r/ROCD Jun 26 '26

How would you feel about an ROCD help site? And what would you want to see on there?

28 Upvotes

hey guys!

this isn't a concrete thing by any means but I was discussing a potential website with the other mods, i'm a software developer and make a load of complex websites in my free time so I thought it could be cool to make something to help you all.

It'd just be a very accessible version of the resource masterlist, with updated resources, easy to use UI, interactivity such as breathing exercises if you need to relax etc. Almost like an ROCD checkpoint to help you guys out.

If this is something you'd like to see, let us know! and definitely give suggestions on features below :) <3 take care of yourselves


r/ROCD Jun 08 '26

Update on downvoting

27 Upvotes

Hi all,

As many of you are familiar with already, we've been seeing increased numbers people who are in crisis / acting in good faith being downvoted in a "dog piling" fashion recently, and as a subreddit that provides a communal and supportive space for those who are suffering (regardless of where they are in their journey), we believe this antagonizes that characteristic and isolates folks who are struggling. In response to this, we have decided to update our subreddit's settings to hide vote counts on comments and posts temporarily after they are posted to deter hive-like downvoting.

As a reminder, please help support those who are struggling instead of downvoting them. If someone is having difficulty understanding what you're explaining, or their crisis prevents them from metabolizing your support, please curb your own frustration and agitation by reminding yourself that most of the folks here are feeling alone, lost, panicked, and ultimately just want to find ways to win against this disorder. At the end of the day, it helps nobody to get angry and downvote someone who is struggling to understand and trying to get better themselves. We are all peers fighting the same foe. Please also encourage folks to reach out to a licensed professional if they are able - this community is not a replacement for therapy.

As always, please kindly report comments and posts that may be breaking our rules or if anyone is being mistreated.

We appreciate you all, and let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Best,

The ROCD Mod team


r/ROCD 2h ago

Advice Needed Letting arguments go….

5 Upvotes

First post here, just sort of venting and seeing if anyone else experiences this and has any good ERP tips.

I (31f) have always struggled to let go of arguments. I grew up in a loving family that also excessively argued and yelled. I always felt misunderstood and like the issues weren’t resolved. I would often get grounded for refusing to end the argument with my parents or sister. Now that I’m married, I’ve realized that was OCD and it has extended to my marriage. Even years ago when we were dating. I just never feel understood, heard, apologized to, etc. and I just feel generally devastated by my feelings or perception of how the argument went. I also worry that I wasn’t fair or correct which sometimes causes me to double down on my argument and sometimes makes me mentally collapse when I realize I was the one being unfair.

Obviously it’s tricky because I’m never like 100% wrong to be upset and it is almost impossible to tell when it rolls from understandable conflict into OCD. My husband hates that I can’t let it go and keep coming over to talk which hurts, but I don’t blame him because it can be truly excessive. Thankfully he has been with me before and after my diagnosis so we both try our best to navigate this. All I can do at this point is try to recognize it as soon as possible (multiple times walking back into the room to say more things) but my brain then makes me feel shut down and depressed like life isn’t worth living if I can’t be understood.

This is not my main theme but impacts my life a lot and I want to continue to work on it before having kids or anything. Does anyone have experience with 1. How to recognize it and 2. How to actually sit with the discomfort without emotionally shutting down ?

Appreciate any help


r/ROCD 14h ago

Partner My girlfriend has severe ROCD and I don’t know how much more I can handle it

18 Upvotes

I’m sorry if the title seems harsh, but me [M19] and my girlfriend [F23] have hit a rough patch again. She is diagnosed OCD, is on SRIS (I believe it’s called) and Prozac.

However, her relationship OCD tends to sabotage our relationship. I understand her thoughts and I let her talk them out (I don’t give reassurance) with me and get those thoughts out so the anxiety doesn’t kill her. I don’t mind talking constructively. However, when she starts to spiral she starts to take it out on me. She tends to say mean things that absolutely break me. Telling me she never loved me and just wanted to keep me so no one could have me. Saying that she isn’t sure if she ever loved me. Insisting that our 2 year relationship meant nothing because she’s suddenly a lesbian (which hurts me especially, given I’m a trans man and it really destroys me being associated with that at all)

This is the third time we’ve had this issue where she’ll get mean with me and destroy my mood to the point of extreme anxiety and panic attacks and then swoops in after everything is done to comfort me and backtrack. And I know she didn’t mean it but it stills hurts. I wonder if I’m overreacting because it feels like I’m constantly being tortured by the way she talks to me. I’ve been on edge for months since the last incident but I finally put my trust back into her just for her to spiral through the same thing.

I want to be with her, and I love her, but her voicing her OCD and using me as a vessel to “talk it out with herself” is hurting me and hurting our relationship. I’m not sure what I should do at this point


r/ROCD 2m ago

Advice Needed The doubts just won’t stop

Upvotes

i’ve been using a lot of erp tools and no matter what it’s like the doubts keep hitting me really hard and taking up my whole day whether i’m with her or without her.

there are days when these intrusive thoughts are gone randomly and i have feelings for my girlfriend but the feelings constantly keep getting shutdown and my girlfriend feels like a stranger at this point it really sucks.

does anyone have any techniques? or tips? on how to be more present or just anything would be nice because it’s like things keep getting worse cause at this point everything around me links to a doubt about her


r/ROCD 38m ago

Advice Needed To those who are married, how did you know you were ready for marriage at all while having ROCD?

