Hi. What if I have an OCD about a real issue? So I’ve messed up in my job and it endangers human lives. I’ve tried to do things to prevent bad from happening but not everything is within my power. Now things depend on other parties/counterparts - but they are not very responsible and I have some solid proof that they didn't fix anything. And it kills me every second, I am a man with no rest. I am thinking every second about what else I can do to prevent bad outcomes. It paralyses me. I cannot rest and cannot be happy. It’s an obsession now, but the danger is real. I always take full responsibility, and moreover, I was the cause in the first place. I am trying to undertake other things to fix the situation, but the progress is slow and it won't be certain. What do I do? I cannot and do not want to accept the possibility of something bad happening f because of me.
video idea for you: maybe you could do an introductory on ocd aimed at parents? it’s hard getting them to understand what my day to day is like. i want to open up about what i’m struggling with but i don’t want them to judge me for the themes i have.
Hi Nathan! I just wanted to leave a comment to say thank you. I thought that my obsessing over the past was anxiety, but I found that talking about events in talk therapy was doing more harm than good. Talking about it just opened up more worry or potential scenarios! I came across your videos and realised that my thought patterns were aligned with real event OCD: the obsessive googling (Reddit is the worst for this!), trying to get to the bottom of things, reassurance seeking, constant rumination- I was never able to live in the present because I felt that I didn't deserve happiness because of these past events. Your videos came into my life at just the right time. I catch myself falling into patterns now and your content helps me to remind myself to do exposures and treat the thought as exactly that, a thought. Maybe, maybe not. :) Thanks again x
Grateful for your work Nathan. These are the exact sort of questions that my brain wrestles with each and every day. The need for precision and completeness is relentless. ERP is of course useful but when you get a slightly different scenario each time, it can offer opportunities for OCD to get another look at it. Thank you for changing lives with your content. Who knows how many lives you've saved or at the very least changed. I suspect lots. Wishing you the very best and thank you for such meaningful work. Matt.
Hey Matt, thanks for your kind words and support! It's awesome to hear that our content is resonating with you and helping you navigate through those daily struggles. I totally get what you mean about the challenges of distinguishing between normal worries and obsessions, and how ERP can sometimes throw a curveball at you. Keep pushing through, you're not alone in this journey! Sending you positive vibes and wishing you all the best too. Stay strong! 💪🏼✨
Matt, Nate here will tell you to work on your Ninja skills and purposely mess up things. Nothing is or can ever be perfect. Take the chance and mess things up and don't do the compulsions. IF you don't react by doing them, (seeking perfection) this retrains your brain to a new healthier way of thinking. You got this, mess it up on purpose!
The scenario is irrelevant. When you do enough of ERP correctly, it changes the paths/habits in your brain and eventually you wont repeat the ocd cycle anymore regardless of the scenario your brain throws at you! That of course is the perfect outcome, but it for sure is not that simple most of the time.
Thanks Nathan for your endless support from your videos to our OCD community. Honestly, the battle in the mind is the toughest part in life. But I've learnt never to give up and try my best to continue with my life every day even if it means I do compulsions here and there. Your video gives me awareness which converts to internal strength to resist those compulsions little by little. I do see the improvement slowly and surely I believe I will get to place where ERP is not something scary to my brain anymore but, ERP = living the life I want to the fullest with joy, peace & laughter
Thank you. Thank you so much for your videos. I’ve been struggling with the exact same things you mentioned in multiple videos, and it was so accurate that I honestly cried out of relief. I thought I’m crazy, or I’m the only one going through those crazy thoughts ALL the time. A couple years ago, I was a K-pop and K-drama fan. Because of my thoughts, I ruined it for me. Couldn’t enjoy it anymore cause my mind was just too filled with too much and thereby I stopped listening to K-pop or watching K-drama. Same thing happened with so many things. Now I’m struggling with reading novels. I’ve been reading for a year, and since I started the thoughts were there. I tried ignoring them as much as possible but now I’m at a point we’re it takes me 30 to read 3 pages. Simply because of my thoughts. Because I stop at every minor thing that could potentially not make sense etc. It’s so exhausting and honestly, I haven’t finished a book in months. Even when not reading I’m thinking SO much about certain books and their “problems”. Then there are those really awful thoughts I have that make me believe I’m a horrible person. And that makes everything worse. There’s so much I can talk about, but you get the idea. I’m trying to win against my thoughts this time, because now thanks to your help, I understand that it’s not my fault but something I can’t control and that I must let the thoughts simply be there and STILL continue. Let’s pray we all recover, and I’ll try finding professional help soon.
