itchy everywhere. I remember when i was like 7 years old my mom took me to emergency because i was in tears and couldnt stop itching nightly and she finally decided to take me in to get checked. When i got there, there itching had stopped.
Does anyone experience sensory issues or fidgeting as itchiness? I am trying to piece together all of the weirdness that is me lol | ADHD |
So I've been taking medikinet and it sometimes gives me anxiety and I had a panic attack which made me end up in ER.
I'm seeing my psychiatrist this friday and am wondering if I should switch to concerta?
Heard that medikinet is released as two spikes and concerta is extended in a much more gradual way, so maybe it could help with anxiety?
I thought about trying Atominex but my friends have the experience that it makes you sleepy (and my adhd is mostly adhd paralysis/depression, procrastinating and forgetfulness) so I think a non-stimulant medication might not work that well, but if anyone had a different experience feel free to share! | ADHD |
So I’ll be 27 on July 12th & I feel like complete shit I’m not married , no kids, haven’t had a relationship in 3 years & I’ve been celibate for 2 years & I’m still living at home with my parents due to this horrible disorder & other shit ( I also have PTSD, panic disorder & fibromyalgia) I feel like a failure & a loser almost like there’s no real future I’m literally dreading getting older & facing more disappointment & nothing changing when I was 17 I never thought 10 years later I’d basically be in the same shitty place I feel pressured to find a man, get pregnant or move out to say I’m a “ worthy adult” ANY ADVICE AM I A PIECE OF WORTHLESS SHIT? | ptsd |
Hey guys, just curious to know how if anyone here who has OCD is currently in college? If yes, how have your experiences been, and what are some ways you use to tackle your OCD? | OCD |
I have had depression on and off since I was 8. I'm 25 now. I've always kinda assumed everyone was depressed because that's what I saw in my mother and other family members.
I've been at a point now where several years where I am okay with not living anymore. I know this needs to change and I can't continue to see this as something 'everyone goes through and deals with'
My mental health issues have cost me all my relationships.
I want to feel better. I am going to start seeing a therapist.
I went to the doctor and the first thing he offered me was Anti depressants. As someone who has done drugs recreationally (haven't done anything in long while other than weed), I am concerned the drugs will change my state or mind too much. I work in a profession where I am constantly talking to people and must stay mentally sharp.
Has anyone had experience with anti depressants and how did it affect your mind? I'm worried I will take them and won't be mentally sharp and my work performance will go to shit. | depression |
Hi, I am (21F) from India. By just hearing the country name you would have known how difficult is it for people here who suffer from depression or anxiety.
I am suffering from anxiety from the time I know (like from school days). I remember being freaked out, startled and shivering for everything by anything/anyone out there. And all of a sudden my father died which made my symptoms worse in my POV. I remember just studying like a robot with no basic sense for the 11th and 12th grades. I believe I had some high functioning depression here itself which I didn't allow to surface in the name of my commitments. After finishing 12th I have to face another setback in the name of medical exams. I always wanted to be a doctor but I became the first batch to write a new medical exam (NEET) due to government policies here. I obviously failed and screwed it. I lost my real self here as I identified myself as a doctor from 1st grade. But I didn't dare to do another attempt owing to my financial conditions. Everything went downhill for me and I simply joined a reputed university for pursuing agriculture (I never had a keen interest, I just joined it for the sake of it).
After joining my university, I became more self-aware and conscious about my behaviour patterns. I didn't have basic mental health education until 12th grade because for people here 'it's all in our heads. I managed to get through and COVID made everything worse again. During those pandemic times, I remember being in the deepest black hole I could remember. I was crying for everything that has happened to me. I was crying for being lonely, for losing my father, for losing my ambition, for losing myself in the name of commitment and everything. This is where I had physical symptoms relative to mental health issues. Whenever I shout, fear or get anxious, I started getting anxiety attacks and severe chest pain. I researched and somewhat learnt to manage symptoms but still, it was tough. Anyway, I kept my mental health a close secret but day by day it was only progressing to worst.
