— ANN VOSKAMP
Sharing your OCD Story is an amazing way to reflect, connect, destigmatise and show OCD who’s boss.
Here are some stories shared with us so far. If you would like to share a story here, please complete the form below. All submissions will be posted anonymously.
“I RECALL LOOKING AROUND AT A CAFE, WATCHING PEOPLE WALKING BY AND WONDERING HOW THEY WERE ABLE TO JUST LIVE.
Weren’t they consumed by worry?
How were they effortlessly going about their day?
Was I ever like that?
I felt uncomfortable in every setting, uncomfortable in my own skin, with limitless concerns swirling around (and around, and around) in my head. My intrusions often play out as visual imagery, like a horrifying, high fidelity, immersive inner theatre - with the full sensory IMAX experience.
After decades of experiencing this internally, my first observable compulsions began following a traumatic experience. Finally, it clicked. This wasn’t generalised anxiety disorder, it was OCD!
I grieved.
Then, I rallied.
If I could name it, I could manage it and as I learned more and more, I reached out to my peers. There were other people out there and I wanted to find them. Once found, we brunched. Sitting around a table, sharing openly and not experiencing any judgement felt like the greatest relief. I wasn’t alone.
Finding peers was the key to my OCD recovery.”
— DOCTOR
“IMAGINE SITTING ON A BUS FULL OF PEOPLE. EVERYONE IS TALKING AT THE SAME TIME, YET YOU CAN CLEARLY HEAR EVERY CONVERSATION GOING ON
- THAT’S OCD FOR ME.
Thoughts constantly in my head telling me what I should do - what to think - what will happen if I don't do something just the 'right way' but while these thoughts are happening you still need to function in your everyday life. OCD doesn't care that I have a job, that 3 little kids and a husband rely on me, it just demands I listen and act on what it wants.
Imagine nobody but you knowing those thoughts are going on in your head. You hold normal conversations with people but your mind is telling you...
perfect, perfect, things need to look just right
clean, clean, bleach away the germs
order, order, everything in its right spot
check, check, the door definitely isn't shut
OCD has no boundaries. It loves changing the goal posts. Just when you learn to deal with one intrusive thought or one compulsion, another one pops up.
After 20+ years of living with OCD I can now 70% of the time ignore the compulsions and thoughts. OCD is something I will always have but I learnt the 'tools' to put it back in its place!”
— PARENT
“HAVING OCD MAKES ME FEEL SO ANGRY AND SAD. I OFTEN THINK ‘WHY DO I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS, WHEN I AM JUST A KID’?
Concentrating at school is very hard when you have OCD as you can't focus on the one thing when your mind is thinking so many different thoughts. My OCD instantly picks up on me stressing out and puts even more silly messages into my brain, doubling my work load.
Life can be extra difficult with OCD. I have found talking to my parents and my psychologist has really helped. I have learnt that you need to test OCD and fight back. Every time you have an intrusive thought, doing what it wants just 'waters the worry tree' increasing your OCD but if you fight that thought, then you are stronger and can break that cycle.”
— 11 YEAR OLD