Your videos have really helped me understand myself more and get over my ocd, thank u so much for what u do!🎉❤ I always love the good vibes in your content :)
Aw, I'm so glad to hear that my content is helping you on your journey to managing OCD! Remember, you're never alone in this. Keep up the great work and stay strong! 💪🏼
Great video, man. I appreciate it. I don't think I have OCD, but I do tend to go down rabbit holes and find myself consumed by something and then get the intrusive thoughts. My question is: How can I care less about something that I actually enjoy, so I can get back to enjoying it instead of obsessing over it. My current obsession is working out, and I feel like it has totally consumed my thoughts for the past few weeks. And it is something that I typically enjoy. Thank you, sir.
As a muslim, i personally deal with religious ocd so i end up constantly repeating myself when it comes to prayers and stuff like that which takes a good portion of time since we pray 5 times throughout the day. but a really good piece of advice one scholar gave was if you end up having to repeat or correct yourself on the same mistake two or more times within the same day, then realize its fake and just tell yourself to read the next sentence and move on. If it was a false alarm, you help yourself, and if it truly was a mistake, God’s Merciful and will forgive you and even reward you for making the effort towards improvement.
As a latter-day saint/Mormon who loves and finds Islam fascinating, I appreciate this. I struggled with scrupulosity and it's a nightmare. You're not alone. Salam alaikum!
Sorry this is a long question, I just wanted to to provide context. I appreciate your channel so much! I have ADHD, potentially autism, and over time I've been struggling more with what seems like OCD. Most of my "compulsions" are avoidance and rumination. I never feel as if any action even touches the obsessions and fears, I often feel as if the worst has already happened and that I'm powerless to do anything against it. I have a lot of obsessive thoughts, but I often just feel depressed and paralyzed as a result. When I've used the phrase I hear you say of "I'd love for my fear to happen" etc it always sounds sarcastic when I say it. I don't have any agency in my own head. I've recently been using a new phrase of "let's try x as an experiment" and it seems to be helping. I've always experienced profound executive dysfunction, and it's often difficult to determine when it's from ADHD or OCD. For example, I often feel as if I'm not allowed to do something unless I'm in the right headspace, and that if I put something off once I can't do it at all. I know it's an ADHD problem, but maybe it's made worse by OCD. I get the sense that the systems and tricks that help ADHD are contradictory to the treatment for OCD. Do you have any suggestions?
Question for You sir *Disclaimer* psychosomatic things . . . . . . . . . . . . What do you say about somatic 'physical empathy' / 'physical feeling' for something that is beyond our control, but that we have some influence on? For example, before and after eating something that potentialy may contain mercury you feel your body :D
I have diagnosed OCD. It’s Pretty bad and almost all of my symptoms are around hygiene, well specifically hand washing and concern about touching pretty much anything that has been touched by others, and when outside the house I use a lot of sanitiser. I have lots of questions to be honest!! Today though, my question is when everyone has different understanding of “normal” when it comes to hand higiene how on earth do I ever know what to aim for in the sense of trying to bring my behaviour around hygiene in to even close to “normal” ranges? Thank you.
And what about obsessive rushing with action? is it OCD + ADHD or avoiding thinking about time and wanting to greedy fill up on activity as soon as possible before sad OCD comes? or is it FOMO?
Nathan, thank you. I have a question about OCD. Why is it that a person can watch your video or other videos and then they go right back within a day or two days and it comes back all over again? How can I convince myself that is OCD and how can I stop this because it’s so deliberatingto the mind. I am so thankful that I found your videos.
I have suffered with these traits more or less all my life but it comes down to doubt. The practice of being still with what we can't control is the only way however, I would not suggest having very insensitive partners or friends if we are not mentally or emotionally steady. It's likely to cause a harmful reaction one way or rhe other.
This is why we call it the doubting disease! It's amazing OCD is cured by doing NOTHING! ERP is funny, sufferers live in a state of being "Exposed" ..... Not doing the RESPONSE is how it's beaten. That's the Prevention!
