Skip to main content Skip to bottom nav
SoftAlpaca10
52,456
L Specialist 4
5 star rating
Rating
Number of ratings53 Number of reviews32 Listens toTeens & Over 18 LanguagesEnglish Listener sinceMay 31, 2018 Last activeover 6 months ago GenderFemale PathStep 328 People helped103 Chats926 Group support chats55 Listener group chats72 Forum posts393 Forum upvotes474
Bio
Hello lovely people of the 7cups community!
I'm glad you found your way to 7cups! I am SoftAlpaca10, often refered to as Soft or Alpaca, a verified active listener on this site.

Everyone needs support, if you are finding yourself in a position in which you would like support, feel free to message me and I'll respond as soon as I am avalible to.  


Get To Know Me:
Some things I enjoy doing are reading poetry, listening to music, playing video games, making digital art, and being a part of the 7Cups community. <3 I have been a part of this community since 2016 and later decided to become a listener on May 31st, 2018. I am an Adult-Teen Listener and a 7Cups Internship Graduate. I am very dedicated to this community and I loved watching it grow in the past years! I look forward to many more!

Resources To Utilize:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - Call 1-800-273-8255 or Visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Top 100 - Visit https://wiredforhappy.com/top-100-mental-health-resources-online/

 
Recent forum posts
SoftAlpaca10 profile picture
OCD And Exposure Therapy - An Honors Project
Anxiety Support / by SoftAlpaca10
Last post
March 30th, 2019
...See more Obsessive Compulsive Disorder An Honors Project By SoftAlpaca10 *Trigger Warning - Information in this post could potentially be triggering to readers. Please be cautious.* What Is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? Psychologydictionary.org defines OCD as an anxiety disorder marked by repetitive obsessions, compulsions, or both which are time-consuming, inflict substantial distress, or impede the person's performance. The obsessions and compulsions are considered to be extreme or unacceptable. OCD tends to push a person to engage in actions or thoughts that are unwanted. Symptoms OCD is short for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. As the name suggests there are two sets of symptoms, obsessive symptoms and compulsive symptoms. The obsessive side of OCD creates obsessions of constant thoughts, urges, and rituals Obsessive Symptoms include the following - - Fear of contamination - Needing things to be in order and symmetrical - Aggressive or horrific thoughts about harm - Unwanted thoughts that invade the mind The compulsive side to OCD creates compulsions of behaviors, mental acts, and the need for temporary relief. Compulsive Symptoms include the following - - Washing/Cleaning - Checking things over - Counting - Orderliness - Following routines that you have set - Wanting/demanding reassurance Causes While OCD does not have a clear cause, the most proven theories are the following: Biology : Change in bodys chemistry and brain functions can lead to OCD. Genetics : Currently there are scientific strides to find the specific genes that are a component to OCD, though they are clear that genes do have some impact on OCD. Environment : Your surrounding, how you grow up, and diseases in your surrounding area can all affect the chance of OCD. Risk factors There are some risk factors that can increase the likelihood of developing, and or triggering OCD, these risk factors include: Family History : If you have a family member / blood relative you have an increased risk of having OCD. Stressful Life Events : Traumatic experiences and stressful events increase your risk to have OCD triggered. Other Mental Health Disorders : Anxiety disorders, depression, and substance abuse are some of the proven mental health disorders that increase your chances of having OCD. Are there different types of OCD? Common Misconception - There is only one type of OCD Reality - There are multiple categories/types of OCD The common categories are the following... Contamination OCD: The individual has the fear and need to prevent contaminants, whether they be from the household or the outside environment. Includes the fear of germs and blood-borne illnesses. Scrupulosity OCD: The individual engages in rituals, repetitive actions, that surround around the idea of prayer, morals, and beliefs. Checking OCD: The individual falls into the habit of checking things repetitively, such as locks and household appliances in order to keep themselves, others, or their surroundings safe. Symptomatic OCD: The individual has intrusive thought surrounding by the belief of having/contracting an illness. The individual begins to engage in compulsions due to the fear of a disease. Perfectionism OCD: The individual makes sure everything is done correctly and completed, often seen through rereading assignments, rewriting documents, and checking over for correctness. Sexual intrusive