!TW TO OCD FOLKS, this post talks about my experience with “contagious” obsessions and OCD triggers within my family !! if you tend to “catch” new obsessions easily, proceed with caution !!
having OCD in a household with other people who have OCD is an absolutely bonkers experience. the other day i was eating in the living room and my mom was complaining to my dad about how her OCD makes her fixate on swallowing while she eats, which makes her panic and choke.
IMMEDIATELY i was unable to swallow my food. i literally had to sit there, sweat beading on my forehead as i ate, and choke down the rest of my dinner because my mom talking about HER obsession immediately triggered that same response in me.
and then my little sister walked into the room and asked what we were talking about, and we couldn’t tell her because she has OCD as well, and already has panic attacks at age 9 because sometimes she thinks she can’t breathe.