Hey, I’ve been having this thought recently about life. The thought is that my life is an experiment and it’s fake and it’s all generated like a video game and that I’m like ai. It’s been bothering for a few days now and I’ve been crying and being in a sad mood all day for like a week now. And the worst part is that no one knows the answer. Please help me someway I’m scared.
Hmm so sorry about that. Just like he said, act like you don't care, and say well we'll probably never know the answer to that but I'm in this life and I'm gonna live it anyway. And as it keeps coming, keep shrugging.
What should i do when i have a thought like if i do this sth bad will happen and when i do this this bad thing randomly happens. Is this just a coincidence or should i feel guilty for bad things that happen ?
if having fear from hurting you brain or etc car, was ocd but sometimes it’s freezing me from doing things because I’m afraid of hurting my self and regret and say i should have listened to my thoughts wish you answer
I’m unsure of when’s a good time for me to go to a psych ward I haven’t really eaten pretty much anything in a day I have harm ocd and have for a while but I’m not sure if I’m a dark evil person and I’m scared I can barely get out of bed and everything is triggering me. I also am doubting if I have ocd even though I have a bunch of compulsion I do. But I’m worried I’m a horrible person and can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel and I’m scared I’ll snap or just drive myself crazy to the point I’ll act on a thought and the thoughts are getting worse too I haven’t left my house in like a month and I’m not sure if I should go to a psych ward or not
Hey there, thanks for reaching out. It sounds like you're going through a really tough time right now. If you're feeling overwhelmed and struggling to cope, it might be a good idea to consider seeking professional help, whether that's through therapy, counseling, or even going to a psych ward if you feel like you're in crisis. Remember, it's okay to ask for help and prioritize your mental health. Take care of yourself and reach out to someone you trust for support. You've got this! 💪🏼🌟
Can OCD have a sudden onset?? I’ve never experienced this in my life, and it’s become absolutely overwhelmingly horrible in genuinely a week and a half. Also, what do you do for ERP when the thoughts are truly harmful/against my values?
Yes and no, but understand, GET HELP IMMEDIATELY! The faster you nip this thing, the easier it is to beat. Often people live with this their entire lives, but it's masked in other ways. My wife always exhibited OCD tendencies and we choose to ignore it until the covid bs spiked this thing into over drive. We used (2 people) over 12,000 gallons last month washing hands! Yeah, this thing is bad news. We are doing this without an SSRI and it's a lot of work. We have been using pure calm from amazon twice a day to mellow her out. This allows her to learn to not give the thoughts so much credit which lessens the compulsions which retrains the brain. Nate here is amazing, but also find Ali Greymond. Her tracking thing didn't work for us, but her little short videos are very helpful. Good luck, remember the best thing you can do when anxiety hits is DO NOTHING! Go have a seat, close your eyes, close your mouth and just breath. Let the thought just be there. If you do not act on it, it will lose it's importance! I promise! This is ERP in it's simplest form and it does work!
TOTALLY! An OCD sufferer might use it as a compulsion. ANYTHING someone does to change anxiety can be turned easily into a compulsion. The test? Take that thing away from them and see what happens.
What questions do you have about OCD?
Great sir, nathan question what if you just worrying about we might swallow something with regards to sensorimotor.
Hi. What if I have an OCD about a real issue? So I’ve messed up in my job and it endangers human lives. I’ve tried to do things to prevent bad from happening but not everything is within my power. Now things depend on other parties/counterparts - but they are not very responsible and I have some solid proof that they didn't fix anything.
And it kills me every second, I am a man with no rest. I am thinking every second about what else I can do to prevent bad outcomes. It paralyses me. I cannot rest and cannot be happy.
It’s an obsession now, but the danger is real. I always take full responsibility, and moreover, I was the cause in the first place.
I am trying to undertake other things to fix the situation, but the progress is slow and it won't be certain.
What do I do? I cannot and do not want to accept the possibility of something bad happening f because of me.
How to deal with the urge of ruminating, Nate? The urge of doing compulsions is so strong.
@@ocdandanxiety is anger a symptom of OCD?
Hey Nathan I would like you to make a video about hocd and tocd and how to deal with it pls 🙏🏼
video idea for you: maybe you could do an introductory on ocd aimed at parents? it’s hard getting them to understand what my day to day is like. i want to open up about what i’m struggling with but i don’t want them to judge me for the themes i have.
