It is a paradox of sorts. I have extreme social anxiety, and I need to find a way to communicate this anxiety to those around me. Yet, I have anxiety about communication in general. …

There is an entire industry devoted to trying to motivate you to do what you’re currently not doing. People are paid for what is literally called “motivational” speaking. Some of these people are successful in their own right, some successful just because they give motivational speeches. Motivation is an industry…

It is part of the human condition to allow our perception of others’ perception to weigh in on how we present our mental health issues. That is a statement with a lot of weight to unpack. This is because when dealing with how the outside world perceives our disorders, we…

It was the freest I’ve felt in years, almost a high — dopamine, endorphins, who knows. I try not to overthink these often fleeting feelings of, well, good. I spent the previous night in an OCD episode. Nothing was right, and I felt others were to blame. I have a…

One of my readers completely stumped me today with something I felt I should know the answer to easily. While I am not a therapist or a doctor, I am here to communicate with others about my struggles with OCD, some of which I’ve overcome. …

Here’s the thing. The truism that none of us will move beyond. There is no solution to OCD. It cannot be wiped away forever. It is not that type of disorder (which is the case with many mental disorders.) This is OK! It is not a sentence for a life…

Don’t let others shape the narrative. I’ve had a rocky relationship with the outside world. The world of — people, but ideas and movements as well — that exist outside my thoughts. At one point I was convinced I disliked every person, not me. At one point I realized I…

I interact with people with OCD quite often, and I take in stories that form a wider view of OCD than if I just concentrated on my OCD. This has benefits and drawbacks. …

I was recently asked how I challenge my OCD. I love open-ended questions, though when I go to write about them my brain goes into overdrive trying to map out all the directions I can detail my thoughts on sections, sub-sections, tangential ideas, and the whole set of spaghetti-looking roads…