Rearing it’s Ugly Head… Again.

So recently I just switched my meds from Abilify to Latuda because the abilify made me gain too much weight.  I swear it’s a constant battle with meds and weight.  But i’m also on Zoloft for depression. Abilify clearly boosted the zoloft and now that im not abilify anymore the anti depressant isn’t working as well and im feeling the side effects.

what I want people to know is this SOMETIMES DEPRESSION IS A CHEMICAL IMBALANCE and I DONT HAVE A REASON FOR FEELING DEPRESSED.  I simply can’t help it or control it. There wasn’t anything that HAPPENED to make me feel this way. It’s simply the medication not being right and chemicals in my brain not being balanced.

Yes, things are good in my life, but what I want people to know is depression can hit at anytime, even things are going well. Thats what makes the plummet so hard, things are going well and then the black veil of depression comes over everything you care about and like to do. It’s like your on a train and then you go into a dark tunnel at random and you can see the light at the end but can’t quiet grasp it.  its a cruel feeling really, one big tease.It’s like having a bunch of good days or even months and then BAM out of the blue it hits. But this time it wasn’t out of the blue. The medication was clearly doing something right. But I also have to think of my weight and my health. This is one of those things that people don’t talk about much with depression is the fine balance it takes to find the right combination of medications that help, but that are also safe.

I may have to try a different anti depressant, which may mean feeling crappy for a while.  So if I don’t reach out or am as talkative, it’s not you. I promise.  Depression tells you lies that aren’t true.  I know logically they aren’t true, but they FEEL true. It tells you that you don’t matter, that you have nobody who cares or loves you, or that your not a good person, boring, unstable, nothing will get better (you get the picture) etc etc.

What I try to hold on in these dark moments are the good moments. But sometimes those slip away too. The fog that goes along with depression makes it hard to conjure up those things. So if anyone reading this can just give me kind words of support, I could really use that right now.  A happy memory that you have with me, something I did that mattered to you, just anything really.  Every little bit helps.  Thank you in advance.

Kay

Change, heartbreak, and self love.

So it’s been FOREVER since I updated in here. So sorry for the long hiatus! As the title reflects, there has been a lot of change in the last 3 months. Most of it is on a personal level and really getting right with myself.

First thing I want to point out is that my OCD (of which is why I started this blog) is mostly under control these days and i’m doing great!  I only see my OCD therapist as needed and or call her if I get too stuck for my own good.  Yes, the intrusive thoughts still happen, but whats CHANGED is how i’ve learned and continued to react or in this case not react. I’ve learned on  a gut level that these thoughts aren’t me, they do not define me, and thus they don’t deserve the attention I was once giving them.  Yes, I still get nervous in new situations, but i’ve learned to see it as opportunity for growth.

I guess thats another common thing in the last few months, is GROWTH. One thing nobody really tells you or prepares you for is that sometimes growth hurts and comes in many forms.  The first way that I got to experience this is in my trauma therapy.  In the last 6 months i’d say i’ve done some of the hardest work of my life. Through lots of tears, and even laughs, i’m happy to say I feel like i’m on the other side of this 10 year storm i’ve been weathering on and off.  EMDR therapy and my therapist knowing how to work with people like my self who have DID has made all the difference. So much so that we are all thinking (my parts and I) of integrating even more then we are now. This means becoming even a fuller person then I am now.  The parts and I have processed enough trauma that I now don’t need them to be separate beings of my personality. They’re jobs or roles are coming to a close.  Now some of you may be thinking, oh this sounds sort of sad, aren’t you going to miss them? Well yes and no. The way I like to think of it is, my personality is like a pie. With a pie you have ingredients right? Sugar, flour, water, egg etc etc. Think of each part in a DID system as an ingredient. They serve an individual purpose on their own as well as being mixed together. The way we see integration is like this, once the trauma is processed and dealt with, those ingredients can start coming together into a delicious pie. So one part is the sugar, and mixes with the egg and flour, which are other parts. And sooner or later, you have a completed baked pie which is me Kay as the full fledged personality that you see walking around today. So just like in the pie, the parts inside aren’t really gone, they are just in a different form.  This is just my experience and personal understanding of it, but this is why i’m not sad. Parts that were once separate, and now in the totality of the pie, I see them there, their traits, their likes and dislikes have become mine too.   This may be a hard concept to someone who doesn’t have DID but one thing is true, it takes a LOT of work in therapy to get to this point. I’ve worked my entire life thus far to get to this point of being okay with not just the possibility of full or almost full integration, but it actually becoming a reality.  Because i’ve made so many gains and strides in trauma therapy, I see my therapist now as needed also.  Usually when something comes up inside that we want to work on that could lead to further integration down the line. Integration happens on it’s own for us, it’s not forced, its natural and sometimes it takes time and sometimes its a quick process.

