Exactly what you said in this video, once the intrusive thoughts trigger, it follow immediately my anxiety and it goes to compulsion, like seeking for assurance doing things again and again, and sometimes like a statue that can't move my body fighting intrusive thoughts in my brain that cause my anxiety and if I can't surpass I'll do some compulsion to relieve my anxiety. But thank you sir Nat for this video it helps a lot 🙏 God bless us 🙏
I have trich, and when I feel a little stress, I pull, and it’s disrupting my life. Not pulling makes the anxiety so much worse. I discovered last month that I smoke so that I don’t pull which isn’t a good alternative so I’ve taken to drinking water from a straw and that helps to relieve the urge.
I have this kind of intrusive thoughts that started to attacked me since 10 years ago. However nowadays I started to wonder & questionning myself if I really have an ocd
ocd is fkn miserable, it’s genuinely the worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life, and I don’t even wish it on my most worst enemy, it’s unbearable and exhausting
I said this exact thing the past few days. I’ve been sending my friends and family these type of informative videos as I’m not fully present but i literally said all that you’ve said. Especially how I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy and it truly is a life sucker and very unbearable.
Thank you for raising more awareness on what OCD is ACTUALLY like. As someone who is diagnosed with moderate OCD, it irks me that people think it's about liking organization (and I'm a pretty messy person). As for what my OCD is like, I ask for reassurance a lot, have intrusive thoughts, and get hooked on those thoughts. Thanks again for this video!
@@jewelleaston9048 When I was younger I didn't realize that I had it, which made it even more difficult to handle emotions once I was at an age where I knew something wasn't quite right but still not totally aware (and I was also really reluctant to do therapy at first, but later realized that it really helped to work through my OCD to understand it better) I'm glad that there's a lot of awareness out there and that there's help for people like you and me so we have the tools to combat it.
@Abigail Jonczyk Thank you for this. I'm sorry it took me so long to respond, I just haven't had the time to sit down and think of what I wanted to say. In a trange way I find it comforting that they're someone else out there struggling with similar things, for the longest time I put off even talking about it to anyone as I thought I was just being "absurd" or "crazy". But I honestly think this video, your and others' replies, have given me the courage to try and do something about it. Now that I have a name for it, I want to bring it up with my therapist, so again, thank you.
@abbyjonxd7612 you have just described my issues in one sentence. I didn't even know till just now that it could be OCD I thought that I was just effed in the head like that, maybe I am.
I remember few years back after my wife died, I was left alone with 3 kids. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Got diagnosed with OCD. Not until a friend recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment changed my life for better. I can proudly say i'm totally clean for 6 years and still counting. Always look to nature for solution to tough problems, Shrooms are phenomenal.
I love hearing great life changing stories like this. I want to become a mycologist because honestly mushrooms are the best form of medicine (most especially the psychedelic ones) There are so many people today used magic mushrooms to ween off of SSRI medication- its amazing! Years back i wrote an entire essay about psychedelics. they saved you from death buddy, lets be honest here.
Can you help me with the reliable source 🙏. I'm 56 and have suffered for years with addiction, anxiety and severe ptsd, I got my panic attacks under control myself years ago and they have come back with a vengeance, I'm constantly trying to take full breaths but can't get the full satisfying breath out, it's absolutely crippling me, i live in Germany. I don't know much about these mushrooms. Really need a reliable source!! Can't wait to get them
I'm so very happy for you mate, Psilocybin is absolutely amazing, the way it shows you things, the way it teaches you things. I can not believe our world and our people shows less interest about it's helpfulness to humanity. It's love. The mushrooms heals people by showing the truth, it would be so beneficial for so many people, especially politicians and the rich who have lost their way and every other persons out there.
I was diagnosed with OCD during the pandemic. One thing that blew my mind is that my therapist said that a sensation can be a thought. I had always assumed that thoughts were always made of words but no. I had been feeling ‘contaminated’ whenever I touched a surface that could have been touched by others, to the point I was compelled to take a shower after leaving the house even briefly (ie just being in public air). Like I would have a creepy sensation on my skin. Anyway, my OCD got ultimately calmed when I got a dog and just had to deal with the dirt and mess head on.
I'm just now realizing the things I do do count as ocd symphtoms but still telling myself I'm completely normal and there's no way I could possibly have it.
I suffer from OCD and it is debilitating and I hear people around me say that there "OCD" kicks in and they just clean their house or something. It feels like a stab in the back maybe or that it is made light of when it IS NOT a light thing.
One thing that annoys me is that social media has overused “intrusive thoughts” to point its lost its meaning and it’s sad, because I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy 😢. Yet social media sees intrusive thoughts as, “what if I slapped this bold guys head 🤭” “my intrusive thoughts won” like it’s some funny quirky thing 😒😒 but what they don’t realise is they’re impulsive thoughts and everyone has them, but it’s not intrusive!!!
@milly4556 that's what I've been saying to people that say he let his intrusive toughts win they call it intrusive cause cause they're bad decisions in a public manner intrusive toughts is something that's scares you that make you worry more that you don't like
I don’t have OCD but I do have dermatillomania, which I believe is related. After watching this, I can definitely understand why. I get strong compulsions and overwhelming urges to pick at my skin. Not doing it isn’t an option, at it’s worst, my brain convinces me that I have something under my skin that I need to extract. When I pick, my brain convinces me that I’m making it ‘better’ or that it’d be worse if I didn’t pick. It’s awful and shameful because for me the main area is my face. It gets especially bad when I’m anxious or nervous about something. It’s so self sabotaging and destructive but I can’t stop it.
The way you literally just described me is crazy. Not diagnosed or anything but I have a huge issue with picking at my skin and acne to the point where I do it in my sleep. It makes my acne and hyperpigmentation worse but I feel like I need to extract what I think is still there as you said. I could scratch at my skin for hours until I get large cuts and draw a lot of blood and even the blood doesn't stop me. At least I know I'm not alone.
@@blueberry9907 completely not alone!❤️ I also pick in my sleep, sometimes waking up with blood on my pillow & hands. I’ve recently started putting small plasters over my wounds overnight to try and stop it. I’m so sorry you also go through this, I hope it gets better for us both. I know how exhausting it can be.
I know my opinion doesn't matter, but I feel bad that you find it shameful.. i'm sure those around you that care about you don't find it as something to be ashamed of.. Anyone that judges you have no place to judge because they haven't walked your path. Don't be ashamed.. life is too short to be unhappy.. have you tried CBT? I have OCD.. Sometimes it's a huge help..
@@sunshinelittler5027 Thank you so much for the kind and encouraging words❤️ I haven’t tried CBT but I think I’ll start looking into it. I definitely need help because my skin picking makes life feel like such a chore.
I have been diagnosed as having OCD. The one of these three criteria that I least fit into is the compulsions. My intrusive thoughts are every day, all day. So is my anxiety response. I mostly avoid the compulsions, though. I ignore what my brain would tell me to do. Instead, I just force myself to zone out. I play video games for 12 hours straight, without eating, or moving around very much. I've lost 40 pounds in 2 years. Eating is a chore for me now. I eat to survive, with no enjoyment from it at all. My anxiety is so bad that I avoid allowing myself to even think about anything anymore. I just stopped really living... My entire existence is about not letting myself feel anxiety. I do whatever I need to do to ignore the world. Maybe that IS my compulsion response...
Im not professional whatsoever but. I think you might be right. I use avoidance as my compulsion sometimes. If i feel the stress and anxiety i just want to run from it so i might go on youtube for a while and drown out the noise because honestly when you can't find a way to get rid of the thoughts, you just want them to stop, you just want to be happy. I am new in the journey and discovering what is "wrong" with me and how i respond to my surroundings, but i completely understand why you would pick to live that way. i recently decided to take a complete break from social media. It was sure hard and i was bored at first, but it does great for your mind, and i was on my socials for hours, similar to you 6-13 hours in a day wasted away. when you really face the uncomfortable thats where you blossom and you really have your true self in there, it's always been there. much love bro! good luck :)
Don't think there's something wrong with you for this. Avoidance is a major symptom of OCD. I avoid everything that can give me stress or anxiety, and find myself always distracting myself with social media when bad thoughts and worries come back
Yes, those are compulsions. Compulsions are things that you do with the intention to not feel anxious and to avoid the intrusive thoughts. This can be things like isolating yourself from other people, hiding objects that trigger intrusive thoughts (as well as feelings, false impulses, etc), numbing your brain by watching something or playing all the time because you're afraid of the thoughts coming back after you're done, and not eating out of the guilt and anxiety. It may make you think you're doing better, but really you're no lojger living life. I hope things will get better for you
@@ashm003 yeah... I've lost 40 lbs since I was diagnosed with celiac disease about a year and a half ago. Not to sound self-pitying, but it's an extreme change, cutting out gluten completely, and I made so many painful mistakes that now I'm just more comfortable with the hunger than I am with food. I was 167 at my heaviest. I'm 125 now.
Super similar, TH-cam all day, social media...but then again that can make me more anxious. The gym funnily enough is a compulsion that is positive and negative. I feel good, but if I feel sick and cant go I get intrusive thoughts like "You'll lose all your progress, you'll never reach your goal, you cant stay consistent." Even though logically its not true. Constantly replaying conversations, arguments, so and so months or years after it happened. So fun lol
I don't believe I have OCD but your videos really help me with the obsessive, distorted and fear based thinking. It really works and has done wonders in my life not pushing out the thoughts and just allowing them to be there, not placing meaning on them.
What people also don’t understand about ocd is that it isn’t all about cleanliness or organization. Sometimes these intrusive thoughts and compulsions are super weird, random, and even dangerous. My sister used to be a full time nanny for a family in which the mom had ocd. She was in intense therapy for it and had it under control but still had the intrusive thoughts. One such thought was that she needed to put her newborn baby in the oven or else something bad would happen (I don’t exactly remember what but it was something along the lines of someone dying I think). Imagine that replaying in your head all day long. It’s a horrible reality for many.
a lot of women develop things like this from post partum depression, it's very real and very scary and these moms need lots of love and help and understanding
@@northstar5919 No, that's what real OCD is like. That's what real intrusive thoughts are like. Not "oh I had an intrusive thought to dye my hair and I let the intrusive thoughts win so I'm gonna go dye my hair pink 🤪" unless it's like "I have to dye my hair pink this minute because if I don't, a bomb will go off and it'll all be my fault". When people tell you they struggle with intrusive thoughts and ocd, this is what they're talking about. Getting a thought telling them that they have to do something, even something horrible and dangerous, or something bad will happen. That's why people with ocd can't just "let their intrusive thoughts win". Actually, a lot of new mothers struggle with these exact intrusive thoughts. Put the baby in the oven, drop the baby on its head, throw the baby out the window, etc. They never act on it, but they struggle with the intrusive thoughts. And that's why they're intrusive. Because it's usually stuff that terrifies us to think about, that morally we would never imagine acting on, intrusive thoughts are tailor made to disturb us.
i am not diagnosed, but i have had times where i was crying 5+ times a day for weeks straight due to my intrusive thoughts/memories and the thoughts and anxiety that follow them. I am currently going through that very thing again and it is notttt fun lol. I also feel physically sick when it comes to my intrusive thoughts... crying multiple times a day + spending hours looking up posts from people in similar situations makes it so that it is a bit difficult to be productive, i just hope i can get a diagnosis soon.
