Anyone ever had to control obsessive behavior?

[gentlesoul43]

I have a problem with my obsessive compulsive behavior. Sometimes some things bug me so much that I can't help reacting to it at the most inappropriate time, even though I know that it will be a problem.

For instance, I fancied this girl and she was meeting up with another guy. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but it kept playing in my mind that something could have happened between them cause it was his last night here. I wanted to find out.. I wanted to know the truth.. and I wanted to know immediately.

The best way for me to know was to bring it up the next time we met, but I was so.. for lack of a better word, obsessed with it that I asked over MSN. Obviously you don't see any expressions over MSN and you don't know whether it's true or not, but I just needed to ask.

It's the sort of feeling where something plays in your mind so much that you begin to have all sorts of imaginations about it. And whether its true or not, the imagination has made it real.

Anyway, I think that sometimes my worst actions have been the ones that I react towards.. and my best ones are the ones which I plan and wait for the right moment. But its so hard to control.. almost excruciating.

Does anyone have this problem?
Do you even recognize that its a problem?
Anyone has any suggestions on how to counter it?

I've managed once in a while.. but the method I use is to "sit through it" (like counting to 10 before you lose your temper). It works but damn its hard.

[Suave]

No, I have the exact opposite problem from you in most cases. Maybe before you do something, just try to think of all of the possible negative consequences, and you'll be able to stall yourself until the right time.

[World's King]

I have OCD.


You can ask me anythinig. And my answers will be perfect. Of course.

[mistered]

Just keep working to catch yourself doing that. It's NEVER going to go away ... everyone does this to different extents. Try to envision the good things that might happen as opposed to the worst case. You can decide how to represent any given situation to yourself.

[la petite moi]

I have the same problem, I think. Everytime something potentially can go wrong, my mind keeps thinking up horrible scenarios, and I make myself believe something bad WILL go wrong. I'll be driving, and I can't help but think of crashing. I'll kiss nwlinkvxd goodbye, and I can't help but think that maybe that will be our last kiss.

I have these thoughts, but I put myself past them, and get on with my life. Sometimes it's harder to get past them, like when I started driving and had extreme fear (to the point of nausea and getting dizzy). But eventually I'm past that too.

[KamikaziManiac]

I have a very similar problem. I tend to get REALLY jealous, even if someone I like is walking with another guy, I get really really mad. But when it comes to confrontation, I think I have it worse than you. I tend to build it up in my head to the point where it could only go wrong. So I avoid it, and therefore end up ruining whatever relationship I had with that person. But I understand how big a problem it is.

[gentlesoul43]

I agree that everyone has some extent of it. I guess I maintain my self control very well and am always able to carry out a calm exterior.

It's just that sometimes I jump into it head first even though I know the consequences. And then I muck it up and wonder why I did such a stupid thing. It's amazing how right I am when it comes to knowing that its something wrong to do, and yet do it anyway.

It always happens to me when it comes to confronting someone about relationships. I know the right way to do it, but will muck it up by rushing the question too early or phrasing it wrongly, thereby pissing the other person off and me not getting a truthful answer.

Anyone else has stories of such compulsive behavior?

[lurkette]

There's a difference between obsessive ("perseverative") thoughts that you keep running through your head, and obsessive behavior. If you really can't control the behavior, if it is a true compulsion (hence the name obsessive-compulsive disorder) then you probably have OCD - get thee to a doctor for therapy and meds. If it's just that you do stupid things around relationships, it's likely that you've established some kind of psychological pattern that you continue to act on despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that you know it's going to backfire. Are you deliberately shooting yourself in the foot for some reason?

Sounds like you're just impatient and perhaps a little bit controlling.

[pinkie]

It doesn't sound like OCD to me. It sounds like poor impulse control, or emotional reaction vs. rational response. A lot of people have this problem. I wouldn't self-diagnose, though. If you think you have a disorder, seek help from a professional.

[vox_rox]

Originally Posted by pinkie

It doesn't sound like OCD to me. It sounds like poor impulse control, or emotional reaction vs. rational response. A lot of people have this problem. I wouldn't self-diagnose, though. If you think you have a disorder, seek help from a professional.

This is good advice. From what I've heard, you're probably doing more damage to yourself through stress, and quite possibly sabotaging possible relationships through what appears to be behaviour that is aomewhat innappropriate.

Still, asked someone who really knows, and try to see the big picture.

As for others posting here that tal kabout OCD, that's kind of a different thing altogether, and from my understanding ofit, it looks like have the population is OCD, the other half are people who could not function with some kind of OCD individyual in their life.

Talk about homeostatis! This is not scientific, nor is it accurate, it's me saying something.

Peace,

Pierre