Happy NYE. Only one day to go: I wish you wellness. ************************************************************** Hello all those on here who have or care for those with OCD. I wish you a wonderful evening if you are seeing the new year in like me and Dave. If you do have OCD..... Let your hair down Be determined not to let your OCD spoil your evening Make that New Years resolution on the stroke of midnight. I made and kept mine this year and am so much better. ********************************************************** It is hard work getting control over OCD. I can honestly say that I have never met a therapist without OCD who has completely got it - though a couple have come very close. It sometimes seems as if we sufferers simply cant be bothered to try or are slipping back through lack of determination. This is specially so if we are perceived as above average or very clever. But this totally untrue. It is also unkind and bad for our self esteem if we are told this. All I can argue (once again) is that OCD seems to create a memory blip like that name that slips out of our heads. I t makes me wonder if there is a link between OCD and memory. OCD is not like a phobia where we can rationalise and then just face our fears. It is complex. It is nasty. It undermines us and damages our self esteem. Even when we lose our fears it can still attack us. When we OCDers get a spike, the memory and all the hard work we have done to get well seems to slip out of our grasp like sand running out of a timer. If we are really firm, we can say the fear out loud or under our breath, walk away fast and refocus on something more wholesome. This is where the crossword puzzles, complicated computer games, hobbies such as knitting and cross stitch, and exercise can help. When we calm down, we can follow this up with mindfulness meditation to help chill us out. The more times we catch our OCD at this stage the more proficient we get and the more the spikes start to lessen day by day. If we are feeling vulnerable or unwell we may give in. At this stage it is not too late to reverses the process. One check or a few mins of ruminations is still probably okay but it will take longer for the fear to go down as the sand will have almost run out.This is when we will need that time machine. We will need to put the thoughts in that machine until they go down and delay that shower, wash,check etc for as long as possible. If we can time delay it until the next day we will feel more rational and less scared and more able not to do compulsions. If we give in and do another check we are in trouble as it at this moment that the truth (the new memory of what is true) slips and will be harder to access. At this point, we probably will admit to ourselves that our thoughts seem 99% true. Alas, we might keep this to ourselves for fear of offending our therapists and carers. Yet, its by no means impossible to stop the downwards spiral at this stage. I have done so many times. But it is hard....... This is the time when we need loving arms around us and a carer who will help us to fight without enabling us. This is the time when we may need to say our thoughts out loud in front of our loved ones to unmask them and then refocus on something we really enjoy... have a cup of tea and a biscuit, read those post it notes, phone an OCD buddy, go on a positive page or forum where we can access support etc etc etc. And then put the thoughts in that time machine. In the final analysis, OCD is not a Mickey Mouse Disorder. It cannot be resolved cognitively alone as we have to face our fears too. And this means doing ERP if we have physical compulsions or practice avoidance. If we dont face all our fears, our OCD is more likely to come back... it did with me. Our OCD will probably always be there as background music. Yet the more we do to keep up our ERP and fill our lives with jobs (paid or voluntary), study and research, exercise and hobbies, the more likely it is to stay in the background. This is the second time I have got well and in many ways I am pleased for the relapse as it allowed me to fill in some of the missing links between illness and wellness. If I can get and stay well for long periods without medications or therapy, I feel that others can do so too. However to get well they have to be motivated and be given the free or cheap treatment they deserve. The quicker we get therapy the more likely we are to get and stay well and avoid morps. If we get well, our lives and the lives of our loved ones will be happier. I wish you wellness and a truly wonderful and peaceful new year. Anne. (66, almost well and very pleased to be running this page)
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 13:12:28 +0000
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