I'm sorry you have to face such a horrible thing, I'm having the same battle right now and I can tell you that things will get better soon. You are not what your mind tells you to think, you're what yo do. Keep fighting, You and I deserve to be happy.
@@lovemesomehow2957 thank you for the support and i wish you are able to feel better as well. It can be hard remembering that thoughts do not equal action when your thoughts are as taboo as mine can be. Very unpleasant, but i am trying to work through it as best as i can by myself.
That’s me I watch testimonies and when I see that ppl have recovered I get temporarily excited and it makes me feel good and then I have to watch more when the thoughts bother me again I don’t cry over them like I did when I was younger but I still get upset over them it’s like annoying 😢
@@fendybendy6466 it will go away mine was bad in the beginning but now it’s basically Gone you really just have to laugh the thoughts off and say “okay yeah sure “ and move on
As someone who has had OCD for 30 years, and 90% under control, this is SUCH A GOOD description! Especially #3! It's the part where YOU think YOU have "special knowledge" that YOU can fix this thing and if you don't, it'll be no one but YOUR fault if the thing comes to pass. Oh the anxiety, the guilt, the self blame. 100% I hate the public's idea of what OCD is. People who say "Oh I'm so OCD!" are almost never suffering from OCD. Most of us with OCD are awash with shame. We'd almost never just tell anyone and everyone.
Since I was diagnosed in 2021 with OCD, I have doubted it. What ultimately makes me know that I have it is when I watch videos like this, or hear people say "everyone has intrusive thoughts but they just pass them by"... and I think "How is that even possible? What?" Like it doesn't even compute how a person can do that. For me, it's a lot of rumination, researching, or needing to appease my obsessions with "facts" online. To "figure things out once and for all". Or go back in time in my head and try and make sense of what happened and what I missed or got wrong. Also energy obsessions. Like I will give or receive bad energy if I look at someone or something, or a word, that is negative or might have bad energy. Or if I do or think something wrong, or I do or don't text something correctly... and I will get caught in this loop of perfection and indecision and confusion wondering how any road I take, what will happen and how will it ruin my life? It's usually with relationships or large life decisions. Sometimes it can attach to something simple like what coffee shop to go to. In the past, I've sat in the car for 30 minutes to an hour crying and unable to move because I feel like either choice I make is bad. And then, if I already started to make a choice, and then switched, and then parked, and now am sitting obsessing, that TOO is ruining my life and is bad energy. And so it can be really no escape and feel quite insidious. Even now as I type this or read it over the OCD says "oh if you read this again it will happen again and you'll undo all the work you've done already"... There are more but my OCD is telling me to list them all so I'm not going to 😂
You just described my brain to a T. I started crying. I’m not one to cry. You’re right; there’s more 😂. Have you found a coping strategy that has helped? ♥️
Wow Ive never heard anyone word it as "energy obsessions" but that's DEF something I relate to, thanks for that! It seems possibly related to compulsions about scrupulosity/moral fears as well. My OCD mother used to compulsively open the car windows all at once & exhale forcefully out the window to "let all the anger outside" when she was upset, this is like an energy obsession. As a kid my family would all laugh at this, but as an adult I see she was really trying to stop ruminating on obsessive negativity. It honestly seems like a cool ritual to have if it were only symbolic, but it would become impairing if she felt like NOT rolling down the windows meant she couldn't stop the obsessive angry thoughts. I've also had "energy obsessions" where if, say, I borrowed a pen from someone who was fired from my job, holding on to the pen felt like I was agreeing to keep "I might get fired" energy around me. It is so exhausting, but equally freeing to start challenging some of these thoughts.
Hi mate my name is Joseph I’m from the UK but live in Queensland Australia with my wife and three kids I’ve suffered on and off with pure OCD/HOCD pretty much all the subtypes of OCD since I was 16 years old I’m now 37 and only recently in the past couple of years truly understand that I have OCD and to expose myself to my fears and not do my compulsions I never comment on videos but you have generally sincerely helped me recover I would just like to say thank you 👍
This is the first video I have watched from your channel! I was diagnosed with OCD around the year 2000 when I was 10 years old. Obsessive hand washing and anxiety about germs, sickness, infection, etc. Counting footsteps, gulps of water, breaths I breathe, etc. Superstitions and rituals, like needing to sing a certain song in my head as I walk through the bathroom door. If I don’t, I have to go back and walk through the door all over again. Or saying phrases over and over until I say them “right.” Checking and rechecking clocks, locks, faucets, etc. Needing to confess everything I’ve ever done wrong, asking for forgiveness, etc. Seeking reassurance constantly. These are the basics. You’re right that it is anxiety that fuels the compulsions.
The looping! At its worst I would just be bombarded with the intrusive thoughts, ruminating, analyzing, and anxiety. Couldn’t sleep or eat. It was terrible. Thankful I was able to get back on my anxiety meds and that has helped me so much.
Happy birthday to my favorite OCD coach you really changed how I look at things and how I manage my OCD it's never been so good to live at the moment with uncertainties and to not stress out on things catastrophizing! Thank you very much!!!
@@ocdandanxiety Hi, I have a few questions to ask just to make sure of some things if that's o.k.(you don't have to answer it if you don't want to). I have horrible intrusive thoughts all of the time that are very violent and I don't know what to do. I also have all three of these, basically. What should I do next? Do I get a diagnosis?
@@sydglover4842he has some videos on how to work towards overcoming ocd. beyond that i'm not sure there's much else you can do. i wanna get a disgnosis for reassurance and so i can prove to people who tell me i'm making it up lol but that's more personal preference, you don't have to get diagnosed
No but why do I actually relate to this so much?? Timestamp: 1:10 Indication 1 Intrusive thoughts 3:01 Indication 2 Intrusive thoughts + Anxiety 4:05 Indication 3 Compulsion 5:59 The logic that keeps you traped
Diagnosed OCD here. My psychiatrist never got really into the details with me about WHY, so thanks for this video! I feel like I understand my brain a little better.
As someone who has two anxiety disorders, thank you for putting emphasis into what OCD would feel like. I don't have OCD, but I'm aware that most anxiety disorders have some overlapping symptoms. One of the biggest overlapping symptoms in anxiety disorders is intrusive thoughts, and you made it clear that it is more about the type of intrusive thoughts, coping mechanisms, and physical reactions that distinguishes one anxiety disorder from another.
I’m very doubtful of the fact that I might have OCD. I’m seeing a therapist next month in order to confirm my suspicions. I relate a lot to the things that people with OCD talk about. Especially the meta nature of the thoughts. I’ll say something innocuous, but then hyper-fixate on the thing I said. “What if I offended the person I’m talking to, what if I’m a terrible person for making them feel this way?” Then you ask them for reassurance to make sure you haven’t offended them, but then you get hit with the “but what if they’re just lying about it to not hurt your feelings?” Then if you ask again, you get hit with the “they must think you’re pretty weird and they don’t like you as much because you made them feel uncomfortable. Even though they won’t say it, they probably feel that way, and you’re awful for making them feel that way.” It’s a never ending loop of increasing absurdity.
Depression, social anxiety, cptsd, a lot of things can cause what you are describing. And OCD! At the end of the day, for me, seeing a therapist who saw past diagnosis and focused on the treatment helped me, because I will always doubt my diagnosis lol. I hope you figure it out and let yourself rest!
You honestly hit the mark on exactly what it is I experience, I have not been diagnosed with OCD yet but dude you are God Sent and your videos literally have helped me out so so much so far. I honestly am thankful to you.
@@robossthinking1056 Yes I have been diagnosed and surprisingly it was a sigh of relief to know what I have. Nate’s Videos along with therapy has brought me back to a normal and healthier state of mind. I’ve had “Flare ups” but I have to remind myself to just let the thoughts be no matter how distressing or uncomfortable they are. The effort I put into fighting them and performing compulsions burns me out mentaly and if I do that every single day it’s draining.
Great video! It really annoys me when people trivialise OCD. In one of my worst episodes, I had to cut the plug off my iron and throw it away, because otherwise I couldn’t leave the house. The constant checking to ensure the iron was unplugged, was horrendous
I figured out I had OCD a few years ago and it’s been soooo helpful just learning how to cope with it. I’ve been taking 3000mg of NAC (n-acetyl cysteine) a day and it had reaaaaalllly helpful for the ruminating/obsessive thinking. I still get intrusive thoughts and I still sometimes get stuck, but I am way more capable of allowing the thought to move on. It also has helped me with the destructive compulsive behaviors like picking my cuticles etcetera. There are interesting peer reviewed articles on its use for ocd! It’s not a cure-all by any means, but it has helped me manage a lot of the more challenging aspects of OCD.
I’ve had OCD since I was a child, and am only now figuring it out at 31 thanks to your videos. I consulted with my therapist and am working on reevaluating my previous bipolar II diagnosis. The tricky thing about OCD is the inaccurate stigmas and that so much of it is internal. For example I started having anxiety attacks before my international trip because I thought my cats were going to die or my house was going to explode if I wasn’t home, and I needed to make sure I wasn’t gone for any more than X amount of time so that wouldn’t happen. It’s debilitating. But now that I know what it is I can work towards a better quality of life. Thank you for the education!
OCD is also often times confused with ADHD and vice versa. If the clnician doing the diagnosis doesn't ask the right questions the two conditions look very similar. It gets worse if you add ASD into the mix as that one looks a lot like OCD+ADHD at times.
@@pamphlet3560 That's not surprising, that's a common way that people wind up with OCD. Traumatized as a child and spend the rest of your life engaging in magical thinking to try and prevent it from happening again. From what I understand, Gene Wilder had a similar cause for his OCD.
The way I was diagnosed with ocd was that during the beginning of COVID I started having severe health anxiety which spiraled into “tasting blood in my mouth” so every time I “tasted” blood in my mouth I had to spit into a napkin to check for blood then swirl water in my mouth and spit to check for this blood. I brought this up to my psychiatrist and was told this was sounding compulsive and with some more digging into other things I was diagnosed with ocd.
Happy Birthday! Thank you for everything you do in informing what OCD actually is. It took me 5 years + an extra year to get help and a diagnosis to realize that I was suffering from OCD the whole time due to the misinformation that was portrayed by the internet, which I never would of guessed I had OCD. So thank you so much for spreading awareness on what is OCD! And Happy Birthday Nathan! I hope you have a nice day!
