The morning, when I wake up, usually it's the worst part of the day. I read that when we wake up there's in the body a spike in hormones related to stress and hypervigilance, and my experience does confirm it, absolutely. It brings to postpone alarms, etc. etc, while maybe the best thing I could do would be go out and start a run.
I am terrified of mornings for this exact reason! Cortisol levels spike and I create nightmares in my head during that first hour of waking that sometimes haunt me all day. I hate it.
Postpartum ocd is where I struggle the most. I didn’t even know what ocd was until I was experiencing this postpartum and it was extreme! Now that I know what it is I can see where I struggled with this for years but was at a breaking point with it postpartum. It’s what caused me to reach out and find out what was going on. Currently going through postpartum again, but with more awareness and skills. It’s for sure hard to manage, and the lack of sleep only makes the ocd louder.
There also my experience with HRT as a transwoman. My OCD actually ramp up as I started my HRT journey, becoming very similiar in strength to my first puberty. I think a shift in levels on those hormones is another factor, not just a downward tendency. But in a way, I'm glad it happened because it forced me to confront the thoughts that were basically a daily struggle and now I feel like I'm actually learning to deal with OCD, and not just apathetically accept that "It exist", let it run the show while I continue to just... suffer. So yeah! Just wanted to share my experiences, specially for how prevalent hormones are in my daily life (Also, I'm about to hit my second year on HRT!!!)
Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm a trans guy, and I struggle to take T regularly for reasons mostly related to ADHD. One thing that's getting in the way right now, though, is that the last time I tried getting back on T, my OCD flared. Because I've been stable on T before for a while, I've been thinking the flare when starting is probably temporary, just something I need to get past. Your experience helps validate that hypothesis. Maybe I'll try again soon (with the help of an ADHD coach this time).
My OCD gets really bad in the winter time. Between the end of Fall until I’d say… the end of January, my OCD gets so bad. I don’t even feel like myself. I’ve recognized this pattern and now expect it every year and can now deal with it better.
I think it's because media/people seem to perpetuate a perception that the winter is cold and depressing. That Christmas is stressful, seeing family is not supposed to be pleasant. I don't really celebrate Christmas(but I love it!) and I like the fall/winter time but I've even fallen into this slump.
@@riptiderobin1676 I genuinely love Fall and Winter and all the holidays and fun activities it comes with! I think it’s the lack of sun and the lack of exercise I get due to the days being shorter. I fully agree with what you said! It’s really unfortunate, because I look forward to this time and then it hits me like a truck!
@@tansyoe You are right, the lack of sun/shorter days definitely contribute. I try to take walks earlier in the day, so I can get that energy from nature and tend to the garden, even if it is a bit colder (it's not super cold where I live, Northern CA).
Seriously love this sooo much! Especially after having my last baby and not even knowing what an intrusive thought was nor ocd. I was in the hospital room and a biography of that girl who killed her two year old was on and my mind flipped. I freaked out and spiraled for over a year super scared that I would harm my babies like she did. I had absolutely no desire for that but the question that hit me was, “what if I go through post part so bad that I do that?” It took me into a deep depression and my anxiety was so high. I had no clue what was going on hormonally at all and didn’t get any direction other than talk therapy. The therapy was needed but actually made me spiral into another ocd topic. This was 6 years ago. Thankfully after praying the Lord showed me what I was facing a couple years ago and have been able to learn how to work through it. It also used to hit me hard around or on my cycles but it’s been better lately thankfully. Definitely recommend taking vitamin d3 with k2 10k units and getting your levels at optimal level between 80-100. And yes changing your diet helps as well. I love the points Nathan makes here.
I’m so sorry you have struggled with this. I found some comfort in your comment as something similar happened to me 2 cycles again. I work with dogs as my job and animals mean everything to me…randomly one night I had a thought that I could harm one of them, and the thought TERRIFIED me so much, I put so much value on the thought that I became afraid of myself. I started not trusting myself around animals (which is absurd!). I still struggle with the fear and OCD and intrusive thoughts and know how paralyzing it can be!
I find your videos so helpful, alongside my regular therapy, thank you. I have all the symptoms of peri menopause and my OCD is so much worse, especially around my period. I’m in the process of having tests and I hope I will be given HRT.
At Last a video like this! 👏 My OCD has never been this bad since being diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. Thyroid experts recommend taking Myo Inositol. Could you maybe do a video on Thyroid and or Myo Inositol relating to OCD? Many thanks for your amazing videos Nathan 👍 UK
Sir you are the best keep doing it sir. Big respect to you sir. 💯 I really want to get out of this dilemma sir. Life is full of life if I do not have this OCD i cry sometimes and even asked why I have OCD.
I quit coffee and other addictions personaly addictions that im not going to mention here, and as soon as i quit it, in got alot better. I think everybody has this symptoms but some people have les and some more.
Can u talk more about the Fear of becoming someone else you generally dislike? Not only a fear but the actually feeling and mimicking behaviours of becoming that person, to the point that your internal monologue voice could change from yours to that person, I have tried just committing to the OCD rituals but they are just temporary reliefs, I've tried CBT, but that made it worse, now it's been over 4 months, and I lost so many things in that period, because my OCD is telling me that if I don't fix this personality issue and just went on with my daily schedules, works, and just life, the other "parasite" personality will consume me and I will just be that person, and my mind will just try to neural adapt to that person's world views, personality, and thoughts that will make me forget that I become another person, even now my OCD is telling me that I'm going to pay the price for writing this comment, because it's telling me that I shouldn't. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your videos! In my country most therapists mainly do CBT, so I wasn't even aware of ERP until I found your channel. Your videos have helped me a great deal in finally getting started with something that works for my ocd. Would it be possible to do a video on what to do if (something related to) your fears has come true in the past or in the present. For example: being ridiculed in public about a physical attribute or behavior, while this is also something that you compulsively ruminate about. I have several topics that I ruminate compulsively about and one of these is a behavior that I have been bullied in the past and that I am still sometimes ridiculed for in the present. Does this change the way I have to do ERP?
