Obsessive compulsive disorder - OCD treatment and therapy from NOCD
OCD subtypes
Relationship OCD

Relationship Moves to Avoid if You’re Living With ROCD

4 min read
All types of OCD include obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted and intrusive thoughts, feelings, urges and doubts, while compulsions are repetitive physical or mental actions performed in an attempt to relieve distress and anxiety.

Relationship OCD (ROCD) is a subtype of OCD where the obsessive thoughts fixate on your relationship. Some common examples of obsessive thoughts include concerns over whether your partner loves you enough if your partner is the right person for you, or questioning if the relationship is the right relationship for you. OCD demands certainty, and in relationships, the stakes feel very high and the absolute certainty OCD needs can never be met.

relationship traps for ROCD

The fears and intolerance of Uncertainty fuel the compulsions, which provide a temporary decrease in distress. Some common compulsions with ROCD include checking on your partner repeatedly, confessing your doubts, or FEARING that you find another person attractive and seeking reassurance either from your partner or others. Below are some relationship moves to avoid if you are living with ROCD.

Do these experiences sound familiar? Learn how you can overcome them.

Here at NOCD, we know how overwhelming OCD symptoms can be—and how hard it is to open up about your experience. You’re not on your own, and you can talk to a specialist who has experience treating OCD.

Learn more

1. Avoid the “normal trap.”

This goes for OCD in general. Living with OCD requires a consistent commitment to accept uncertainty and resist compulsions. Questions that come up in therapy that reference the “normal trap” sound like, “Well isn’t it normal to check on your partner, tell your partner what you’re thinking, express concerns about your relationship, etc.?” The short answer to this is, yes… if you’re not living with OCD. Beating OCD means not falling prey to the “normal trap,” or engaging in compulsive behaviors because it’s what everyone else is doing. Your friends might take relationship quizzes online for fun to see how compatible they are with their partner, or check in with their partner regularly to see how satisfied and happy the other person is in the relationship. Friends and family may also talk to one another about their relationships and try to get feedback or advice when they are struggling. You might even hear stories from others about how being completely open and honest in a relationship is the key to success. These behaviors are enticing and may seem harmless, however, we know that if you give OCD an inch, it takes a mile.

There will be times when behaviors that were or are compulsions will be helpful for your relationship; for example, telling your partner you love them or checking in with them when they are unhappy. Since not doing these things at times can be potentially harmful to the relationship, make sure to put some boundaries in place. Establish some ground rules for “normal” behaviors. When it comes to behaviors that are or were compulsions, it can be helpful to ask yourself if you want to do the behavior, or if you feel like you have to do the behavior. If you want to do it, proceed with caution. Give it a limit. Do the behavior once, and if you don’t trust the answer, or it doesn’t feel right, still only do it once. If you feel like you have to do it, or if you’re doing it to just make sure or get certainty, don’t do it! Learn to tolerate the uncertainty instead and choose to not do the compulsion.

2. Trusting your gut.

OCD is known as the doubting DISORDER — so it makes you doubt EVERYTHING. Family and friends will often give the advice of “just trust your gut” when you talk about relationship concerns. It comes from a good place, but this advice is unhelpful if you’re living with OCD because your gut gives you tons and tons of false red flags. 

Please know that your gut may not tell you the truth, and do things to move toward the anxiety and uncertainty. Learn to live with doubt. If you drive a car, you live with doubt every day – you never know if you will or won’t get in an accident, but you drive anyway. You may never fully know everything your OCD wants you to know about your relationship, but you can still enjoy it every day.

Living and being in a relationship with ROCD is possible and can be very fulfilling. If you’re struggling with ROCD, find a therapist trained in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy that can help you to live life according to your values and not feel like you’re subject to the whims of what OCD wants. You can also join our Relationship OCD community and get 24/7 access to personalized self-management tools built by people who have been through OCD and successfully recovered.

NOCD Therapy user on phone

Recover from OCD with NOCD Therapy

World-class OCD treatment covered by insurance

NOCD therapy can help you live the life you want to live, not the life OCD wants you to live.

Learn more


NOCD Therapists specialize in treating Relationship OCD

View all therapists
Taylor Newendorp

Taylor Newendorp

Network Clinical Training Director

I started as a therapist over 14 years ago, working in different mental health environments. Many people with OCD that weren't being treated for it crossed my path and weren't getting better. I decided that I wanted to help people with OCD, so I became an OCD therapist, and eventually, a clinical supervisor. I treated people using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and saw people get better day in and day out. I continue to use ERP because nothing is more effective in treating OCD.

Gary Vandalfsen

Gary Vandalfsen

Licensed Therapist, Psychologist

I’ve been practicing as a licensed therapist for over twenty five years. My main area of focus is OCD with specialized training in Exposure and Response Prevention therapy. I use ERP to treat people with all types of OCD themes, including aggressive, taboo, and a range of other unique types.

Madina Alam

Madina Alam

Director of Therapist Engagement

When I started treating OCD, I quickly realized how much this type of work means to me because I had to learn how to be okay with discomfort and uncertainty myself. I’ve been practicing as a licensed therapist since 2016. My graduate work is in mental health counseling, and I use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy because it’s the gold standard of OCD treatment.

Want to work with one of our therapists?
Schedule a free call to learn more.

Danielle Henderson, LPC, PSYD

I began my career treating mental health patients in local hospitals but eventually fell in love with the OCD specialty clinic. I enjoyed watching people meet their goals and improve their lives by using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, and I wanted to be a part of such a rewarding experience. I’m trained in ERP and will be by your side as you embark through your journey to find better health and freedom from OCD.