Words of Encouragement/Hope

Hey my fellow NOCDers. I wanted to share a little bit of my journey and offer some words of encouragement and hope. I’ve had OCD since I was a kid. Looking back, I’ve realized that it has come and gone throughout my life. I’m 40 now and this past year I got pregnant with my third child. With the shift in hormones at the beginning of my pregnancy, my OCD came back full force. I found myself going back to therapy for the third time in my life for OCD. At first, I had shame that I was going back to therapy for OCD once again. My OCD was screaming that this meant something was wrong and OCD was stronger than me. However, something that I’ve learned is that having a hard chapter in life or a lapse in OCD (no matter how strong or long) is not indicative of failure nor your prognosis. I can now say that I’ve grown stronger, more OCD savvy, and more motivated than ever with each step “back”. Therapy, especially ERP is powerful. Trust the process. There will be hard days. Really hard days, days when you wish things were different and filled with doubt of getting better or getting through. There will be lots of ups and downs and twists and turns. That’s normal and a sign of GROWTH not failure. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in OCD recovery is that it’s okay to fall a million times. Let it be messy. The most powerful thing you can do is keep going and keep standing up every time you fall no matter what. Make the commitment that you will get back up every time and that you will choose discomfort and uncertainty no matter what OCD throws at you. OCD is a sneaky liar and will throw whatever it wants at you to get your attention. Try not to engage as much as you can. The fight is hard but it is possible. You can do this! We can do this! I had the thought recently that it’s not “my OCD”, it’s “our OCD”, we are a community that is doing the most courageous work. Every time YOU take a step towards standing up to OCD, WE all take a step towards overcoming OCD. You are not alone and you are stronger than you think. Every time I resist a compulsion, I think about how it will benefit not only me, but all of us. My newborn child, my children, my OCD community, all of us. I’m proud of you all! You did not choose to have OCD. OCD sucks. So give yourself tons of grace, kindness, and compassion. OCD is mean enough to you. You don’t deserve any more of its energy. Take any or all the energy you have to keep fighting and showing OCD who is boss, no matter what. You can do this!