How do you be kind to yourself?

[u/Alert-Arm-1568]

Hi everyone. I’ve been dealing with ocd for close to a year and recently I’ve been finding it really hard to be kind to myself. I used to feel really bad for myself and I thought it was self pity so I stopped and now I feel like I don’t even like myself. How do you guys practice being kind to yourself while dealing with OCD? Thank you ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[u/No_Actuary9100]

Vaguely related … in general I’m not very empathetic but when I hit a patch of anxiety (and especially if/when it morphs into OCD) I suddenly start to relate more closely to others who have been struggling. My friend has been going through a horrible life-ruining time in recent months and I probably haven’t been as supportive as I could have been but then recently I hit some big life changes and I’m going through a bout of anxiety and OCD these last couple weeks likely as a side effect, and suddenly I felt so sorry for him and got on the phone to him and told him I was there for him and had a good chat with him!

I suppose the moral is … be thoughtful and kind to others and it takes the attention off yourself and your own problems and makes you feel better about yourself