Me too, I lived with OCD for 4 years until someone saw a box of hand sanitizer I brought for myself in 2016 (long before covid) he asked me if I have OCD, I literally laughed really hard and thought he doesn't know what OCD was (back then I thought I knew...I thought it's someone who would live extremely neat), but it always stuck with me why he thought that I have OCD...I knew there was something wrong with me, but I couldn't figure it out, until on day I thought...maybe, just maybe...he was right, maybe I think I know what OCD is but I don't, so I did some research and was shocked! It was as if someone was writing about me, I then discovered that there are many types of OCD and I have 2 types. I was really shocked, but at the same time relieved (knowing what was wrong with me).
I feel like crying right now. I haven't been diagnosed but this is EXACTLY how I've felt for years. It's been a daily struggle and absolutely miserable. Thank you!
I wasn’t ever actually diagnosed with OCD, but as a kid a doctor told my parents I had OCD tendencies. I fully believe I do have OCD. The perceived threat followed by anxiety is something I deal with several times a day, every single day. The constant having to convince myself I’m okay, just for it to start over like an hour later. I go through phases where they’ll bother me more than usual, then will not bother me much for maybe a week or two, then it’ll come back. Not being able to fall asleep because it’s intrusive thought after intrusive thought. It’s horrible and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.
Thank you, Nathan for making this video. I had intrusive thoughts last night about hurting someone I cared about and it kept me up all night. I was scared that I would act on it because it was hard to look pass it. And you're right, it's just a thought no biggie. I shouldn't treated it like it matters because it doesn't. Thanks again. 😊
I had SO MANY rituals all my life. Now I’m 50 years old and my Dad passed away 6 months ago. My rituals have diminished a lot. I’m learning rituals do nothing for us. They will not protect us from anything. Good luck to all who have OCD. It’s not easy. No one will understand unless they live it.
Happy birthday Nathan!! Tomorrow is my birthday too. Thank you for explaining the MECHANISM of OCD, and what it actually is! It doesn’t matter what theme it is, the mechanism is the same.
Dang this really helps, I’m gonna talk to a therapist and figure this out. My thoughts are like what if I get attracted to a family member which has really affected me. I have a lot of other ones but this is the biggest one I’ve had yet
I have diagnosed OCD. I DON'T have intrusive thoughts in the way you're describing here. And intrusive thoughts was not one of the diagnostic criteria that my psychologist looked for at all. So I just wanted to say that OCD doesn't always look this way. There are other ways to properly diagnose OCD. I have a hyper-fixation on fixing things and solving things. I also get really dedicated to putting things where they go and doing it my way. There are other things in my diagnosis that are not even mentioned here -- or things which are glossed over here. I live with it. I manage it. It doesn't look the same for everyone.
Can you point me in the direction of where I can get some information on what you are experiencing as I can relate, but have not been diagnosed with ocd.
@@LuckyMoo2 th-cam.com/video/u_qfAtvX8Os/w-d-xo.htmlsi=AovMhk8jYN5eyqhu This video, if TH-cam let's me link it, discusses 4 types of OCD. They are not the only types and you can have combined types too. I hope that helps.
I really liked this video, it definitely gave a much more accurate picture of what OCD is like while still making it broad enough so that it is easy to understand. I have OCD and didn't know it until this year, and can I just say that after having figured that out, so many things about myself made sense. I deal with intrusive thoughts and dreams, fear-based compulsions, tics, and more. It can be a lot sometimes, but exposure therapy and talking things out with my therapist have helped a lot. Thank you again for this video, more people need to see it!
Little do they know that OCD is crippling anxiety that needs attention and it feels like you have no control over your thoughts almost as if somebody else is planting horrific thoughts in your head.
As a kid, this was a big issue with OCD.. I would need to "spin" . Like if I was walking and I turned to the left a couple of time, I HAD to "unwind" myself and turn to the right until I felt "Straightened out". I would get this feeling after crawling in the back on my parents van after I buckled in and I would writhe around and feel so wound up that I would (very uncomfortably) turn myself all the way around in my seat, under the seatbelt. I would cry because it was so difficult to do but i HAD to do it or I would go into full anxiety attack over it. Everything had to be in 3's. It had to be evenly done, but not an even number of times. So 3,9, or15 times because it's an odd number, but even on both sides of my body. So if I stretched my left leg, I would stretch my right leg, I needed one more but had to be even so then I would stretch both legs at the same time. Those 2 things faded thank goodness as I grew into adulthood. But one thing that remained is my over obsessive need to check things. Like make sure the doors are locked at night, that my alarm is set, that the baby monitor is on. Most people can check it once or twice and be good. No. Not me. I'll check it like 8 times and I crawl into bed and think "Did I really just see that correctly? What if I saw it wrong? I can't remember. If I'm wrong I'll be late for work. Maybe my baby will cry and I can't hear them? Maybe someone will break into the house while I'm asleep?" And I'll have to keep getting up to reassure myself that these are all correctly set. I think part of this though is at times, I've done all of this and still my alarm doesn't go off, the baby monitor was off when I woke up, or the door was left unlocked. I will swear up and down that I did indeed do these things and STILL they weren't done so I freak out and check even more each time.
For me it will be walking and there’s cracks splitting the concrete and I have to make sure that I get starting with my right foot and then my left foot and then I have to get my right foot in before I cross the line and then once I cross the line I have to start with my left foot and continuously do this or if I’m Trying to go to my car and there’s a tree line I have to grab with my left hand each tree even if I’m passing my car and then go back to my car
I used to do the unwinding thing aswell, like I walked a certain path to my desk in primary school and when I got up again I rewalked the path and also spun back like you described.
If anyone wants another example of the intrusive + anxiety. I just spent about 4 1/2 MONTHS not reading a book I've waited several years for it to release because the OCD based intrusive thought of "If you read this right this minute, this bad outcome for a relative could happen.".... and then my anxiety disorder kicked in of "well logically that won't happen... but lets listen to the ocd thought until that issue is cleared up"
I remember being at school and crying because of some thoughts I've had that other people just wouldn't notice, that's what ocd looks like and thank you so much for this video it's so helpful to see people like you on the internet!
At first I thought I had generalized anxiety disorder, but now I think it's actually OCD. I just have a lot of anxiety and rumination over anything. It started out as legitimate worries, but now I just worry about the anxiety itself and how to make it go away, and my compulsions are the rumination or fidgeting part of my body.
I have never been clinically diagnosed with OCD, but I’ve also never been evaluated or tested for it at all. Ever since I can remember I’ve done exactly what you just described. Add to that that everything has to be in a certain order or it’s not done right and something will happen if not. I make myself emotionally just sick over every little thing. The only type of treatment or relief I can get is to just do it the exact way I feel it has to be done and I’m the order perceived correctly in my on mind. I do not tolerate delegation well at all because others can’t do it the way I feel they should. When I do try to delegate I get sick over it. I’m bad about doing things the hard way or per-say long way because of the emotional steps I have to go through to do everything!
I think I may have ocd. I just started researching this an hour ago after I had that one intrusive thought again and looked up on Google if I am horrible. It told me I might have ocd. So I took a online test (I know they aren’t always reliable) and I felt like I was relating with all the questions, and this video perfectly describes my thought process.
The part about googling really struck me to my core. My therapist recently diagnosed me with OCD and I felt badfled because I "dont have compulsions". I searched for videos to learn more. Hearing you talk about googling things made me realize that I do, in fact, have compulsive behavior it's just different than what's usually portrayed. Thank you for adding that, it gave me a lot of clarity.
I have wondered on and off whether I had OCD since I was about 12 years old. Through watching your videos I finally realize that I do. When you said a compulsion is anything you do that you don't want to do, it finally clicked. I thought I only had obsessions and intrusive thoughts, but then I realized there were things I was doing mentally, as well as asking for reassurance, and researching online and I realized that I didn't want to do any of those things. I just felt like I had to do them because I was so afraid of the anxiety and the threats. Thank you for spreading awareness. I went to two different therapists who just treated me for anxiety (I also have GAD with OCD), but I think because I never addressed the OCD that that's why therapy didn't work for me. I have been feeling depressed and hopeless for months. But now I feel some hope. I wish more people would describe OCD like you do. When I first was trying to see if I had anything, every website I looked at talked about categories for OCD. At one point I did fit in one or two of the catagories, but sometimes my obsessions don't, and at that point I wondered if I no longer had OCD and just had anxiety, but anxiety treatment didn't help! So I was frustrated and confused. Thanks for helping me to see more clearly ❤️❤️❤️
I wonder if there are any other people suffering from Somatic OCD...and I mean so severe you are fixated on a feeling you generate yourself without having control over it😮💨
I got diagnosed with OCD by my psychologist back when I relapsed on my neurological disorder. I was under a lot of stress and tried to suppress it. It started with a wart on my foot (which I had before and just got it removed easily), came back and went to get it removed again. It took a few sessions, so I got paranoid about spreading the wart. I wore socks all the time, I wore flip flops in the shower. I put bandages on it. I washed my towels twice in a row. I washed my hands a lot. It was removed and refused to believe it was gone and still did the same behaviours. It then went to me washing my hands everytime I touched door handles, faucet, anything lol my hands would get cracked and bleed. My thoughts were always like "if I don't do this, I'll get sick or get someone else sick". I went to therapy and worked on it. Exposure therapy mostly helped. I'm a lot better. I don't wear flip flops in the shower, I don't sanitize everything anymore, I don't wash my hands nearly as much as I did, etc. I still get thoughts but I try to ignore them. But yea, there's a lot of people that don't understand OCD.
I just want to say to everyone struggling with OCD.. You are strong enough. The thoughts will never go away, but you can choose not to react to them. It will get easier and easier. I've made it. You will make it. There is a future. God bless you because you really really care.
Ty I'm dealing with a SCARY TERRIBLE FLARE UP AFTER 8 YEARS and it feels so real all over again and I feel like a crazy evil person. Ty for this comment.
I can't even explain how accurate this was. When you said your brain is tricking you and not to listen to Nate, I was literally thinking no but mine is different. I can get it right this time.
I’m on a low dose of Zoloft and it’s really helped me with this. I’ll admit I hate being on meds, but I also know that it helps me function throughout the day and I don’t drive my wife as crazy either lol. Another thing I notice is I get tics, like blinking or squinting real hard,making noises with my throat or clearing my throat. And I get stuck in a loop doing that for days. Something I’ve had since I was a teenager.
When I was 34 my friend said to me I have been watching you and I think you have ocd. I said I don't have a cleaning disorder. He said thats not ocd, then told me very think iv been thinking since I was about 3 years old. Blew my mind! About a year later I watched loads of professionals like this hero and its been a long 5 years chipping it all way but I have pretty much don't do any ocds now! It will get better guys!
