Much better.

At the beginning of this year I had an OCD flare up that felt life-ruining. For the purpose of some hope for those who might be in a similiar spot right now, I just wanted to share that despite how genuinely horrendous it was for at the time, six months later I am doing really well. Better than I was prior. It has not been easy, but I have learned so much and have expanded my awareness and strength in ways I didn't think were possible. I feel more in tune with my emotions, more self-aware and less attached to my inner monologue all the time. I feel more confident approaching future challenges with the skills this led me to develop. Everyone's journey is vastly different, so my simple recommendation for now is to focus on ERP (and ACT if suitable, as it is for me) models of recovery, ideally with a supporting professional. I know thats kind of obvious, but its true. Theres no cheat code, but you can do it. Personally, true acceptance of my symptoms has allowed me to slowly build myself back up. Building my mindfulness and thought defusion skills has also been greatly helpful but only after acceptance. And recently, actively engaging in self-compassion excercises has been really helpful at pushing me even further. Sending love to you all, be kind to yourselves and try to remember that OCD is a fucking liar haha