OCD and writing

[malissaarcParticipant]

Hi: I have ocd and found out that writing my thoughts both good and bad down in a journal really helps me. It also helps my therapist to help me. Why don’t you give it a try?

[Forum Moderators]

Forum moderators here – we just want to write and thank you for sharing your thoughts with other users in this “Tea and Coffee Break” sub-forum. Posts like yours make this forum a more interesting and welcoming place for all forum users!

Best Wishes,

Forum Moderators

[ArchiveParticipant]

Absolute ‘Gold dust’ this one.

Writing things down makes them tangible and fixed down.  When we write something down, the sentence can be re-read, over and over again, without the the individual words moving around and subtly changing the meaning of the sentence. Our thoughts can be a nightmare.

How many times have you said something to someone, then immediately ‘re-heard’ yourself saying the statement again, in every possible context, especially negative, just in case we could have possibly, even just a tiny, tiny bit, caused offence to that person, unintentionally yes, but still caused offence? Something they could possibly then come back at us with in the future?  Did you grow up amongst people who would more often than not, take the wrong end of the stick, so to speak?

I know I did…

Being bullied at school… ‘Kangaroo court’ scenario’s.  I just couldn’t please everyone to get them to just ‘leave me alone…’

Everything was picked up on. Even now, I can be aware of someone observing my actions, seemingly so that they can catch me doing something less than perfect, so that they can pick me up on it. I don’t know if it really gives them a sense of superiority over me… But it definitely gets me down a lot.

People do that, don’t they? Especially the media… Drag someone else’s name through the mud, make them seem small, in an effort to create some sense of contentment. But, it doesn’t work for them, so they do it more…  It used to be a management tactic to make people perform their jobs better, or do better at school…

It wasn’t me who couldn’t learn… It was the teacher who didn’t know how to to teach me, something maybe simple and obvious to them, but not to me.

“Everyone else in the classroom can do it, So why can’t you?”  So we get embarrassed to ask them to explain something over again. To be honest, it is very likely that very few of the class could understand it, but, faced with possible ridicule, don’t admit to it, and anxiously await the sound of the bell indicating the end of the lesson…

Not all teachers can teach… But then we are all different, and none of us good at absolutely everything.

So… Next time you feel the need to ask the teacher… Take a furtive glance around the room, and seek out the relieved looks on the faces, of those who also cannot understand, and secretly wish they were as brave as you are, for putting your hand up to ask!!!!

They are all there… It’s just a case of spotting them!!!

Now for another cup of coffee!!

Wannabe

 

[Forum Moderators]

Other OCD-Related Support Services – Find Out More!

In addition to OCD Action, other organisations provide useful, reliable and relevant support for people with OCD and OCD-related conditions and their friends, families and carers. Find out more on our Resources page: https://ocdaction.org.uk/resources/

These are just some of the many organisations:

Maternal OCD: They provide help for women with perinatal obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), a debilitating anxiety disorder, which is treatable. Maternal OCD’s aims are to:

• Raise awareness of perinatal OCD to healthcare professionals, mums to be/new mums, researchers and national decision-makers
• Provide information and support to mums and their families
• Encourage and support perinatal OCD research

BDD Foundation: Provides support for people with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), a preoccupation with perceived defects/flaws in appearance, often cause excessive self-consciousness. The Foundation:

• explains that BDD is a treatable condition and how, with the right help, recovery is very possible.
• provides information on support and treatment services available to UK residents
• recognises that the BDD community is worldwide. They encourage everyone to seek help and support through online services that can be accessed anywhere.

Asto Clinics: Asto is a UK charity providing treatment based on what works for individuals living with OCD. Asto’s founder, Steve Turnock, suffered from severe OCD and is aware of how life-changing the right support can be.

International OCD Foundation: The IOCDF is a large nonprofit serving the OCD community world-wide, including family members and health professionals. The IOCDF is known for:

• Their mission – to ensure that no one affected by OCD and related disorders is alone. Their community provides help, healing and hope.
• Their vision – that everyone impacted by OCD and related disorders has access to effective treatment and support.
• Their work – providing up-to-date education and resources, quality professional training, and advancing research.

[Author]

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