Here is a poem I just wrote about my battle with OCD The Enemy Around and around it goes Where it stops no one knows So few understand The struggle and pain When the monster is in your head Judgement and misinformation abound Paralyzing fear and crushing down Questions with no answers plague you day and night Sometimes you are too exhausted to fight You question your motives, desires and character A million thoughts flood your mind You struggle to understand What they mean And what they say about you Are they really true On some level you know they are illogical But lies fill you with doubt And it shakes you to the core You will do just about anything To relieve the anxiety But it only deepens the struggle Feeling helpless and alone You don't know where to turn You wonder Will this always be my life? Try as you might, there seems to be no way out In the darkest night There comes a ray of hope Treatment is a bitter pill At times, it feels cruel By far, the hardest thing you Have ever done It's not a quick or easy fix Terrified and uncomfortable But slowly You learn to win The battle that rages in your mind Little victories Become progress and change You see a light At the end of the tunnel On a journey Destination unclear You don't know How long it will last At times you feel Like you can't take other step Light breaks through A new day dawns Hope springs up Like a flower in the snow A deep longing for a better life Drives you on Little by little, progress is made Two steps forward, one step back You keep on keeping on Recovery is a journey Not a destination Some days are good Others are hard The struggle is real Bit by bit It changes for the better Though you stumble and fall Your faith sustains you through it all You fall into His arms When you are too weak to stand Sometimes the struggle Feels like more than you can bear One foot in front of the other One day at a time Written by Lisa Sutter February 12th 2022