Trust me it does get better. You just need to give it time and trust in yourself. The mind is so powerful and it came honestly play tricks on us. I downloaded calm when I was having a bad time and that helped but to be honest I have t used it since xthank you that’s really helpfulI keep having moments of clarity and calm where I tell myself they are just thoughts and don’t mean I’m bad but then ten minutes later my mind creeps back up doubting it and saying u must be this and that, what if it wasn’t an intrusive thought and I’m just bad etc
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Good morning trixabelle and, everyone else. I hope everyone is good and slept well. I just want to say that I think the OCD connection is very interesting.. I would never have connected the two. Like others on here I also suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. I have always had OCD to some degree but I have found this has escalated over the last few years. It isn't anything that impedes on my life too much but I HAVE to do certain things in an EXACT way because if I don't I feel a bit distressed and anxious. I didn't have a happy childhood and some of it was traumatic so I assume all my problems today stem from that. There was a lot of violence and control. 
Anyway, I don't want to prattle on, I just wanted to share that as we are anonymous and I also know I won't be judged on here.
Anyway, I don't want to prattle on, I just wanted to share that as we are anonymous and I also know I won't be judged on here.
sorry to hear thatGood morning trixabelle and, everyone else. I hope everyone is good and slept well. I just want to say that I think the OCD connection is very interesting.. I would never have connected the two. Like others on here I also suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. I have always had OCD to some degree but I have found this has escalated over the last few years. It isn't anything that impedes on my life too much but I HAVE to do certain things in an EXACT way because if I don't I feel a bit distressed and anxious. I didn't have a happy childhood and some of it was traumatic so I assume all my problems today stem from that. There was a lot of violence and control.
Anyway, I don't want to prattle on, I just wanted to share that as we are anonymous and I also know I won't be judged on here.
I had a good childhood so it’s weird for me to suffer I feel I have no excuse! Although I’ve always always had a feeling I’m slightly autistic which could make life harder I guess I’m still convinced I’m a bad person and keep thinking what if these thoughts weren’t intrusive what if they were me I allowed them in and thought about them after so I don’t know I’m still incredibly anxious xxMaybe I have got ocd as I do things in a very specific way as well and have weird fears like being sure the house will fall down if I have a bath xx
Hi there, I suffer with depression, generalised anxiety disorder and OCD. I have had all three since childhood, although I didn't receive official diagnoses for all three conditions until I was well into adulthood. Intrusive thoughts are a classic symptom of OCD and something I suffer with until this day, I always suffer more with them when I'm stressed but they can occur at any time. These thoughts are deeply distressing as they always centre on things that are abhorrent to me - like harming animals, babies or other people, destroying someone else's property etc. These are all things I would never do in a million years and I have spent a lot of time and energy trying to neutralise the thoughts by seeing phrases like "I didn't mean that" and "I would not do that" in big bold letters in my mind - I have to visualise the thought, not just think it, for it to be effective. I have had cognitive behavioural therapy for my OCD and the psychologist who treated me explained that everyone has bad thoughts to one degree or another. I would encourage you to ask your GP to refer you for treatment as it can really help. You're not alone, believe me, I can fully empathise with your experience.
So do you even get it when the person or child is right in front of you? Something you shouldn’t think about or an image etc? I just can’t believe my mind would think this abs I’m really beating myself up and scared I have a counsellor ringing me later but no idea where to even start and worried she’ll say no this is just you being wrong weird etc
I'm sorry to learn you are still anxious, hopefully your medication starts working soon.sorry to hear that
Maybe I have got ocd as I do things in a very specific way as well and have weird fears like being sure the house will fall down if I have a bath xx
It's interesting you mentioned that you think you may be slightly autistic because I have thought that about myself for a while. I can relate to certain symptoms of autism but I just thought that perhaps everyone could relate to it in some way so I pushed it to the back of my mind.
Regarding your OCD thoughts - I think similar things will happen if I don't do certain things in a certain way so I can totally empathise with you on that..
Stay strong and healthy
I wonder if yours may be a bit more deep rooted that anxiety. To me is does sound more like traits of ocd / panic disorder and they are manifesting into these thoughts. Like the above poster said you need to try and neutralise these thoughts and use a different association and really visualise it xsorry to hear that
Maybe I have got ocd as I do things in a very specific way as well and have weird fears like being sure the house will fall down if I have a bath xx
Yes, that has happened with me and it disgusts me and makes me feel evil. Knowing that I would never ever act on any of the thoughts is what saves me and how I know I'm not evil. Knowing that they are a symptom of a medical condition makes it much, much easier to dismiss them too. Please be assured that no professional counsellor is ever going to dismiss your symptoms or make you feel like you are weird. I have seen several therapists in the NHS over the years and they have all been extremely professional and empathetic (I work in the NHS myself and know the levels of clinical governance medical staff are held to). Tell your therapist everything, that way they can tailor a treatment plan to your individual needs and that way you will gain the most benefit. There is light at the end of the tunnel and you have taken the most important step of all in seeking help. It took me years to get help (not for lack of trying, but there was not much help available in the 1980s) and as a consequence I spent years being tortured by my own mind. Having had treatment I find it much, much easier to dismiss any horrible thoughts with a quick "oh get lost OCD!".