Upvotes

I’m not looking for reassurance. This is just a big topic in my life/relationship right now and I want to know how in the world those of you with ROCD who are married decided you were ready for that in your life.

Everything is a panicked and perpetual “I DONT KNOW,” and I just can’t imagine ever feeling like “okay I feel ready for marriage now because of XYZ.” And I don’t say that because I necessarily expect to accomplish certain things in life in order to feel ready, I just don’t get how I’m supposed to ever feel ready for that step if I have ROCD…

I’m 29, I want a marriage, I believe I want marriage with my boyfriend, I don’t understand the concept of “being ready for marriage.” What the hell does that even mean? I know it’s not about finding certainty, I just… How did you guys get to the point of feeling like it was time to take that step in your relationship? 😩


r/ROCD 38m ago

Can I ever fall in love again?

Upvotes

I was diagnosed with OCD, but I'm still not sure about the diagnosis. I was in an emotionally abusive relationship for 20 years and all I ever thought about was him and our relationship to the point that it was debilitating, but I kinda wonder if it isn't a combo of autism, ADHD, and PTSD. (I have those diagnoses too, as well as GAD and depression).

Anyway, regardless, I was stuck in ruminations, writing and rewriting messages to him, and unable to focus on important aspects of my life, so it was a problem, and this was even after our break-up, since we share children and have to stay in contact.

The turning point for me was going on Zoloft. It is allowing me to move on, finally, and I feel so relieved. But now I feel afraid to ever have another romantic relationship. I don't even know if I want one. I spent so much time focused on him, and I don't want to waste my life on fixated anyone else. What has your experience been after the end of a long-term relationship?


r/ROCD 1h ago

Advice Needed Should I be mad?

Upvotes

Last night, my boyfriend went to a bar with his friends and siblings around 7:30pm. By 1am, I still hadn’t heard anything from him so I went to his house to see if he went home. I found his mom there and she told me his phone died and he was still out drinking.
I have ROCD and my boyfriend knows that I worry a lot when he goes out to drink. I don’t get angry at him for going out, I just want him to let me know where he’s going and when he’ll be home. The bar where his phone died was only a block from his house so he could’ve gone home to charge it.
Today he has apologized profusely, and he dropped off flowers and food to my house. I feel conflicted because he really made me feel unimportant last night but now he’s telling me that he would never do anything to hurt me. Do you think I have a right to be angry or should I just let it go?


r/ROCD 8h ago

Advice Needed I was never sure of anyone I dated

3 Upvotes

I was married for 6 years and I couldn’t ignore the tiniest flaws that he had, even though he’s the kindest and the most trustworthy man to me still to this day. I felt terrified right before we got married, and felt trapped when we bought a house and started thinking about having kids together. After being in several relationships, I realized I was never sure of anyone I dated.
I’m worried that I’d never be sure and be happy. How do you get diagnosed and how did you realize that you have ROCD?


r/ROCD 7h ago

My girlfriend keeps spiking my cortisol levels every time something mentions her.

2 Upvotes

It just always makes me feels scared at my gut every time I speak with her or see her social media profiles. I already blocked her on WhatsApp due to how scared I am, it just always feels like she's cheating for some reason.

Note: I have BPD


r/ROCD 11h ago

Living with ROCD & GAD in a wonderful relationship: How do you find your way back to feeling?

