Support Systems
December 27, 2020•393 words
I was hospitalized for my OCD in 2019, and I distinctly remember creating a crisis plan. This plan included naming my support group. I named three people, my mom and dad, and my wife. They all were with me through the thick of it, and I felt comfortable adding them to my list of people that I could rely on.
Even if you have never been hospitalized, try and put together a support system for yourself. I have found it invaluable to have a few people who know my condition and what it entails. This is sensitive stuff because of the themes of my OCD. Most people don’t understand that there are themes associated with OCD. They just see it as a “quirk”.
Keeping these few people around can help you when your OCD starts letting itself out of its cage. Giving someone a call or text can snap you out of a cycle. I am blessed to have an understanding family who understands my illness. At the beginning of my OCD journey, I had lost the will to live, but my support system kept me going. They kept me going to therapy, even when it felt like it was making it worse. They helped me financially because therapy was not covered under insurance.
I know some people don’t have the luxury of having close family and friends that are willing to help. An online resource that I used heavily was Reddit. The OCD Reddit was great to browse to see how others were doing. However, I wished I would have built up the courage to introduce myself. Another avenue was Twitter. Twitter is awesome, and there are a ton of like minded OCD sufferers that would be glad to talk to you. I started this blog to act as a form of a support group. I wanted to show that OCD is more common and more treatable than people think. You are not lost, and you can get better. You just have to be willing to put in the effort.
One tip about support systems, though, try not to ask anyone for reassurance. All this does is feeds your OCD and confirms to your brain that it is correct in assessing your intrusive thoughts as a threat.
I’m a little late on this, but I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!