Conquering OCD is within your reach

6+ months OCD Conqueror

I didn’t want to make a post honestly because OCD caused feelings of doubt because honestly I’ve been struggling lately. So I am leaning into it and writing it anyway! I look back at when I first hit OCD Conqueror and I remember feeling the same way. It’s okay because I’m taking OCD along for the ride. (Easier said than done) I still struggle, some days it feels like it’s barely there and other days it feels like it swallows me whole. Recovery isn’t linear. I’m so grateful for my therapist here at NOCD. I wouldn’t be able to have gotten this far without her! I only wish I had found her and this community sooner.

I just wanted to share some words with you all

OCD is, more or less, a constant battle, but don't let that discourage you. OCD can be very realistic but don't let it fool you. OCD can make you go back on your commitments and give in to its demands, but that doesn't mean it can undo your progress. Be patient with yourself and love yourself. Keep practicing ERP, even in the hardest moments, and you'll come out on the other side of these challenges. Just don't ever give up, and don't let fear or shame, or anything control how you move forward. You can resist OCD, even if it always there, and even if it makes you not feel like yourself. The key is recognizing it for what it is, and refusing to play its game; and when it hits you hardest, though it might make you fall apart, always get back up. That's what I've learned. I hope you have a wonderful day, people!

ERP Works 💗 stick with it

I’m back with NOCD bc I’ve had recent traumas that I need more intensive therapy for and I know that ERP will help me as it did before! I have 5 anxiety disorders, depression, adhd, and have tried just about any cocktail of medication and treatment/therapy in the world since I was diagnosed 20 years ago. ERP HAS BEEN THE MOST EFFECTIVE Just sharing bc you’re not failing if you have to return, as I am over a year and a half since graduating. It takes time, it takes work, but it is so worth it because YOU ARE WORTH IT Sending love, encouragement, strength, and an empathy that only one who’s been thru it can have 💗💗💗

Recovery is possible!!

What a year it’s been of ERP therapy! This program has profoundly changed my life and the relationship I have with myself. If you’re doubting whether or not you will always feel anxious, guilty, “crazy” or unworthy of the life you want in your heart, I am here to tell you that a life beyond those feelings and fears is possible. A good deal of work will be involved along the way but you are worth more than those silly little thoughts!!!

Still going

I choose to do basically anything I want to do and I do it even when my OCD tells me it’s scary:) I still experience depression like a normal person but I just live my life anyways how I want, and it’s gotten a lot easier. Keep pushing y’all, doing the hard thing pays off even if it doesn’t feel like it

Honoring this moment

Just want to share this with folks who understand what it's like to live with OCD. Never in my life did I think I'd reach this point. I've been in some form of therapy for the last decade of my life, and yet until five months ago I didn't even know I had OCD. I just thought I was anxious and depressed. I was hospitalized three times, spent thousands of dollars on therapy that really wasn't helping that much, and lost countless relationships, among other things, because of OCD. I cannot express enough gratitude for the OCD community and NOCD itself for helping me get my life back. For anyone feeling hopeless, this really works. You got this!! 💛🙏

I can’t believe it!

After having OCD for 40+ years, and being misdiagnosed dozens of times, providers telling me it wasn’t a problem, it was my imagination or trying to appease me with medication, I finally got the help I needed from NOCD. I cannot tell you how liberating it feels to have stood up to OCD and won. I know this fight isn’t over, and there will be more challenges ahead, but I know I can overcome any future OCD behaviors. I am in control of my own destiny. I can live MY life, not OCDs. I know you can too! Do not give up!

ERP is the way to be

I just want to share what I said to my therapist the other day and he thought it was great quote to go on a Tee shirt “ ERP is my Bazooka!”

Yay!

I couldn’t function when I started NOCD back in summer 2024. OCD took on many different types and subtypes but I’m getting thru them! Hurray and go all of us🎉

Happy to have my ocd under control most of the tim

Doing a lot better with my ocd . Hope everyone else finds hope in treating their ocd .

Q&A!

Little Q&A since I see a lot of people on here asking questions! Note: I won’t provide reassurance since this just feeds OCD and keeps you in the loop!

