Navigating Adulthood – One Obsessive Thought at a Time
Rewritten from 17 March 2019 - formerly 2 Years On 17 March 2017, I had my final session of high-intensity CBT after previously being diagnosed with OCD. My OCD was largely contamination based, but I also experienced intrusive thoughts around harming others, as well as health-anxiety related compulsions (long story short, I had major health… Continue reading Six Years On: The Ups and Downs (but Mainly the Downs) of OCD Recovery
March 2022 will mark five years since I was discharged from the mental health service after undergoing high-intensity CBT for OCD. A lot has changed in those five years - I’ve bought a house, I’ve changed jobs, I’ve gotten tattoos, I’ve spent two years living through a pandemic - you know, usual life stuff. I… Continue reading 3 Lessons I’ve Learned in My OCD Recovery
I’ve suffered with some form of anxiety my entire life. Emetophobia (the fear of vomit) hit me in my early childhood, gradually turning into a severe phobia of germs that, over time, destroyed my hands, my bank balance, a friendship, and worst of all, my personality. Eventually, I was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)… Continue reading Seven Mental Health Lessons I’ve Learned Since My Diagnosis | Time to Talk Day 2022
Today, I’m talking about the things I’ve learned since getting diagnosed with OCD. Of course, I realise now that I’ve suffered with OCD for way longer than I realised, but these are things that I’ve learned over the years since getting my diagnosis in 2016, and more importantly, since the start of the pandemic. I… Continue reading Lessons I’ve Learned From Having Contamination OCD
Anyone who’s followed my blog for a while will know I have OCD, but for those who are new followers, here's a little back story. I have OCD. It’s largely based around contamination fears (obvs bags of fun being in a pandemic), but I also struggle with compulsive checking and intrusive thoughts. I believe my… Continue reading Things OCD Has Genuinely Made Me Think
Apologies for my lack of post last week, and also for my delay in the one before that. It’s been a busy couple of weeks and a lot has happened. I’m attempting to get my shit back together though - although, I think I’ve done pretty well considering I’ve stayed consistent with two posts a… Continue reading Mental Health Update: I’ve Started CBT Again
It’s hard to believe I’m on part seven of my Therapy Diaries series. Take from that what you will - I’ve had A LOT of therapy. Anyway, at the present time, this is going to be the last in the series! During my last instalment, we actually rewound a few years and went back to… Continue reading The Therapy Diaries 7 | High Intensity CBT
It’s been a while since I did an OCD-covid related check-in, so I thought with it being OCD Awareness Week this week, it would be an idea to post one. A lot has happened since my last OCD update - I’ve been getting out a lot more, I’ve seen a few more friends and fam,… Continue reading Contamination OCD & the Coronavirus Pandemic: Surely It Should Be Over By Now?
October is a big month mental health wise. Not only was last week World Mental Health Day, this week is OCD Awareness Week. Spoiler alert: I have OCD. To put it politely, it’s a complete and utter ballache. I’ve written quite a few times now about how my brain works with contamination based OCD, and… Continue reading What Is OCD? | OCD Awareness Week 2020
After a bit of a break, The Therapy Diaries is back! While we’re coming up to my most recent brush with my local mental health service, I felt that I wanted to do a post around the journey that led up to it, as it was certainly a stressful one. Of course, my previous experience… Continue reading The Therapy Diaries 5 | Long Waits and Too Many Assessments
Sassy Cat Lady 