Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Support Group
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder, more specifically, an anxiety disorder. OCD is manifested in a variety of forms, but is most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive (repetitive, distressing, intrusive) thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or rituals) which attempt to neutralize the obsessions.
Hi Everyone. This is my first post here. My wife and I are having a difficult time. Even before coronavirus, my OCD and anxieties were difficult for my wife to be on the other side of. Now during this lockdown, so much is being triggered in me and sometimes I feel like my wife would rather throw up her hands and tell me I'm "being irrational" or "not listening" or "insisting on being right" when in reality I need to follow through on a compulsion (if something MIGHT be infected with coronavirus, I need to clean it the way it will feel safe to me - not sure if that's OCD-fueled or just realistic and safe). The level of frustration on her face is so upsetting to se. I can't tell what is me being smart about something, me being a hypochondriac, me really spiraling out vs. my wife nitpicking and being super hard on me. I don't trust my own mind right now, which is scary. Sometimes I feel like I'm being gaslit, or lumped under this overarching lable of "mentally ill" and the moment to moment isn't being seen for what it really is because I'm being viewed through the lens of "my spouse has a mental illness" by my wife. It's a great way for her to not have to look at herself and her own behavior. How do you decipher what is you spiraling out vs your spouse/someone else not being compassionate?
First off, when I feel like I'm losing control, stop and think about what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. I ask my self "Am I doing this because of a rational reason?" Just my two cents but I think that most of the people who caught it were around people who had it-not so much "what" has been around them.
Ive been telling myself every day that I am not going to catch this virus and feel that my positive attitude has helped.
Remember, people with this problem can't begin to know how hard it is for us. Try being patient with her;
Stop focusing on what she might feel and focus on dealing with it slowly. Hope this helps.