I finished my graduation just 2 months backs and landed a good job from campus interviews. I couldn't cope there, I hated my job, my narcissistic roommate, and basically everything. I cried like hours for days and then ended up resigning from my job. Now resigning is no joke here in India because there are thousands of people here to question you about your joblessness. I can't bring myself to answer them or they wouldn't even understand it even if I do.
I always had a keen interest in digital marketing so I ditched my degree and I am working as a content writer now. I believe I can improve myself little by little in this field. Still, I am forcing myself to do basic tasks and feeling like every day is a burden. I have been suicidal at some point in time (never intended to do it actively) but shrugged it off. I explained to my mom everything (except the suicidal part) and she listened to me. My mom is understanding my mental health now and she wants to help me with therapy.
Now I was seeking a therapist and was confused between homoeopathy and modern medicine. Homoeopathy is a traditional medicine for India (but discovered elsewhere I know) and I do have high regard for it. But according to my, everything shouldn't be accepted in the name of tradition. I have always thought homoeopathy to be quackery working on the placebo effect.
Here people are not believing in my opinions on homoeopathy and they are actively hating modern medicine. According to their logic, I just want someone to listen and a homoeopathy doctor can do it. But I feel there is some chemical imbalance in the brain due to chronic anxiety and stress I had which certainly can't be treated with homoeopathy. I am so perplexed now thinking about what to choose and what to leave.
I just want to know if any people here have benefitted from treating depression/anxiety with homoeopathy.
P.S: Sorry for the long post :)/ | depression |
Hi, This is my first time posting on this subreddit. I am 17 and have been diagnosed with OCD for 2 years, but suffered for many more.
A lot of my compulsions surround touching objects in certain ways, thinking different scenarios in my head over and over, and repeating various activities.
I love animals and always love to talk to and cuddle my dog. It has gotten to the point where my dog gets a bit fed up with me for constantly wanting attention from him. This has been going on for about the last year and recently I will go to pat him and he will growl at me. This made me wonder if this has anything to do with my OCD. Even though It doesn't feel like my normal compulsions, when I reflect I do feel quite a need to pat or cuddle him and that it is really important.
It is starting to hurt my relationship with my dog where he will be upset if I go near him sometimes. Has anyone had this certain compulsion? I thought I would ask here, because if it is a compulsion I would like to avoid the triggers of this as well as I can, so I can mend my relationship with my dog. | OCD |
Have you ever got into intrusive thinking because of a sensation?
If you have a sensation out of nowhere that your hands or your legs have something on em that might be contaminated how does one deal after the thoughts that follow?
Thanks | OCD |
EDIT : sorry i double posted reddit submitted the post twice. 😅
I don't know what to do.
Semester was going well. But it all came down crashing on me for no reason. I'm depressed. I want to isolate myself. People reaching out to me, I can't respond. What can i say "nothing's happening, i'm just depressed."
I've been depressed my whole life, on and off. I've dropped out of college because of that more times than i can count. I thought this time i would get it over with, but i can feel myself free falling and i don't even have the energy to try and stop myself, i just sit there and feel the fall. I didn't return a paper and it could cost me failing my classes and I can't even get myself to truly care. I don't even get the last minute rush. I get nothing. I just stare at the blank screen and wait. I write a couple sentences to get me going, my mind goes blank.
I have nothing to give. The assignment wasn't even hard. It was easy, but i can't do it.
I don't go to my classes half the time lately. Some of my friends have terrible things happening to them and they're sad, but they still manage to go to class and to their assignments. Nothing is going on in my life and i can't even get up from my bed in the mornings. I can't do shit. I feel bad. They want to be there for me, but i should be the one who is here for them.
My apartment is a mess. I have to take care of my pets and i barely have the energy to do so. I feel empty. I'm not even sad.
I'm thinking of going back to Sertraline, but I hated the way it made me feel. My ADHD felt like it was worsened, i couldn't get myself to cry anymore, i couldn't even "get in touch with my emotions" to guide me. I have to call my doctor, but i'm scared of starting medication because i know the first few weeks are a bitch and quitting anti-depressants was probably the worst i have ever felt even if i didn't know it was possible.
