OCD driving me potty

[pumpkinbump]

AIBU to ask what at are your rituals? In particular bed time ones. Any advice or dealing with them?

Here's mine,

Have a wee
Let the dog out
Lock the back door, pull down on the handle hard, then pull it down four times, put the key back in, unlock it and lock it again. More pulling until I'm happy in my head that it's locked.

Make sure all kitchen switches are off bar the fridge.

Start on this cooker, make sure all 6 knobs are aligned perfectly with the markings, can take up to 10 minutes.

Back to back door and pull handle down again.

Push fridge and freezer door a few times to make sure it's closed.

Feel the switches in the living room to make sure they feel right. Take out plugs.

Front door same as back door.

Bedroom, make sure switches are off and all feel the same.

Turn boiler off, then put it on timer, turn it on, back off and on timer again.

Push against my bed to make sure it is absolutely against the wall four times.

It puts me off getting ready for bed so I'm sat here on mumsnet at almost 2am procrastinating. I haven't even touched the cooker today so I know the knobs are in the same position, but I will still have to check them.

Anyone else?

@pumpkinbump

AIBU to ask what at are your rituals? In particular bed time ones. Any advice or dealing with them?

Here's mine,

Have a wee
Let the dog out
Lock the back door, pull down on the handle hard, then pull it down four times, put the key back in, unlock it and lock it again. More pulling until I'm happy in my head that it's locked.

Make sure all kitchen switches are off bar the fridge.

Start on this cooker, make sure all 6 knobs are aligned perfectly with the markings, can take up to 10 minutes.

Back to back door and pull handle down again.

Push fridge and freezer door a few times to make sure it's closed.

Feel the switches in the living room to make sure they feel right. Take out plugs.

Front door same as back door.

Bedroom, make sure switches are off and all feel the same.

Turn boiler off, then put it on timer, turn it on, back off and on timer again.

Push against my bed to make sure it is absolutely against the wall four times.

It puts me off getting ready for bed so I'm sat here on mumsnet at almost 2am procrastinating. I haven't even touched the cooker today so I know the knobs are in the same position, but I will still have to check them.

Anyone else?

Please get some help. Speak with a GP, ask for a referral for CBT for OCD therapy.

It can work. Reading your OP was me a year ago.
Sometimes it can get bad again, but generally my life isn't this hell anymore.

I'm prone to sanitising my hands more, still. I sanitised 16 times between getting out of the car and back in the car when I went to the dentist earlier in the week. I washed my hands 64 times yesterday, but honestly that's about the most I've been affected for quite a long time now.

Please get help, it'll feel like its worse whilst in therapy, but it will absolutely be worth it and change your life.

Its exhausting, isn't it? I'm not going to tell ones I have that you haven't mentioned because you might pick up on them, but I was just about to get into bed last night when I read your post, I came back down to check the freezer door (this isn't usually an issue for me, but I panicked!) Checked the cooker was off, off, off, off and off (hobs and oven), kettle, microwave, unplugged, unplugged, windows and back door locked. Front door, using a sock on my hand against germs, locked, locked, not broken from all the checking! I'd done it all three times before going upstairs. Mine is loads better now I'm working from home and I think I'm less stressed about germs etc than none OCD people at the minute because I've been hyper aware for years. I had help a while ago but it didn't work, it was a group thing which just made me angry and gave me new issues AND it was held close enough to home that after the appointment I had to go home before going back to work to check the door, argh! I hope you can make improvements and get support.

The information here may be helpful. Do speak to your G.P. It can be so debilitating.

www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/obssessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd.htm

OP, I'm 42 and I've had "rituals" since my early teens. I watched a documentary a few years ago about OCD and realised that's what I have

I tell myself in my head that if I don't do it/them something bad will happen to one of my loved ones so I always end up doing it/them

I've tried to stop a few times but they always come back. Sometimes I have to touch something a certain number of times or I have to look at something a certain number of times. I hate it and it drives me mad. It sounds crazy but I've been doing it for thirty years so I'm used to it now. I'd like to stop though. I've never thought about getting help

What do you tell yourself will happen if you don't do whatever it is you're doing? Is you're head telling you that you have to do it for a reason?

Have OCD. Used to do what you described. I'd take photos on phone as well afterwards so when having left house I'd check the photos to ensure I defi

Aaah posted too soon: Have OCD. Used to do what you described. I'd take photos on phone as well afterwards so when having left house I'd check the photos to ensure I definitely closed door/turned off tap or hob etc. With CBT, I have it more under control now. CBT really did help. I still have other forms of obsessive thoughts and compulsions, but what you have described is under control. I still check but not so much.

I suffered OCD in my teens which was a result of my emetophobia. It is so exhausting. I find most people with OCD have a special number in which they do their rituals. My rituals were purely to stop me or anyone else vomiting and I became convinced I really held that power.
Because I also suffer anxiety I know that phobias, anxiety and OCD have a tendency to come and go. However even now its hard because I can get a thought like "if you dont do that, you will get sick" although I can stop myself now, which I never could before. And if someone interupts the rituals its back to square one, so my number was 4 and it could go to 8, 16 and so on. It was so tiring. I still have no idea how I got rid of it.

I had OCD many years ago as a teenager, centred around hand washing and fear of contaminating myself or others. It was very debilitating and time consuming. I remember the awful feeling of not being able to get on with my life/day until I was satisfied that my hands were clean (they looked like raw meat from all the scrubbing). I remember the anxiety and the fear of loss of control if I touched something I was unhappy about and had no access to hot water and soap. It was a living nightmare and I can't quite believe I came out the other side. My mum took me to the doctor, who referred me to a child psychologist. This was in the early eighties when the term OCD wasn't in common usage. I was so appalled at having to talk to a stranger that I made a 'miraculous recovery' - in other words I pretended to be better and hid my rituals more carefully. But something did suddenly click during that time and I snapped out of it - not overnight, but my recovery took weeks rather than months.

You have my full sympathy OP. OCD is a bastard. And people trivialising it is a particular bugbear of mine.

Hi @pumpkinbump, I’m the same. I’ve had severe Ocd for 7 years now, I usually take sertraline medication which does calm it a bit but unfortunately can’t solve the Ocd (not on meds at mo due to pregnancy). I’m on my third time doing intense cbt therapy. When partner works nights I literally sit up until about 2am procrastinating aswell because I don’t want to start the checks and I know it’s done but I still have to do it relatedly or touch certain objects, shake door handles. It’s exhausting. The best thing to do is go to gp and discuss if medication right for you or therapy. My Inbox always open if you are struggling x

Thank you all. I didn't realised how many posted since my last post. People trivialising it is very frustrating. Being told just stop doing it. Thank you for all sharing your experience. I don't think anything bad will happen as such, other than if I don't make sure the switches are off the house will burn down, and if i don't check the doors and make sure they're locked, someone will get in.

I could of wrote this "( I even have to get my oh to check etc when I worry I've left oven on or door unlocked. Its got to point now where he just locks up instead .