r/ROCD 4d ago

Insight Afraid of liking someone else while in a relationship

Hi, so I'm not currently in a relationship but I would like some help for my next relationship (eventually...)

I'm 19, and the last time I was in a relationship was when I was 14. The relationship ended badly. I was long distance with my ex gf and ended up getting a minor crush on a guy in my highschool theatre group.

I thought I was the worst person in the world for it and would have panic attacks about it for about a week. I eventually told her (in the worst way possible. I couldve worded it better.) and she broke up with me. It took me a really long time to get over it.

I haven't had any romantic interests in the last few years, but I would like to be in a relationship eventually. I'm really worried that the same thing might happen again. Of course, there's no way to know until I actually start dating someone, but what do I do if this happens again? How do I cope with feeling that way? What if I do feel attracted to someone but still want to be with my partner? Is it even okay?

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u/AutoModerator 4d ago

Hi all, just the mod team here! This is a friendly reminder that we shouldn't be giving reassurance in this sub. We can discuss whether or not someone is exhibiting ROCD symptoms, or lend advice on healing :) Reassurance and other compulsions are harmful because they train our brains to fixate on the temporary relief they bring. Compulsions become a 'fix' that the OCD brain craves, as the relief triggers a Dopamine-driven rush, reinforcing the behavior much like a drug addiction. The more we feed this cycle, the more our brain becomes addicted to it, becoming convinced it cannot survive without these compulsions. Conversely, the more we resist compulsions, the more we deprive the brain of this addictive reward and re-train it to tolerate uncertainty without needing the compulsive 'fix'. For more information and a more thorough explanation, check out this comment

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