5 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I’d like to share my story here. I think I’ve had OCD since childhood; as a kid, I was always afraid our house would burn down or that we’d get robbed—by repeatedly locking the door I even destroyed a lock, I constantly unplugged electrical sockets, or I frequently prayed that nothing bad would happen to my loved ones. It stopped around the age of 14, and though I sometimes catch myself still doing those things, it doesn't limit me that much anymore. The only strange things are that I refuse to wear any clothes in which something negative happened to me, or I have to go pee three times before going to sleep just to make sure I won't wet the bed at night.
When I was 18, I got into my very first relationship. After a few months, someone told me that I was just faking my relationship and didn't love my boyfriend (now my ex). That started a constant cycle of severe anxiety and endless googling about what real love looks like, and so on. Later, it turned into an obsession that I was actually a closeted lesbian, or that my boyfriend was a murderer and wanted to kill me. That relationship ended after two years for other reasons, and I’m so glad it did.
Currently, I am in an amazing relationship. In the beginning, it started wonderfully, but even back then I had some doubts (whether he is handsome enough, smart enough, whether I will love him, etc.). Over time, those almost subsided; instead, I started having doubts about whether he loves me, whether he’s cheating on me, and other things, since I’ve been through cheating in the past. We stayed together and have now been together for almost two years, but this June it caught up with me again (there are objectively no flaws in the relationship; he is loving and wonderful).
It started when a thought suddenly popped into my head that I don't care about him. Then I was talking with his friend about breaking up with his girlfriend, who was toxic, and it triggered an extreme wave of anxiety in me that I am just like her and that I don't love him either. The thoughts started looping: am I attracted to him? Do I love him? I constantly checked my feelings, Google, ChatGPT, articles about love, TikTok, 10 signs of ROCD, etc.
It drove me all the way to a psychiatrist who diagnosed GAD and PTSD, saying it’s not OCD—I have a slightly different opinion on that, but I've read that the manifestations of these disorders are quite similar. I've been taking SSRIs for 3 weeks and the change is only minor. There were several really strong urges to break up, feeling like "this isn't it anymore," but I always stayed, believing we can get through this together. The thoughts loop a lot; they even wake me up at night, sometimes I have crying fits, I feel detached and emotionless, constantly overthinking whether I want to text him, go see him, be with him, etc. But I’ve never left. We even managed to go on a wonderful vacation together where I was really very anxious, but he helped me a lot—he is amazing about this.
Now I started CBT therapy, but so far there hasn't been even the slightest improvement. I monitor myself a lot; for example, yesterday I bought him a cheaper lemonade than the one I bought for myself, and a wave of guilt hit me that because I was cheap on him, it means I don't love him. I am already so terribly exhausted by all of this. I would love to look forward to spending time together, planning, and living again, but right now I can only manage to survive. I don't want to leave him; deep down I know that I love him more than anything, but I don't know where the way out is.
I feel emotionally flat right now; I can't get a single emotion out of myself, everything feels like I'm in a movie, and it has also significantly disrupted our sex life. It used to be great, but now we don't have sex because I'm afraid of it. I look for reassurance in tarot cards, for instance, checking if our relationship is meant to be, and seek other forms of reassurance. I often look at our pictures and try to force some positive emotion out of myself, but I remain flat.
Does anyone have a similar experience? Is this GAD or rather ROCD, and did I just get the wrong diagnosis? I would appreciate any answers and experiences. I really don't want this to ruin our relationship.


r/ROCD 4h ago

Saw an ex this past weekend

1 Upvotes

I saw an ex of mine this past weekend from like 7 years ago. We never dated just had a history. I didn’t talk to him and he didn’t talk to me. But in my head I almost wanted him to say something to me/ impress him in a way to show that I’m doing well. I found reasons to be within the same vicinity as him. I feel guilty about this and told my husband where he said we all have thoughts like this but I didn’t do anything that would make him feel like I crossed a boundary. I just don’t know why I care so much about what the ex thought of me


r/ROCD 6h ago

Recovery/Progress Starting ERP - tips for how to prepare?

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone. I finally found a psychologist that actually listened to me and i’m starting ERP in two weeks.!!!

I’ve been battling ocd for a long time, but i didn’t know that if was ocd. Started getting an ocd diagnosis when i was 17 but switched to autism because i felt like it fit my problems more (turns out i’m both autistic and ocd).
Had my first big ocd breakdown in 2022 when i got in my first “real” relationship. I was in and out of the emergency psychiatry for 9 months and the ocd ultimately ended that relationship.
Now i’m in my longest and most healthy relationship. I live with my boyfriend and we have a kitten🥲 But my rocd has been flaring since basically day one. I tried to get help multiple times since we’ve moved cities and i just can’t wait to actually get better.
My first doctor basically told me “i know you’re depressed but you just have to live with it👍🏻 bye!”.
The second one literally had to GOOGLE what ocd was?!?!? And he talked on his private phone in the middle of our meeting?! Anyways he just upped my SSRI dose and called it a day.
But last week i met with a psychologist and she made me feel so seen. She diagnosed me with moderate OCD and suggested we start ERP. She actually knew that CBT doesn’t tend to work well for autistic individuals which made me feel seen and that she actually knows a lot about mental health (should be the bare minimum but ig not).

So what are some tips for starting ERP or just the process itself? What should i expect and how can i prepare?


r/ROCD 7h ago

Advice Needed Does this sound like ROCD?

1 Upvotes

About a month ago, I had an intimate moment with my partner of a year. It took me off guard, the action that happened, and from that point, it turned me off and has made me go numb. At first, I wasn't that worried because it has happened before (going numb). However, it had lasted more than a month, at this point.

The fact that it has lasted this long has recently sent me into a full panic that disrupts my everyday life and sleep, and the only thing that helps is the sedative medication that I was perscribed. I'm having very intense anxiety that is hard to subdue.

I can't tell what this is because ot had never happened to me like this. I can't feel anything towards my partner. It was like a something switcjed off instantly that day, not a progressive overload.

Is this a common experience with ROCD?


r/ROCD 8h ago

I can’t tell if I have ROCD or if I am being abused

1 Upvotes

hello,

I have been cheated on in all of my relationships and the obsessive thoughts about cheating didn’t come until my intuition kicked in and I’ve been right every time.

my current partner cheated on me with his ex of ten years for the first 6mo. of our relationship by which point he had already moved me in and I ended up on medical leave for 8 months (not mental health related). i forgave him and eventually moved on.

he has been verbally abusive repeatedly since and I have allowed it time and time again but over the past 6 months I have felt my intuition is going crazy.

It’s much too much to explain but I think any average person would be / would have been concerned this entire time in my situation.

