in addition to exposures, talking to friends and family and therapy, what has helped you cope with ocd?

Thinking of my high levels of compassion and caring as a super power. It’s a good thing to care so much about the world and my impact on it. Not enough people care about how their actions affect others. I now lean in to the parts of caring so much that make me feel so much joy, like when I can be the adult in a kids life that I needed when I was a kid. Then it gets easier to understand the stressful parts of ocd

Joking about it

Giving myself grace. I used to get so upset with myself when I’d be feeling good for awhile then would hit rough spots. It always felt like I was going backwards instead of forward which wasn’t the truth. I’d be so hard on myself. Grace has been a big big deal. Also, self care. Even if it’s 15 minutes a day it is necessary. Learning to live in the present moment instead of constantly being worried about ALL the things ALL the time. Focusing on the good and just pushing through the hard. Realizing that just because I had a few hard moments in a day doesn’t really mean my whole day was bad. I also take medicine and have for 16 years. I try to move my body daily outdoors or in the gym. I’ve been not great at that one lately and I can tell 😖. I also will say recognizing OCD for what it is and learning to understand better how it effects us definitely is helping me realize that things really are okay even in the times they do not feel like it. Also becoming aware of triggers but not overwhelming myself with them or obsessing over them.

Accepting you’re a good person and that OCD is just a tiny fraction of the person you truely are. Each night, write down on a list one thing you you like about yourself (eg ‘I am brave because I went to work today’, ‘I have a caring family because I am loved’, ‘I am a kind person because I said hello to a stranger today’, etc). You will soon see a long list of why you are worthy and so much more than what your OCD makes you believe 😇

there have been so many different avenues that have helped me cope with my OCD. self acceptance being the biggest one. learning to love myself while having OCD has been the biggest impact on myself.