Obsessive compulsive disorder and repeating words.
Saying the same sentence repeatedly until your brain seems to register that you have said it correctly and in the right order is driving me bonkers. It comes and goes but can last days, weeks or even months at a time and I have been suffering with this for years. Repeating sentences to myself just doesn’t feel right and to relieve the tension I repeat until my brain is satisfied.
This disorder Stops me from sleeping or carrying out daily tasks and is a complete nightmare to control. I have had forms of OCD before where I must keep checking that the doors /windows are locked or that I turned the gas out, washing my hands repeatedly and even when I was younger picking up things from the floor but nothing quite as bad and annoying as these obsessive thoughts.
When these thoughts occur, I have tried to ignore it completely, but my brain just won’t let me concentrate fully on anything else until I have satisfied it. If I do attempt to start saying the sentence I could be sitting or standing there staring at a wall for hours unless I say the words exactly how my brain wants, with each word clearly spoken either quietly to myself or under my breath and which could last for few months until the sentence is replaced by another. The sentence its self could consist of any words and its usually just one sentence.
Once I was at work and I repeated myself for 8 hours straight. Sounds crazy I know. When I say the sentence I usually try to focus on an object or surface and if It gets rejected by my brain then I will have to focus on another new object/surface or wall space because my brain will associate that previous object with the rejected sentence. The funny thing is I know I have said the sentence many times, but if it doesn't feel right then the cycle will just keep going. I don’t really understand it myself.
If I do manage to say the sentence and my mind is happy with the way I have said it then I can usually carry on with my day or go to sleep. Things could be fine for a while or even only for a few seconds because if my mind doesn’t agree with something that I’ve said, seen with my eyes or even in my dreams then the nightmare begins again. It’s almost like a form of punishment to myself without committing any crime.
It’s extremely distracting and makes me feel miserable although rather than visit a psychologist I just seem to deal with it. I have tried this method called head space which is a digital service that provides guided meditation sessions and mindfulness training. Its content can be accessed online, or via their mobile apps. It has some good exercises if you are anxious or stressed but I didn’t really find it useful for the obsessive thoughts and repeating words. But something to check out if you suffer from anxiety and stress. My own personal tip for anxiety and stress is to try chewing gum, I find it helps a little.
I have also tried cognitive behavioural therapy online which may help with several mental illnesses but for me personally I must control it myself and think of my own solution. Its difficult to explain but I guess how I gave up smoking is a good example. I knew in my mind that electronic cigarettes, patches, and nicotine gum wouldn’t work so the only way was to go cold turkey and it took a while, but I eventually managed to quit for good and haven’t smoked for many years.
But for some reason that same approach does not work with the OCD and repeating words.
I can sometimes go for weeks without this problem, but it usually always comes back to haunt me.
Repeating these sentences is usually to myself but I also suffer from a similar problem of repeating myself when I am talking to someone else and if they have not acknowledged what I have said then there is a fear of being misunderstood and then a compulsion of repeating myself.
Self-help books, cognitive behavioural therapy or visiting a psychologist are worth considering. It may help if you suffer from stress, anxiety, OCD, repeating words and several other mental illnesses but I must find my own solution to combat this problem.
I hope you enjoyed reading, please feel free to share your thoughts and tips for dealing with these mentally exhausting illnesses.
Please feel free to re-steem. Thanks
Hello @chickenburger, I feel so much pains just reading the pains you go through. Of j truth I never knew such a disorder exist until I stumble upon your post just now.
I do not have anything to say as am not knowledgeable in matters as this. But I could suggest you seek help from the experts. Even if you don't wanna go to an office, you can join #airclinic, a channel in discord. There you will meet some medical personnel and they will give you the right information on this.
I wish you all the best and I pray that you get healed real soon. Do enjoy today
I feel the same way that @lordjames felt, dont give up finding solution for yourself. The internet is so damn wide and big that you can find all sorts of information you can get even for your current health problem.
For sure there is a solution that exist. Best if you are a believer that someone up there can heal your illness through prayer.
thanks for reading and advice, perhaps I will check this out its nice to hear other peoples opinion on the matter. Feel free to re-steem . I have just joined recently but not many people seem to be reading my posts. Any tips on that also would be great. Thanks again.