Great video! Negative intrusive thoughts are the worst thing ever especially if you’re constantly ruminating about them. It’s an endless loop.
Hi Nathan! I just wanted to leave a comment to say thank you. I thought that my obsessing over the past was anxiety, but I found that talking about events in talk therapy was doing more harm than good. Talking about it just opened up more worry or potential scenarios! I came across your videos and realised that my thought patterns were aligned with real event OCD: the obsessive googling (Reddit is the worst for this!), trying to get to the bottom of things, reassurance seeking, constant rumination- I was never able to live in the present because I felt that I didn't deserve happiness because of these past events.
Your videos came into my life at just the right time. I catch myself falling into patterns now and your content helps me to remind myself to do exposures and treat the thought as exactly that, a thought. Maybe, maybe not. :)
Thanks again x
Grateful for your work Nathan. These are the exact sort of questions that my brain wrestles with each and every day. The need for precision and completeness is relentless. ERP is of course useful but when you get a slightly different scenario each time, it can offer opportunities for OCD to get another look at it.
Thank you for changing lives with your content. Who knows how many lives you've saved or at the very least changed. I suspect lots. Wishing you the very best and thank you for such meaningful work.
Matt.
Hey Matt, thanks for your kind words and support! It's awesome to hear that our content is resonating with you and helping you navigate through those daily struggles. I totally get what you mean about the challenges of distinguishing between normal worries and obsessions, and how ERP can sometimes throw a curveball at you. Keep pushing through, you're not alone in this journey! Sending you positive vibes and wishing you all the best too. Stay strong! 💪🏼✨
Matt, Nate here will tell you to work on your Ninja skills and purposely mess up things. Nothing is or can ever be perfect. Take the chance and mess things up and don't do the compulsions. IF you don't react by doing them, (seeking perfection) this retrains your brain to a new healthier way of thinking. You got this, mess it up on purpose!
The scenario is irrelevant. When you do enough of ERP correctly, it changes the paths/habits in your brain and eventually you wont repeat the ocd cycle anymore regardless of the scenario your brain throws at you! That of course is the perfect outcome, but it for sure is not that simple most of the time.
Thanks Nathan for your endless support from your videos to our OCD community. Honestly, the battle in the mind is the toughest part in life. But I've learnt never to give up and try my best to continue with my life every day even if it means I do compulsions here and there. Your video gives me awareness which converts to internal strength to resist those compulsions little by little. I do see the improvement slowly and surely I believe I will get to place where ERP is not something scary to my brain anymore but,
ERP = living the life I want to the fullest with joy, peace & laughter
Oh my gosh this is probably THE most common question I get in the therapy room. Great video 😊
A stand-up joke. When the plane is delayed, a normal person thinks that the flight will be later, but I think that I will die of cancer.
Thank you. Thank you so much for your videos. I’ve been struggling with the exact same things you mentioned in multiple videos, and it was so accurate that I honestly cried out of relief. I thought I’m crazy, or I’m the only one going through those crazy thoughts ALL the time. A couple years ago, I was a K-pop and K-drama fan. Because of my thoughts, I ruined it for me. Couldn’t enjoy it anymore cause my mind was just too filled with too much and thereby I stopped listening to K-pop or watching K-drama. Same thing happened with so many things. Now I’m struggling with reading novels. I’ve been reading for a year, and since I started the thoughts were there. I tried ignoring them as much as possible but now I’m at a point we’re it takes me 30 to read 3 pages. Simply because of my thoughts. Because I stop at every minor thing that could potentially not make sense etc. It’s so exhausting and honestly, I haven’t finished a book in months. Even when not reading I’m thinking SO much about certain books and their “problems”.
Then there are those really awful thoughts I have that make me believe I’m a horrible person. And that makes everything worse. There’s so much I can talk about, but you get the idea.
I’m trying to win against my thoughts this time, because now thanks to your help, I understand that it’s not my fault but something I can’t control and that I must let the thoughts simply be there and STILL continue.
Let’s pray we all recover, and I’ll try finding professional help soon.