Now the new thing to get used to is a life without so much therapy in it. Both OCD and trauma therapy. These breaks in therapy have allowed me to look at things about myself that I didn’t have the time or energy for because it was consumed by all this other stuff. One of the things I’ve taken a hard look at about myself is how I am in and view romantic relationships.  I now understand this one thing: because of my abandonment issues from my trauma i’ve been jumping relationship to relationship and moving very quickly. One of two things happen (and maybe some of you out there can relate) 1. You jump in too quickly and find out the person isn’t who you thought they were, because you didn’t take the time to really know them, so you break it off with them, or 2. your afraid of getting hurt by them in some way so you leave the relationship before they can abandon you.   For me personally i’ve had both things happen. I’ve been doing a lot of dating the last 3 months and just realized i’m not getting what I want in a relationship because of HOW i’m going about them.  I had to take a long hard look at this pattern and why i’ve been doing it this way. And the reason is actually probably pretty common : we all want to be loved and cared for by someone.  But what i’ve realized is, I can’t  1. make anyone love or care for me, 2. I have to love myself first, and 3. I don’t need to settle.  Now these three lessons came at a high cost: for the first time in my life I experienced true heartbreak. Nobody prepares you for what that feels like and how awful it is. Being in love with someone and then finding out for various reasons you can’t be together, is something there is no handbook for.  I have never felt so horrible in my life.  But here’s why: for the first time in my life, I saw how I should be treated by  a romantic partner. For the first time I was seen as worthy, and for my kindness and compassion, and strength and smarts (all his words). I was seen for the real me, flaws included. But in the mist of heartbreak, i’ve learned one thing, I now know what I want more then ever, and the bar is set high, but above anything else, I need to NOT jump into another relationship.  I need to take the time to grieve the loss and go through the emotions.  I see why people jump from person to person, they don’t want to feel the pain of heartbreak, but I dare say, it’s necessary. I’ve learned so much about myself in these last few weeks.  Without the heartbreak, I wouldn’t know my own strength, my own capacity to see another point of view, and most of all I would have never understood my own self worth and that i’m worthy of love.  So as weird as it is to say this, I have to thank that person and for breaking my heart because now I know what I deserve and what i’m looking for moving forward. This person has allowed me to take time to pause and really see myself for who I am, and what better gift is there then that of self love?

So it’s been a whirlwind of things in the last few months, but I am a better and different person because of it. My OCD and depression are managed, I’m doing very well in school, I’m becoming a fuller person and needing therapy less and less and I got to discover self love.  There’s never a dull moment in my life, is there?

Stay tuned for exciting developments and what the future holds is bright and full of surprises!

Kay and Co.

 

 

 

Breakthrough In Therapy

So for those of you who don’t know, therapy is one BIG process that goes up and down and back up and back down and up again.  This is especially true when doing EMDR which is a specific therapy for trauma and PTSD where the client processes memories or stressful events and looks at their cognitive distortions or negative self beliefs (im not worthy, i’m not safe, i’m stupid) and puts it into a more adaptive perspective.  This is what i’ve been doing for the last year or so with memories from my Russian days and other things from growing up. Not all memories are as traumatic as others, and the way you typically start out with EMDR therapy is that you start with the lesser trauma’s and work your way up to the bigger ones. The one’s that really effect you and change you as a person. The reason for this is that theoretically, (and this has been my experience) you become stronger and more able to handle processing more traumatic events.