I feel hopeless. I wish i was normal. I wish i had a reason to be this sad all the time. People want to be there for you, they think depression has a reason to be. That it stems from an event. But no. I feel like a dead weight, i bring negativity around me. I feel terrible.
But it will pass, it always does, it always has. But in the mean time, i think it's gonna make me quit/fail college again, and i can't afford that. Goddamn it, there's barely 3 weeks left to this semester... | depression |
It's been a year and a half since my breakup. Started dating apps again 2 months ago. I've been ghosted and stood up to what I thought were potential matches. Last one hurt when I get to out date to find out she deleted her account and stopped texting me. Took myself on a date again, but I've already been doing that ever since my breakup and it's getting harder to enjoy the moment by myself.
Took a family trip where I felt dragged into something I didn't want to be a part of. Engaging into their interests felt forced. I play music for them and I feel like a monkey on the street as drunk people throw money and yell "play monkey play!" As I put on a fake smile. Try to introduce them to something I like doing and they either give me the "that's cute, we appreciate that you're interested in this" or they just say no thank you. I'm outnumbered and I just become a wallflower.
I feel stuck in a loop with my finances and career. The pandemic had me move back in with my parents. Got my job back in July with a raise and plenty of hours. Yet, I still don't have enough saved to move out on my own again. Prices went up on apartments and I don't have a fiance to help with the payments anymore. I just feel stuck, just hoping if I save more and wait a bit longer I can move out. My parents are completely ok with me staying as long as I need to, but I can't stand being their convenient son to help them with too many things. I just miss being on my own.
My depression comes in waves, and I try to find the small things in life to enjoy in the mean time. But lately, I felt life has been giving me bad luck and taking the joy out of the small things I like. Want to do something creative?, Work or family needs you for something. Want to go out to eat or watch a movie?, Go alone like you've been doing for a while because your friends and family are too busy to join you. Matched with someone and the conversation is going well?, Ghosted.
I miss being loved by a significant other. I wish my family truly appreciated what I like to do for fun. My friends are living their lives with work and relationships but I just wish they could hang out more or invite me to things. Overthinking really does hurt me, but I hope this depression wave stops carrying me out into the deep end lately. Sometimes I just want to walk and keep walking and let whatever take me far away from what I'm struggling with.
Any support would feel great. Thank you for letting me let out my jumbled words and I apologize if it's too clustered or anything. I know I'm not alone and not the only one that's dealt with this. Even if this post doesn't get anything, you guys are still awesome and I hope to be there for you guys when you need it like I feel I need it. | depression |
for context im a 15 year old female. most of my friends and one of my teachers have said they think i have adhd. i think i have adhd. all the symptoms just fit how i think and act. but my stepbrother has adhd, and he didn’t do the best in school. i have good grades and adhd presents itself differently in boys and girls. so it would make sense that i don’t act the same as my brother. i’ve explained that to my stepmom that adhd presents itself differently in boys and girls and explained some of the symptoms more present in girls and she was like “yeah thats you” but still refuses to even consider that i might have adhd. | ADHD |
I've been trying to go through my day today as chill as possible and have been trying to study but while I've been, PAST EVENTS AND INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS JUST KEEP APPEARING. It's SO DIFFICULT to control 😭 I've been trying to resist it but I just feel SO MUCH ANXIETY SJJCKFKFMC. im so tired pls... | OCD |
I don't know what it should 'feel' like. I've been having trouble sleeping for weeks, although even if I sleep for 9+ hours I still can't seem to get out of bed. During the day, I have little energy and even though I can do work and school stuff just fine, I keep getting distracted. I hardly have any appetite and my emotions are extremely stable, to the point where I don't really get any peaks anymore, just a solid, fat mediocre feeling of 'somewhere in the middle'.
And yet I don't know what caused this. I've been searching online for what it might be and though I hit some of the signs of depression, I don't want to waste someone's time when it turns out it's just something else...
Can anyone help me out? | depression |
I've recently been working through self-help books to try and deal with past trauma, and associated codependent behaviour.
