Coming to terms with anxiety and OCD

[Cerise547]

Hello everyone! I am 13 years old and this is my first ever post on a forum. I have anxiety and OCD, and although it is undiagnosed, I have done some research and as soon as I came across the symptoms of OCD, I immediately connected. I am a bit nervous posting to a forum, but I'm really hoping to be able to talk to others in my situation and maybe get some support. As I look back, I can see that I have had anxiety and OCD since early childhood. I would often get told that I mothered my older brother too much, and I was constantly panicking over the possibility of a natural disaster occurring. It has really only been this year that I have really known that I had a mental illness, as it has been getting a lot worse. I had never really thought that I had OCD because the stereotypical stance on the condition is that people affected by it must always have things neat and tidy, which isn't me. Recently through some research, I discovered that there are several different types of OCD. I was extremely scared when I found out. I felt insane and alone. Most mental illnesses that I knew of people having were anxiety or depression, or even PTSD. But OCD I'd never really thought of along with those conditions. My mum is aware of my anxiety and has scheduled an appointment with a GP, but that isn't for another month, which scares me what will happen between now and then. I have also tried some online self-help programs, which have helped slightly, but I know that I need professional help. I'm wondering whether anyone else might have OCD or be in a similar situation, or maybe if anyone has any advice for me. I'm sorry that this post is a bit of a mess, but as I said this is my first ever forum post. I hope that maybe I can help others, or others can help me here, and that this can be a safe space for people to discuss their thoughts and feelings 🙂

- Cerise547

[swtpotato]

HI cerise!

I don’t have experience with ocd but I do with anxiety.

I’m really glad you have a gp app set up and that your Mum is aware.

Sounds like you are handling it really well and taking good steps to take care of yourself. It’s a really hard thing to do so.

A good habit to get into is self-congratulating/appreciation, I try do it all time (focus on the effort/process not the results)

For example I try to force my depressive self to be like YEAH I got out of bed NICE JOB wooo I had a difficult conversation about my feelings and it didn’t go well but at least I did it so thank you me (just a brief sample of my inner narrative voice for you..)

check out wholesome threads on the staying well section: ‘today I’m proud of myself for...’ and ‘3 things I’m thankful for today’ (or something) or whatever else’s you come across.

just talking about your experiences, reflecting, venting and being heard helps a lot.

Feel free to ask advice (no matter how small/specific, might be unrelated to mental health) chat, anything else. Just remember that people may not be able to help, might not even have very good advice, we’re all just random people with mental health issues after all... but someone just listening can mean a lot.

whats been bothering you most recently?

do you have any interests/hobbies that bring you joy?

Hope you find the forums helpful

m

[geoff]

hi Cerise, I've read your comments and you seem to be well advanced for your age, but yes there are different degrees if you have OCD, from extreme to mild, but even if it's only mild it is still annoying and it's quite possible to develop even further.
It is caused by anxiety and anybody can have it even at a young age and it can be very exhausting carrying out what you need to do.
Your doctor may decide to prescribe medication to try and reduce your anxiety but essentially it won't stop your OCD completely. Geoff.

[Cerise547]

Hi m!

Thank you for responding! I'll be sure to take a look at those threads, they sound great. Also, self-appreciation sounds really helpful! I'll try to incorporate that into everyday tasks. Thanks for that!

I do have a couple of hobbies. I LOVE to play badminton, and I am apart of a comp. I also love reading, writing and all things Harry Potter related. I want to start to do more exercise, as I have read everywhere that it's great for mental health. I do badminton once a week, and occasional bike rides, but I need to do some more regular exercise. Do you have any suggestions for that?

I guess quite a few things bother me. Depending on what's happening at the moment, I can be really stressed. For example, about a month ago I saw my father for the first time in two years and that really brought up my anxiety levels. What really annoyed me is that I felt like I couldn't talk to my friends about it, because I don't think that they'd understand. Either their parents are still happily married, or they still gladly see both of their parents regularly. I'm hoping that on here I can find lots of people to talk to about things like that. 🙂
I have also noticed that it sometimes just randomly changes from day-to-day. Sometimes nothing really happens, and I feel really anxious, but then the next day I'm fine. It's really weird, but I suppose it might be hormones.

Again, thank you for replying to my post! You've already helped me feel super welcome here. 🙂

- Celise547

[Cerise547]

Hello Geoff! Thank you for replying to my post!

It's great to talk to someone who also has OCD, as it helps me feel less alone in this whole situation.
I think that I have had OCD for a while, but it has worsened gradually. I'm glad that I can finally identify it as something and try to solve it.

I'm hoping that I can maybe try something other than medication first, such as CBT. That seems like something that I could benefit from.

Again, thanks for replying and I definitely feel more welcome here.

- Cerise547

[Tegan1]

Hi Cerise, I have anxiety but not ocd. Nice to talk to you x. I’m new to this

[Tegan1]

I’m 13 too!

[Cerise547]

Hi there Tegan!

Welcome to the forum, I'm new here too! I hope that we can maybe support and help each other out and that you feel welcome on here 🙂

What do you like to do in your free time? I love to read, write and play badminton 🙂

It's nice to talk to you too! Good luck, and I hope that these forums can help you out.

-Cerise547

[Cerise547]

Hi everyone.

Recently, I was researching different types of OCD, and I came across a type that I had never had before. It was related to intrusive thoughts, and although I'd had intrusive thoughts before, never ones like this. Later I thought about what the thoughts must be like, but then I started having the thoughts. They are disturbing and make me feel horrible, and as I walked home from school I started panicking and crying because they were so bad.
I am extremely worried that I am picking up obsessive thoughts as I come across them. Another example is that I have started reading a book about a girl with OCD, but she feels a compulsion to wash her hands, which I do not do. But then I noticed today, as I was putting away clean dishes I began to freak out because I hadn't washed my hands. I began worrying that I was going to infect my family, because that's what the girl worries about in the book.
These thoughts make me feel scared, alone and disgusting. Please help me at least temporarily get rid of the thoughts, because I know that I most likely will never completely get rid of them, and even if I get close to it, it will take a long time.

-Cerise547

[blondguy]

Hello Tegan1

I just wanted to say thankyou for having the courage to post in the young people's thread!

I am a volunteer on the forums....since January last year. If we didnt have new people like you posting I wouldnt be here as volunteer. I understand your anxiety as I had the same when I was young too. I was lucky as my parents took me to a doctor and I really felt better after a few visits

Anyhow...I am not a 'young person' so excuse me for butting in here 🙂

Good on you for posting Tegan1....you are amazing!

Paul