How to resist your OCD compulsions

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[@mariacristinaantiniw1497]

100 percent true, even minor details ocd will do everything just ot hook you up for a compulsion, ocd never sleep

[@stuckinthemudofficial]

@@mariacristinaantiniw1497 Absolutely agree, OCD doesn’t give up! Xx

[@AdrienneFollini]

Hi Kirsty! I have health anxiety ocd , also some harm ocd after the birth of my son. In 1993 there was not really any understanding of ocd, I was just told I had to take a pill the rest of my life, I asked for counseling back then and told it wouldn’t help, I’m so glad education on ocd has come out. Now at 55 I’m trying to learn the tools to help myself more through education out there and videos, when all you do is meds and come off without those tools you go right back into relapse, now I’m perimenopausal and my meds don’t work as well and I’m navigating HRT but I never thought it would get this much worse at this season with my life. Thank you for your videos…

[@stuckinthemudofficial]

Hi, thanks for watching my channel. I’m sorry to hear you’re going through this too. 😞 I really sympathise with this as health anxiety OCD has been my most recent experience after the birth of my fifth child 3 years ago. It’s always been there but it really gripped me after my daughter was born. I now realise perimenopause could have played its part as at 42 nothing seemed to go back the same after the birth. I have also found out that health anxiety is quite common with women in their 40’s & 50’s as we are going through so many changes with our hormones it is really unsettling. I too didn’t expect to feel such an increase in my OCD & anxiety symptoms during this time. Meta cognitive therapy has been extremely helpful in my recovery these last few years, especially as I lost my mum during this time & I think that played its part during the postpartum period as she was very unwell. These tools really help when dealing with intrusive thoughts of which I still get especially regarding health but I do my best not to engage with them & let them be there with as least involvement as possible. It really does work but takes practice, patience & consistency. Also remember to be kind to yourself, none of this is easy to deal with. I wish you all the very best, much love Kirsty. 😊❤️🫶 Xx

[@AdrienneFollini]

@@stuckinthemudofficialcan I ask what helps you when you have these intense feelings of anxiety?

[@stuckinthemudofficial]

@@AdrienneFollini I understand it can really feel terrifying & overwhelming whilst in the midst of an anxiety/panic attack. 😞 Ultimately sitting with & letting those thoughts, images, feelings, sensations & urges be there gives us the most freedom from OCD. This takes so much patience & consistency, it’s not a straight path there will be many ups & downs but every time we do this we’re showing OCD that it won’t control us anymore. We must give ourselves self compassion none of this is easy to navigate but we don’t deserve to have our lives made so much smaller by OCD & anxiety. When I was having so many panic attacks after my daughter was born I felt like I needed relief in the moment so I would do breath work, breathing in through my nose & out through my mouth. I would also do some yoga nidra meditation or something similar. I found a great channel on KZbin called The Mindful Movement that really helped me when I was having very bad days to calm my mind & body down. Everyone is different but this certainly helped me through a very dark time. You’ve got this, much love Kirsty! 😊❤️🫶 Xx

[@coffeemaplays4787]

Thank u so much Kirsty for your videos!!❤

[@stuckinthemudofficial]

You’re so welcome, thank you for being a great support to my channel! 😊❤️🙌 Xx

[@ВладимирМарков-н9м]

Hi, Kirsty! My name's Vladimir. What I've just tried to do is the video for KZbin with my complaints about my life lol, but not sure I will upload any of them. I'm 34, I've been havin' severe magical thinking ocd for more than 20 years. My life is almost fully controlled by this shit despite the fact I know about ERP and I've been studying psychology. I got rid of some compulsions in the past, but now my life is at the zero point. I'm a russian guy, I work as an English teacher for dimes, I don't have friends and I feel insanely alone. I found your channel maybe at the beginning of June and I wanna tell you that you make great videos and you're a nice person!🙂 Some hours ago I talked to another therapist and it costed a significant amount of money, he's a great man and I do understand it's only the first session, but why the f**k it should cost such money to listen about my unhappy life? I love your accent, by the way, I think it's a northerth one.🙂 Kirsty, I've been studying psychology on my own and what I've noticed that people in the west (but I'm not yet familiar with all of these ACT and other stuff) generally talk about ERP, which is great that they tell people about this method, but it's only tip of the iceberg. I believe that scientific psychological theory that tells the reason of OCD as well as panic attacks and other anxiety disorders is the inner conflict inside of our mind. Maybe you will be interested in Jacques Lacan. People sometimes ask - why my ocd themes switch, because exposure doesn't treat a person's personality! and every personality is different. For example, a woman hides knives cuz she is afraid to kill her child - it's a symptom, she can get used to sit with the knife in her hand but her inner anxiety won't go away, because if to dig deeper we can find out that she was married to the man she doesn't love and now she's havin' a baby and it's kinda like a protective mechanism from our nervous system - it is easier to hide knives, to be afraid of that our thoughts will be materialised or any of the ocd fears, cuz people sometimes have many problems in real life and they don't know how to solve them. So, these problems can influence our mental health, but I don't want to say that compulsions isn't a problem, it's a f***ing big big problem, but after ERP I beleive a person should dig deeper into his, her, their own lives to understand what was the trigger for ocd. what do you think about this theory?