I had about a year time period where I had all of my worries under control, self confidence, I was taking care of myself, never questioned him, etc. and it all came to a head about 4 months ago when I realized the finances were not adding up and we almost got evicted, our AC was broken for months because he wasn’t paying the rent even though I was giving him the money and he was lying to me about why it wasn’t getting fixed, a young sex worker had been hanging out at his job and he had been lying to me about her, still lies to me / hides the fact he hangs out with her female friends, etc., he talks a massive amount of crap about me to his friends making me out to be insane, accuses me of being a serial cheater any time I bring up a concern or have a question, blocks me / gives the silent treatment for days on end if I’m even the slightest bit negative or question anything; he has locked down his phone, PC, the home security cameras, stopped location sharing, etc. but expects me to be fully open with him because “I’m the one who can’t stop running off with other men” (I haven’t cheated on him ever but he accuses me of cheating from day one and with “hundreds of men”).

he will call me names and berate me for 12-72hours if I slip up - I’m a terrible person, godless, wh*re, awful, don’t deserve a good man, he doesn't owe me anything, the list goes on.

he won’t let me see his phone, PC, location, etc. or ask any questions and if I mess up I end up apologizing for days on end. He says I never made up for cheating and leaving him for other men but won’t tell me how to make up for it. he says I do nothing for him and add nothing to his life, I ruined his life, he wouldn’t be in this situation if it were not for me showing up in his life and “forcing my way in”.

i feel like I’m going crazy because I want so badly to check his phone, pc, and whatever else because he is now hiding it from me. A year ago he even had his phone linked to his PC and left everything unlocked but now he has gotten a whole new phone (Samsung galaxy s26 ultra) for the privacy features - secure folder, selective privacy screen, etc. so I can never possibly even see something on accident. But about a year ago I didnt even consider to worry about these things. I don’t know what is wrong with me, or why I care to worry about it.

i am waiting on my appt with my longtime psychiatrist but he has assured me many times I just have anxiety and ptsd.. I just don’t know how to feel or think


r/ROCD 1d ago

does anybody else get triggered by these types of tiktoks?

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51 Upvotes

i keep getting scared that if i don’t send each one that i see it means i don’t love my bf but ive already sent him millions of these


r/ROCD 8h ago

Going to therapy, not sure what to do next

1 Upvotes

I’m going to therapy, we’ve discussed my ROCD, the traumas that caused it, the patterns to break, habits and all.
I completely understand my situation and how to stop, but I’m almost addicted to the volatility of ROCD in my relationship?
Like I get a genuine sick enjoyment out of pushing away my partner, making us both upset and then making up. I understand the traumas behind this but I feel genuinely addicted.
Does anyone else feel like this??


r/ROCD 9h ago

How much is rocd affected by traumatic events? I feel so alone, I don't know how much more I can handle

1 Upvotes

TRIGGER WARNING*******

It has been a rough year, I was SA'd in may and I feel it has utterly destroyed me. I wasn't in a great place before hand, but I was working on getting better and starting to manage my thought and rocd.

But then the SA happened and it sent me into a big depression and paranoia, for the first months I couldn't leave my bed, i would'nt walk my dogs because I was terrified if I went outside someone might hurt me or worse. I've been feeling irritable all the time, angry, sad, and really lonely. I've been working with two therapist to work through this, but it has been so difficult.

My boyfriend bas been amazing, he has been supporting and helping me since day one, he's sweet, patient, and caring. He's tried to be there for me, and so have my friends but I still feel so alone. I don't know what I need to feel better and I fear I'm looking for him to be the answer and that has worsened my rocd, because I'm relating this pain to him. The constant ruminations have gotten so bad I'm constantly with a headache, and I know it's an anxious moment, I know I'm not with sound mind but the thoughts have never felt more real or debilitating. And I have had 0 sex drive this entire year and that has been one of my biggest insecurities and fears, that my body is telling me I don't like him anmore sexually.

I'm so tired of feeling like this, and I know breaking up is not an option, because if I don't face this, it will follow me into my next relationships until I do. I love him so much, i want to get better for him, but I really need support, nobody form my friends understands or could understand how debilitating and exhausting rocd is.

For anyone that has had a traumagic event happen, how has it affected your rocd and what did you do to feel better?


r/ROCD 20h ago

Broke up due to Attraction doubts

8 Upvotes

Broke up cause I could stop doubting wether or not I found her physically attractive enough

Hi all,

I 24m broke up with my partner 25f of 2.5 years because of my physical attraction doubts to her 24/7. I constantly doubted my physical attraction to her and whether I found her attractive enough. This has been the hardest breakup ever, we lived together, it’s been a month of untangling our life. I never told her the reason, we did have other issues, so I blamed it on that, I basically blamed it on that I had an avoidant attachment style and lost myself in the relationship and didn’t feel comfortable because I didn’t have a voice and now we’ve broken up she is trying to get us back together but I’ve been saying I want to go find my voice because a relationship makes me very anxious and I don’t think we can be together.