I'm finding the information very insightful and valuable, it offers a great deal of understanding and is helping me with recognition and acceptance.
What isn't helpful, is the advice.
"Set yourself goals!"
"Keep busy with hobbies you enjoy!"
"Be mindful and don't obsess!"
These, I've no doubt, are fantastic methods and clearly work for many people. These books are best sellers, and Google echoes the same advice, as do therapists, counsellors, TED Talks, gurus etc etc.
But what about when you have ADHD? When goal setting and motivation are often near impossible? When negative thoughts become a hyperfocus?
As we all know, "JUST DO THIS!" is advice that simply doesn't help, and can actually make us feel worse and more useless than we did before. Not great when you're being told that to stop being codependent, you need to improve your self-esteem and self-belief.
Does anyone know of any resources or books which are helpful in bridging the gap between managing codependency, or dealing with trauma, when you have ADHD?
I cannot seem to find anything. It's one or the other. | ADHD |
I'm sorry if this question is confuse. I have a hard time trying to communicate properly. Sentence construction is not that easy for me. And that's why I'm used to quote phrases already made who fit the situation I'm in, most of them funny jokes or some funny stuff I learn watching cartoons, movies etc.
Sadly, most of the people I talk to doesn't even acknowledge my voice when I say these stuff. Some of them ignore what I've said, and when they have to reply via text message they send some emojis like "shy face". Well, I don't get it.
If I could guess, I'm being inadequate. But I really don't know how to communicate (...let's say...) using voice, without referring to some kind of preexisting phrase. I like jokes because I feel like I'm being easy-going, but things don't go that way with NTs.
When I use the same technique with my fellow NDs things go smooth and easy, and they even laugh and recognize the reference!
I don't know, man, I'm kinda sad and feeling like an outsider between people I try to communicate. When I was younger people found that cute, now, nobody hires me for a job. Conclusion, I'm being even more quiet as I'm getting older. I'm 23 btw. | aspergers |
I’ve been on a low dose of immediate release Adderall for many years and I don’t think it does much for me, but it also doesn’t screw with me. I tried the XR before the IR but I’d forget to eat for 8+ hrs and had bad sleeps.
I just realized there might be other options. After talking to my doc I was given Vyvanse. WEEEH I hate it! It makes me so sleepy! Also makes me want to roll my eyes back in my head…if that makes sense? Honestly tho, none of this makes any sense.
Now going to try a lower dose of Adderall XR, but would love to hear about other’s medication journey! What works/doesn’t work for you? | ADHD |
Sometimes my mind runs so fast i just thinking about everything my accident my ex it all just comes at 1 time and i hate it i hate that i have to take pills to stop myself from having a anxiety attack i just wanna delete all memories i really wish u could and start mentally new | ptsd |
Hello I'm not formally diagnosed and mostly looking for clarity so I can talk to my psychologist about this issue going on at home, I'm sorry to intrude but just looking for answers.
Well to begin with my parents have this 150 pound german shepherd bull mastiff mix who's bitten me and my siblings many times over the last three and a half years, but what was the tipping point for me to start feeling the common symptoms of PTSD was when he tackled me to to the ground and bit me on the wrist and leg while guarding a chocolate chip cookie be buried. Ever since then I've been scared to be around him, constant nightmares, nausea, sensory issues have been enhanced (also mixed with my Autism spectrum disorder) and physical body pain and anxiety. Did this dog attack cause me to develop ptsd or am I just being too sensitive.
Thanks in advance | ptsd |
# Online Mindfulness Therapy for recovering from PTSD and trauma
# The role of traumatic memory in PTSD
​
Welcome. So I'd like to talk a little bit about the role of traumatic memories in PTSD. So typically visual memories are processed naturally by the mind and they undergo certain changes in their properties over time.
​
So typically a memory will start off large and intense in detail and color and will seem very close. But over time the image becomes smaller in size. It seems to become more distant. There's a spatial reorganization of its position in our visual memory and it looses details and becomes more fuzzy, in effect. So this is a natural process by which the mind processes visual imagery.