So why explain this all? What’s the point?  Well, let me tell you, today I processed the worst trauma of my Russian days. My entire life in terms of therapy has been to get to THIS moment, to be STRONG enough to process and adaptivelly change my thinking about my own self worth and how I feel about myself. This is no small thing and at the risk of traumatizing my readers, i wont share the memory, but just know, its taken me years to be able to face this memory.  This is a VICTORY. That sounds funny to say considering how crappy I felt and continue to feel after therapy today. But I know that it can only go back up from here. I can learn to move forward and move on to my present day life.  Or better stated, be 1000% present in my current life, rather then having one foot back in the past. And that is the true breakthrough- breaking away from the past and leaving it behind, to fully be in the present.  I’m excited for what’s next: the future.

 

 

 

Social Anxiety and Depression

Can’t believe another almost 2 weeks went by without a blog post!

I’ll be candid with all my readers, i’ve been avoiding writing here because I feel like it should always be uplifting and have some sort of lesson or something that you all can take away, and frankly I haven’t found that one topic to write about that fits that description.

But here’s what i’ve been dealing with my life and maybe someone out there won’t feel as alone in their struggle too.

I’ve first been dealing with social anxiety again. Not because of OCD unwanted thoughts though.  Just more of like a panic feeling? More of like a dread of having to interact with people.  I get all nervous and unsure of myself when I have to talk face to face with someone.  It’s becoming something that I think I’m going to get help for, because i’ll tell you guys one thing, I DON’T like it, it’s NOT me.  I shouldn’t be having a hard time talking to people and those I love around me.  It just shouldn’t be the case.  This social anxiety I thought was getting better because I had friends visit from NH and I did REALLY good socially and everything with them and the various people we met along the way. But for some reason this week, it’s like none of that ever happened, or the fact that I went to a church event 2 weeks ago, it’s like that never happened either. Even talking to my trauma therapist has become somewhat of a struggle because of the anxiety.  So I’m going to be seeing my OCD therapist to help me with social anxiety and panic.

The other thing I want to talk about and demystify for people is depression.  Yes, i’ve been depressed and yet I have nothing to be depressed over in the current day life.  I want to put it out there that this is a chemical imbalance and I understand that this is why i’ve been feeling this way. But I carry shame around it and feel like I can’t talk to other’s about it because my life is good right now, how can I possibly be depressed?!  Well it’s clearly chemicals in my brain that aren’t right. So i’m going to take control of this before it gets out of control, and go see my psychiatrist and have her up my antidepressant and maybe even let me take anti anxiety meds again as needed. So i’m taking the control back and doing something about it.

So I guess what I want people to know is if your suffering from either anxiety or depression, your not alone, and try your best not to carry the shame that I am trying to get rid of myself.  It’s not your fault, there is nothing wrong with you, and there is help out there.  The first step is admitting that I have felt this way, and now the second thing is to act on it and use my support systems and health care professionals to help me get over this with more ease.

so without apologizing for the fact that this wasn’t a “happy” post, i’ll sign off here. Because after all, i’ve got nothing to apologize for.

Kay

Completed A Huge Goal- God is Good!

It’s seriously too long in between posts when I write in here!  It’s been crazy busy though to be fair! Lets see, I finished my current term in school and should be getting A’s in both my psych class and my English class. So that’s pretty awesome because I get to keep my 4.0 average.  Next term starts the week after next and i’m kinda nervous about it, not gonna lie, because I have to take Biology-intro to anatomy and physiology.  Not my strong suit. But i’m going to get a tutor so that’s gonna be my safety net to make sure I pass with at least a B.  If I get the A, great, but i’ll be more then happy with a high B.  So we’ll see how that goes as the new term starts and continues on.

I’m very excited because two of my best friends are coming to visit in 3 days! I haven’t seen my best friend in over a year!  I’ll also be going home with my boyfriend in May til end of june so will see them again then!  It’ll be here before I know it!  We are going to go to a Bingo night together with my uncle, his friend, and my boyfriend. Should be a good time out on the town, and then after we’re going to stay over with my friend’s and have a mini party!  I can’t wait to catch up with my bestie!