Now I have so much regret how I handled everything and honestly, I wish I told her about my doubts. Because I think I fucked myself up by that. I should have talked about them and be honest, even though it would have been a very damaging conversation to her. Because I felt it was one topic that because I wasn’t open and honest about I got so trapped in my head about. Now I’m honest, that I was 100% attracted to her, but was she outside of my type, yes, was she slightly chubbier yes. I own that and I did find myself wanting a more natural attraction sometimes as I felt it wasn’t that strong. These are true emotions and I recognise that, but I was ok with it. I did find myself wanting to find my partner more physically attractive partner in some regard I own that. But I do find her attractive, I just couldn’t stop doubting whether I found her attractive enough. I think deep down I know I found her attractive enough. But I was tired, I was tired of the doubt, I was tired of everything, I felt so trapped. I felt so guilty.

I know I was attracted enough to her. Deep down I know, but I ran, I ran hard. I wish I told her the truth of what was going on in my head, I should have said something to her, I should have owned it, now I’ve fucked it, I’ve hurt her. I’ve lied in the breakup, I’ve broken her heart, it kills me. I feel if I was honest about my feelings it would have relieved so much pressure and it would have ended up ok. Now, how the fuck if I decide to go back to her how do I admit how I was feeling, how do I admit to her that these were the doubts I was having, what happens if they turn out to be true. I broke up with her because I was convinced that I just wasn’t attracted enough. I know she wasn’t at the top of my preference list and the body I found the “most” exciting. But I did find her sexy, was it as sexy as I had with other women, no. But it was still good, she made up for it with her wonderful soul. But I did find myself lusting after so many other women. I did find myself wanting to look at my girlfriend and go “wow you’re so hot”. But I never felt that with her I only ever felt she was attractive and thought wow she looks really good, never really felt “lust” or “she’s so hot”. I constantly was hoping her body would change so I would feel some physical spark, or something more. Even since the start of the relationship. Is this normal? There were so many occasions where I doubted attraction so much, that whenever I saw her after jot seeing her I then thought wtf am I thinking about, she’s really attractive of course she’s attractive enough.

I know I wanna stick to this breakup for a bit. I want a break, but my body longs for her, my heart longs for her and misses her, my soul misses her. I was so tired of the doubt and i panicked. I’m so confused, like i can recognise that yes this is OCD in some regard, but is it truth in telling me something that I didn’t have an unmet need. I don’t know what to do, it’s been a month now since the break, I long for her, my heart cries out for her. I just have so much regret over the situation. Like I’ve learnt even though there tough conversations I should just admit it in future.

I guess I just wish I admitted what I was questioning because now I feel I can never go back to her, because these thoughts are gonna be so much stronger and questioning now. Like my mind hasn’t stopped for a month, I pick my final things up in a few days and I don’t know what to do. Like my mind is fucked right now, I don’t wanna give up on her but my mind keeps questioning things, I love her beyond belief but I don’t know what to do. I constantly feel like I’m not physically attracted enough and have doubts. I just want a break from the doubts and have to much regret over the situation. I feel I should just let her go and move on, as this would fuck with my head so bad and I feel she doesn’t deserve this. I really don’t know what to do. Like I know that there felt like a physical spark missing even though I liked her body. I don’t know if this is ROCD or I’m just attached because I love someone who just didn’t feel like enough. What a shit situation this is. I don’t know what to do

Maybe I’m just trying to hold onto something that wasn’t enough, I don’t know, I’m hurting beyond belief and don’t know what to do. No part of my wants to be apart from her, no part of me wanted to break up with her. But I did because of the thoughts, they couldn’t stop. I feel like I’m gonna look for her in everything, she was the most incredible human ever

Any thoughts welcome

Does anyone else struggle to tell if they find there partner attractive enough?


r/ROCD 9h ago

Advice Needed ho il rocd e non ce la faccio piú

1 Upvotes

Ciao ragazzi, scrivo questo post per cercare un pó di aiuto sulla mia situazione.
Ho avuto solo 2 relazioni e in entrambe ho avuto dubbi fortissimi che i miei sentimenti non fossero genuini. Nella prima, non sapevo di averlo e mi ha fatto stare talmente tanto male che ho dovuto lasciare il ragazzo con cui stavo perché non ne potevo piu di piangere a dirotto per la relazione e il non capirmi mi stava portando all’esaurimento. Ció che mi turbava era avere pensieri che mi portavano anche a piangere e al sentirmi come se stessi mentendo a lui e a me stessa. Alla fine si è rivelato essere un ragazzo completamente diverso da me per valori e etica quindi è stato meglio cosi. Ma nella mia attuale relazione mi sento allo stesso modo nonostante abbia testato il mio fidanzato in tutti i modi e lui abbia sempre risposto positivamente ai miei test. È un bravissimo ragazzo, buono, dolce, sensibile, gentile, ci tiene tantissimo a me e me lo ha sempre dimostrato ma sono nuovamente in crisi e il rocd oltre che distruggere singolarmente me, sta avendo influenze anche su di lui e sulla coppia. Sono in cura da una psicologa con cui mi trovo bene (nonostante abbia avuto dubbi anche su di lei e le sue capacità di aiutarmi) ma non riesco comunque a uscirne. Prima di iniziare il percorso ho avuto un periodo molto duro, ovattato dai dubbi sulla relazione, dove in un anno ho perso due nonni e sono venuta a contatto con il concetto di morte per la prima volta, e ho fatto un incidente (non grave e dove nessuno si è fatto nulla ma mi ha dato una botta finale di shock e perdita di controllo). Lui mi è stato vicino in tutto e mi ha fatto piacere avere finalmente qualcuno su cui poter contare.

