There’s nothing more us OCD sufferers like to hear than reassurance when in the midst of ruminating. We all know too well, that horrible feeling like you’re going to burst unless you get some reassurance right now! It’s extremely addictive but it only leads to you feeling worse in the long run.
Reassurance is addictive and makes ruminating and obsessions worse. It is the absolute opposite of what is needed to recover from OCD and it isn’t always as obvious as just asking people outright for it. Sometimes you can seek reassurance even when you don’t realize it. Googling, asking friends for it, testing yourself, comparing your situation to others’ or making up imaginary scenarios. These are all forms of reassurance and will only lead to more obsessions. So if you find yourself asking a question to get some sort of relief, remind yourself it is a reassurance question.
Another big reassurance I see time and time again is the phrase ‘you are not your thoughts’. Whilst this is true and is helpful to know at the beginning of your OCD journey, saying this to yourself or to other people with OCD is a massive reassurance phrase and can quickly become compulsive.
Unfortunately reassurance isn’t helpful for OCD recovery because it’s driving you further away from acceptance. You’re not accepting uncertainty if you’re seeking reassurance. Constantly getting reassurance is feeding the fear, teaching yourself there is something to be afraid of. I’ve written on here before about embracing uncertainty and a big part of doing that is giving up reassurance. If you find yourself seeking it, think to yourself, will this really make me feel better?
If you think about giving reassurance on posts on here just remember that it’s feeding into the fear cycle for that person and isn’t helping them towards recovery.