​
Now in the case of traumatic imagery this process doesn't happen, so the traumatic imagery remains at its original level of intensity in the mind. It remains very large, very close, and typically very high in the psychological visual field and very intense colors and details and other properties that essentially keep that experience alive, because imagery is the primary way that the mind organizes emotion. So intense large imagery will create intense launch emotions.
​
So the primary issue that we have to deal with when we're working with PTSD or any other kind of traumatic or disturbing intrusive imagery, is to find ways of reprocessing the imagery, helping it resolve itself in this natural way.
​
The typical kind of ways that we can examine to help it resolve is to make it smaller, to make it further away in how we see it in the mind, to change the color of the imagery. Often changing it from an intense color into black and white can have quite profound effects on the emotional intensity of the image.
​
So we have to do this consciously, and that is where mindfulness comes in. So the way we do this is that we mindfully meditate on the traumatic image. Look at its details and then start exploring changing the details of how we see that image to help it resolve. We often describe this as helping to digest the sensory overload that is encoded in that imagery. So that's something I have termed mindfulness-based imagery processing, and that's very much a part of my approach to working with PTSD.
Read more: **Online Mindfulness Therapy for PTSD** [**https://pdmstrong.wordpress.com/online-mindfulness-therapy-for-ptsd/**](https://pdmstrong.wordpress.com/online-mindfulness-therapy-for-ptsd/) | ptsd |
Only the 8-12 hrs it works? longer? Will the traces of it in my system have an effect on my sleep after the immediate effects wear off? Can't believe I can't find the answer to this online. It's not like I wake up at the same exact time every day. Shit happens and I need to decide whether to skip my dose or not when I start the day late so I can go to sleep at a reasonable time. | ADHD |
Hello!
I hope this is okay to post here.
I’ve been in a relationship for a few years now that has been loving and happy. The past year and a bit has been absolutely terrible for my mental health especially when it comes to my ocd and anxiety. Recently our relationship has become a little less stable (I won’t explain here).
Because of our relationship troubles I’ve been having some intrusive thoughts about my partner seeing other people, I’ve tried all the techniques I’ve learnt to help but nothing has worked and half of the day I can barely breathe because I’m so anxious. Even friends of theirs that they’ve known for ages platonically have been making me anxious. Is this something I should speak to my partner about? ( I know it’s irrational which is why I haven’t mentioned it yet).
I hope this makes sense, sorry I’m just freaking out and needed an outlet! | OCD |
A little over a month ago I was in a car accident. I was attempting to make a left-hand turn while another car was signaling like they were going to make a right hand turn. They ended up going straight and my car got hit in the passenger side door. I wasn't really sure what was going on when I finally looked up and saw these white bags around me. I was freaking out when I realized they were my airbags, I had blood everywhere, and I couldn't find my phone. I remember trying to catch my breath and just sitting in the car wondering what I should do next. A good Samaritan pulled over his car to check on both of us and he offered to help me out of the car. I just kind of stared at him blankly and started thinking about how hard I'd always worked on everything and that I tried my best to be kind to everyone in life. I sort of resigned myself to the idea that this could be it and that would be okay if I passed away.
Ever since then I've really been struggling with how to cope with this accident. I feel like a lot of the stuff I'm doing right now is stuff that I never should've been doing. I'm having a hard time finding joy in activities that used to bring me a lot of joy (I enjoy making and designing things but broke my wrist). I loved talking about cars and driving my car to new random places but now want to go as few places as possible and haven't started driving yet. I'm still pretty hyperaroused when I'm next to other cars on the highway/sometimes I get really easily upset when I'm on the road. I was at Costco the other day and some kid went and ran a cart into a support post and this was really distressing for me.
I'm having a hard time admitting my PTSD to people because I was treated successfully in the past and now I feel like a lot of that is gone and admitting to myself that I've relapsed is hard. We have a resource nurse at work who doesn't understand why I'm still feeling this way and I'm not sure how they don't understand why I feel this way. When they make these comments it starts to make me feel like all of my feelings about the accident are just made up. I feel like I just started being able to express my feelings within the last couple of weeks because before then I didn't have the words to describe how I was feeling/I was using work to try and stay busy/all of the paperwork that came with being in a car accident was distracting enough.