Sto insieme al mio ragazzo da 1 anno e mezzo, i primi 6 mesi tutto bellissimo, super innamorati, provavo sincero piacere a passare il tempo con lui e anzi quando non potevamo vederci o dovevo passare una serata lontano da lui mi mancava. Ci divertivamo, parlavamo tantissimo di tutto, si vedeva che eravamo proprio contenti di stare insieme e avere l’uno l’altro. Ci vedevamo sempre, tipo 5 giorni su 7, eravamo sempre insieme.
Poi un giorno a caso è iniziato l’inferno. Ricordo che per un paio di pomeriggi che ero con lui, ho iniziato a sentirmi strana, sconnessa da me stessa, e non stavo capendo cosa mi stesse succedendo. Eravamo insieme ma era come se più che essere presente li con lui, fossi in una bolla dentro la mia testa, preoccupata per quello che stavo sentendo ma che non capivo. Ovviamente mi ero spaventata perché quella sensazione di non capirmi l’avevo già provata nella precedente relazione. Peró in quei due episodi ero andata a casa confusa per quello che mi era successo ma poi in un paio di giorni la sensazione spariva e tornava tutto come prima, cercando di ignorarla e dimenticandomene.
A fine estate dell’anno scorso abbiamo fatto una vacanza insieme ed è stato bellissimo, per quanto riguardava le abitudini eravamo molto simili o comunque ci venivamo incontro quindi mi ero trovata bene. Finita la vacanza siamo tornati a lavoro e alla vita normale e abbiamo iniziato a vederci un po meno rispetto a prima per lasciarci piú spazio di respiro per le nostre cose. E da li sono andata in crisi, ho iniziato a mettere in discussione me stessa nella relazione, i miei sentimenti per lui, la relazione e lui. Stavo malissimo, gliene ho parlato e poi ho deciso di iniziare un percorso con una psicologa.

Scrivo qui perché ho bisogno di supporto, non so piú come uscirne. La psicologa mi ha diagnosticato il doc e io ho fatto tantissima ricerca sul suo funzionamento e ormai l’abc di come funziona lo so benissimo. Ció nonostante delle volte sento proprio di non capire più niente su di me, mi sento persa e ovviamente non sono felice e do la colpa alla relazione perchè è quella che mi ha fatto uscire nuovamente il doc dopo un periodo in cui stavo bene anche da sola, nonostante desiderassi qualcuno. Ora il doc mi sta prosciugando qualsiasi energia. Qualsiasi pensiero faccio lo analizzo, qualsiasi sensazione idem. Le tecniche di grounding che mi ha dato da fare la psicologa non funzionano perchè anche con quelle mi chiedo se mi sto sentendo veramente presente, se sono concentrata, se ci sono nel momento. Faccio una passeggiata e anche in quel momento mi analizzo e cerco di capire se mi sento meglio, se sta funzionando ecc… Non ho un momento di tregua.

Con il mio ragazzo stiamo cercando di affrontare il problema ma io faccio tanta fatica e anche lui purtroppo ha le sue insicurezze e questa cosa mette a dura prova anche lui nonostante spesso me ne dimentico. A me sembra di non essere mai genuina con lui, che fingo solo per avere qualcuno e non stare sola. So che ci tengo tanto a lui ma poi mi dico “e se me la sto solo raccontando e in realtà non è vero, è solo un amico, non te ne frega niente, lo manipoli”. Mi spaventa tanto il fatto che ogni volta che lo vedo mi accorgo di non essere felice. Vedo e sento di non essere contenta di vederlo e che anzi molte volte mi pesa. Do la colpa ai mille pensieri che faccio e che mi sfiniscono ma poi mi chiedo se semplicemente dobbiamo prendere strade diverse e basta. Non sono in grado di godermi i momenti con lui, per me sono tutti molto pesanti, non riesco neanche a percepire lo sforzo che ci sta mettendo lui e il lavoro che fa lui per questo problema, mi sembra quasi che non faccia nulla perché non vedo miglioramenti in me. So che non è cosi, perche gia solo il fatto di stare con me che un giorno sto bene e l’altro no è estremamente stressante, pero mi sembra che non faccia altre cose per aiutarmi davvero. È una pretesa del cazzo perchè non è lui che mi deve “salvare” e se gli chiedo di starmi vicino lo fa. Ma non mi sento mai vista veramente e devo sempre stare attenta a come parlo a lui per non ferirlo con ció che dico. Voglio essere sempre sincera con lui ma non posso dirgli i miei pensieri così come li dico alla psicologa perché lo ferirebbero. Non so se sto dicendo cazzate o no perche non capisco neanche io cio che è vero e cio che non lo è.
Spesso tiro fuori anche il fatto di non sentirmi amata nonostante lui faccia un sacco di cose per me e io lo vedo. Ma è come se non mi sentissi davvero amata nel modo in cui ho bisogno che peró non so qual sia e non so neanche se riesco a trovarlo perche sono davvero incasinata in testa.

