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Relationship OCD & OCD Support - Tracy Foster Counselling Services

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Relationship OCD & OCD Support - Tracy Foster Counselling Services

Counselling and cognitive behaviour therapy and hypnotherapy. Group therapy and workshops Counselling and cognitive behaviour therapy

09/12/2025

I wanted to share some more generalised Mental health reminders today, as I know December can be a hard time for a lot of people…

📍It’s about the journey, not the destination
💛 You are enough
🛁 Self-care isn’t selfish
🤖 Making mistakes means you’re human
😃 All emotions are valid
📲 Help is always available

Be kind to yourself this festive season, it’s OK to say no to traditions or plans that cause you anxiety or upset.

08/12/2025

This is your reminder to be kind to yourself this week 🫶

Your journey can’t be compared to another persons because it is yours and yours alone ✨

Some days will be easier than others and that is okay because it’s about the journey, not how fast you get to the destination 📍

05/12/2025

Do you find yourself constantly worrying and obsessing over your relationship?

Are intrusive thoughts and doubts causing you distress and interfering with your life?

I understand how overwhelming these thoughts can be, that's why I published "ROCD. Is it a thing?" 📚

A breakthrough educational and self-help guide designed to help people struggling with Relationship OCD 💛

It is available here ⤵
https://amzn.eu/d/51U5Zyd

04/12/2025

When we hear of ‘intrusive thoughts’ our mind immediately imagines these to always be presented as thoughts, as the name suggests.

Intrusive thoughts can manifest in many ways including as false memories, unwanted images or even unwanted urges- some of which I wanted to explore today ⤵

Some common urges within the ROCD sub-set can include:

➡ The urge to break up with your partner- This can display as an intense, urgent, overwhelming feeling that you need to end your relationship.
➡ Seeking reassurance- this could be from your partner or from others. It is the seeking of validation often about their feelings, your compatibility and the status of the relationship etc.
➡ Confessing- this can often be about the compulsions themselves; for example you worry you may have found someone else attractive last week and feel the need to confess. The confession is a compulsion but can be very confusing for both you and your partner.
➡ Physically leaving a setting- you may experience the urge to physically remove yourself from a setting such as your home or a social event.
➡ Exploring new relationships- You may experience an overwhelming impulse to kiss someone else to ‘test’ your feelings or the validity of the intrusive thoughts.
➡ Checking bodily sensations- you may be hyperaware or keeping track of things like your heart rate to see if your partner elevates it or be hyperaware in case you have physical changes like this around others.

These urges are a compulsion within the ROCD cycle. The compulsion provides temporary relief but essentially feeds the continuation of the cycle 🔄

03/12/2025

Have you ever heard the expression “Give them an inch, they will take a mile”? 🤔

Usually, it is used in the context of a person for whom nothing is ever quite enough.
The same can be said for OCD of any sub-type.

➡ If you partake in a compulsion, it will expect another.

➡ If you try not to think about it, it will tighten its grip.

➡ If you give it an inch, it will take a mile.

…and then the cycle continues 🔄

02/12/2025

Self-compassion is often the easiest to forget.
We show compassion to our friends, loved ones, even strangers but we sometimes leave ourselves off the list 💛

As someone with ROCD, this December, show yourself some compassion. You’re fighting battles that most people can’t see or understand.

01/12/2025

Another spot on video by who got diagnosed with OCD this year…

OCD makes you feel like it’s protecting you from a danger but OCD is the danger ⚠️

Here Dr Alex shares how he combines non-engagement responses with making a cuppa ☕️

28/11/2025

One of my most recent Amazon reviews for "ROCD, Is it a thing?"

"A really helpful resource to help learn more about ROCD and with helpful techniques to help manage it too.

A really good educational tool for those with ROCD themselves or supporting someone they love who has it."

If you haven't yet read it, it is available here:
https://amzn.eu/d/6EqcQ0R

27/11/2025

The way ROCD affects an individual will vary- after all no two people are the same.

Here are some generic ways to help your loved one- remember, they’re going through much more than can be seen by the naked eye… 👁

➡ Listen but try not to reassure. Reassurance seeking is a classic OCD compulsion, so it’s likely your loved one will seek reassurance from you. Although this is well-intended and seems to help, it actually feeds the OCD cycle. You could listen and then try to encourage some non-engagement responses instead.

➡Try your hardest to be understanding and realise that they are going through so many unseen symptoms and they are battling their own mind every day, they are likely exhausted.

➡ Educate yourself from a reputable source. Knowledge is power, as they say. The more you understand your loved one, the better you will be able to support them

➡Try not to take it personally. The fact their ROCD is latching on to their relationship with you means that you are very important to them. OCD only latches onto the things they care most about.

➡ Learn about intrusive thoughts. This is important because their intrusive thoughts may be something they confess to you- the important thing to know is that these are often fictional or ‘worst case scenarios’ that play out in their head.

➡ Only consume content from a reliable source. There are a lot of varying information sources online and sadly OCD is often misrepresented.

➡ Join some support groups- you’ll learn new ways to help and realise you are not alone. Peer support can be invaluable.

➡ Love them unconditionally. The last thing they want to do is hurt you. Losing you is probably their worst fear and that is why ROCD has latched onto you.

26/11/2025

One of the questions that came up on the live video that I did was “How can you tell the difference between a genuine worry and ROCD?” 🤔

For a start - OCD will need a formal diagnosis from your healthcare provider, I’m not here to tell you if you have OCD or not, I cannot diagnose this.

However, as a general rule of thumb, here are some differences:

💛 Every relationship has worries but they usually have a root cause for example an argument, an ROCD spiral starts from an intrusive thought.

💛 An ROCD spiral will feel urgent like you need to take action right now to alleviate the anxiety, this is the compulsion- maybe it will make you feel like you need to immediately break up with your partner or confess to your thoughts.

💛 The anxiety will be alleviated temporarily until the cycle begins and the next intrusive thought / image occurs.

💛 If your ‘concerns’ come out of the blue, you are diagnosed with OCD or exhibiting symptoms of OCD, and your thoughts are immediately followed by the urge to take urgent action - this could well be the workings of ROCD.

25/11/2025

Just some of the invisible battles that come hand in hand with OCD of any sub-set:

➡ Exhaustion- not just tired, but exhausted. The constant battles with your own mind, thoughts and trying to differentiate what is real and what is not.
➡ Isolation. Every time you hear the words “Oh I’m so OCD”, the feeling of total isolation grows- the confirmation that people don’t truly understand.
➡ Fear- Will this ever get better? Is recovery even possible?
➡ Internal battles- I don’t want to break up with my partner but something is telling me that I need to, right now.
➡ Distressing thoughts- that may come in the form of images, urges, memories etc
➡ Self-doubt- Do I really feel like this? Am I good enough? Did I do something awful?

OCD thrives on it’s ability to make you doubt every little thing whilst believing you need certainty right now.

24/11/2025

A powerful poem that reminds us of how all-consuming OCD can be 💛

People being so vulnerable and sharing their struggles means that awareness is rising- but let’s keep going 💪

Let’s not stop until everyone understands that OCD isn’t a quirk, it’s a battle 🛡️

Address

Poole

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 8pm
Tuesday	9am - 8pm
Wednesday	9am - 8pm
Thursday	9am - 8pm
Friday	9am - 8pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+447949425335

Website

https://www.rocdtracyfoster.com/

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