Rumination is ruining my vacation
My OCD has convinced me that my boyfriend and I are going to get trafficked on an upcoming trip, and I can’t stop thinking about it.
We’re planning our first trip to Brazil (different continent from where we’re from) and one of my boyfriend’s former coworkers, who’s from Brazil, offered to show us around. She’s been incredibly kind and has been helping us figure out where to stay and what to do. I have only met her a couple of times, but she’s always seemed genuinely nice. FYI we were the ones who asked if she’d like to show us around, she never invited herself or anything like that.
I also come from a culture where people tend to be more reserved and generally more cautious around people they don’t know well. So having someone be invested in helping us almost feels unfamiliar to me, which I think my OCD is latching onto and my brain keeps telling me that she’s somehow going to traffic us once we get there. I know how irrational that sounds, but the thought just won’t leave me alone. Instead of being excited for the trip, I spend so much time thinking about all the “what ifs” and imagining the worst-case scenarios and also preparing for the worst (I even considered getting tattooed just so I am easier to identify)
Has anyone else had OCD latch onto something like this? Do you have any tips for dealing with these kinds of thoughts? Please help a girl out, I just want to enjoy my vacation.
Posted Aug 3, 2026, 1:54 PM UTC