Question

Once I found out I had OCD it was such a relief. I lived with it for two decades before I knew. Then I launched into therapy and ERP and after 6 years (2.5 intensely) I only have issues in and off and I don’t live in a state of fear. I do get triggered when people say words that remind me of my illness. There are definite trigger words for me that make me feel scared for a few minutes. Which can be difficult if I’m leading a meeting and talking. 3 minutes is a long time when you’re distracted. But I just practice letting go and being in the moment and not listening to the feelings and thoughts that come with a trigger. If I was in the thick of it like I was in 2003 -2013 I would dive head first into therapy- like minimum two times a week and directly confront my fears. Because once you do that you can pretty rapidly overcome it. I am successful and make six figures at my job so there is a lot of responsibility on me. And I was homeless back in 2002 because of OCD. You have to be determined to not let it control you and again, directly confront your fears in therapy. Be relentlessly honest. ♥️

Some of the worst days Ive had have been when I’m spiraling in my ocd thoughts but I’m trying to act normal or be ok even though I’m not. I trusted my friends so i told them “I’m having a really hard time right now” they didn’t reassure me, they just listened and it felt like I didn’t have to hide the pain. I would also recommend to remember to love yourself! If your having a really hard day try not to be hard on yourself or judge yourself to much. Think “how would I support someone that I love that was going through this?” Make yourself a cup of tea, cook yourself a healthy meal or go on a nice long walk!