thoughts: The individual has intrusive thoughts that are unwanted and considered to be sexual in nature. The individual attempt to perform rituals in order to get these thoughts to be alleviated. Harming intrusive thoughts: The individual has intrusive thoughts that are considered to be harmful in nature. The individual is often faced with compulsions to get rid of objects in the house that can be harmful so the can avoid the possibility of harm. Now that we have a general understanding of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder we can learn about a technique to cope with OCD and help progress forward. What is exposure therapy? Exposure therapy is a form and technique of cognitive behavioral therapy. A treatment option for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is exposure therapy. Exposure treatments work with the natural process called habituation. *Habituation occurs when a person stops responding or paying attention to a stimulus, such as a thought, object, place, person or action, with repeated exposure.* How does exposure therapy work? Exposure therapy can help decrease the compulsive behaviors and obsessive thoughts. During exposure therapy the participant learns to confront their obsessions, compulsions, images, thoughts, situations, and objects, that can create an anxious feeling, with the hope to help the person eventually avoid the compulsions they feel. *Exposure therapy is NOT a cure for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder* What other things do people do to reduce their symptoms of OCD? Professional Help - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) *Can be through group therapy, teletherapy, and traditional therapy. - Medications *Medically prescribed medication, self medicating is often harmful and is not as helpful. - Support Groups - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Effective Ways At Home - Less caffeine intake *Caffeine is a stress inducing chemical found in a lot of liquids we tend to drink daily, such as pop/soda and coffee. - Eat Regularly *Eating regularly can help seeing as low blood sugar increase your levels of stress and anxiety. - Yoga *A natural and effective activity that directly affects the brain which can help with mind altering disorders, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. *There are many other home remedies and professional ways to go about relieving symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but they may not all work for everyone. Relief is not immediate, courage and dedication is an important part for reduction of symptoms.* Facts about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - About 1/3 to 1/2 of all those who are affected by OCD had OCD in childhood, whether they recognized it or not. - According to experts, about less than 10% of those with OCD currently receive treatment to help alleviate the symptoms. - Anyone can be diagnosed with OCD, no matter the age, gender, or ethnicity of the person. - People with relatives who priorly or currently deal with OCD are 5 times more likely to have OCD. Sites To Check Out - Informative Sites On OCD - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20354432 [https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20354432] https://kids.iocdf.org/for-kids/ [https://kids.iocdf.org/for-kids/] Facts About OCD - https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-obsessive-compulsive-disorders-ocd [https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-obsessive-compulsive-disorders-ocd] OCD Support Groups - https://iocdf.org/ocd-finding-help/supportgroups/online-and-phone-ocd-support-groups/ [https://iocdf.org/ocd-finding-help/supportgroups/online-and-phone-ocd-support-groups/] Sources Used - https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/exposure-therapy [https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/exposure-therapy] https://www.verywellmind.com/exposure-therapy-for-ocd-2510616 [https://www.verywellmind.com/exposure-therapy-for-ocd-2510616] http://beyondocd.org/ocd-facts [http://beyondocd.org/ocd-facts] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20354432 [https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20354432] https://psychcentral.com/disorders/ocd/ [https://psychcentral.com/disorders/ocd/] https://www.healthyplace.com/ocd-related-disorders/ocd/ocd-statistics-and-facts [https://www.healthyplace.com/ocd-related-disorders/ocd/ocd-statistics-and-facts] https://www.bcm.edu/news/psychiatry-and-behavior/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-misconceptions [https://www.bcm.edu/news/psychiatry-and-behavior/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-misconceptions] Questions - 1) How would you define OCD and how it affects people? 2) How can exposure therapy be beneficial to those dealing with OCD? 3) What do you think makes OCD difficult to deal with right away?
Feedback & Reviews
Very loving and caring! Possibly the best listener I've ever had!