So as some of you have read, as part of my OCD it’s really difficult for me still to socialize in NEW situations. Situations where i’m familiar with the people and setting I do okay. But yesterday I did a big exposure (ERP) on myself by going to a church event with new people and in a new place….and… i’m happy to report that I did it and was successful!   This is huge for me because I have been here in my new home for over a year and I’ve only made 2 solid friends.  Not that numbers count, but it’s to say that I have a really hard time socializing sometimes because of Harm OCD thoughts. I get unwanted thoughts and images of hurting those around me. These thoughts are disturbing and make it so I don’t want to be around new people.  But yesterday I was feeling like I could go to this church event and be okay, and it was okay!  It was a mixture of worship, prayer, bible study, and fellowship (socializing) afterwards.  I cannot explain how difficult this would have been for me a few short months ago, I wouldn’t have been able to do it at all.  Not only did I go, but I introduced myself, and I read part of the bible as part of the group discussion.  The people there were so nice and welcoming, and it was SO nice to feel like I was with Like minded people.  I learned so much too about one topic that I knew very little about.  It made me appreciate the personal goal I have of completely reading the bible cover to cover.   What I learned about myself is that i’m stronger then I think I am, and with perseverance and practice, I can accomplish my OCD therapy goals. What’s more is, I did this without my OCD therapist! (Which reminds me she’d love to know!). No coaching, no prepping, nothing. All by my own power.   I had a friend too that gave me encouragement as I went along with the event and getting there. Was super nice of my friend to support me through this process.  I prayed to G-d that things would turn out, and they turned out wonderfully! Next goal is to go to woman’s bible study or sunday bible study, just depending on the timing.  This gave me momentum to continue to get involved in my church.  My tri-fekta goal is to eventually sing in the choir at church but that’s a way off yet.   I need to build up to that. But going to WNL event at church was a good start!

That’s the main thing I wanted to share with you all!

Kay and Co.

 

School, Relationship, DID and Life- Balancing Act

Wow, so it’s been 11 days since I last wrote here.  I’ve been busy being sick, with school, with boyfriend, and did I mention school?!?  Yea it’s been sort of crazy as of late and with the last two week of this terms classes underway it’s only going to get more crazy.

So on the school front things have continued to go really well.  I have A’s in both of my classes this term, and barring anything crazy happening like failing my final 12 page paper, or my final exam, I should be able to keep my 4.0.  Also on the school front I decided that I do in fact want to go to my masters, so I started looking for volunteer opportunities that will help me in the field.  Long story short, I got a volunteer position as a column writer on a research project involving an organization that educates on Human Sex/Labor Trafficking.  This is as intense as it sounds,  but has been really interesting to research and help on something i’m passionate about- helping people who are in need.  Also the person who’s in charge of the project wants me to help him re-do his website design and layout and organize the information in a more concise way!  This is so up my alley as well!  I’m very excited for what this opportunity will bring in the future.  I will continue to update on this portion of my schooling as I think it’s important topic to talk about. I’ll make another post on Human Trafficking and how it’s effected my life at some point.

