How do you deal with it/live on with OCD?

[LockieKermit]

I haven't been to a psychologyst yet but I will do.

Im 15, I had in my opinion, bad OCD when I was like, 8-10 but because I was young I didn't know, nor care. But ever since I was like 6 I would worry about things, poison, death, losing my parents, etc. To this day I still cant go a full day without a little bit of anxiety.

If you ask me, my OCD is mild on a good day and moderate most days.

I dont have the common compulsions like washing hands etc but I think I have pure obsessive, I have intrusive thoughts, Fear of being alone and general anxiety about random shit that no one should care about.

My question is, how do you deal with it day to day? what things do you do to help with the stress and such?

 

[Zippo]

This is my first time posting, so hi there and hi to everyone else on this site.

For me, what works the best to help with the stress among other things is reinforcing to myself that the intrusive thoughts are not really what I think or want and are just thoughts. For the fears I usually try to remind myself why they are irrational, I try to disprove them. In really bad anxiety situations I try to not let myself become lost in the anxiety, but rather let the anxiety just run its course until I am calm again (which, trust me, I know is scary and hard to do lol).

Having someone to talk to about everything, especially in bad situations really helps too. One of the biggests things that helps me is being able to go to a therapist. I have been seeing one for a while now and I've never been less fearful of my thoughts than I am now. This is all what helps me though, and i believe that if other things help othe people too then thats awesome

 

[LockieKermit]

I think an important thing to add is that everyones OCD is different. Each have there own fears, own anxieties. But I believe in a sense people that have to deal with OCD and other anxiety disorders are tough and in a certain way, better for it. If I could get rid of my ocd thats magnificent but I would never take it all back and wish it away.

 

[getbornagain]

You have no choice but to deal with it. It makes life "interesting".

 

[IDK94657]

Sleep or drive around to relieve stress. Or play video games. I've really spent probably the last 4 days doing almost nothing but washing my hands, and now I'm taking paxil to try to help it.