Anxiety Therapist Orlando: OCD and Its Impact on Daily Life
Anxiety Therapist Orlando: OCD and Its Impact on Daily Life
Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC
Does your usual daily routines exhaust you? You may spend extra time every single morning checking and rechecking things—you have to make sure the door is locked, devices and appliances are unplugged, or everything is perfectly in order—causing you to be late or start your day feeling stressed. Going through these routines each day offers a temporary sense of relief. Still, having to repeat the same rituals over and over again can become overwhelming, leaving you mentally drained before your day even begins.
OCD's Impact
How often do you struggle to focus on your tasks at work while you have intrusive thoughts come up and constantly disrupt your concentration? These uninvited thoughts may force you to stop mid-task to perform a compulsion. You might also find it challenging to enjoy downtime because intrusive thoughts can creep in during quiet moments, turning what should be your peaceful moments into a time of tension and anxiety.
OCD can have various impacts on your life, depending on your symptoms and their severity. Just like with anything, there are so many ways OCD can affect somebody, from being able to focus and perform at work to interacting with other people. Simple tasks, like leaving the house or engaging in conversations, can require immense effort.
OCD and Self-Care Challenges
When you live with OCD, taking care of yourself can feel like a challenge. OCD can make self-care routines difficult because you may obsess over cleanliness and hygiene, feel forced to overanalyze your diet or exercise excessively, and so on. The compulsions may cause you to feel as if you were stuck in a hamster wheel, not knowing how to break free. You might experience loads of negative self-talk, constantly questioning whether you're "doing it right" or "good enough," which makes it harder to prioritize self-care and relax.
How Does OCD Impact Relationships?
Some people with OCD, especially when they feel they are at their worst, don't want to be in any relationship because they experience a lot of shame and behaviors that they don't want to have to reveal about themselves. You may fear that revealing your OCD symptoms will lead to judgment or rejection. This fear may cause you to withdraw emotionally or physically from your loved ones. Plus, obsessing over intrusive, unwanted thoughts or performing compulsions can drain your energy, leaving little room to nurture your relationships. Over time, this creates emotional distance and misunderstandings, leading to resentment and hurt on both sides.
Some people with OCD fear unintentionally harming a loved one or needing to avoid physical closeness out of fear of contamination. These struggles can impact your well-being and the emotional health of those around you.
Low Self-Esteem and Relationship Doubts
Constantly doubting yourself can affect how you see yourself, making you feel like you don't deserve love, friendship, or success. This can really affect how you trust and feel secure in your relationships.
Relationship OCD
Some people experience obsessions and compulsions focused on relationships or relationship OCD (ROCD). If you have relationship OCD, you may feel overwhelmed by constant doubts in your relationships, obsessively questioning whether you're with the "right" person or whether your partner loves you. To manage this anxiety, you may compulsively seek reassurance. While this might offer brief relief, it often leads to exhaustion and frustration on both sides. And even with constant reassurances, the doubts linger, leading to conflicts, emotional disconnection, and trust issues.
OCD and Social Isolation
Whether you worry excessively about how others perceive you or avoid gatherings altogether due to fear of contamination or other specific triggers, OCD can make any social situation challenging. The constant need to manage these fears can limit your social life, leaving you feeling isolated or misunderstood.
The OCD's Impact on Partners and Loved Ones
If you have OCD, it affects not only you but your partner or loved ones as well. Supporting someone with OCD can be emotionally exhausting. For example, your loved ones might feel frustrated that, despite their efforts, they can't ease your anxiety. So, partners and family members often unintentionally become enablers, supporting a person's compulsive behaviors to ease their distress. Over time, this dynamic can lead to frustration, resentment, and emotional burnout.
The Ripple Effect of OCD on Professional Life
When it comes to managing OCD, it's not just personal life that's impacted—work can be a significant challenge, too. You may have to stop what you're doing to carry out a compulsion even though you know it's taking you away from what you need to get done. These interruptions can feel endless; over time, they can wear you down, making even the simplest tasks seem overwhelming.
For some, OCD symptoms become so overwhelming that they interfere with their ability to work entirely, limiting professional opportunities. The type of OCD you experience can also shape the kinds of jobs you feel comfortable doing. For instance, if you struggle with contamination OCD, there may be constant worries about being near others—"What if I get sick? What if I come into contact with something harmful?" This can cause you to avoid certain career paths altogether, narrowing your job choices.
Seeking Support for OCD at Mindful Living Counseling, Orlando, FL
It's important to recognize how deeply OCD can affect various aspects of life, from personal relationships to professional well-being. But you don't have to navigate this journey alone. At Mindful Living Counseling in Orlando, Florida, we specialize in helping individuals manage OCD and its challenges through personalized, compassionate therapy. Anxiety Therapy provides coping strategies to manage OCD symptoms, strengthens your relationships, and addresses any underlying challenges that may be contributing to your OCD.
When one partner has OCD, couples therapy can be crucial in reducing its negative impact on the relationship. A trained therapist can help by improving communication, fostering empathy, and setting boundaries to prevent enabling compulsive behaviors.
How Can Anxiety Therapy Orlando Help?
If you're ready to take the next step toward managing your symptoms and improving your quality of life, reach out to us today.
Fill out our New Client Consultation Form
Schedule a consultation call with one of our anxiety therapists.
Begin your healing journey!
Additional Anxiety Therapy Orlando Resources
OCD and Anxiety & How They Are Connected
A Guide to Understanding and Overcoming OCD
An Anxiety Therapist Shares Everything You Need to Know About Anxiety
6 Anxiety-Friendly Activities to Do in Downtown Orlando
Anxiety Therapist Shares The Impact of Stress and Trauma on Our Reactions
Orlando Therapist: Understanding Therapy Jargon
Other Therapy Services Offered at Mindful Living Counseling in Orlando
Our team is dedicated to helping you overcome any challenges you may face. We provide various therapeutic services, including Anxiety Therapy, Relationship Counseling, Trauma Therapy, EMDR Therapy, Counseling for Toxic Relationships, Adolescent Counseling, and Guided Meditation sessions.
About Anxiety Therapist: Lauran Hahn
Lauran Hahn, LMHC, is a therapist in Orlando who focuses on working with individuals with trauma and recovering from toxic relationships. As a Certified Sensorimotor Psychotherapist and an EMDRIA Approved Consultant providing EMDR intensives, Lauran is committed to helping her clients achieve a sense of peace within their bodies, clarity in their thinking, and positive relationships with others.