Your videos have really helped me understand myself more and get over my ocd, thank u so much for what u do!🎉❤ I always love the good vibes in your content :)
Trying to figure it out and get certainty....resonates deeply!
also be aware of the fact that most of the time it's not a hard line separating real fear and ocd, but there are distinctions
Thank you thank you for all you are doing for us ❤🌺
I owe you every breath I take, every ocd free moment I experience.❤️🌺
Aw, I'm so glad to hear that my content is helping you on your journey to managing OCD! Remember, you're never alone in this. Keep up the great work and stay strong! 💪🏼
@ thanks a million 🌺❤️
I wish you all the very best in every step you take in life❤️🌺❤️🌺
Great video, man. I appreciate it.
I don't think I have OCD, but I do tend to go down rabbit holes and find myself consumed by something and then get the intrusive thoughts. My question is: How can I care less about something that I actually enjoy, so I can get back to enjoying it instead of obsessing over it. My current obsession is working out, and I feel like it has totally consumed my thoughts for the past few weeks. And it is something that I typically enjoy.
Thank you, sir.
As a muslim, i personally deal with religious ocd so i end up constantly repeating myself when it comes to prayers and stuff like that which takes a good portion of time since we pray 5 times throughout the day. but a really good piece of advice one scholar gave was if you end up having to repeat or correct yourself on the same mistake two or more times within the same day, then realize its fake and just tell yourself to read the next sentence and move on. If it was a false alarm, you help yourself, and if it truly was a mistake, God’s Merciful and will forgive you and even reward you for making the effort towards improvement.
As a latter-day saint/Mormon who loves and finds Islam fascinating, I appreciate this. I struggled with scrupulosity and it's a nightmare. You're not alone. Salam alaikum!
Your videos are so helpful ❤
Sorry this is a long question, I just wanted to to provide context. I appreciate your channel so much!
I have ADHD, potentially autism, and over time I've been struggling more with what seems like OCD. Most of my "compulsions" are avoidance and rumination. I never feel as if any action even touches the obsessions and fears, I often feel as if the worst has already happened and that I'm powerless to do anything against it. I have a lot of obsessive thoughts, but I often just feel depressed and paralyzed as a result. When I've used the phrase I hear you say of "I'd love for my fear to happen" etc it always sounds sarcastic when I say it. I don't have any agency in my own head. I've recently been using a new phrase of "let's try x as an experiment" and it seems to be helping. I've always experienced profound executive dysfunction, and it's often difficult to determine when it's from ADHD or OCD. For example, I often feel as if I'm not allowed to do something unless I'm in the right headspace, and that if I put something off once I can't do it at all. I know it's an ADHD problem, but maybe it's made worse by OCD. I get the sense that the systems and tricks that help ADHD are contradictory to the treatment for OCD. Do you have any suggestions?
Question for You sir
*Disclaimer* psychosomatic things
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
What do you say about somatic 'physical empathy' / 'physical feeling' for something that is beyond our control, but that we have some influence on? For example, before and after eating something that potentialy may contain mercury you feel your body :D
I have diagnosed OCD.
It’s Pretty bad and almost all of my symptoms are around hygiene, well specifically hand washing and concern about touching pretty much anything that has been touched by others, and when outside the house I use a lot of sanitiser. I have lots of questions to be honest!! Today though, my question is when everyone has different understanding of “normal” when it comes to hand higiene how on earth do I ever know what to aim for in the sense of trying to bring my behaviour around hygiene in to even close to “normal” ranges?
Thank you.
And what about obsessive rushing with action? is it OCD + ADHD or avoiding thinking about time and wanting to greedy fill up on activity as soon as possible before sad OCD comes?
or is it FOMO?
Nathan, thank you. I have a question about OCD. Why is it that a person can watch your video or other videos and then they go right back within a day or two days and it comes back all over again? How can I convince myself that is OCD and how can I stop this because it’s so deliberatingto the mind. I am so thankful that I found your videos.
That is OCD in a nutshell. Research is a compulsion that feeds it.
I'm currently obsessing about electric christmas lights causing fires. It's hard to know what is productive fear and what is OCD.
Sometimes normal worries seem faceable, obsessions seem too scary to face
I have suffered with these traits more or less all my life but it comes down to doubt.
The practice of being still with what we can't control is the only way however,
I would not suggest having very insensitive partners or friends if we are not mentally or emotionally steady.
