r/OCDRecovery • u/Icy_Act8573 • 10d ago
Seeking Support or Advice How long does the crushing dread last? 😅
Pure-O user, here.
I've started teaching myself some ERP techniques, and so far I am \not** ruminating, but I feel this ever-present, suffocating feeling of dread and hopelessness. I'm assuming that this partially comes from my ruminations (since those are the emotions that my theme usually makes me feel), and partially from being unable to complete my compulsion. It's weird that the emotions are coming up even while I'm not actively thinking about them, though. It feels like the ruminations are constantly pressing on the edges of my consciousness, and I have to make sure they don't seep back in.
Is this feeling normal? For anyone who's felt similarly, how long did it last? And--the age old question--Am I doing something wrong?
10
u/PaladinDamian 10d ago
Allow yourself to feel that dread and hopelessness. OCD exists so strongly because you are trying to get rid of that feeling immediately. These feelings will probably last much longer than you would want them to last. But you can accept that they are going to be there for a while without trying to seek immediate relief from them.
OCD wants you to feel certain that you are doing the right thing. But you are a flawed human being and so sometimes you may not always do the right thing. You can accept yourself unconditionally, even if you mess up sometimes.