I have no idea how to move on from this. I'm see my counselor again next Friday and then I don't have a session booked with her again until mid-March... Just having a hard time admitting to myself I'm back to this point especially when people are questioning my feelings. | ptsd |
I get incredibly emotional nightmares (of dread and panic) fairly often that seep into my mood the following days. They really suck, but for now I’m ok living with them. Has anyone out there had their nightmares decrease or increase in frequency/severity? I’m wondering what works and doesn’t work for people out there with ptsd. I was thinking of reaching out for treatment sometime in the coming months, but I don’t want to be put on medications for it. Ty for reading! | ptsd |
I suffer from depression and anxiety and was also diagnosed with ADHD 6 months ago. Started taking stimulants which has helped both my mood and ADHD immensely. I've been finding that on days when I don't take my meds (adderall XR) my depression can become much more intense, in that I'll experience super low energy and get more lost in thought thinking negatively about my life and the world. Anyone else experience this? | ADHD |
So to my therapist recommendation I started seeing a psychiatrist. My therapist believes I have ocd but my psychiatrist does not and won’t treat me for it. I have dealt with intrusive thoughts for little over a year now and it’s ruining my life. Endless sleepless nights of worrying, compulsions, and rituals. I’m scared that maybe my intrusive thoughts are actually what i desire. It’s scaring me. Im embarrassed by my thoughts so i’m afraid i didn’t open up enough. What should i do?? | OCD |
I’m turning 25 in October and from 15 to now, I have struggled with relationships. When I was 16-22, I struggled a lot with my friendships. I’d always get upset when they wouldn’t respond. It would feel like 30-45 minutes without a response and 5 minutes would have just passed. I always felt like they were talking shit about me or genuinely only kept me around because they felt bad for me. Luckily, with having friends who understood that I have anxiety about things, they would reassure me.
However, I’m noticed this effecting my romantic relationships. I’m not easy to love. I’ve been with horrible people but I also know I am not perfect. Whenever my ex’s needed space, I felt unable to give it to them. I would constantly check their social media to see if they would randomly block me or unfollow me. I also checked if they were actively ignoring me but seeing if they following a new account, likes anything, or were active. I know this behaviour isn’t right. But I can’t stop.
I cannot distract myself. I know I’m anxious, but the whole “distract yourself and do something to you love will help”. It doesn’t. Because I can’t stop thinking about it.
Some examples I can think of was when my last boyfriend wasn’t sure if we had a future and wanted space. I couldn’t give it to him which eventually turned into him dumping me. I felt like when he’d make certain facial expressions during sex, I’d assume he thought I looked ugly or he didn’t enjoy it as much as he would want. Was there proof of this? No.
A therapist I saw when I was 16 said I showed signs of Borderline Personality Disorder. I was never assessed because my parents were not supportive and thought I was okay. At most, I took a low dose anti-depressant which didn’t help. But I did come googling and I talked to my sister (a psychiatric nurse) that OCD in relationships is normal.
I know I haven’t been diagnosed but I just wanted to know if people with this type of OCD can relate.
TLDR: I think I may have relationship OCD. But I’m not sure of my symptoms are aligned to that. | OCD |
I have a speech impairment and I hate when people can't understand me. It's embarrassed when I have to repeat myself.dose anyone else deal with this problem. And then everyone treats you like your stupid which I really hate. | aspergers |
For anyone who has overcome obsessions, how do you block out intrusive or obsessive thoughts? If so It'd be helpful if I got some advice to stop them. Thanks for reading! | OCD |
Im 18 I love drinking, smoking weed, and I'm open to experment with drugs. I'm a self sabotaging person and I know exactly what I'm doing but I do not care. I'm dying one day anyways might as well do it on my own terms. I always had that feeling I won't make it past 30. life is shit, lifes a joke, everything I do is just leading to my death anyways might as well just do what I want. | aspergers |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.