So emotional right now. I was recently diagnosed with Post-partum OCD by my therapist and am now doing an intensive therapy program. It's so overwhelming because I find my brain questioning the diagnosis, but this video was so validating! And now I wonder if I've always had OCD, but that it was worsened because of post-partum.... I will absolutely be talking to my therapist more about this.
This is exactly what I deal with but my OCD involves my relationship. Luckily I’ve somewhat learned how to break the cycle but it’s still challenging and I have more to learn how to manage it. I’ve never had someone literally describe what I deal with so well. When I’ve read about OCD some details would sound like me other details wouldn’t so this was a relief to hear precisely what I deal with.
I recently have so many insights to why I've been acting like I've been acting, based on specific traumatic events I remember and never dealt with. And I can see how people that get misdiagnosed bevause they were afraid to answer the doctors questions thinking they might get sent to the loony bin, but I think the clients are also giving a bit of incorrect feedback to the medical researchers, and it's leading the research astray. The more I learn about myself, the more I realize nearly everyone is going through the exact same learning experiences, I just get so caught up in my version, I forget how much I can make others happy especially animals since they react in the present a lot more than humans have been trained to. How little I've been relying on my senses is so weird.
Hi- I don’t know if this helps you or not but I have OCD where I can’t stop feeding squirrels or birds or any wildlife. When I saw Squirrel in your name - I felt either triggered or connected to you and wanted to reach out. We’re not alone in this battle!! Hang in there!! :)
From an entire life sufferer and now at 64 even worse with never ending anxiety, restlessness, time wasting, medicated for over 30 years and what not I just cant shake it off.
this is such a validating video. thank you for this. i was diagnosed with ocd a while ago. it was one of my only diagnoses that i knew nothing about at first. im so glad people are finally starting to really understand it. it hurts to hear the complete misunderstanding of the condition that most people have. much love ❤
What about for rumination about existential things, like say national politics involving a certain party/person doing “everything wrong” (ie. regression) … and instantaneously jumping to the ruination of everything. And compulsively(?) constantly checking information sources … unable to let. it. go. It’s maddening!
Hey Nate I just wanted to say thank you! For your videos I have found some peace during hard times. I found your channel in June and it’s changed my life. I realized from your channel that I do have ocd and I remembered I did as a young teen and slowly it got better but in different ways. Growing up I had the counting ocd then later it transformed into thoughts ocd and trying to over think and figure stuff out. I have found your videos and made a transformation and I don’t try to figure thoughts out anymore. Thank you for your great content
Thank you! My family used to make fun of me and say I was OCD because I didn't want rotten dishes in the sink. I do have intrusive thoughts, but I do not believe I have ocd.
The ending really got me. I’ve spent so much time questioning if I have OCD because mine is “not like other people’s” so therefore, my brain is telling me I must be a bad person for lying about being sick or “wanting” to be sick
Because of the wrong idea of OCD that I had my entire life I didn’t know I had OCD until I was 28, I’ve had it since I can remember, literally since I was a little kid now I’m finally on medication and the difference in my way of living and seeing life has change so much, the way you explain it is so easy to understand, thank you for your valuable info ❤
Happy belated birthday. I’m grateful i came across your profile. It’s amazing people like you that positively affect so many strangers lives around you. You have a gift and you were meant to be here doing this for us. It truly makes me feel aware and that i’m not the only one and honestly, i laugh at how silly it actually sounds when you hear what ocd is when its outside of your mind and from another persons perspective 😂 the mind is so silly and crazy and complex and it eases my mind hearing it from outside of my head. Bless you
Happy birthday!!! Thank you so, so much for all that you do to help people like me who suffer from anxiety and OCD. I appreciate you!! Thanks for being you!! :D
Hi, my name is arshi. After watching your video I felt everything you said. I am still not sure if I have OCD as I haven’t taken any therapy sessions yet but symptoms do confirm I have OCD. However, I feel really hurt as I have no support from my family while going through this, I have been shouted, beaten off for having OCD as I have no control over it. I go crazy and my mind goes numb, I always talk about the same thing and it won’t let me stop until the opposite person agrees to what I just said. I start cleaning my room and arrange things the way I want. This brings a lot of problems as I stay with my family. Sometimes I just want go live alone but again things doesn’t happen the way we want it to be. The saddest part of me having OCD is, I know I am at fault, I don’t want to hurt the opposite person but I still end up fighting and hurt them through my behaviour. These things happen to me only at home and only with 2 of my family members. I am always expecting them to comfort me, whereas they don’t understand and think I am doing it all by myself. At this point I am so done and am literally suffering internally. But I will make sure to stop this, I will take therapy’s and will be alright soon. I know someone reading this might be suffering from OCD or may be you are watching this for someone you love and care, I just want to tell you BE STRONG we are gonna cure ourselves, we will be alright soon and yes you are not alone. Happy life happy vibes only❤
I’m autistic and it’s hard for me to figure out if what I experience is OCD or autism or if it’s actually comorbid. Would a professional actually be able to figure out that out for me or would it be a guessing game? Every professional I’ve had has diagnosed me with different things, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, depression. It’s so hard to figure out the truth. I have a feeling it may be comorbid autism and OCD but am worried to make a self diagnosis with such gravity. I can tick off the three boxes but still second guess it bc I’m not a professional and OCD is so personal and different for everyone, intrusive thoughts can be about so many different things and compulsions can be so vastly different that I question if they’re even compulsions so then I feel that I don’t tick the three boxes. It’s so confusing. Wish I could afford a specific OCD specialist.
I spent most of my childhood with OCD but back in the 90s, there’s no way I would’ve known or even heard of it. I was convinced if I didn’t do certain things, my mum would die. I would count the amount of letters in every word when people would speak to me. I was too nervous to leave my parents because if I wasn’t with them, they would die. If I was watching tv and they said something like “stay tuned after the break for the answer to this question” I would have to sit there and wait whether I cared or not what the answer was because I was petrified that something bad would happen. I still have OCD traits now I’m an adult but I now have M.E. and it makes it very difficult to have the mind power and energy to let it consume me as much as I did as a kid.
Thank you for raising awarness and sharing correct information. I don’t even have OCD but it annoys me how many walk around saying they have it just because their toilet paper has to hang a certain way and so on. Only know one person with OCD and most people can’t imagine how much it effects his daily life. Just getting out the door takes him forever because he has to do a certain ritual over and over. And he never talks about it because he’s ashamed, not proud.
I can’t explain how nice and calming your videos are to me , they make me smile a bit about my situation . I will try to create a party for my thoughts of what ifs .
My ocd tells me that I don't love my partner and don't want to be with my partner. I know these things aren't true and I tell myself that I do want these things and I get stuck in this loop.
It make me so anxious and I use to try to suppress the thought but it made it the thoughts stronger. I would avoid certain things in my relationship. It was awful until I started listening to your videos and got on the right medication. I'm learning how to do ERP
I know I have it because I was diagnosed, but I remember thinking, "Doesn't everyone worry like this?". My intrusive thoughts are about bad luck, or people getting hurt. I have to do everything in either a yin/Yan pattern or in fives to keep everyone I care about safe. The frustrating thing is that I'm aware it's crazy, but if I ignore it, the worry becomes more intense 😕. Also, if bad things do happen, I blame myself for not "balancing" things correctly. It's just an awful thing to live with, and I'm really happy to see someone explaining it correctly 😊
What does your OCD look like? 🤔
Exactly what you said in this video, once the intrusive thoughts trigger, it follow immediately my anxiety and it goes to compulsion, like seeking for assurance doing things again and again, and sometimes like a statue that can't move my body fighting intrusive thoughts in my brain that cause my anxiety and if I can't surpass I'll do some compulsion to relieve my anxiety. But thank you sir Nat for this video it helps a lot 🙏 God bless us 🙏
I have trich, and when I feel a little stress, I pull, and it’s disrupting my life. Not pulling makes the anxiety so much worse. I discovered last month that I smoke so that I don’t pull which isn’t a good alternative so I’ve taken to drinking water from a straw and that helps to relieve the urge.
@@SakoTumiCassVoit is it permanently cure it? I too suffer from it.
Exactly what you said in the video.
I have this kind of intrusive thoughts that started to attacked me since 10 years ago. However nowadays I started to wonder & questionning myself if I really have an ocd
Me watching this bc my OCD is wanting to check that I have OCD bc my fear is that I don’t actually have it 🥺😂😭😭😭
Ikr
That's what I'm doing right now and the comment almost didn't send which triggered me
Same lol
same
literally what’s happening to me right now 😭
ocd is fkn miserable, it’s genuinely the worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life, and I don’t even wish it on my most worst enemy, it’s unbearable and exhausting
Yes, I have it too, I’ve had it for many years, and ever since Covid it’s gotten 5x worse
Level 4 I am guessing?
It must be draining. Bless you. Sending all the best ❤
I said this exact thing the past few days. I’ve been sending my friends and family these type of informative videos as I’m not fully present but i literally said all that you’ve said. Especially how I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy and it truly is a life sucker and very unbearable.
@@hivibe8669did you end up seeking help for your OCD?
Thank you for raising more awareness on what OCD is ACTUALLY like. As someone who is diagnosed with moderate OCD, it irks me that people think it's about liking organization (and I'm a pretty messy person). As for what my OCD is like, I ask for reassurance a lot, have intrusive thoughts, and get hooked on those thoughts. Thanks again for this video!
I highly relate to your OCD struggles. I didn't realize OCD could be like this, but it's reassuring to know my insecurities are not odd.
@@jewelleaston9048 When I was younger I didn't realize that I had it, which made it even more difficult to handle emotions once I was at an age where I knew something wasn't quite right but still not totally aware (and I was also really reluctant to do therapy at first, but later realized that it really helped to work through my OCD to understand it better) I'm glad that there's a lot of awareness out there and that there's help for people like you and me so we have the tools to combat it.
@Abigail Jonczyk Thank you for this. I'm sorry it took me so long to respond, I just haven't had the time to sit down and think of what I wanted to say.
In a trange way I find it comforting that they're someone else out there struggling with similar things, for the longest time I put off even talking about it to anyone as I thought I was just being "absurd" or "crazy". But I honestly think this video, your and others' replies, have given me the courage to try and do something about it. Now that I have a name for it, I want to bring it up with my therapist, so again, thank you.
@abbyjonxd7612 you have just described my issues in one sentence. I didn't even know till just now that it could be OCD I thought that I was just effed in the head like that, maybe I am.
I agree, I blame social media for losing the meaning for it and people now see it is as quirky 😒😒😒
I remember few years back after my wife died, I was left alone with 3 kids. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Got diagnosed with OCD. Not until a friend recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment changed my life for better. I can proudly say i'm totally clean for 6 years and still counting. Always look to nature for solution to tough problems, Shrooms are phenomenal.
