The most helpful things I learned while recovering from OCD that might help you if you are in the recovery process:
My worst fear coming true in real life was less unpleasant than the anxiety and panic attacks I had been struggling with every day just THINKING about my worst fear. When it actually happened, I rated the worst fear as a 4/7 discomfort, and a really bad mental health day as a 7/7.
Having a few rough days did not mean that all was lost and I was at the bottom again. Recovery isn’t linear and setbacks are normal and should be expected, even years after recovery. It does not mean that you’re starting all over and it isn’t a sign that something is going wrong.
I was not capable of letting a lot of things go when I first started treatment. It would have been like asking someone with a broken leg to run a 10k. Letting things go takes time and exercise when you’re struggling with OCD, just like healing and strengthening a broken leg takes time and exercise. Start as small as you have to and advance to bigger things. You can get very strong if you keep practicing, and you will feel a huge positive difference in your day-to-day life.
Every time you push against what your OCD wants you to do, you get a little stronger. The strength adds up and it is crucial for getting out of the OCD cycles and living a better life.
Feeling anger at myself and hating my thoughts and fears didn’t change them. I wasn’t wrong to feel that way, but it didn’t make any positive difference, it just felt bad. What actually made things better was acting in opposition to my obsessive thoughts and doing the exact things I was afraid of doing.
Magical thinking compulsions are just as harmful to the brain as physical compulsions. I had to realize when I was using magical thinking, and then purposefully act in opposition to it. This was very tricky but I was able to do it with practice and guidance from an OCD therapist.
Not every therapist is trained to help someone recover from OCD. Different therapists have different specialties and areas of experience, and a treatment that works well against a different disorder could be unhelpful against OCD.
If you’re recovering from OCD right now, whether you’ve just started or you’ve been working hard for a long time, I hope at least one of the things I learned can help you out. You are really brave for deciding to push against this force that has taken over your life, and you are not alone in your pursuit <3