Cheers to being human

I wouldn't call myself an OCD conqueror, because do you ever truly conquer it? I think I've become more of having a PH.D. in OCD! Just like a PH.D student, I've gone through years of turmoil and successes, each granting me more and more understanding of what OCD looks like to me. The future is always unknown just like a student leaving school, but I'm going to try and take the tools with me when those scary moments happen again. Nothing is permanent, everything flows, and here's to whatever is coming in my future. Cheers to trying to live a happy life!

I CAN.

My story with OCD goes WAY back. I think it all began about 13-14 years ago. I’ve experienced a handful of subtypes. I gave self-managing my all for many years, until I hit a wall in Nov 2024, when a topic related to my health took over. It felt unshakable— it consumed me every single day for hours. I knew that I needed help, but thought I could still try to get through it on my own (I couldn’t). I became positively miserable and depressed at the amount of time I lost to my OCD. I couldn’t even get good sleep because my intrusive thoughts started invading my dreams. With the encouragement and support of my family, I signed up for NOCD and that’s when everything changed. I began acquiring the tools to effectively address my thoughts and compulsions. I shifted from taking my intrusive thoughts seriously, to responding to them in a healthy way— something I never thought I could handle. I faced my compulsions head on and learned that there wasn’t something scary hiding on the other side. Within a few months of doing this, it’s truly wild how free I’ve become. This does not mean that my OCD and obsessions have gone away. I still have tough days, but with my new tool box and all that I’ve witnessed myself accomplish with the help of ERP and my therapist, I CAN do anything. I’m a busy working musician with big goals (arenas/touring/etc. oneday) and it’s truly empowering to know that OCD will never rule me or keep me away from doing what I love. Becoming an OCD Conqueror is an honor, but a reminder that I must keep going and doing the work. You are not your OCD. ❤️

What a journey this has been

OCD still lives with me but I thank God everyday for the opportunity to overcome, the resources I’ve had available to me, and the people that have carried me when my burden felt too heavy to carry on my own.

Sharing my experience

I had the chance to open up about my OCD Journey with a newer friend today. I’d heard her mention several times that she also suffers from OCD. I spoke about my experience in ERP therapy and how, although OCD remains a part of my life, I had gained honest control over my negative thoughts, fears and compulsions. I was honest and forthright about the challenge of therapy, the frequency and about the science of brain plasticity and how we truly can change our brain health to get our lives back. She was encouraged and asked about NOCD - I was able to share the information with her and encourage her to check it out, letting her know it was even covered by insurance. It feels so nice to be honest about my story without shame or embarrassment, to say - hey, I understand what you’re experiencing, and there is hope.

Becoming an OCD Conqueror

Learning that I became an OCD Conqueror was a powerful moment for me. It made me realize how truly far I’ve come. Before discovering NOCD, I handled my OCD the only way I knew how: trying to get certainty in the hopes of “figuring it out,” which only resulted in breakdown after breakdown. It was both exhausting and excruciating, and it made me feel hopeless. Utilizing ERP in response to my obsessive thoughts has been life changing. I can’t imagine being without this skill, and I am rooting for every person out there who is serious about conquering their OCD because it is possible. To whomever is reading this, I hope that you are discovering similar improvement as you progress through your own ERP sessions. It has done wonders for me, and it is only that much more comforting knowing that I’m not alone in my journey 💟

I’ve become an OCD Conqueror!

This morning, I checked my email and was surprised to see this come in. It made me reflect on my journey so far. I was officially diagnosed at the end of August 2024, when I felt I was at a really low point emotionally and mentally. Therapy has been very helpful in terms of recognizing my thoughts and better understanding how to handle them. I still struggle, but it’s definitely more manageable.

Feels good.

I still have my fair share of mental struggles don’t get me wrong, but it’s nice that I’ve understood myself well enough to exactly what my triggers are and how to handle them. Now it’s just a matter of doing the exposures and getting back to living life.

Super proud!

It’s crazy looking back at how intense my OCD was a year ago, I’m so thankful to my therapist and the community members here for helping me through my hard time. For those who are currently in it, you will get better, it takes time and patience but I 100% believe in you! ❤️❤️

Yassssss

Truly have come so far!! Really proud of this effort!