To get people to read your post is by engaging with them. Read other people post and drop thoughtful comments. They will likely come to check your blog. But don't ask or beg people to come on your blog.
Also join discord groups and Steemit chat channels and contribute. It's just about putting your name out there.
thanks I will keep that in mind.
Your story is really well written, and even your graphics illustration or choice of graphics caught my attention. For sure in no time, you will get some attention. Just give it some more time.
Your struggling to cope with your situation is really commendable, I just thought that maybe you need to follow your heart all the more than your brain is telling you, might be difficult but you could try. Its true that the brain is powerful than the heart but love is the greatest of all.
yes I hope so, its hard to come up with new ideas but this post was easy to write as its something that is happening to me. Thanks I'm glad you like.
I feel the same way that @lordjames felt, dont give up finding solution for yourself. The internet is so damn wide and big that you can find all sorts of information you can get even for your current health problem.
For sure there is a solution that exist. Best if you are a believer that someone up there can heal your illness through prayer.
Thanks for your interest. I will keep looking for a solution, the brain is a crazy thing
I follow you, vote and vote
Great post
Thanks for reading
Pleasure
I follow you, vote and vote
hello friend, I just read carefully what you wrote and I congratulate you, I work in the area of psychology and I know about the subject, there are some things that would be good to write, for example: what is obsession and what is compulsion? what is to be handled from a psychological point of view.
I congratulate you for recommending a specialist.
not only obsection and compulsion are treated with cognitive methods, all psychological currents have their techniques to treat them.
Congratulations..!
thank you for reading , its nice to know that other people are aware about this problem.
Nice post
thank you
I've read many psychological books related to this or similar subjects, and in my opinion the only thing worth considering to do is to really visit a psychologist because those things are related to some internal unresolved conflicts. Actually, obsessive thoughts and anxiety are the result of those conflicts, your mind is telling you that you should pay attention to what is going on on the inside ,that it can no longer function properly until those conflicts are resolved. And the only person who has the real knowledge of those things is a psychologist.
I wish you all the best!
thanks for your advice, that's something I might consider in the future if it doesn't get any better.
I think one reason also that I haven't gone to visit a psychologist is because I do not want it on my medical history.
I think it's very important to say that you are not mentally ill, you are just having difficulties. Why you don't want it on your medical history, you are afraid of being stigmatized?
just in case you never know in the future something may happen where they check your medical history and it could have a negative impact.
Such as?
For example it might prevent you from being employed in the future depending on the job of course if it was between you and the other person, that might be the deciding factor in you not being employed. But maybe I'm over thinking on that also.
But I will probably visit if it doesn't get any better.
Hey man , loved your post. I found it by googling symptoms I had as a kid. I would repeat sentences and your the only person that ive ever heard describe that feeling of "brain being satisfied". I can relate to it. I used to do this thing where I had to touch something in groups of 5s, and then do that too, 5 times. Then if I messed up I could backspace. Until I hit 50 or 100 or any other satisfying number. I caught myself doing it, and I remember seeing myself in 3rd person and kind of forcing myself to stop mid-counting(example: stopping at 12 or 17 even though my brain wasnt satisfied) and doing so consistently eventually made those habits disapear.
Id also make people repeat themselves whoch got on the nerves of my familly and babysitters. If I heard them say a sentence but something in my brain said I mightve misunderstood, I absolutely had to hear it again from them, PRECISELY as I thought I had heard it first. Almost to confirm or reaffirm that I had understood. You seem to have the same thing as me , a deep fear or aversion to being misunderstood or misunderstanding in general. Anyways I asked them to repeat and threw fits if they didnt remember what they had said or if they reworded their sentence. That stopped because my whole familly disciplined me when I did it just like a child who hits or bites or says bad words. It worked. Although I still hate being misquoted.
I also quit smoking, cold turkey as you have. You have to watch yourself like you're watching a toddler thats gonna hurt itself if left unnattended. Like "hey, get your hands away from there! Careful with those scissors!"
Anyways I wanted to tell you all this in case you relate and makes you feel better. Also you can certainly stop that behaviour, or atleast, try and limit yourself when you catch yourself. Anyways, best of luck friend, best of luck friend, best of luc... Just joking , cheers !