Thank you and thank you all for being so kind I can’t believe it xx I never knew about any of this and thinking about it I’ve probably struggled with it for years I wish I’d had counselling when my mental health wasn’t so bad and just addressed it then for example I can’t go abroad atm and I have panic attacks the whole time and miss home ... that seems nothing now compared to this
You're welcome, I hope you feel better soon and can get back to enjoying life!
You can always message me if you need supporting or just a chat.
I promise you they will not report you or tell anyone else
... and the very fact the thoughts upset you shows that you are not dangerous or weird or anything else!This is so true. Very good point.I promise you they will not report you or tell anyone else
Hi trixabelle, just a wee message to see how you are feeling this week. Hope you're feeling better 
Hello thank you for checking in I’m now back at work after half term feeling a tiny bit better but still just really quiet and fragileHi trixabelle, just a wee message to see how you are feeling this week. Hope you're feeling better
had my second counselling session tonight and tbh I felt like it wasn’t that helpful not focusing on the right things just random other things if that makes sense xx just exhausted I think hope your okay tooHi, thank you for taking the time to reply. Im glad you're feeling a little bit better, I was hoping you would be. Even a tiny bit is a step in the right direction. Hope you improve as the days and weeks go on and that you find the counselling helpful through time.Hello thank you for checking in I’m now back at work after half term feeling a tiny bit better but still just really quiet and fragile
Stay strong xx
I get these all the time they are so common something like 99% of the world gets them. Most people will get a thought for example when their driving and think oh what if I just drove this car of a cliff? And then they can laugh it off, but for others like us we worry and get upset trying to work out what they actually mean, why did we get them etc. That is called ruminating. In my experience medication isn’t the right way to treat them. CBT is. There is a brilliant site that’s free called CBT4PANIC. It breaks it all down and tells you about ways to help yourself. Mine change all the time and some days I do struggle but they are normal thoughts. Be kind to yourself, one day you’ll get to the point you’ll be able to just think well that thought is no more than a tired thought in a tired mind, let it go x
And also counselling isn’t a good way to treat them, it’s CBT. With intrusive thoughts it isn’t so much about exploring why we get them, it’s all about changing the thought connection and reframing them. Sometimes when I’m with my nan and I’m making tea I have an image of myself just throwing the tea over my lovey nan that I do laugh at, but the serious ones like when there scary it scares me still!.
You’ll get through this one you learn techniques and stuff.
And also counselling isn’t a good way to treat them, it’s CBT. With intrusive thoughts it isn’t so much about exploring why we get them, it’s all about changing the thought connection and reframing them. Sometimes when I’m with my nan and I’m making tea I have an image of myself just throwing the tea over my lovey nan that I do laugh at, but the serious ones like when there scary it scares me still!.
You’ll get through this one you learn techniques and stuff.
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Thank you for this comment it’s really helped. I had two counselling sessions in the past two weeks and it hasn’t been helpful at all as I’ve said. She randomly gave me a bedtime an focused on the wrong things and not what I approached her for
I’ll try the CBT then thank you xxxOh god no! Defo leave the counselling I mean If there’s anything you need counselling for then have it. But if it’s just for the thoughts don’t, they can’t teach you the techniques you need and my old therapist who taught me the CBT and literally helped changed my life, god bless the nhs. He said to me if a therapist ever try’s to explore your past on to why you have the thoughts, run a mile. CBT is all focus based on the now and present not the past. We have something like ten thousand thoughts a day most you don’t notice, you only notice the uncomfortable ones and your job is to recognise that thought, catch it, neutralise it and move on. When you get that thought and you feel the anxiety breathe through it, sit with it and it will pass.Thank you for this comment it’s really helped. I had two counselling sessions in the past two weeks and it hasn’t been helpful at all as I’ve said. She randomly gave me a bedtime an focused on the wrong things and not what I approached her for
And also this is a brilliant one.
If you was going Tesco and you didn’t want to forget you needed teabags, you’d keep thinking about tea bags. When that Thought comes on you keep thinking about it, so then you place importance on that thought and the brain thinks oh this is important I’ll keep remembering it. Just like you when you need to remember your teabags. Once you got the teabags you don’t think about them again. Make it the same with thoughts.
I feel a bit annoyed at her
I’m in my over draft and took the hit and paid £85 for each session I had two, an it was crap no strategies or help at all just stupid questions like why am I looking out the window 
so now worse with money! Whenever I talked about the thoughts she’d brush it of even tho thats what was breaking me defo gonna try CBT instead thank you so much XxxxAn The first session was her basically asking my life storyI feel a bit annoyed at her
Oh that’s awful!I feel a bit annoyed at her
An The first session was her basically asking my life story
do what I do phone the gp or look for CBT in your area most nhs waiting lists can take a whilst but you will get there with them, most you can self refer I did it and I had my CBT for free. Until you can get into an appointment use the website CBT4PANIC read through it all, it can be quite overwhelming at first but have a read through it all and it’ll teach you stuff, I’ll attach some pics about thoughts I still read again now. X
Do you have something called Iapt. In your area I’m in Surrey and we had this x