I have high prolactin due to a large pituitary tumor in my head plus low estrogen from endometrial cancer surgery. Mix that in with ADHD and it's a fantastic cocktail of issues
I'm under a professional care by an endometriosis specialist and also talked about low estrogen. It doesn't influence anxiety. I have subclinical hyperthyroidism and also because of that twice above the norm prolactin. Not always it means a brain tumor.
Let's make something clear. I have subclinical hyperthyroidism and this is the cause of high prolactine. If the TSH will be decreased, prolactine dropes on it's own
Methylation is also an interesting aspect, which can be a plausible cause of things like OCD and anxiety. Still looking into low methylation and how to stabilize it. It is part of epigenetics and low methylators have low levels of serotonin. Love the body and all its chemistry!
Firstly I would say not to identify with it as ‘my’ as it is already giving the OCD which is a symptom of anxiety power and a perspective that it’s who you are and of course it isn’t and doesn’t define you. My sister has battled with Chronic OCD & anxiety practically all of her life since age 14 years old. She was also anorexia in her teenage years as a result of a imbalanced hormones. The OCD actually runs in my family with aunts and siblings with traits of OCD and myself on mild levels. The only thing that helped my sister was medication to help balance the serotonin and dopamine. I’m not saying this is the answer for everyone especially not in the long term and yes finding your own ways to help increase these hormones is the way forward. My sister is no longer on meds and the OCD is still there but not as bad although now She hasn’t been out the house for 4 years because of Covid which just exasperated the condition. I pray there will be a turning point for her as she is now 54. However she is very gifted with her creativity and has had a poetry book published and other publications, at least she has some joy. My mother is her caregiver - not an easy life living with that as a carer. Anyways maybe you can look into the tips or help for the more extreme cases and I could share with her your videos. Thanks 🙏
For whatever reason when I have an OCD flare up as I call it, I have the worst symptoms in the morning. From when I wake up, continuing for 2-4 hours pending on where I am at in the flare up cycle. I am wondering if I might have Low T or some other hormone imbalance. Crazy because I was just talking to my wife about this and you came out with this video.
I have had OCD my whole life, but it didn’t get really bad until about 8 years ago. I just recently got told by my doctor that I have hypothyroidism. I wonder if there is a link between the two.
Stress makes ocd worse. Im living with a troll that doesn't shut up. Blares radio and tv i cant sleep and lose weight. Im down to nothing. 34 kilos im five foot 1. Im going to ask for transfer.
I feel like in the daytime my body releases all of it's endorphins and dopamine and stuff and then when it comes to the evening and I feel more tired thats when the OCD appears more but idk if its just that I need to sleep more. Or because it gets dark so early maybe because I'm usually mostly alright in the summer and I eat fruit and do regular exercise? Your videos are helpful though so thank you
You my friend are pure gold. Thanks for being the best OCD coach out there, your material is on point on so many levels. My girlfriend has OCD and you are truly helping us. Love and respect for you 100%.
I have PMDD so pre period i struggle a lot! Its like my usual anxiety on steroids. Its when i do any compulsions more, but at times im so angry out of spite i wont do anything and let it be
I have PMDD and also OCPD (so I don't see my OCD behaviors as negative even when they are), and I swear... It took a year of hormone therapy to EVEN BEGIN to see I had OCD. That's not a recommendation, just totally supporting your statement with myown. ❤❤
Heck, this happens to me. I feel like I'm going crazy before I get my period. I lash out and feel like having a breakdown. My thoughts gets so messy and scary at that time. Could that be the hormones?
I also have pmdd and I'm a few days out from my period and my anxiety and panic plus intrusive thoughts are high. Try the supplement vitex though it really helps me.
I had ocd since 10+ years now... It was very little when I was a kid, maybe like simple repeating stuffs and all... Now it's extreme, special after I came to know I have ocd 4 years ago... My main ocd is with washroom and basin related stuffs, like I can't stay calm of I see a place in my bathroom or basin with hard water stains or any kind of dryness, and I thow water resulting in compulsion, but now I have to stay out of my house because of works, and here in the washroom the taps are having stains that doesn't go even when I pour water but still I keep doind it for compulsion, I feel good for few mins but as it didn't effect much the ocd comes back almost immediately, if I did a compulsion and feeling good but see the bathroom door open, or someone opened it and I saw or heard it, the ocd gets triggered and I get anxiety again, I'm trying too hard to not do compulsion, but trust me I can't... It's killing me... I can't take ot anymore... It's ruining my life, my opportunities, my living and my family... So much money is spent in changing the bathroom multiple times renovating it but nothing is effective... I can't
Doc, Thank you. Today I had a huge break through. I have been watching and listening AND applying your words. I am on cloud 9 today, still a lot of work to do, but I tore down OCD's house today. Thank you
@@hiscientia6536 Hello, What experience are you interested in? With my ocd I have events every day, multiple times a day. What are you specifically asking for?
I have found that a change in routine really helps calm my OCD and anxiety, but I also then start telling myself this lie that "this isn't the real me, it's just a temporary high - the real you is the person you are when things aren't all that exciting" and I never know how to get around that.
