OCD & Intrusive thoughts
Living with OCD can feel exhausting, frightening and incredibly isolating.
You may find yourself trapped in cycles of intrusive thoughts, overthinking, checking, reassurance- seeking or mental rumination that feel impossible to switch off.
Perhaps your mind constantly searches for certainty, leaving you feeling anxious, overwhelmed and emotionally drained.
Maybe it's started to impact your relationships with people because no matter how hard you try not to, you end up asking them for reassurance or to just quickly check something for you.
Many people struggling with OCD also experience shame or fear about the thoughts they are having, making it difficult to speak openly about what they are experiencing. Depending on the nature of your intrusive thoughts you may even believe that people wouldn't want to know you if you told them your thoughts.
It may not feel like it right now but you are not alone in this.
What OCD can feel like?
OCD can affect people in many different ways and is often far more than simply being "neat and tidy" which is unfortunately a common misconception.
You may experience:
~intrusive or distressing thoughts
~ constant doubt and uncertainty
~repetitive checking behaviours
~reassurance seeking
~mental compulsions or rumination
~fears around harm, contamination, relationships, morality and many other themes
~ overwhelming anxiety or guilt
~difficulty trusting yourself or your thoughts
For many people OCD can begin to take over daily life, relationships and emotional wellbeing, leaving them feeling stuck in exhausting cycles of anxiety and fear.
Understanding Intrusive thoughts
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted thoughts, images or urges that can feel incredibly distressing, frightening or completely out of character.
Often the more you try to get rid of these thoughts or find certainty, the stronger the anxiety becomes. This can create a cycle where OCD continues to grow and maintain itself over time.
Therapy can help you to better understand these patterns and develop healthier ways of responding to intrusive thoughts and anxiety.
Together we can work towards:
~understanding cycles that keep OCD going
~reducing reassurance seeking and compulsive patterns
~developing healthier responses to anxiety and uncertainty
~building tolerance to distress
~reducing shame and self- criticism
~helping you feel more grounded and in control
Living with OCD can feel incredibly lonely, especially when anxiety and intrusive thoughts begin to affect daily life and relationships.
Therapy can help you feel less trapped by fear and more able to respond to thoughts and emotions with greater understanding and flexibility.
If you would like to explore whether therapy feels right for you, you are welcome to get in touch.