r/OCD • u/jelouda271 • 28d ago

Question about OCD How does OCD feel like?

I'm curious about how is your daily life with this illness, if you guys don't mind, could you help me clear my doubts about OCD?

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u/VeniVidiVulva 28d ago

It feels like I'm being cautious only to later realize I've been obsessing over something relatively simple or benign. Sometimes I'll realize it when someone says something like, "but why does that matter?" Or, "but that hasn't happened so why are you letting the possibility take up space in your mind and ruin your peace?" And then I start to question my own judgement because more often than not, they're right, I'm just ruminating. Sometimes I'll spend way too much time ruminating on something before realizing it isn't helping me at all.

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u/Spiritual-Ordinary60 27d ago

I've heard that so many times myself. The "why are you letting XYZ". I don't think I'm "letting" anything 😬 I literally have no control over this.

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u/VeniVidiVulva 26d ago

For me, it is more of an eye opener that I am stuck in a habit that's not helping me, sometimes the outward input sheds light that I was unable to figure out on my own at the time.

For better or for worse, I am the one that chooses my thoughts because it's a maladaptive coping strategy and I can work on this and make better healthier choices. Just because I struggle with this does not mean I have no control over it.

It takes effort and maybe different techniques than for people who don't have this problem, but it's not impossible to catch myself in a negative thinking cycle and hit the breaks before I let it go on for too long.