Boyfriend front- So if I haven’t mentioned in awhile how great he is, well, he is. Seriously, he continues to amazing me with his support and openness and what I deal with. So most recently we had a rough patch, just like any couple does.  He was working for 2 weeks straight without me seeing him,  then he finally got his car repo-ed which him and I expected due to unforseen circumstances, which brought up the topic of finances, which of course is stressful on any relationship.  On top of that my relationship OCD was acting up and I was feeling insecure about how he really felt about me and where things were going.  One of those things was that BF really hasn’t had the time or opportunity to get to know the other’s inside of my DID system.  Parts felt ignored and not listened to and it was taking a toll on the relationship as well.   All of this is to say, both BF and I had plenty on our plate at once.  So finally one night, we just put it all out on the table about everything that was bothering both of us, and we ended up going to my therapist together with BF and coming up with solutions to the issues we were having.  It’s weird how OCD can come creeping up at any time, but more so in stress.  It’s also amazing that my boyfriend even WANTED and CONSIDERED going to me with my therapist.  But he said that my issues effect the relationship just like his issues do as well.  What we ended up talking about with my therapist is ways that he can communicate with the others so he knows that there is a difference of opinion and idea’s, ways for others inside to get heard. Boyfriend has been unsure as to how to approach this, but with the help of my therapist we were able to come up with a communication solutions.  BF was so understanding and even felt bad that the other’s felt neglected.  He said he loves all of us, and that they all make up me as Kay.  My DID friends will understand how amazing this is.  Even more amazing, few days later, he planned an entire day where the other’s could spend some quality time with him.  He spent time with little Mia, and with Red and Michael. He had an activity to do with each one of them.  Was so nice that he put in the effort like that.  My BF is truly a gem.  If it hadn’t been for our rough patch, we wouldn’t have made it to this other side of clearer, more open communication.  Our relationship is now better for it, and I actually love him even more as a result.  Now granted, with his struggles that he’s going through, bf tried to give me a free pass to leave if I wanted because he was having a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel if you will regarding money.  But I reassured him he could be dirt poor and i’d be okay with that because money doesnt buy happiness. I told him just like he didnt leave while I was in the hospital (back in September of 2015), and in no way was I going to leave him because of some financial hardship.  What people have to realize is, he’s been trying to find steady (not temp) work for awhile now, but without any luck.  He’s been applying every day after work from temp jobs, and continues to look everyday he can.  He’s even looking at opportunties to work from home since he needs to save up money for a used car. It’s not from the lack of trying. I love that about him, his drive to never really give up.  We both have that in common.  Anyway, long winded there about him and what’s been going on, but it proves the point that if you work hard and work through the issues as they come up, a strong foundation is the result.  I am very lucky to have such a caring and understanding person in my life who is willing to put in the work for a healthy relationship and doesn’t just ignore the issues.

I guess i’ve rambled long enough but sometimes it’s good to get it out on paper so that it’s off the mind. OCD loves to ruminate on things over and over, and this is one of the coping strategies i’ve learned is to write it all out as a way of letting go.

Thanks for reading  about my crazy, but good life!

Kay and Co.

 

Lady Gaga and Til It Happens To You

I have thought about this long and hard before posting it because I think it NEEDS attention and someone else to talk about it.  I’m talking about Lady Gaga and her song at the OSCARS – “Til It happens to you”.   If you didn’t know, she wrote the song to raise awareness about sexual assault and how you have no idea what it feels like til it happens to you. (Hence the title of the song). Here’s the link to the song:

http://oscar.go.com/news/music-moments/lady-gaga-performs-til-it-happens-to-you-on-2016-oscars

I want to write that I too am a survivor of rape and sexual assault.  This may shock some of you and others may already know this. But I feel that if Lady Gaga can raise awareness on her platform, then who would I be to not raise awareness on mine?

So yes, rape and sexual assault does happen and it’s not talked about as often as it should be. It’s a tough topic and I understand that, but if more people came out about it, it’d make it easier for other survivors to feel less alone. That’s the ultimate reason why I’m talking about it. I’m hoping somebody reading will know they aren’t alone out there in this.  I also want to say that woman aren’t the only ones to be sexually assaulted. It can happen to boys and men too!   I think that’s something that doesn’t get mentioned enough either.  It’s not a gender specific thing. It can happen to anyone at anytime, at any age.

I’m speaking from personal experience. I was an infant when the assaults started, and my last assault was my freshmen year in college.  It’s unfortunate that it’s happened to me multiple times, but I KNOW that I’m not alone in that experience either, as sad as it is to say that.  But just like Lady Gaga, I’ve come out on the other side and decided to do something and speak out.

