Just remember (long and encouraging post)

Just remember OCD takes all your biggest, deepest, darkest fears… and brings them to life. it makes you believe you are becoming what you fear, it makes you believe what you fear is definitely absolutely without a doubt going to happen, even if it’s more likely a 1% possibility. it clouds your vision where all you can see is your fear and you see life through the lens of your intrusive thoughts, and it creates the nightmarish experience over and over again. it makes you feel like you are constantly scanning for danger. desperately trying to gain control and certainty. it can be paralyzing, debilitating, terrifying, it can cause you to feel out of touch with reality, out of touch with your self, it can make you feel like you’re “crazy”, disconnected, exhausted, confused, out of control, lost, scared, numb, anxiety ridden, shameful, guilty, alone. but just know, you are not alone. whatever your intrusive thoughts may be, you are not alone. no matter how dark, horrible, petrifying, scary, irrational, delusional they may seem. you are not alone. we are all in these trenches together. you are a strong warrior for fighting every single day while still dealing with intrusive thoughts/feelings and anxiety. while still taking care of your responsibilities and dealing with hardships and obstacles that come your way. for still pushing through every day and surviving. for still being here. you are so so strong. so much stronger than you realize or give yourself credit for. you are not a bad person. you are not crazy. you are still you. you are safe. you are not what your thoughts say. your thoughts are just that, thoughts. it’s hard to separate yourself in the moment when you’re so caught up in the thoughts and how your body responds to them and that sense of urgency you feel… it makes it all feel true, it makes it feel real, it makes it feel scary. but eventually, the sun comes out again after a period of darkness right? even if it feels like the darkness lasts for a while… the sun will always come out again. you have made it through every single difficult day thus far, you need to see your resilience and strength. i believe in you. there is hope. there is healing. there is recovery. ❤️ but the point of me making this post was in hopes of someone out there reading it would feel understood and heard. 💕 and just a loving reminder that you are not alone and that other people out there do understand how you feel. it’s also for myself, because i’m in the midst of a really intense OCD “flare up” right now where my intrusive thoughts are just racing nonstop and causing severe anxiety and i’m questioning if i even have OCD or if i’m just going crazy and losing myself. it’s really really hard… but i can get through it. i always somehow manage to get through. for anyone else this may help, Sheryl Paul’s work has really helped me get a different perspective on my anxiety and intrusive thoughts. I really like her view on things as a whole. i recommend reading her book “The Wisdom of Anxiety” and reading her instagram posts @ wisdomofanxiety. she also has a website where she posts blogs and has courses available. (she literally has a course specifically for relationship anxiety/OCD if that is one of your main themes, but she has lots of other courses as well) 🩷🩵🩷 also, Therapy in a Nutshell’s youtube channel has been helpful as well for my mental health! 😊