Re: Does the program work for OCD just as well as anxiety?
Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:29 pm
Snowden, it sounds like we have SO much in common! I have ALL those same thoughts as you! And I'm a stay-at-home mom, 25 years old. I would LOVE to be your "buddy" or "partner" for this program. Please e-mail me at sevenwaters.daughter@hotmail.com. We can talk with each other and help each other, since it really does sound like we have a lot in common.
I am sad to hear that the anti-depressants did not work for you. Did you try all of the SSRIs? You could ask your doctor if any of them would work. As for the medication you're on now, if it even helps a little it's worth it. As far as the stigma goes, I can totally relate. It was a hard thing for me to go on medication for the first time, but my mom, my husband, and even my therapist were all like, "If someone has diabetes and has to take insulin, does that make them weak? Does that make them abnormal?" The answer is no. Much like someone with any disorder, it is not our fault that we have this problem. So that in itself should alleviate some of the guilt that comes with it. Life is 10 per cent of what happens to you and 90 per cent of what you make of it. The way I look at my anxiety problems is this: I didn't ask to be this way, but God made me sensitive for a reason. And since I was very young, I've developed behaviour patterns that have been unhealthy and have led me to have even more anxiety. I can't change my genetic makeup, but I can change my thought process. That is what this program does so well -- teaches you to go from a negative thinker to a positive one, from someone who is fearful and always expecting the worst to someone who isn't afraid and who is able to take chances and deal with life's stresses in a healthy way.
As far as those unwelcome thoughts go, know that they have no ground in reality. What helps me is I tell myself, "Thoughts, only thoughts, thoughts, only thoughts". You will recognize this mantra from one of the men featured on the CDs. They're only thoughts. And then I turn it around. If I had a thought that I would hurt my daughter, I would say, "This thought is just part of having OCD. It has no grounding in reality. I love my daughter more than life itself and could never hurt her. I'm not afraid of this thought. It has no power over me." You might not believe it right away but keep saying this, and it will help. It's so important to stay positive. When the thoughts were really overpowering me a few months ago before I started the program I would repeat to myself, "I am a wonderful mother, I am a wonderful wife, I am a wonderful person."
I am very visual too, and when I obsessed that I would kill myself, it would be visual, -- like I would look down at my wrist and picture blood coming out of it. Scary! So I would replace that with a different visual image -- a pretty bracelet or ribbon wrapped around my wrist. Eventually these thoughts did fade and I rarely get them. Now, it's more like, if I have a blue day or a day with more anxiety, I think, "Oh, what if this gets worse and I kill myself." It's my biggest fear because I fear any separation from my daughter and husband -- they are my world and I love my family so much! I always want to be here with them. My therapist assured me that this was not suicidal thinking, this was just part of OCD, which helped me because I was really scared.
Even today I had some unwanted thoughts, because I was at a moms group and I was talking to another mom about our similar experiences with unwated, obsessive thoughts -- she had postpartum depression that kick started hers, and we were discussing our similar thoughts. Another woman mentioned her mother had OCD and is a hoarder, and doesn't handle her anxiety and depression well at all. Later in the day when I had less going on I thought, "I hope that doesn't happen to me, but what if it does? Would I kill myself? Would life even be worth living?" But I immdiately replace it in my thought journal with this: "Even if my anxiety and OCD never really goes away, I will find a way to live with it. Life has so much to offer! I will feel better and back to normal soon."
As far as the exercise goes, I really reccomend you start. And since you find it boring to be in the house, why not see if there are any fitness programs you can join? I myself am going to a zumba class for the first time tonight, fingers crossed I don't trip over my own feet! I really do believe exercise makes a difference -- even a ten minute walk at first. Exercise releases endorphines and serotonin which help us to feel better naturally. And it will bolster your self-esteem.
The best thing I can suggest is to get busy. The program will keep you busy but you also need something else -- something that will take your mind off of the problem. Ask yourself wht your interests are, and go from there.
Please e-mail me! We can work through this together. I send you much love and good feelings.
I am sad to hear that the anti-depressants did not work for you. Did you try all of the SSRIs? You could ask your doctor if any of them would work. As for the medication you're on now, if it even helps a little it's worth it. As far as the stigma goes, I can totally relate. It was a hard thing for me to go on medication for the first time, but my mom, my husband, and even my therapist were all like, "If someone has diabetes and has to take insulin, does that make them weak? Does that make them abnormal?" The answer is no. Much like someone with any disorder, it is not our fault that we have this problem. So that in itself should alleviate some of the guilt that comes with it. Life is 10 per cent of what happens to you and 90 per cent of what you make of it. The way I look at my anxiety problems is this: I didn't ask to be this way, but God made me sensitive for a reason. And since I was very young, I've developed behaviour patterns that have been unhealthy and have led me to have even more anxiety. I can't change my genetic makeup, but I can change my thought process. That is what this program does so well -- teaches you to go from a negative thinker to a positive one, from someone who is fearful and always expecting the worst to someone who isn't afraid and who is able to take chances and deal with life's stresses in a healthy way.
As far as those unwelcome thoughts go, know that they have no ground in reality. What helps me is I tell myself, "Thoughts, only thoughts, thoughts, only thoughts". You will recognize this mantra from one of the men featured on the CDs. They're only thoughts. And then I turn it around. If I had a thought that I would hurt my daughter, I would say, "This thought is just part of having OCD. It has no grounding in reality. I love my daughter more than life itself and could never hurt her. I'm not afraid of this thought. It has no power over me." You might not believe it right away but keep saying this, and it will help. It's so important to stay positive. When the thoughts were really overpowering me a few months ago before I started the program I would repeat to myself, "I am a wonderful mother, I am a wonderful wife, I am a wonderful person."
I am very visual too, and when I obsessed that I would kill myself, it would be visual, -- like I would look down at my wrist and picture blood coming out of it. Scary! So I would replace that with a different visual image -- a pretty bracelet or ribbon wrapped around my wrist. Eventually these thoughts did fade and I rarely get them. Now, it's more like, if I have a blue day or a day with more anxiety, I think, "Oh, what if this gets worse and I kill myself." It's my biggest fear because I fear any separation from my daughter and husband -- they are my world and I love my family so much! I always want to be here with them. My therapist assured me that this was not suicidal thinking, this was just part of OCD, which helped me because I was really scared.
Even today I had some unwanted thoughts, because I was at a moms group and I was talking to another mom about our similar experiences with unwated, obsessive thoughts -- she had postpartum depression that kick started hers, and we were discussing our similar thoughts. Another woman mentioned her mother had OCD and is a hoarder, and doesn't handle her anxiety and depression well at all. Later in the day when I had less going on I thought, "I hope that doesn't happen to me, but what if it does? Would I kill myself? Would life even be worth living?" But I immdiately replace it in my thought journal with this: "Even if my anxiety and OCD never really goes away, I will find a way to live with it. Life has so much to offer! I will feel better and back to normal soon."
As far as the exercise goes, I really reccomend you start. And since you find it boring to be in the house, why not see if there are any fitness programs you can join? I myself am going to a zumba class for the first time tonight, fingers crossed I don't trip over my own feet! I really do believe exercise makes a difference -- even a ten minute walk at first. Exercise releases endorphines and serotonin which help us to feel better naturally. And it will bolster your self-esteem.
The best thing I can suggest is to get busy. The program will keep you busy but you also need something else -- something that will take your mind off of the problem. Ask yourself wht your interests are, and go from there.
Please e-mail me! We can work through this together. I send you much love and good feelings.