I love hearing great life changing stories like this. I want to become a mycologist because honestly mushrooms are the best form of medicine (most especially the psychedelic ones) There are so many people today used magic mushrooms to ween off of SSRI medication- its amazing! Years back i wrote an entire essay about psychedelics. they saved you from death buddy, lets be honest here.
Can you help me with the reliable source 🙏. I'm 56 and have suffered for years with addiction, anxiety and severe ptsd, I got my panic attacks under control myself years ago and they have come back with a vengeance, I'm constantly trying to take full breaths but can't get the full satisfying breath out, it's absolutely crippling me, i live in Germany. I don't know much about these mushrooms. Really need a reliable source!! Can't wait to get them
Yes sure of mycologist Pedroshrooms. I have the same experience with anxiety, addiction. Mushrooms did a total reset for me.
I'm so very happy for you mate, Psilocybin is absolutely amazing, the way it shows you things, the way it teaches you things. I can not believe our world and our people shows less interest about it's helpfulness to humanity. It's love. The mushrooms heals people by showing the truth, it would be so beneficial for so many people, especially politicians and the rich who have lost their way and every other persons out there.
Where do I reach this dude? If possible can I find him on Google
I was diagnosed with OCD during the pandemic. One thing that blew my mind is that my therapist said that a sensation can be a thought. I had always assumed that thoughts were always made of words but no. I had been feeling ‘contaminated’ whenever I touched a surface that could have been touched by others, to the point I was compelled to take a shower after leaving the house even briefly (ie just being in public air). Like I would have a creepy sensation on my skin.
Anyway, my OCD got ultimately calmed when I got a dog and just had to deal with the dirt and mess head on.
you had a total As Good As It Gets moment :)
i wash my hands very long and too often
please help me
sometimes, if i feel a certain surface, i get an impulse to fully touch it again, or else i just have this sense of impending doom
I'm just now realizing the things I do do count as ocd symphtoms but still telling myself I'm completely normal and there's no way I could possibly have it.
I suffer from OCD and it is debilitating and I hear people around me say that there "OCD" kicks in and they just clean their house or something. It feels like a stab in the back maybe or that it is made light of when it IS NOT a light thing.
😆 to be honest, a bunch of people say they have ADHD and so many other things!
i’ll try not to care what people say!
One thing that annoys me is that social media has overused “intrusive thoughts” to point its lost its meaning and it’s sad, because I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy 😢. Yet social media sees intrusive thoughts as, “what if I slapped this bold guys head 🤭” “my intrusive thoughts won” like it’s some funny quirky thing 😒😒 but what they don’t realise is they’re impulsive thoughts and everyone has them, but it’s not intrusive!!!
@milly4556 that's what I've been saying to people that say he let his intrusive toughts win they call it intrusive cause cause they're bad decisions in a public manner intrusive toughts is something that's scares you that make you worry more that you don't like
YES
I don’t have OCD but I do have dermatillomania, which I believe is related. After watching this, I can definitely understand why. I get strong compulsions and overwhelming urges to pick at my skin. Not doing it isn’t an option, at it’s worst, my brain convinces me that I have something under my skin that I need to extract. When I pick, my brain convinces me that I’m making it ‘better’ or that it’d be worse if I didn’t pick. It’s awful and shameful because for me the main area is my face. It gets especially bad when I’m anxious or nervous about something. It’s so self sabotaging and destructive but I can’t stop it.
The way you literally just described me is crazy. Not diagnosed or anything but I have a huge issue with picking at my skin and acne to the point where I do it in my sleep. It makes my acne and hyperpigmentation worse but I feel like I need to extract what I think is still there as you said. I could scratch at my skin for hours until I get large cuts and draw a lot of blood and even the blood doesn't stop me. At least I know I'm not alone.
@@blueberry9907 completely not alone!❤️ I also pick in my sleep, sometimes waking up with blood on my pillow & hands. I’ve recently started putting small plasters over my wounds overnight to try and stop it. I’m so sorry you also go through this, I hope it gets better for us both. I know how exhausting it can be.
I know my opinion doesn't matter, but I feel bad that you find it shameful.. i'm sure those around you that care about you don't find it as something to be ashamed of.. Anyone that judges you have no place to judge because they haven't walked your path. Don't be ashamed.. life is too short to be unhappy.. have you tried CBT? I have OCD.. Sometimes it's a huge help..
@@sunshinelittler5027 Thank you so much for the kind and encouraging words❤️ I haven’t tried CBT but I think I’ll start looking into it. I definitely need help because my skin picking makes life feel like such a chore.
I thought it was just me who did this!
I have been diagnosed as having OCD. The one of these three criteria that I least fit into is the compulsions. My intrusive thoughts are every day, all day. So is my anxiety response. I mostly avoid the compulsions, though. I ignore what my brain would tell me to do. Instead, I just force myself to zone out. I play video games for 12 hours straight, without eating, or moving around very much. I've lost 40 pounds in 2 years. Eating is a chore for me now. I eat to survive, with no enjoyment from it at all. My anxiety is so bad that I avoid allowing myself to even think about anything anymore. I just stopped really living... My entire existence is about not letting myself feel anxiety. I do whatever I need to do to ignore the world. Maybe that IS my compulsion response...
Im not professional whatsoever but. I think you might be right. I use avoidance as my compulsion sometimes. If i feel the stress and anxiety i just want to run from it so i might go on youtube for a while and drown out the noise because honestly when you can't find a way to get rid of the thoughts, you just want them to stop, you just want to be happy. I am new in the journey and discovering what is "wrong" with me and how i respond to my surroundings, but i completely understand why you would pick to live that way. i recently decided to take a complete break from social media. It was sure hard and i was bored at first, but it does great for your mind, and i was on my socials for hours, similar to you 6-13 hours in a day wasted away. when you really face the uncomfortable thats where you blossom and you really have your true self in there, it's always been there. much love bro! good luck :)
Don't think there's something wrong with you for this. Avoidance is a major symptom of OCD. I avoid everything that can give me stress or anxiety, and find myself always distracting myself with social media when bad thoughts and worries come back
Yes, those are compulsions. Compulsions are things that you do with the intention to not feel anxious and to avoid the intrusive thoughts. This can be things like isolating yourself from other people, hiding objects that trigger intrusive thoughts (as well as feelings, false impulses, etc), numbing your brain by watching something or playing all the time because you're afraid of the thoughts coming back after you're done, and not eating out of the guilt and anxiety. It may make you think you're doing better, but really you're no lojger living life. I hope things will get better for you
@@ashm003 yeah... I've lost 40 lbs since I was diagnosed with celiac disease about a year and a half ago. Not to sound self-pitying, but it's an extreme change, cutting out gluten completely, and I made so many painful mistakes that now I'm just more comfortable with the hunger than I am with food. I was 167 at my heaviest. I'm 125 now.
Super similar, TH-cam all day, social media...but then again that can make me more anxious. The gym funnily enough is a compulsion that is positive and negative. I feel good, but if I feel sick and cant go I get intrusive thoughts like "You'll lose all your progress, you'll never reach your goal, you cant stay consistent." Even though logically its not true. Constantly replaying conversations, arguments, so and so months or years after it happened. So fun lol
I don't believe I have OCD but your videos really help me with the obsessive, distorted and fear based thinking. It really works and has done wonders in my life not pushing out the thoughts and just allowing them to be there, not placing meaning on them.
what do you think you have instead?
What people also don’t understand about ocd is that it isn’t all about cleanliness or organization. Sometimes these intrusive thoughts and compulsions are super weird, random, and even dangerous.
My sister used to be a full time nanny for a family in which the mom had ocd. She was in intense therapy for it and had it under control but still had the intrusive thoughts. One such thought was that she needed to put her newborn baby in the oven or else something bad would happen (I don’t exactly remember what but it was something along the lines of someone dying I think).
Imagine that replaying in your head all day long. It’s a horrible reality for many.
a lot of women develop things like this from post partum depression, it's very real and very scary and these moms need lots of love and help and understanding
So the cleaning thing has nothing to do with it?
Itt sounds that it is more than ocd
@@northstar5919 she’s been diagnosed by more than one psychiatrist/psychologist. There is a very real misunderstanding of OCD by the public.
@@northstar5919 No, that's what real OCD is like. That's what real intrusive thoughts are like. Not "oh I had an intrusive thought to dye my hair and I let the intrusive thoughts win so I'm gonna go dye my hair pink 🤪" unless it's like "I have to dye my hair pink this minute because if I don't, a bomb will go off and it'll all be my fault". When people tell you they struggle with intrusive thoughts and ocd, this is what they're talking about. Getting a thought telling them that they have to do something, even something horrible and dangerous, or something bad will happen. That's why people with ocd can't just "let their intrusive thoughts win".
Actually, a lot of new mothers struggle with these exact intrusive thoughts. Put the baby in the oven, drop the baby on its head, throw the baby out the window, etc. They never act on it, but they struggle with the intrusive thoughts. And that's why they're intrusive. Because it's usually stuff that terrifies us to think about, that morally we would never imagine acting on, intrusive thoughts are tailor made to disturb us.
i am not diagnosed, but i have had times where i was crying 5+ times a day for weeks straight due to my intrusive thoughts/memories and the thoughts and anxiety that follow them. I am currently going through that very thing again and it is notttt fun lol. I also feel physically sick when it comes to my intrusive thoughts... crying multiple times a day + spending hours looking up posts from people in similar situations makes it so that it is a bit difficult to be productive, i just hope i can get a diagnosis soon.
I'm sorry you have to face such a horrible thing, I'm having the same battle right now and I can tell you that things will get better soon. You are not what your mind tells you to think, you're what yo do. Keep fighting, You and I deserve to be happy.
@@lovemesomehow2957 thank you for the support and i wish you are able to feel better as well. It can be hard remembering that thoughts do not equal action when your thoughts are as taboo as mine can be. Very unpleasant, but i am trying to work through it as best as i can by myself.
That’s me I watch testimonies and when I see that ppl have recovered I get temporarily excited and it makes me feel good and then I have to watch more when the thoughts bother me again I don’t cry over them like I did when I was younger but I still get upset over them it’s like annoying 😢
@@user-yq1fv2dc1j yeah, i seem to be getting over the crying bit now, but the anxiety and general discomfort is still ever-present lol
@@fendybendy6466 it will go away mine was bad in the beginning but now it’s basically Gone you really just have to laugh the thoughts off and say “okay yeah sure “ and move on
As someone who has had OCD for 30 years, and 90% under control, this is SUCH A GOOD description! Especially #3! It's the part where YOU think YOU have "special knowledge" that YOU can fix this thing and if you don't, it'll be no one but YOUR fault if the thing comes to pass. Oh the anxiety, the guilt, the self blame. 100% I hate the public's idea of what OCD is. People who say "Oh I'm so OCD!" are almost never suffering from OCD. Most of us with OCD are awash with shame. We'd almost never just tell anyone and everyone.
