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The truth is I've found nothing other than exposing myself to my triggers and trying to relax has truly improved things.
Trying to find some miracle all purpose hack is another form of compulsion in its own right. Also seek out a real diagnosis if you can get one. I have not been medicated but talk therapy has been massive for me.
Best of luck!
You gotta do ERP. One way or another you need those neural pathways to atrophy and consciously not doing the compulsion when you get a trigger is the most direct way to change your pattern of thinking. Depending on the severity, it might be really fucking uncomfortable, but that sensation will pass. Therapy is a great idea, but you can also do this when you're by yourself or whenever a trigger is felt. It's a brutal fucking disease and it's wily, but treatable. Progress might not be linear and you might not succeed in getting rid of your compulsions altogether in short order, but consistently practicing not acting on them can bring a lot of relief fairly quickly and get your symptoms manageable enough to function and explore other options for treatment.
TBH I don’t know a whole lot about peripheral staring ocd, I don’t have that, but it seems somewhat similar to what I have. I have taboo thoughts OCD (among other flavors, it kinda depends what’s going on in my life) and tbqh the only thing that really helped me was ERP/therapy. It got so bad before I went to therapy I was considering suicide. I was so anxious and spiraling I was spending 8-hours a day doing compulsions and the time spent not doing compulsions, I was so anxious it literally felt like a cat on my chest, I couldn’t breath well.
Anyway, fast forward to like 6 weeks after I started Therapy and symptoms much more manageable. Now I’m a year out from starting therapy and like, it’s still there, but I have a path forward/plan to deal with the intrusive thoughts. It’s very manageable and sometimes flare ups happen but they only last for a day or two at most before I get them under control
Thanks for your input. I'm doing a lot better now, but still thinking about therapy. I've been on the waiting list for months, so hopefully it opens up soon.
I'll be honest, I do not know if I even have PS OCD atp bc apparently there's... OCD about having OCD and this whole rabbit hole of stuff I never considered while diagnosing myself.
Anyway, you inspired me to really work towards getting that therapy. Thanks.
If you want to go down the medication route, I'm on prozac for my ocd and it helps.
I tried non medical intervention, but it didn't work, so they put me on prozac and it worked like a charm!
that said, still try the non medical solutions, because even if it doesn't work for your ocd, it might still work for other stuff and reduce your stress overall
Bumb cos I don’t really have anything helpful to say. After looking it up I do think I have some of these symptoms but I always just told myself I have “stanky wizard eyes” and was probably seeing something on a different plane. I almost certainly have some level of OCD but that level is fairly low.
I do have a handful of loved ones who deal with it but unfortunately, outside of therapy to conceptualize their habits, they mostly just live with it. IIRC they try to keep it “contained” by sticking to a few compulsive habits deemed “most important.” I.e. my sister still washes her hands every time she leaves the house but she tries to focus on that so she isn’t as compelled to wash again when she arrives at her destination (it’s not a germ thing).
Just wanted to say you aren't alone friend, and that getting better is possible. One resource I have found really helpful and would recommend is Everyday Mindfulness for OCD by Jon Hershfield and Shala Nicely. If you DM me I can send you the PDF.
Doctor, doctor, gimmie some pee,
I got a - bad case of OCD!