Good morning everyone,
I'm not sure if I can be of any help in contributing to this discussion but as @Former-Member mentioned, I do have OCD. I've had terrible anxiety and panic attacks too.
I have been working really hard at getting better and a few weeks ago I came off my anxiety medication. So far so good. I'm feeling much better and hopefully I won't need to go back on the meds again.
The OCD still troubles me every day but it's not holding me prisoner as much as it used to.
I think with me I got to the point where I just said enough is enough. I got so sick of letting the MI rule my life every single day and so I've been putting lots of different things into practice to help me deal with the issues I face. I have to say though that it's been a baby step process. You can't tackle mountains but you can start with the little things and build from there.
The most important thing I have learnt is that I come first and I need to look after myself above all else. I have had to say no to people when they request things that I'm not capable of doing and although that's hard it's been totally necessary for me.
Lately I have been asking myself what's the worst that can happen? I think we worry and fret to the extent that we think we need to be in control of absolutely everything and that's just not possible all the time. Learning to let go and wait and see what happens has been a huge learning curve for me. Nothing bad has happened and I have realised that most of the crappy stuff that I'm thinking is my mind playing nasty tricks on me. Now I have moments where reality (regarding the OCD) sets in and I can see that everything is actually okay. I hang onto those moments before my MI brain can interfere again but I have to be quick because the thought patterns that turn me into a mess are always there wanting to jump in and take over and run my life. I hate it and I'm sick to death of it.
If I can suggest anything it would be to pick something that's small that you think you can overcome or gain some control over and build from there. Once you can master something little, you get the confidence of moving onto the next thing. I think knowing that you aren't a total slave to the MI gives you a huge amount of power. It was the breakthrough that I needed to see for myself. I'm not going to give up. I may never be 100% better but I'm going to keep fighting with everything I've got.