Very compassionate and respectful of any possible boundaries, allowing you to open up only as much as you're comfortable with while still helping a bunch
Such a treasure. I didn’t even have to ask to contact her, she just wanted to spread some humane compassion and love. What a wonderful human being.
Very supportive and encouraging
brilliant, first chat on here and made me feel so welcome and she was easy to talk to x
She was vry helpful and responding in time
Very supportive and helpful.
Personal yet very professional, very supportive!
My Respect towards this person, cant be defined❤️
she/he responds super fast! and help me think through stuff I didn't even think about!
Honestly. The best listener I've ever had, always so kind. I really admire Alpaca for that. Talking to Alpaca makes me feel not alone.
No matter the problem, he always finds a way to solve it. ^^
She helped me
great guy very nice and supportive
tbh I never thought that I could trust people of whom I know nothing but it just happened and I got the help I needed from this person so I'm thankful and fine
Very patient and was lovely to talk to
I was having a rough time, and they helped me through it and see hope. I may not still be in the greatest of shape, but still significantly better than I was before. Thank you.
I was feeling so down but this person helped me so much and was very fast and effective with replies, highly recommend 💛
Absolutely wonderful. Very kind and helpful.
:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
You're the best!
Very helpful and amazing person
Very good listener
Brill really helpful
Awesome listener. 10/10
Understanding and helpful, showed me a point of view I didn’t think of before
UR SO AMAZING -It’s Rihanna123873 lol ❤️❤️
The best listener I’ve ever had. So kind and helpful and always has amazing tips and advice. Very kind and patient. 12/10
Very kind and helpful but also keeps everything professional but is still very empathetic and kind Very helpful 11/10
SoftAlpaca is a good person to talk too, he gives goo advice. I know that if i need someone to talk to i can come back to talk to them
Really supportive and kind.
Really nice!
Badges & Awards
129 total badges
Listening Ear Long Ears Messenger PenPal Jester of Smiles Clerk of Bear Hugs Ellen Jump Start Anxiety Depression Eating Disorders Managing Emotions Panic Attacks Surviving Breakups Traumatic Experiences Crisis Intervention Peter Pan Listener Oath Work Related Stress Self Harm Sexual Abuse Alcohol & Drug Abuse Family Support Grad Cultural Diversity Verified Listener Bullying Chronic Pain Psychological First Aid Family Stress Sleeping Well Graduate Master Scholar Love Bug Refresher iListen Light Chat Tiny Chat Small Chat Voice Talker Communicator Ray of Hope Help Angel Self-Care Break-A-Leg Self-Love College Guide Loneliness Guide Test Anxiety Exercise Motivation ACT Therapy Affirmative Listening Ace Active Listening Startup Support Perinatal Schizophrenia People of Color Guide ADHD Social Anxiety OCD Boundaries Forgiveness Grief Managing Bipolar Managing Finances Surviving Domestic Assault Getting Unstuck Project Agent 7Cups Guide Rocket Listener 12 Steps Community 101 7 Cups Intern Grad Sparkler Loyal Friend Tick Tock Fellow Friend NAMI Listener NAMI Oath Evolution Steadfast Soul I Steadfast Soul II Steadfast Soul III Meet & Greet Proudly Proactive I Proudly Proactive II Proudly Proactive III Proudly Proactive IV Proudly Proactive V Reconnection Hero I First Community First Chat First Post Five Steps High 5 Hang 10 Open Door Winter 2018 Special Events Weight Management Diabetes CBT Thankful Heart Gratitude Abound Appreciated Busy Bee Hope Training Santa's Helper Familiar Face Kindness Crusader All for One Peer Pro Peer Training 01 Peer Training 02 Peer Training 03 Peer Training 04 Peer Training 05 Peer Training 06 Peer Training 07 Peer Training 08 Peer Training 09 Peer Training 10 Peer Training 11 Peer Training 12 New Mom Support Continuing Education Community Builder Grad Pineapple Personal Leadership 101