Well said.
How did you gain control?
Living with OCD is like having a brain that gaslights you constantly. It’s very exhausting.
Hmm gaslight 👍
Honestly though, why haven’t I seen it described like this before??
Since I was diagnosed in 2021 with OCD, I have doubted it. What ultimately makes me know that I have it is when I watch videos like this, or hear people say "everyone has intrusive thoughts but they just pass them by"... and I think "How is that even possible? What?" Like it doesn't even compute how a person can do that. For me, it's a lot of rumination, researching, or needing to appease my obsessions with "facts" online. To "figure things out once and for all". Or go back in time in my head and try and make sense of what happened and what I missed or got wrong.
Also energy obsessions. Like I will give or receive bad energy if I look at someone or something, or a word, that is negative or might have bad energy. Or if I do or think something wrong, or I do or don't text something correctly... and I will get caught in this loop of perfection and indecision and confusion wondering how any road I take, what will happen and how will it ruin my life? It's usually with relationships or large life decisions. Sometimes it can attach to something simple like what coffee shop to go to. In the past, I've sat in the car for 30 minutes to an hour crying and unable to move because I feel like either choice I make is bad. And then, if I already started to make a choice, and then switched, and then parked, and now am sitting obsessing, that TOO is ruining my life and is bad energy. And so it can be really no escape and feel quite insidious. Even now as I type this or read it over the OCD says "oh if you read this again it will happen again and you'll undo all the work you've done already"...
There are more but my OCD is telling me to list them all so I'm not going to 😂
This sounds like me 100%
You just described my brain to a T. I started crying. I’m not one to cry. You’re right; there’s more 😂. Have you found a coping strategy that has helped? ♥️
It actually helps me so much to knwo I’m not alone, this is exactly how I feel
Wow Ive never heard anyone word it as "energy obsessions" but that's DEF something I relate to, thanks for that! It seems possibly related to compulsions about scrupulosity/moral fears as well. My OCD mother used to compulsively open the car windows all at once & exhale forcefully out the window to "let all the anger outside" when she was upset, this is like an energy obsession. As a kid my family would all laugh at this, but as an adult I see she was really trying to stop ruminating on obsessive negativity. It honestly seems like a cool ritual to have if it were only symbolic, but it would become impairing if she felt like NOT rolling down the windows meant she couldn't stop the obsessive angry thoughts. I've also had "energy obsessions" where if, say, I borrowed a pen from someone who was fired from my job, holding on to the pen felt like I was agreeing to keep "I might get fired" energy around me. It is so exhausting, but equally freeing to start challenging some of these thoughts.
Hi mate my name is Joseph I’m from the UK but live in Queensland Australia with my wife and three kids I’ve suffered on and off with pure OCD/HOCD pretty much all the subtypes of OCD since I was 16 years old I’m now 37 and only recently in the past couple of years truly understand that I have OCD and to expose myself to my fears and not do my compulsions I never comment on videos but you have generally sincerely helped me recover I would just like to say thank you 👍
I'm really happy reading your comment, let's keep trying friend
Thank you for sharing Joseph, from one stranger to another, I genuinely wish you luck on your journey and recovery.
Another Queenslander😀😀😀
This is the first video I have watched from your channel! I was diagnosed with OCD around the year 2000 when I was 10 years old. Obsessive hand washing and anxiety about germs, sickness, infection, etc. Counting footsteps, gulps of water, breaths I breathe, etc. Superstitions and rituals, like needing to sing a certain song in my head as I walk through the bathroom door. If I don’t, I have to go back and walk through the door all over again. Or saying phrases over and over until I say them “right.” Checking and rechecking clocks, locks, faucets, etc. Needing to confess everything I’ve ever done wrong, asking for forgiveness, etc. Seeking reassurance constantly. These are the basics. You’re right that it is anxiety that fuels the compulsions.
The looping! At its worst I would just be bombarded with the intrusive thoughts, ruminating, analyzing, and anxiety. Couldn’t sleep or eat. It was terrible. Thankful I was able to get back on my anxiety meds and that has helped me so much.
Having undiagnosed OCD is pure torture
That too for majority of your life
I thought I was insane
@@tonyfonta4094how come? I feel the same bc my intrusive thoughts can be harmless but really unwanted.
@@Phoenix-sq9ce it's because you can't control it at first. So it feels like your insane. But you just need to accept it and move
I know what you mean
Happy birthday to my favorite OCD coach you really changed how I look at things and how I manage my OCD it's never been so good to live at the moment with uncertainties and to not stress out on things catastrophizing! Thank you very much!!!
Thanks so much Bryan! I feel honored to be your favorite. 😄
❤️❤️❤️ thank you so much no words can describe how you changed my brain on thinking how OCD works and giving me hope in life, thank you so so much.
@@ocdandanxiety Hi, I have a few questions to ask just to make sure of some things if that's o.k.(you don't have to answer it if you don't want to).
I have horrible intrusive thoughts all of the time that are very violent and I don't know what to do. I also have all three of these, basically. What should I do next? Do I get a diagnosis?
@@sydglover4842he has some videos on how to work towards overcoming ocd. beyond that i'm not sure there's much else you can do. i wanna get a disgnosis for reassurance and so i can prove to people who tell me i'm making it up lol but that's more personal preference, you don't have to get diagnosed
@@ocdandanxietycan I get Help I need it sun is possible
No but why do I actually relate to this so much??
Timestamp:
1:10 Indication 1 Intrusive thoughts
3:01 Indication 2 Intrusive thoughts + Anxiety
4:05 Indication 3 Compulsion
5:59 The logic that keeps you traped
Brooo😯
You should have to get some research or talk to a mental health practitioner.
I am diagnosed with OCD. This was a BIT stressful to listen to but so is experiencing OCD, which you were simulating. Lol
Diagnosed OCD here. My psychiatrist never got really into the details with me about WHY, so thanks for this video! I feel like I understand my brain a little better.
As someone who has two anxiety disorders, thank you for putting emphasis into what OCD would feel like. I don't have OCD, but I'm aware that most anxiety disorders have some overlapping symptoms. One of the biggest overlapping symptoms in anxiety disorders is intrusive thoughts, and you made it clear that it is more about the type of intrusive thoughts, coping mechanisms, and physical reactions that distinguishes one anxiety disorder from another.
I’m very doubtful of the fact that I might have OCD.
I’m seeing a therapist next month in order to confirm my suspicions.
I relate a lot to the things that people with OCD talk about. Especially the meta nature of the thoughts.
I’ll say something innocuous, but then hyper-fixate on the thing I said. “What if I offended the person I’m talking to, what if I’m a terrible person for making them feel this way?”
Then you ask them for reassurance to make sure you haven’t offended them, but then you get hit with the “but what if they’re just lying about it to not hurt your feelings?”
Then if you ask again, you get hit with the “they must think you’re pretty weird and they don’t like you as much because you made them feel uncomfortable. Even though they won’t say it, they probably feel that way, and you’re awful for making them feel that way.”
It’s a never ending loop of increasing absurdity.
Depression, social anxiety, cptsd, a lot of things can cause what you are describing. And OCD! At the end of the day, for me, seeing a therapist who saw past diagnosis and focused on the treatment helped me, because I will always doubt my diagnosis lol.
I hope you figure it out and let yourself rest!
@@drodlarenhey! whats cptsd?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN MY GUY🤝🏻
Ocd is a nightmare! People have no idea! Literally it’s a constant struggle feeling like your brain is threatening you 24/7
These best description of OCD. It is absolutely exhausting.
You honestly hit the mark on exactly what it is I experience, I have not been diagnosed with OCD yet but dude you are God Sent and your videos literally have helped me out so so much so far. I honestly am thankful to you.
Hey, have you gotten diagnosed now? I’m planning on
@@robossthinking1056 yes!! I’m honestly doing so much better!!
@@Alpha-Scythe23 Can you share your experience? I'm thinking of getting a diagnosis, but a bit afraid of the outcome
@@robossthinking1056 Yes I have been diagnosed and surprisingly it was a sigh of relief to know what I have. Nate’s Videos along with therapy has brought me back to a normal and healthier state of mind. I’ve had “Flare ups” but I have to remind myself to just let the thoughts be no matter how distressing or uncomfortable they are. The effort I put into fighting them and performing compulsions burns me out mentaly and if I do that every single day it’s draining.
@@__MPires__ I totally meant to reply to you but I replied to RO boss the message is right under you :)
Great video! It really annoys me when people trivialise OCD. In one of my worst episodes, I had to cut the plug off my iron and throw it away, because otherwise I couldn’t leave the house. The constant checking to ensure the iron was unplugged, was horrendous
I want everything perfectly lined up. It because I prefer them that way, not because I’m afraid of or shaped by trauma. That’s not OCD.
I figured out I had OCD a few years ago and it’s been soooo helpful just learning how to cope with it.
I’ve been taking 3000mg of NAC (n-acetyl cysteine) a day and it had reaaaaalllly helpful for the ruminating/obsessive thinking. I still get intrusive thoughts and I still sometimes get stuck, but I am way more capable of allowing the thought to move on. It also has helped me with the destructive compulsive behaviors like picking my cuticles etcetera. There are interesting peer reviewed articles on its use for ocd! It’s not a cure-all by any means, but it has helped me manage a lot of the more challenging aspects of OCD.
I’ve started taking NAC too at the direction of my psych and I love it!
How is your stomach feeling, I personally get diarhea if I take a larger dose
Thx u for a great vid
1. Intrusive thoughts
2. Anxiety
3. Compulsions
I’ve had OCD since I was a child, and am only now figuring it out at 31 thanks to your videos. I consulted with my therapist and am working on reevaluating my previous bipolar II diagnosis.
The tricky thing about OCD is the inaccurate stigmas and that so much of it is internal. For example I started having anxiety attacks before my international trip because I thought my cats were going to die or my house was going to explode if I wasn’t home, and I needed to make sure I wasn’t gone for any more than X amount of time so that wouldn’t happen. It’s debilitating. But now that I know what it is I can work towards a better quality of life. Thank you for the education!
OCD is also often times confused with ADHD and vice versa. If the clnician doing the diagnosis doesn't ask the right questions the two conditions look very similar. It gets worse if you add ASD into the mix as that one looks a lot like OCD+ADHD at times.
@@pamphlet3560 That's not surprising, that's a common way that people wind up with OCD. Traumatized as a child and spend the rest of your life engaging in magical thinking to try and prevent it from happening again. From what I understand, Gene Wilder had a similar cause for his OCD.
