"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 →
I wanted to use this post to reinforce the idea that no matter how "diverse" our OCD thoughts may be, they are in the end, all trying to do the same thing and should be dealt with in the same way. To illustrate this, I'd like to detail a white-collar and blue-collar example from my... 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 →
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 →
One of the more interesting insights that I garnered from therapy was that I had a ton of mini-rituals or compulsions that I didn't even notice because they were so ingrained in my everyday life. Every time I closed my wallet, I would say the name of the card in each wallet slot to make... Continue Reading →
When that OCD anxiety hits you, it can often be overwhelming and terrifying. Your mind is screaming at you that you are something awful or that you have done or will do something terrible. And so your natural inclination is to want to quickly attend to the mental issue and try to convince yourself that... Continue Reading →
In a previous post, I discussed how people with OCD can, despite belief to the contrary, actually benefit their companies in unique ways due to the way their minds function. And at first glance, the idea that people with OCD--who are actively trying to reduce the impact the illness has on their life--can utilize some... Continue Reading →
Obsessive Compulsive Deprecation: Living with OCD at Work 