It's likely to cause a harmful reaction one way or rhe other.
This is why we call it the doubting disease! It's amazing OCD is cured by doing NOTHING! ERP is funny, sufferers live in a state of being "Exposed" ..... Not doing the RESPONSE is how it's beaten. That's the Prevention!
Please make a video on 'pure o' ocd.
Hey, I’ve been having this thought recently about life. The thought is that my life is an experiment and it’s fake and it’s all generated like a video game and that I’m like ai. It’s been bothering for a few days now and I’ve been crying and being in a sad mood all day for like a week now. And the worst part is that no one knows the answer. Please help me someway I’m scared.
Hmm so sorry about that. Just like he said, act like you don't care, and say well we'll probably never know the answer to that but I'm in this life and I'm gonna live it anyway. And as it keeps coming, keep shrugging.
Nate, been giving OCD some serious thought lately... I'm starting to think nearly all mental illnesses are rooted in control??? Whatcha think buddy?
What should i do when i have a thought like if i do this sth bad will happen and when i do this this bad thing randomly happens. Is this just a coincidence or should i feel guilty for bad things that happen ?
You should never feel quilty of the thoughts! Deep inside you know your real values and don't let OCD make you forget that.
But sometimes when i thought about sth it had happened in real life and i know that i is just a coincidence but i feel responsible about it
if having fear from hurting you brain or etc car, was ocd but sometimes it’s freezing me from doing things because I’m afraid of hurting my self and regret and say i should have listened to my thoughts wish you answer
I’m unsure of when’s a good time for me to go to a psych ward I haven’t really eaten pretty much anything in a day I have harm ocd and have for a while but I’m not sure if I’m a dark evil person and I’m scared I can barely get out of bed and everything is triggering me. I also am doubting if I have ocd even though I have a bunch of compulsion I do. But I’m worried I’m a horrible person and can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel and I’m scared I’ll snap or just drive myself crazy to the point I’ll act on a thought and the thoughts are getting worse too I haven’t left my house in like a month and I’m not sure if I should go to a psych ward or not
Hey there, thanks for reaching out. It sounds like you're going through a really tough time right now. If you're feeling overwhelmed and struggling to cope, it might be a good idea to consider seeking professional help, whether that's through therapy, counseling, or even going to a psych ward if you feel like you're in crisis. Remember, it's okay to ask for help and prioritize your mental health. Take care of yourself and reach out to someone you trust for support. You've got this! 💪🏼🌟
Can OCD have a sudden onset?? I’ve never experienced this in my life, and it’s become absolutely overwhelmingly horrible in genuinely a week and a half. Also, what do you do for ERP when the thoughts are truly harmful/against my values?
Yes. Also, OCD thoughts are nearly always against your values. That's why they're so bothersome.
Yes and no, but understand, GET HELP IMMEDIATELY! The faster you nip this thing, the easier it is to beat. Often people live with this their entire lives, but it's masked in other ways. My wife always exhibited OCD tendencies and we choose to ignore it until the covid bs spiked this thing into over drive. We used (2 people) over 12,000 gallons last month washing hands! Yeah, this thing is bad news. We are doing this without an SSRI and it's a lot of work. We have been using pure calm from amazon twice a day to mellow her out. This allows her to learn to not give the thoughts so much credit which lessens the compulsions which retrains the brain. Nate here is amazing, but also find Ali Greymond. Her tracking thing didn't work for us, but her little short videos are very helpful. Good luck, remember the best thing you can do when anxiety hits is DO NOTHING! Go have a seat, close your eyes, close your mouth and just breath. Let the thought just be there. If you do not act on it, it will lose it's importance! I promise! This is ERP in it's simplest form and it does work!
I never had depression but I have such a big fear I might get depression and I don't know how to do ERP for this :(
Is anger a symptom of OCD?
Could be im both so not sure
A lot of people - me included - seem to notice anger as a "secondary" symptom of OCD. So yes, it very much can be.
@@BethJewis depends your ocd too. I have to have everything in house perfect. Get angry hefore and after.
TOTALLY! An OCD sufferer might use it as a compulsion. ANYTHING someone does to change anxiety can be turned easily into a compulsion. The test? Take that thing away from them and see what happens.
@@jagboy69 dint understand
Ocd?
Too much music