OCD is all about jumping to illogical conclusions. It take something that is insignificant and potentially unrelated and transforms it into the biggest problem of the moment. Cutting tomatoes with a kitchen knife can spiral into "what if I murdered my entire family right now." OCD thrives on taking something innocuous and then connecting it... Continue Reading →
I was considering writing my own post about Coronavirus and how I plan to deal with it from an OCD standpoint, but this post from the OCD Center of LA did a much better job than I ever could. I trust their professional expertise and have worked with them before so I know that they... Continue Reading →
"I'm so OCD." It is a pretty common phrase that I would guess I encounter about once or twice a month (either in person, on TV, in a book or article, etc). Other people with OCD may encounter it more or less, but no matter the frequency, it can be a difficult saying for a... Continue Reading →
The handshake. A staple of almost any business meeting. And for someone with contamination OCD, a very uncomfortable experience. This specific OCD is one that hasn't ever been among my most "difficult" OCD worries, but it definitely has affected me at certain points of my life. And for those who suffer from it constantly, I... Continue Reading →
Throughout my whole OCD journey, I think the feeling I hated the most was not the direct in-the-moment anxiety that came from an OCD worry, but rather the "anvil" feeling that came after. I would describe the anvil feeling as such: my belief that I was essentially doomed because I'd had some powerful OCD thought... Continue Reading →
OCD works by making you worry about thoughts that you inherently know aren't true and about actions that you will never do. So consequently, OCD has a ton of material to work as since everything it is feeding you is false anyways, it might as well try to hit you with any and every idea... Continue Reading →
So let's say you have been doing well with your therapy and are dealing with less and less OCD anxiety each day (which is great). But then suppose that out of nowhere, you are hit by a huge OCD panic stemming from a worry or fear that hasn't bothered you in months and that you... Continue Reading →
While exposure therapy (which helped me immensely) requires the OCD patient to face the worries and fears that cause you anxiety, sometimes you just want to avoid dealing with your OCD anxiety for a while. And there is nothing wrong with that. Exposure therapy, despite its powerful benefits, can be overwhelming at times and so... Continue Reading →
This tip shares a common theme with many of my others in that it is primarily focuses on awareness. With these types of tips I am trying to help prepare people with OCD for possible situations where OCD might attack. And while it would be basically impossible to list every potential scenario, I like to... Continue Reading →
For all the positive press I have directed towards my therapist and OCD therapy in previous posts, that is not to say that my treatment was all smooth sailing. There were many times that I woke up on the day of my appointment and thought "damn, I do not want to do this today". And... Continue Reading →
Obsessive Compulsive Deprecation: Living with OCD at Work 