So with that I applaud her.  I applaud all survivors who have been through such a horrible thing.  And it’s true, until you have been through it, there’s no way you can possibly know what it feels like.  It actually changes you as a person and who you WOULD have become if it DIDN’T happen to you. But honestly, as weird as it may sound, it made me part of the strong young woman I am today. Without it I don’t think I’d have the empathy I do toward people who suffer from all types of pain. Takes one to know one as the saying goes. That’s not to say however, that those who haven’t gone through it can’t be compassionate towards those who have.  I have found so much support through this blog and social media in terms of hard topics and talking about them. People have been nothing but kind and I am truly grateful for that.

So those are just some of my thoughts on a very difficult topic that I could write pages and pages on.

 

Kay

The Legacy of Grief

 

So there’s been a topic I’ve been  trying to figure out how to write about. It’s a hard one. It’s emotionally charged for me and I’ve honestly been afraid to share it with other’s out there. But then it hit me, that’s the very reason why I should share it. Somebody else out there is bound to be struggling with their own version of this, and maybe for different reasons, but I could at least share my struggle in hopes of helping someone else.

I’m talking about grief. Not just sadness. No, it goes deeper. I’m talking about deep seeded grief. The kind that takes your breath away.  And it’s exactly what I’ve been feeling the past week.

It all started with a discussion I had with my therapist. She asked me what still makes me depressed even though I’m on medication to help manage it. She was asking so she could find ways to help, and to my surprise my answer was, it’s not depression it’s grief that’s my problem that I can’t seem to get passed.  Then she asked me all that I was grieving and I sort of just went on a huge ramble.  And as a result of my conversation i’ve been crying on and off all week. (Which is NOT like me).

It basically came down to these points and questions I asked my therapist:

Grieving all that could never be and never will be.

How do I get over the grief of being abused?

How do I get over the grief and loss of my biological family? (as flawed as they may be) It just seems so big.

The Little one inside keeps asking why mommy didn’t want her?

Grief of never having a father figure. Probably never will at this point.

The grief of the life I wanted for myself but due to mental and physical limitations i’ve had to adapt my plan.

Grief over of probably always having to take medication

And I’m sure the list goes on…. so much to grieve,

so many tears inside that are escaping for the first time in years.  That’s something they don’t tell you about grief in college classes or books, that it can take years to begin the grieving process. That there has to be a readiness.  One that I haven’t been at til now.

They say in therapy that grief and loss is the last steps because they are the hardest, and now I see why.  How does a person wrap their mind around all of this and not want to crawl under the covers and not get out of bed?  That would have been me even one year ago, but i’ve gotten stronger since then.  And THAT’s why I’m able to grieve.  That’s why I’m okay while doing so and NOT under the covers hiding away, and it’s why i’m writing this.

I want other people who may be experiencing grief over whatever it may be to know that there is NO time limit.  There’s YOUR time table and that’s it. Don’t let anyone tell you how long or why or why not you should grieve.  It’s a personal thing, just like it is for me.
And mostly, I wrote this to make sure I’m not alone in feeling this way. Sometime’s bringing light upon something makes it less scary and to know that other’s go through grief too.

The Bigger Lessons…

LESSONS FROM CHURCH BROUGHT TO LIFE

I’ve been sitting here wanting to write a blog entry all day but not sure where to start.  I’ve made so many strides in so many area’s and feedback from this blog has been absolutely amazing. I cannot thank my readers enough, at home and abroad.

The main thing that’s been on my mind is finding a church and finding God again. It’s been such a journey. An unexpected one at that.  But I’m a firm believer now that everything happens for a reason.  I don’t always know what that reason is but whatever is meant to happen, happens, especially when we need it most.

So why church?  Why bring it up?  Well it’s because I’ve learned so many lessons in my short time of attending church.  I mean isn’t that what its about?  Learning about yourself and who you are deep within?  I think so.

So this Wednesday (Tomorrow) is Ash Wednesday and marks the beginning of Lent.  This will be my first year observing Lent.  And here’s the first reason why I really like the pastor at the Church I go to. 

