OCD Action

thelazypick
Member

your ocd is just worse than any other days'?

i usually experience this after a bad day, or even after taking caffeinated drinks. like today, i had a large cup of tea and i think my ocd is just worse than yesterday's.

so i'm rather curious as to whether you all experience this too, and how you cope with it. as for me, i try not to do anything that may trigger my ocd when i feel this way. quite frustrating because i hate it when i can't get anything done, especially when it's because of ocd.

Fri Apr 9 2010 15:59:40 #
Truddles
Member

Hi,

Both stress and caffeine increase anxiety levels and so will make OCD worse.

Everybody has good days and bad days with their OCD. When you're having a bad day you just have to acknowledge that it's just a bad day and that things will improve. That tomorrow is another day. If you dwell on the bad days it increases your anxiety and prolongs the bad day.

I had a bad day yesterday and thought '*** it!' and I didn't do any laundry (I usually feel compelled to do the laundry every day as my OCD creates so much washing )in fact I just relaxed and pottered about (that makes me sound ancient ) and went with the flow. Today things are much improved Don't fight the bad days it just creates more stress.

It is frustrating when you can't get things done because of the OCD but the more annoyed you get with yourself the worse the OCD becomes.

Remember everybody has bad days whether they have OCD or not. It's not the end of the world is it?

Hope this helps.

Trudy

Fri Apr 9 2010 17:40:11 #
swan
Member

I also found that if I drink caffeine it makes me worse. If Im having a bad day I will just watch tv. I also have to look at my week to decide what I can and cant do. Work I have to get on with it. Today Im out all day and evening and have had a really hectic week so yesterday I did very little and tomorrow I will do the same. Sometimes I think that everything Im getting out a lot but then realise that this isn't the lifestyle that most people have then I have a bad day!!!!!!!!

Sat Apr 10 2010 6:45:19 #
thelazypick
Member

hi trudy,

i agree that the more you're annoyed, the more ocd you'll get. i get really frustrated sometimes and i realise that that makes me ocd even more. on good days if i skip a ritual, i might be able to just forget about it. but skipping rituals on bad days just bug me like mad. i'd be compelled to do those rituals no matter how inconvenient it is. hope i don't sound too weird.

hi swan,

yes, i realise that watching tv helps too. when i doubt i'd be able to get anything done because of ocd, i go watch the tv. takes my mind off of things quite abit and i don't ocd as much when i watch the tv.

Sat Apr 10 2010 12:22:52 #
Unregistered

I have to admit I seem to be odd in that my OCD never fluctuates. I have days when events cause extra problems (OCD-wise) but otherwise it's always the same.
Maybe that's partly to do with the fact that I eat and drink exactly the same things every day!

Sat Apr 10 2010 14:14:11 #
Rena32
Member

Some days, I don't feel like I have OCD at all, then the next day, it will be back with a vengance. My OCD fluctuates, with good days/bad days. I agree with Truddles as stress and caffeine do increase symptoms and anxiety.

Sun Apr 11 2010 5:17:28 #
Subo
Member

Mine is always there but it fluctuataes in how extreme it is if you see what I mean, and it gets much, much worse when Im tired and stressed. I know caffeinne can make things worse but I dont smoke, rarely drink anymore, dont take drugs - without my tea I dont know what Id do!!!! And decaff just isnt the same!

Sun Apr 11 2010 11:37:03 #
thelazypick
Member

hi tricia,

i have days where events occur and i cannot ocd too, and they get me really upset

hi rena32,

i never had a day i don't ocd. in fact, i never even had an hour without ocd. i'd give up ice cream for a day without ocd. haha.

hi subo,

yes, mine gets really bad when i'm tired. i always order a decaf though. i hate it when starbucks have their free coffee day and the free coffee isn't decaf! haha.

by the way, speaking of drinking, i realise that when i drink i ocd less.

Sun Apr 11 2010 13:05:43 #
Unregistered

Rena, I wish scientists looking into OCD would concentrate on studying those who say they have days when the OCD hardly affects them. There has to be something chemical occurring in the brain. I have read that some women find they only have OCD at certain times in their cycle and I did forget to mention that I am always worse when premenstrual. Some women experience OCD for the first time during pregnancy.

Surely it can’t be long before the cause is found!

I've just started a new drug and its side-effects are awful. One little 15mg pill has changed my personality and caused so many physical side-effects. The chemical balance of the brain is so intricate.

Sun Apr 11 2010 13:12:44 #
Unregistered

Thelazypick, Just noticed your message! I meant more a case of events that overwhelm me. I don't have days where I am unable to carry out rituals, it's just that the contamination sometimes becomes too much when certain things happen.

Sun Apr 11 2010 13:16:00 #
Unregistered

P.S. Alcohol affects us all differently, but I feel the symptoms we have can also be affected differently within the same person. With my contamination fears it makes me worse. I need a very clear head to know what I am touching etc. With the other intrusive thoughts I used to suffer, it helped.

Sun Apr 11 2010 13:20:08 #
thelazypick
Member

tricia,

oh, i have mistaken that you meant events occur and you cannot carry out rituals. yes, i agree that sometimes when things happen and it gets overwhelming. for me, i tend to link the events with my ocd when they happen and it's really annoying because that makes me ocd more.

Sun Apr 11 2010 13:32:55 #
Subo
Member

Tricia - the ocd definitley gets worse for me at certain times in the month, Ive asked the doctor about this, she said its possible and that some people only take medication for two weeks in the month due to this.
I used to drink alcohol a lot when I was younger to try and escape from the thoughts, I would then go so overboard the next day on the things I felt I had done by drinking too much it used to make me so much worse. Thats why I dont drink alcohol much anymore - the effects on my state of mind the next day are just not worth it.
x

Sun Apr 11 2010 13:56:47 #
Unregistered

Subo, I understand that. Alcohol can only help with certain intrusive thoughts (not that I am advocating using it as a medication!)

My thoughts at one time were of jealousy and my husband’s past, it was all I could think about. Alcohol did help to block these thoughts. If I had thoughts of harming someone, or a host of other intrusive thoughts, alcohol would cloud my mind and make me obsess more, I would panic I had done something either deliberately or through negligence, while affected by the drink. In fact, it was due to drink that a new obsession that I had been raped began. The amount of alcohol I had consumed was not that much (I’ve never been drunk in my life) but it was enough for my OCD to latch onto and create doubts, which in time became false memories. I think for most alcohol is probably best avoided!

I wonder if anyone here is taking medication for a part of each month, because of OCD flaring up due to hormones? I am almost through the menopause, and I am hoping for an improvement in my OCD before long.

Mon Apr 12 2010 12:41:51 #
Truddles
Member

I agree that alcohol is not the answer. But unfortunately people do use alcohol in an attempt to escape their problems especially when they have asked for help only to be treated with derision by the very people that should be there to help and support them.

Mon Apr 12 2010 13:14:54 #