[@stuckinthemudofficial]

Hi Vladimir, thank you so much for watching my channel I really appreciate it. Yes my accent is a Northern one, I was born in Manchester! 👏 I’m sorry to hear you’ve been in the grips of OCD for so long like myself. Magical thinking has been a big part of my journey with OCD since being a small child, it can really take hold of your life & control everything. I fully sympathise with this as it becomes the only way we know how to live. 😞 You sound much like myself & since you’ve studied psychology you will understand how it all works with the mechanisms that keep us locked in this cycle, however even that knowledge is sometimes not enough to keep us from engaging in obsessions & compulsions. What you have said has really interested me as I too have looked for the deeper meaning behind my OCD & as you have suggested personality certainly plays it’s part. I personally believe OCD sufferers are generally very sensitive, empathetic & deep thinking people which makes us very susceptible to this disorder, I also think there are biological factors at play too. But at a deeper level I established for myself a fear of death & loss that has kept me controlled by OCD for many many years. This along with life experiences has really impacted the severity of my OCD at certain times of my life. I think this knowledge has been instrumental for me in healing from OCD, it has taken up so much of my life & no one deserves this. If I can get better from this then I know anyone going through this disorder can do too. Meta cognitive therapy might be helpful for you, it has been a fundamental part of my recovery along with the tools I’ve learned from parts of other therapy such as ERP & ACT. I have utilised the parts that work for me, although I know that generally speaking it’s recommended for people to stick to one form of therapy at a time as not to confuse things. I do also agree that the cost of therapy can be extremely expensive, I hope to support & mentor individuals in the future at a much reduced cost. I believe it should be more affordable to aid in the recovery of mental health sufferers & be more readily available. I have found myself at rock bottom in the past & feeling there is no one available to listen who understands what I’m going through, so I hope to offer something to change that. I will look into the person you mentioned, thank you for that information. I wish you all the very best, Kirsty 😊 Xx

[@helenterry2018]

Hi Kirsty, a fantastic video thank you! My problem is that my OCD makes me think I've caused someone harm so I find it impossible not to carry out my checking compulsion. I'm so scared that if I don't check then this time I will have harmed somebody and I'll feel so awful for days, it's unbearable 😢Xxx

[@stuckinthemudofficial]

Hi 👋 thank you for watching & being a great support to my channel. I understand that overwhelming need to check, this particular obsession was part of my OCD for years. I feared I’d either harmed someone accidentally or intentionally & if I didn’t check I’d fear I would never be able to get rid of that thought or worry. The uncertainty is the worst as I felt how could I live with myself knowing that I potentially caused harm to someone. The reality is this is all OCD & it’s trying it’s best to keep us stuck in a loop, that never ending cycle of intrusive thoughts. We really do need to test it out & I worked with my therapist on this. I had to resist checking, letting those thoughts & urges be there. It really isn’t easy & it doesn’t feel good at first as we will feel some anxiety, that’s what we’re supposed to feel. But the more we can test this out & realise nothing actually happened we’re starving OCD of the attention it craves. This is when something amazing happens with each little step in this direction we’re teaching our brain that these are all nonsense thoughts that don’t require a response. We will then realise we’re getting less of them this takes time & patience, be kind to yourself though I certainly know how challenging all of this is but I know you can do it. Healing is possible from this awful disorder, you’ve got this! Kirsty 😊❤️🙌 Xx

[@helenterry2018]

@@stuckinthemudofficial Thank you so much for your reply. It really helps me to know that I'm not on my own with this as it can feel isolating when you can't talk to people about it easily. I am really struggling recently with this debilitating disorder. Thanks again Kirsty xxx ❤️

[@elenasavvides1]

Hi Kirsty. This video has been so helpful I can’t tell you. I also watched your video about perimenopause and OCD which is something I’m also dealing with at the moment. I’d love to share experiences if you’d be open to do that.

[@stuckinthemudofficial]

@@elenasavvides1 Hey sorry to hear you’ve been going through a similar experience with perimenopause & OCD. It really can throw up some difficult things to deal with in this season of life, I certainly am open to sharing just need to figure out the best way to do it! Much love Kirsty. 😊❤️ Xx