Good Saturday morning (here), Young 🙂

Touching something an even number of times with my right hand and then with my left is what I used to do- a whole lot. As well many other rituals, all meant to balance or undo the power of “dangerous”, unwanted thoughts, aka intrusive thoughts.

I finally figured out that my thoughts are not dangerous. There’s no one outside of me that listens to my thoughts and decides to make them come true, or to punish me for them.

I’m wondering now if OCD would happen if a person fully understood that one’s thinking is really private. Unless spoken or expressed otherwise, nobody would know.. well..

For a long time, I had a sense that God knows my thoughts and would punish me for them.

But then, I figured that I mistook God for my mother. He doesn’t judge me for my thoughts or my feelings.

I no longer judge myself for any thought or feeling that crosses my mind. I judge myself for words and acts I choose to say/ type/ do.

And frankly, my private thoughts and feelings are nobody’s business to judge just as it’s not my business to judge other people’s private thoughts and feelings.

No human has only “pretty” thoughts and ” pretty” feelings all the time 🤨

Best is to notice an unwanted thought or feeling and instead of tensing- to relax, even if it’s only for a moment- letting the brain breathe, so to speak.

We can talk about this further, if what I wrote above resonates partly or fully. You can let me know, if you want to.

Thank you for expressing empathy for me. You are a very empathetic young person. Please extend that empathy more and more to yourself 🙏

About the 2015-26 thread I mentioned, I didn’t mean that you fell out of love with your girlfriend, but that the ROCD themes it contains may resonate. It’s perfectly okay with me if you don’t read any of it.

I hope that we keep talking 🙂

Anita