You're allowed to grieve the life your mental disorder stole from you.
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You're allowed to grieve the life your mental disorder stole from you.
October is obsessive compulsive disorder awareness month.
I hope everyone who have this disorder, whether they know about it or not, whether they're diagnosed or not, will be able to find strength within themselves and will find peace.
I hope people around us will be more aware, more understanding and compassionate.
We are here. We matter. We will persist.
Happy disability pride month.
The World Health Organization list anxiety disorders, including OCD, as the sixth largest contributor to non-fatal health loss globally. (source)
If your OCD disables you — you're not a failure and you deserve support.
I love you those whose triggers considered to be "dumb", "silly", "funny", "ridiculous" etc by others. Your suffering isn't stupid or funny. It's serious and important and you deserve to be taken seriously.
Not all compulsions manifest in a physical way. Mental (hidden) compulsions aren't rare and they can be just as debilitating. Examples of mental compulsions include counting, suppressing thoughts, repeating words in your head, hoarding memories, neutralizing thoughts, replaying memories, questioning, praying, ruminating, rehearsing actions, reassuring yourself and many many more.
You can actually have just mental compulsions and no physical ones and still have obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Shout out to people with contamination ocd who aren't considered to be a 'clean freak'. You aren't suffering less if you can't bring yourself up to clean. Sometimes ocd makes you avoid cleaning because it is a trigger. And if people don't believe in your disorder just because they see you as dirty and unsanitary - fuck them.
I'm very tired as of writing this so I may sound incoherent but
It's good to encourage people with ocd to keep fighting, resisting their compulsions and getting exposed to their triggers but uh. I feel like sometimes people forget that exposure supposed to be gentle. I don't think it's good to encourage people to dive head first in their triggers. Like that can be deadly. You're supposed to take it step by step. Yes, this will be uncomfortable, but it's not supposed to make you feel so bad that you want to die!!
It's ok if you aren't ready yet to meet your triggers face to face. Block that tag. Don't watch that movie. Leave that conversation. You deserve love and compassion whether you're getting better or not at all. Please take your time and take care of yourself.
I think it's important to remember that a lot of advice that would work for general anxiety may not work for obsessive compulsive disorder or it can even make it wose.
Like sometimes calming exercises can help but sometimes they can become compulsions.