We’ve reached the end of International OCD Week 2022, and it has me reflecting on all of the words contained in this picture. Words that do comprise what makes up OCD, but don’t define ME.
HOPE defines me, and it’s what gets me through the most challenging days living with OCD. (That and my amazingly supportive family ❤ )
Every day presents challenges, and sometimes I wonder what life would be like without the impositions and struggles of OCD, but I’ve learned to take it daily.
I’ve learned to focus on all the wonderful things I have in my life, and acknowledge how far I’ve come.
From someone who felt scared, alone, and weird, to someone who each day understands herself a little bit more, and can finally see the strength and resilience that I’ve built.
I will never be free of OCD, but learning to manage it and realizing that I can have a fulfilling and incredible life, despite it, was always my goal.
When I write characters with OCD, that’s my greatest hope. That children will see themselves in my stories and realize they’re not alone. That they don’t need to be fixed. And that loving themselves, just as they are, is the first brave step. 💙