I also was originally diagnosed bipolar type 2. My OCD diagnosis has been life changing.
The way I was diagnosed with ocd was that during the beginning of COVID I started having severe health anxiety which spiraled into “tasting blood in my mouth” so every time I “tasted” blood in my mouth I had to spit into a napkin to check for blood then swirl water in my mouth and spit to check for this blood. I brought this up to my psychiatrist and was told this was sounding compulsive and with some more digging into other things I was diagnosed with ocd.
Happy Birthday!
Thank you for everything you do in informing what OCD actually is.
It took me 5 years + an extra year to get help and a diagnosis to realize that I was suffering from OCD the whole time due to the misinformation that was portrayed by the internet, which I never would of guessed I had OCD.
So thank you so much for spreading awareness on what is OCD!
And Happy Birthday Nathan! I hope you have a nice day!
Me too, I lived with OCD for 4 years until someone saw a box of hand sanitizer I brought for myself in 2016 (long before covid) he asked me if I have OCD, I literally laughed really hard and thought he doesn't know what OCD was (back then I thought I knew...I thought it's someone who would live extremely neat), but it always stuck with me why he thought that I have OCD...I knew there was something wrong with me, but I couldn't figure it out, until on day I thought...maybe, just maybe...he was right, maybe I think I know what OCD is but I don't, so I did some research and was shocked! It was as if someone was writing about me, I then discovered that there are many types of OCD and I have 2 types. I was really shocked, but at the same time relieved (knowing what was wrong with me).
As someone diagnosed with ocd this is the most accurate and easy to understand video ive seen. Great job 🎉
Finding this was such a relief. It’s so refreshing to see OCD defined and explained accurately. Thank you for your work! ❤
I feel like crying right now. I haven't been diagnosed but this is EXACTLY how I've felt for years. It's been a daily struggle and absolutely miserable. Thank you!
I wasn’t ever actually diagnosed with OCD, but as a kid a doctor told my parents I had OCD tendencies. I fully believe I do have OCD. The perceived threat followed by anxiety is something I deal with several times a day, every single day. The constant having to convince myself I’m okay, just for it to start over like an hour later. I go through phases where they’ll bother me more than usual, then will not bother me much for maybe a week or two, then it’ll come back. Not being able to fall asleep because it’s intrusive thought after intrusive thought. It’s horrible and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.
I can’t afford therapy and treatment and your videos have helped me tremendously. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Nathan for making this video. I had intrusive thoughts last night about hurting someone I cared about and it kept me up all night. I was scared that I would act on it because it was hard to look pass it. And you're right, it's just a thought no biggie. I shouldn't treated it like it matters because it doesn't. Thanks again. 😊
Thanks I will try that technique tomorrow 😊
Hi, a year later, you still haven't hurt them right? Because I've had the same problem lately and I'm so scared of it.
I had SO MANY rituals all my life. Now I’m 50 years old and my Dad passed away 6 months ago. My rituals have diminished a lot. I’m learning rituals do nothing for us. They will not protect us from anything. Good luck to all who have OCD. It’s not easy. No one will understand unless they live it.
Happy birthday Nathan!! Tomorrow is my birthday too. Thank you for explaining the MECHANISM of OCD, and what it actually is! It doesn’t matter what theme it is, the mechanism is the same.
Dang this really helps, I’m gonna talk to a therapist and figure this out. My thoughts are like what if I get attracted to a family member which has really affected me. I have a lot of other ones but this is the biggest one I’ve had yet
I have diagnosed OCD. I DON'T have intrusive thoughts in the way you're describing here. And intrusive thoughts was not one of the diagnostic criteria that my psychologist looked for at all.
So I just wanted to say that OCD doesn't always look this way. There are other ways to properly diagnose OCD.
I have a hyper-fixation on fixing things and solving things. I also get really dedicated to putting things where they go and doing it my way.
There are other things in my diagnosis that are not even mentioned here -- or things which are glossed over here.
I live with it. I manage it. It doesn't look the same for everyone.
Can you point me in the direction of where I can get some information on what you are experiencing as I can relate, but have not been diagnosed with ocd.
@@LuckyMoo2 I'd love to, but I'm not a psychologist. I can ask mine for references though and get back to you. 🙂
@@ohleander02 Thankyou. That would be great. I appreciate you doing that for me. Just when you have time 😊
@@LuckyMoo2 th-cam.com/video/u_qfAtvX8Os/w-d-xo.htmlsi=AovMhk8jYN5eyqhu
This video, if TH-cam let's me link it, discusses 4 types of OCD.
They are not the only types and you can have combined types too. I hope that helps.
I got diagnosed with OCD today and it's nice to finally know that I'm not crazy. :)
I really liked this video, it definitely gave a much more accurate picture of what OCD is like while still making it broad enough so that it is easy to understand. I have OCD and didn't know it until this year, and can I just say that after having figured that out, so many things about myself made sense. I deal with intrusive thoughts and dreams, fear-based compulsions, tics, and more. It can be a lot sometimes, but exposure therapy and talking things out with my therapist have helped a lot. Thank you again for this video, more people need to see it!
Little do they know that OCD is crippling anxiety that needs attention and it feels like you have no control over your thoughts almost as if somebody else is planting horrific thoughts in your head.
As a kid, this was a big issue with OCD..
I would need to "spin" . Like if I was walking and I turned to the left a couple of time, I HAD to "unwind" myself and turn to the right until I felt "Straightened out". I would get this feeling after crawling in the back on my parents van after I buckled in and I would writhe around and feel so wound up that I would (very uncomfortably) turn myself all the way around in my seat, under the seatbelt. I would cry because it was so difficult to do but i HAD to do it or I would go into full anxiety attack over it.
Everything had to be in 3's. It had to be evenly done, but not an even number of times. So 3,9, or15 times because it's an odd number, but even on both sides of my body. So if I stretched my left leg, I would stretch my right leg, I needed one more but had to be even so then I would stretch both legs at the same time.
Those 2 things faded thank goodness as I grew into adulthood. But one thing that remained is my over obsessive need to check things. Like make sure the doors are locked at night, that my alarm is set, that the baby monitor is on. Most people can check it once or twice and be good. No. Not me. I'll check it like 8 times and I crawl into bed and think "Did I really just see that correctly? What if I saw it wrong? I can't remember. If I'm wrong I'll be late for work. Maybe my baby will cry and I can't hear them? Maybe someone will break into the house while I'm asleep?" And I'll have to keep getting up to reassure myself that these are all correctly set. I think part of this though is at times, I've done all of this and still my alarm doesn't go off, the baby monitor was off when I woke up, or the door was left unlocked. I will swear up and down that I did indeed do these things and STILL they weren't done so I freak out and check even more each time.
For me it will be walking and there’s cracks splitting the concrete and I have to make sure that I get starting with my right foot and then my left foot and then I have to get my right foot in before I cross the line and then once I cross the line I have to start with my left foot and continuously do this or if I’m Trying to go to my car and there’s a tree line I have to grab with my left hand each tree even if I’m passing my car and then go back to my car
Having to spin is the worst feeling.
I used to do the unwinding thing aswell, like I walked a certain path to my desk in primary school and when I got up again I rewalked the path and also spun back like you described.
If anyone wants another example of the intrusive + anxiety. I just spent about 4 1/2 MONTHS not reading a book I've waited several years for it to release because the OCD based intrusive thought of "If you read this right this minute, this bad outcome for a relative could happen.".... and then my anxiety disorder kicked in of "well logically that won't happen... but lets listen to the ocd thought until that issue is cleared up"
I remember being at school and crying because of some thoughts I've had that other people just wouldn't notice, that's what ocd looks like and thank you so much for this video it's so helpful to see people like you on the internet!
At first I thought I had generalized anxiety disorder, but now I think it's actually OCD. I just have a lot of anxiety and rumination over anything. It started out as legitimate worries, but now I just worry about the anxiety itself and how to make it go away, and my compulsions are the rumination or fidgeting part of my body.
Happy Birthday Nathan. 🎂
Finally someone explained the real OCD.
Thank you Nathan.
You're the beat.❤🦋
Thanks so much for thinking of me. I appreciate you!
I have never been clinically diagnosed with OCD, but I’ve also never been evaluated or tested for it at all. Ever since I can remember I’ve done exactly what you just described. Add to that that everything has to be in a certain order or it’s not done right and something will happen if not. I make myself emotionally just sick over every little thing. The only type of treatment or relief I can get is to just do it the exact way I feel it has to be done and I’m the order perceived correctly in my on mind. I do not tolerate delegation well at all because others can’t do it the way I feel they should. When I do try to delegate I get sick over it. I’m bad about doing things the hard way or per-say long way because of the emotional steps I have to go through to do everything!
I think I may have ocd. I just started researching this an hour ago after I had that one intrusive thought again and looked up on Google if I am horrible. It told me I might have ocd. So I took a online test (I know they aren’t always reliable) and I felt like I was relating with all the questions, and this video perfectly describes my thought process.
The part about googling really struck me to my core. My therapist recently diagnosed me with OCD and I felt badfled because I "dont have compulsions". I searched for videos to learn more. Hearing you talk about googling things made me realize that I do, in fact, have compulsive behavior it's just different than what's usually portrayed. Thank you for adding that, it gave me a lot of clarity.
I have wondered on and off whether I had OCD since I was about 12 years old. Through watching your videos I finally realize that I do. When you said a compulsion is anything you do that you don't want to do, it finally clicked. I thought I only had obsessions and intrusive thoughts, but then I realized there were things I was doing mentally, as well as asking for reassurance, and researching online and I realized that I didn't want to do any of those things. I just felt like I had to do them because I was so afraid of the anxiety and the threats. Thank you for spreading awareness. I went to two different therapists who just treated me for anxiety (I also have GAD with OCD), but I think because I never addressed the OCD that that's why therapy didn't work for me. I have been feeling depressed and hopeless for months. But now I feel some hope. I wish more people would describe OCD like you do. When I first was trying to see if I had anything, every website I looked at talked about categories for OCD. At one point I did fit in one or two of the catagories, but sometimes my obsessions don't, and at that point I wondered if I no longer had OCD and just had anxiety, but anxiety treatment didn't help! So I was frustrated and confused. Thanks for helping me to see more clearly ❤️❤️❤️
I dont want to self diagnose but I experience everything in the video. Maybe the first step is acceptance. Thank God I find your channel
This guy has saved my life on a number of occasions🙏 thank you!
