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rituals and obsessions

NAS64469

For as long as I can remember I have struggled with obsessions and rituals, doing things 4 times or an even number, brushing my teeth, tying my laces, brushing hair etc there’s to many to go into. If I dont I get really upset and anxious. It’s getting worse even after medication I’ve been referred to therapy but not gone yet as wasn’t sure. Any advice or anyone have same issue having to do things same everyday but then adding more and more

  • in reply to NAS64469

    I found the same thing - it just escalated to the point where I had to think about everything I was doing (I even had rituals for the way I walked and breathed!). 

    I hope therapy is helpful for you. I self-referred to my local NHS service and the assessor was really helpful.

  • in reply to DuckBread

    It began with just little things that I never really thought of but now it’s everything which is frustrating, i have tried to just not do it but it really bothers me for the rest of the day. This on top of my asd is stressful, I know it’s how I Am and usually I’m not bothered to much just recently it’s got worse, will definitely give therapy a go I think maybe I’m stressed about something possibly but I don’t know what lol

  • Hi. This sounds a lot like me. I eventually went through cognitive behavioural therapy for OCD; it's actually made a huge difference and been really helpful for me. I've learnt how to distinguish between the rituals that are harmless and act as a 'grounding'/calming technique (e.g. counting my steps as I walk), and the ones that are obsessive and cause distress if I do/don't do them (e.g. saying repetitive phrases to cancel out intrusive thoughts, or obsessively doing things a specific number of times, like brushing my hair).

    I'd definitely recommend trying therapy. I found my OCD just seemed to get worse as life got more stressful, so it's benefited me a lot to learn some coping mechanisms. I've massively cut-down on the number of rituals I have to follow, which has made life a lot simpler for me.