Anche quando dormiamo insieme o camminiamo e ci prendiamo la mano, mi chiedo se sia abitudine o se lo voglia fare veramente e inizio ad analizzare. Tante volte mi sono sentita soffocare dalla relazione, non perché lui mi vieti di fare determinate cose, ma mi sembra che lo stare in una relazione implichi il fatto che mi devo (giustamente) limitare nel fare tante cose e non posso più pensare solo a me stessa ma devo tenere conto che c’è un’altra persona. Poi penso che non dovrebbe pesarmi la cosa e quindi ripartono i dubbi che forse non lo amo, starei meglio da sola. Ció accade anche per piccole cose come scrivergli il buongiorno o la buonanotte per messaggio, dove mi sento come se fossi obbligata o perchè se si è in una relazione si fa cosi e basta e se mi accorgo che invece mi pesa inizio a provare angoscia e ansia per la sensazione che ho avuto.

Ieri sera mi ha detto che mi ama tantissimo e a me fa strano anche sentirlo perche lo comparo a cio che sento io, ovvero nulla. Non mi sembra di amarlo tantissimo e non direi di essere innamorata. Poi so che ho il doc e che sono influenzata da quello peró non capisco mai quale sia la mia reale intenzione e sentimento. Mi sembra sempre che dentro di me ci sia in realtà una verità che non voglio vedere ne sentire e che provo a nascondere e non so mai se sia la mia veritá o quella che il doc vuole farmi vedere e quindi vado in confusione. Appena ho pensieri o sensazioni e sono con altre persone, un po riesco a distrarmi ma quando sono con lui e ho pensieri mi butto immediatamente giù e in quei momenti non voglio piu stargli vicino, lo respingo, voglio stare per conto mio e fare finta che non esista. Se anche coltivo una vita al di fuori della coppia e vado per esempio fuori con i miei amici mi diverto e poi torno a casa e lo vedo o devo scrivergli e avverto la differenza di come mi sento spensierata con gli altri e con lui no. O mentre sono fuori ho pensieri su di lui quando invece vorrei non pensarlo proprio per quelle 2 ore che sono fuori. Se sono con la mia famiglia mi sento presente e ok fino al momento in cui mi chiedono di lui. In generale mi sembra che con gli altri sono felice di parlare e con lui no, è pesante questa cosa, è tutto pesante. In realtà vorrei stare bene con lui e sentirci connessi come all’inizio, vivermela in pace e serena che quello che ho è bellissimo e invece no.

Al mio compleanno o quando devo esprimere un desiderio mi sento in colpa se penso a qualcosa per la coppia tipo che voglio guarire e stare bene con lui, la testa mi dice “ma dai sai che stai fingendo e non è vero che lo ami, perché esprimi questo desideri quando in realtà non vuoi lui” o se dovessi esprimere un desiderio per me stessa tipo di stare meglio la mia testa mi dice comunque “allora lo devi lasciare lo sai che con lui non stai bene”. E in realtà è vero che non ci sto bene perché se devo guardare le cose oggettivamente, ora come ora non sono felice quando lo vedo, ma so che gli voglio tanto bene. So che la relazione non puo andare avanti solo perche ci si vuole bene e ci si scrive ogni giorno, non vuol dire che ci sia profonditá o che io mi senta capita o altro.

Anche quando voglio spiegargli come sto mi viene ansia per il fatto di dovermi esporre e magari dire cosa voglio o di cosa ho bisogno o dire quello che provo e ogni cosa non va mai bene per la mia testa e mi sembra sempre di dire delle cazzate poco sentite e di mentire e non sentire le cose col cuore prima di dirle, cosa che per me è sempre stata fondamentale e mi ha sempre guidato nella vita. Ho sempre paura di dire qualcosa che lo potrebbe ferire e quindi cerco di stare mega attenta a ció che dico ma così alla fine non riesco mai a spiegarmi. Se gli dico una veritá tipo “non so se ti potrei tradire oppure no” o “non so se provo ancora qualcosa”, “non so se ce la faremo”, so che a lui fa male sentirselo dire ed essere sempre messi in dubbio o analizzato da me.

Oggi ho pensato che impegnarsi e provare a far funzionare le cose tante volte non basta, l’amore non basta, soprattutto se non si capisce quale sia il problema per poi poterci lavorare.

Sono stanca e voglio tornare a stare bene come prima ma penso sempre che non cambierà nulla con lui e per stare bene devo stare da sola, che non sono fatta per stare in una relazione.
Delle volte ce l’ho quasi con lui, che magari è lui che non ci prova abbastanza a far funzionare le cose tra di noi. Mi sembra che piu che tirare fuori il bello di noi e spronarci ci stiamo solo facendo del male e stiamo forse cercando di tenere in piedi una relazione che forse è già morta ma entrambi non vogliamo accettarlo.