I wonder if there are any other people suffering from Somatic OCD...and I mean so severe you are fixated on a feeling you generate yourself without having control over it😮💨
I got diagnosed with OCD by my psychologist back when I relapsed on my neurological disorder. I was under a lot of stress and tried to suppress it. It started with a wart on my foot (which I had before and just got it removed easily), came back and went to get it removed again. It took a few sessions, so I got paranoid about spreading the wart. I wore socks all the time, I wore flip flops in the shower. I put bandages on it. I washed my towels twice in a row. I washed my hands a lot. It was removed and refused to believe it was gone and still did the same behaviours. It then went to me washing my hands everytime I touched door handles, faucet, anything lol my hands would get cracked and bleed. My thoughts were always like "if I don't do this, I'll get sick or get someone else sick". I went to therapy and worked on it. Exposure therapy mostly helped. I'm a lot better. I don't wear flip flops in the shower, I don't sanitize everything anymore, I don't wash my hands nearly as much as I did, etc. I still get thoughts but I try to ignore them. But yea, there's a lot of people that don't understand OCD.
I just want to say to everyone struggling with OCD.. You are strong enough. The thoughts will never go away, but you can choose not to react to them. It will get easier and easier. I've made it. You will make it. There is a future. God bless you because you really really care.
Ty I'm dealing with a SCARY TERRIBLE FLARE UP AFTER 8 YEARS and it feels so real all over again and I feel like a crazy evil person. Ty for this comment.
Happiest birthday Nathan! Wish you all the best in life! Thank you for saving my life for the past 2 years! You are my fav therapist, love you! ❤️❤️
I can't even explain how accurate this was. When you said your brain is tricking you and not to listen to Nate, I was literally thinking no but mine is different. I can get it right this time.
I've never heard someone describe OCD so well. You've verbalized exactly what i feel
Thank you for showing the reality of terror that OCD is and feels like. The 'or else' is everything.
I’m on a low dose of Zoloft and it’s really helped me with this. I’ll admit I hate being on meds, but I also know that it helps me function throughout the day and I don’t drive my wife as crazy either lol. Another thing I notice is I get tics, like blinking or squinting real hard,making noises with my throat or clearing my throat. And I get stuck in a loop doing that for days. Something I’ve had since I was a teenager.
When I was 34 my friend said to me I have been watching you and I think you have ocd. I said I don't have a cleaning disorder. He said thats not ocd, then told me very think iv been thinking since I was about 3 years old. Blew my mind! About a year later I watched loads of professionals like this hero and its been a long 5 years chipping it all way but I have pretty much don't do any ocds now! It will get better guys!
@1:00 - "there's nothing exciting about someone who experiences OCD." Okay buddy, just cuz I have OCD doesn't mean I'm not exciting XD
Talking about the experience not being exciting, though.
@@anneolaug - ... yeah, I know. I was making a joke. Your art is beautiful, btw.
So emotional right now. I was recently diagnosed with Post-partum OCD by my therapist and am now doing an intensive therapy program. It's so overwhelming because I find my brain questioning the diagnosis, but this video was so validating! And now I wonder if I've always had OCD, but that it was worsened because of post-partum.... I will absolutely be talking to my therapist more about this.
This is exactly what I deal with but my OCD involves my relationship. Luckily I’ve somewhat learned how to break the cycle but it’s still challenging and I have more to learn how to manage it. I’ve never had someone literally describe what I deal with so well. When I’ve read about OCD some details would sound like me other details wouldn’t so this was a relief to hear precisely what I deal with.
5:24 this is the worst part for me, the research and logic loop makes me go days trapped feeling miserable not being able to function 😭😞
I recently have so many insights to why I've been acting like I've been acting, based on specific traumatic events I remember and never dealt with. And I can see how people that get misdiagnosed bevause they were afraid to answer the doctors questions thinking they might get sent to the loony bin, but I think the clients are also giving a bit of incorrect feedback to the medical researchers, and it's leading the research astray. The more I learn about myself, the more I realize nearly everyone is going through the exact same learning experiences, I just get so caught up in my version, I forget how much I can make others happy especially animals since they react in the present a lot more than humans have been trained to. How little I've been relying on my senses is so weird.
Hi- I don’t know if this helps you or not but I have OCD where I can’t stop feeding squirrels or birds or any wildlife. When I saw Squirrel in your name - I felt either triggered or connected to you and wanted to reach out. We’re not alone in this battle!! Hang in there!! :)
From an entire life sufferer and now at 64 even worse with never ending anxiety, restlessness, time wasting, medicated for over 30 years and what not I just cant shake it off.
Oh my god.. This is so validating
this is such a validating video. thank you for this. i was diagnosed with ocd a while ago. it was one of my only diagnoses that i knew nothing about at first. im so glad people are finally starting to really understand it.
it hurts to hear the complete misunderstanding of the condition that most people have. much love ❤
Happy birthday! You’ve helped me so much and I so appreciate your videos! I’m now in therapy but still love your videos and learning from them!
What about for rumination about existential things, like say national politics involving a certain party/person doing “everything wrong” (ie. regression) … and instantaneously jumping to the ruination of everything. And compulsively(?) constantly checking information sources … unable to let. it. go. It’s maddening!
Hey Nate I just wanted to say thank you! For your videos I have found some peace during hard times. I found your channel in June and it’s changed my life. I realized from your channel that I do have ocd and I remembered I did as a young teen and slowly it got better but in different ways. Growing up I had the counting ocd then later it transformed into thoughts ocd and trying to over think and figure stuff out. I have found your videos and made a transformation and I don’t try to figure thoughts out anymore. Thank you for your great content
Thank you! My family used to make fun of me and say I was OCD because I didn't want rotten dishes in the sink. I do have intrusive thoughts, but I do not believe I have ocd.
Happy Birthday Nathan!
Could you make a video on fear of death of a loved one ocd? I’ve been struggling with this.
The ending really got me. I’ve spent so much time questioning if I have OCD because mine is “not like other people’s” so therefore, my brain is telling me I must be a bad person for lying about being sick or “wanting” to be sick
Because of the wrong idea of OCD that I had my entire life I didn’t know I had OCD until I was 28, I’ve had it since I can remember, literally since I was a little kid now I’m finally on medication and the difference in my way of living and seeing life has change so much, the way you explain it is so easy to understand, thank you for your valuable info ❤
hi! which medication are you on if you don’t mind me asking? :)
The thought always feels different and important😭 even when I know telling someone only makes it worse in the long run.
Happy belated birthday. I’m grateful i came across your profile. It’s amazing people like you that positively affect so many strangers lives around you. You have a gift and you were meant to be here doing this for us. It truly makes me feel aware and that i’m not the only one and honestly, i laugh at how silly it actually sounds when you hear what ocd is when its outside of your mind and from another persons perspective 😂 the mind is so silly and crazy and complex and it eases my mind hearing it from outside of my head. Bless you
Love the “maybe, maybe not” neon sign in the back! Great video!
Happy birthday!!! Thank you so, so much for all that you do to help people like me who suffer from anxiety and OCD. I appreciate you!! Thanks for being you!! :D
this is literally the most perfect way to explain ocd
Hi, my name is arshi. After watching your video I felt everything you said. I am still not sure if I have OCD as I haven’t taken any therapy sessions yet but symptoms do confirm I have OCD. However, I feel really hurt as I have no support from my family while going through this, I have been shouted, beaten off for having OCD as I have no control over it. I go crazy and my mind goes numb, I always talk about the same thing and it won’t let me stop until the opposite person agrees to what I just said. I start cleaning my room and arrange things the way I want. This brings a lot of problems as I stay with my family. Sometimes I just want go live alone but again things doesn’t happen the way we want it to be. The saddest part of me having OCD is, I know I am at fault, I don’t want to hurt the opposite person but I still end up fighting and hurt them through my behaviour. These things happen to me only at home and only with 2 of my family members. I am always expecting them to comfort me, whereas they don’t understand and think I am doing it all by myself. At this point I am so done and am literally suffering internally. But I will make sure to stop this, I will take therapy’s and will be alright soon. I know someone reading this might be suffering from OCD or may be you are watching this for someone you love and care, I just want to tell you BE STRONG we are gonna cure ourselves, we will be alright soon and yes you are not alone. Happy life happy vibes only❤
I didn’t realize there was such a variety of compulsions. Thanks for highlighting this!
I’m autistic and it’s hard for me to figure out if what I experience is OCD or autism or if it’s actually comorbid. Would a professional actually be able to figure out that out for me or would it be a guessing game? Every professional I’ve had has diagnosed me with different things, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, depression. It’s so hard to figure out the truth. I have a feeling it may be comorbid autism and OCD but am worried to make a self diagnosis with such gravity. I can tick off the three boxes but still second guess it bc I’m not a professional and OCD is so personal and different for everyone, intrusive thoughts can be about so many different things and compulsions can be so vastly different that I question if they’re even compulsions so then I feel that I don’t tick the three boxes. It’s so confusing. Wish I could afford a specific OCD specialist.
I spent most of my childhood with OCD but back in the 90s, there’s no way I would’ve known or even heard of it. I was convinced if I didn’t do certain things, my mum would die. I would count the amount of letters in every word when people would speak to me. I was too nervous to leave my parents because if I wasn’t with them, they would die. If I was watching tv and they said something like “stay tuned after the break for the answer to this question” I would have to sit there and wait whether I cared or not what the answer was because I was petrified that something bad would happen. I still have OCD traits now I’m an adult but I now have M.E. and it makes it very difficult to have the mind power and energy to let it consume me as much as I did as a kid.
Happy birthday Nate!! Ans thanks for everything you do!!🥰
Thank you so much!!
Thank you for raising awarness and sharing correct information. I don’t even have OCD but it annoys me how many walk around saying they have it just because their toilet paper has to hang a certain way and so on. Only know one person with OCD and most people can’t imagine how much it effects his daily life. Just getting out the door takes him forever because he has to do a certain ritual over and over. And he never talks about it because he’s ashamed, not proud.
Happy birthday Nate thankyou for helping my love one to manage anxiety and ocd we are forever grateful for you ❤️ keep safe as always
I always appreciate your support my friend!
I can’t explain how nice and calming your videos are to me , they make me smile a bit about my situation . I will try to create a party for my thoughts of what ifs .
My ocd tells me that I don't love my partner and don't want to be with my partner. I know these things aren't true and I tell myself that I do want these things and I get stuck in this loop.
It make me so anxious and I use to try to suppress the thought but it made it the thoughts stronger. I would avoid certain things in my relationship. It was awful until I started listening to your videos and got on the right medication. I'm learning how to do ERP
I know I have it because I was diagnosed, but I remember thinking, "Doesn't everyone worry like this?". My intrusive thoughts are about bad luck, or people getting hurt. I have to do everything in either a yin/Yan pattern or in fives to keep everyone I care about safe. The frustrating thing is that I'm aware it's crazy, but if I ignore it, the worry becomes more intense 😕. Also, if bad things do happen, I blame myself for not "balancing" things correctly. It's just an awful thing to live with, and I'm really happy to see someone explaining it correctly 😊