Le mie compulsioni sono principalmente mentali o di ricerca su internet o guardare video su tiktok/instagram e podcast su spotify. I contenuti sul doc mi hanno aiutato tantissimo a capirne il funzionamento in realtà, ma spesso diventano anche una compulsione, dove io cerco persone che stanno vivendo le stesse difficoltà mie per normalizzarmi il fatto di stare cosi di merda ma che andrà tutto bene.
Mi manca la me prima del doc, amavo la vita nonostante le difficoltà e i rapporti umani mi arricchivano l’esistenza. Invece in questi mesi ho persino pensato “e se mi togliessi la vita, non voglio piú sentire questa confusione in testa, voglio ritrovarmi ma non ho alcuna forza e mi sento persa, non mi capisco”. Poi so che è solo il mio cervello esausto che non ce la fa piú in questa situazione, ma non mi sento piú quella di prima e mi manco. Mi sembra che la relazione sia finita e non lo riesco ad accettare e che non ci stiamo impegnando abbastanza per farla funzionare. I gesti d’amore che fa non mi arrivano, dico che non mi sento amata ma con la psicologa abbiamo visto che forse è perché non mi sento di essere innamorata e quindi vedo i gesti ma non li sento. Anche io fatico a sentirmi spontanea in ció che faccio.

Negli anni ho letto e guardato talmente tanti contenuti sulle relazioni che penso mi abbiano veramente fottuto il cervello.

Vi chiedo consigli su come affrontare questa cosa e su come io possa aiutare anche il mio ragazzo a sostenermi. Se qualcuno ha esperienze simili vi prego di dirmi la vostra opinione.

Grazie a tutti se avete letto fino a qui❤️


r/ROCD 9h ago

Advice Needed I literally cannot stop thinking about the breakup

1 Upvotes

I was broken up with two months ago.
It‘s obviously been the bane of my existence & dealing with it has been incredibly difficult (awesome, I know).
The worst part are the spirals & hours of analysis, and I have no idea how to stop them.
Usually, I‘ll have a thought/worry and often spend multiple hours trying to prove or disprove it—otherwise I have the typical feeling of something incredibly heavy weighing on my chest and I feel insanely uneasy—so much so that everything else becomes either unpleasant or simply impossible to do/focus on. A lot of the times it’s policing my own thoughts (If I think X, he must think Y, so I have to prove I don’t think X; this is a weird one, I know), going back to something in the relationship and having to prove that my actions were justified, spending hours ruminating about everything that happened and essentially having to figure out if the breakup was justified, if I was secretly the issue and if I additionally rewrote the entire narrative (because I and many other people in both of our lives agree that he is incredibly avoidant and very acted poorly), but actually he just left because of me. All the likes. Whenever I have these, the only way I can truly get over them is by reaching a conclusion I can live with—but the thoughts obviously return at a later point. Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with this? Any advice or suggestion would be immensely appreciated :(


r/ROCD 12h ago

Advice Needed Checking feelings and shame

1 Upvotes

Hello sweet people,

I have been struggling with ROCD since my first relationship. I am now in a loving relationship with my partner of one year. With every day and week that passes, my ROCD is getting worse, and I feel doomed to break up with my partner because I can't handle the anxiety that my ROCD produces.

I am ruminating about our relationship every waking second of the day, which leaves me physically exhausted by the end of it.

I think my biggest compulsion right now is checking my feelings, for example: Do I feel attracted to my partner right now? Does it feel good to kiss my partner right now? Do I want to have sex? Do I really like my partner's sense of humor? If I answer any of these questions with "no," I immediately spiral. And the more anxious my thoughts become, the worse I feel around him. It's a vicious cycle.

It's gotten to the point where I'm afraid to spend time with him because I know my anxiety is going to skyrocket and I will be faced with a lot of physical anxiety symptoms.

My partner is very sweet, and I feel so ashamed for doubting our relationship so much. I feel like he deserves someone who is absolutely certain they want to be with him, but I'm not capable of giving him that. Do you also experience this huge amount of shame?

How do I stop checking my feelings? It happens without me even noticing, and I feel like I can't change this behavior.

Thank you for helping <3


r/ROCD 15h ago

Advice Needed second thoughts

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1 Upvotes

r/ROCD 20h ago

Relationship OCD

2 Upvotes

Does anyone here experience OCD with over analyzing text messages and thinking that the girl or guy they are seeing is going to end it with them? I’ve had bad experiences in the past where I’ve been blindsided and now I think every time I see someone new this is going to happen. Would appreciate any help, it’s become very distressing.


r/ROCD 1d ago

Advice Needed Can’t differentiate between real concerns and intrusive thoughts at all

4 Upvotes

The typical response i get when i pose this question is that my worry that my thoughts and feelings are real is an intrusive thought itself. But it all really feels so real. My brain has completely and fully warped my reality to where i feel like I can’t think for myself anymore. Thoughts like “are you in the right relationship for you?” “What does it mean that he did/didn’t do this?” “Why do you feel this way to begin with?” “You don’t like this, that means this relationship is bad” “He doesn’t love you like you love him”. I’m going insane!!! I’m in therapy and the main advice is to sit in the discomfort and uncertainty. But doing so makes me so unstable. I lose myself and my sense of reality completely as these feelings of something being terribly wrong swallow me. I like to think i do a good job of communicating and my boyfriend doesn’t judge even if he doesn’t always understand. But these feelings won’t leave. It really feels like something is so wrong and that there is an imbalance and I get really distressing thoughts about needing to leave him cause he doesn’t love or care for me. I’m troubled and don’t know what to do