He basically says that you need not do what he tells us to do, but what’s best for us. So if that means fasting 4 days out of the week, do so, but do so carefully. It’s not required. And If you give up something, make sure it’s meaningful. Lent is a time of reflection. Do something that will better your life. Create a new habit. Something to thank Jesus for what he did for us. It can be any small thing. And pastor said at the end of the day he’s not going to tell us what to do or what to give up. So I decided to give up fast food (taco bell primarily is where I go and sometimes wendy’s or subway).  And the new habit is going to be going for walks so I can nourish the body God gave me.  Along with that i’m going to be following my churches’ reading leading up to Easter Sunday.

This leads me to the next thing I really like about my pastor. He was talking about in his sermon how we need to not just be in our own little cacoons of church and just go to church on sunday, but that we need to live out what we preach. Action is required. That we need to help those less fortunate (and in this particular sermon he was talking about justice for those with mental health issues, physical disabilities, people of different orientations, and those who are addicts) and not only help them because the pastor says we should, but it’s the right thing to do. He also was talking about how sometimes the right thing to do isnt always the most popular or easiest choice. He said that it’s okay to be scared about making those choices, that it’s to be expected. (The topic of the month is fearlessness) and that being fearless doesn’t mean not being afraid, but it means having the courage to stand up for those who we might otherwise shun in our society. Part of living what we preach is to be inclusive of ALL people, like loving thy neighbor. It’s not just about going to church and that makes you a good person. It’s about going out there and living it. The reason why this struck me so much is im in the mist of picking a more specific concentration for my major in school, and looking at different options of what I can do with my degree. What population of people do I want to help? Where is God calling me to, who does he want me to help and serve? These are questions i’ve been asking myself for months, and here  I am at a church service that talks about picking a path to help those less fortunate. It just spoke to me. Like i’m doing what i’m meant to be doing, which is to get educated so I can help the group of people i’m meant to.  It also hit home on the OCD front. Being fearless doesn’t mean not being afraid, and yet i’ve faced so many of my fears, and can you believe that i’m almost done with OCD therapy now?  I went ahead and was fearless. I had the courage to face what I needed to to better my life.

3rd reason why i like my pastor- he’s not strict and isn’t one for following strict rules. He said that there are sins, but the thing is, if your doing something that’s not harming anyone, such as the music you listen to, and you aren’t imposing your views on another person, then your okay. you do whats right for you in the end. And he can’t and won’t tell us as a congregation that we HAVE to do anything. We have free will. That’s how God made us. We have the right to make choices. And this is huge for me as someone who came from a an abuse background. That I have choices now, that I can make my own decisions about MY life.

I don’t know, it just sat with me in the right way.

The main lesson i’ve learned though, is to trust myself and my beliefs. This can be difficult for me to do at times, but that’s the message that I feel like the pastor is also getting across. Trusting yourself as well as trusting God. Take what fits for you and leave the rest. Live the life YOU want. Listen to that gut of yours. You are the creator of your own destiny. God is there to guide. But ultimately you make the choices that dictate your life. This doesn’t just apply to church. These concepts can be used in life in general.

This is just what’s been on my mind since sunday.  I hope it makes you all out there think what YOU can do to act to help make the world a better place. What’s your calling? Who do you want to be? These are all vital questions to consider.  (I know I know, such a deep thinker I am! Lol)  =)

Kay

My OCD Update- what’s next?

So It’s been awhile since I posted anything about OCD. Well today I had my 5 week check up with my OCD therapist.  The purpose was to go over the progress I made in the last month or so and then come up with new goals.   The short version is that things are progressing nicely and as they should.  I’m doing great changing up my routine every day, being okay with things not being perfect, cooking for myself and going shopping with my gram.  I’m less afraid of public bathrooms and don’t over-wash my hands.   These are all good things that I’ve overcome with my OCD.

So the next step is to tackle the next thing on my hierarchy of OCD symptoms. This next one isn’t easy for me to talk about but I believe it needs to be brought to light more so people don’t think it doesn’t exist or isn’t common.  What am I talking about?  I’m talking about working with sexual obsessive thoughts.  Some of you might be like, what?!  But yes, it’s a real thing. It’s real to those who suffer from a type of OCD called “pure O”.  So some obsessions and worries that people with these type of OCD have are, being afraid of molesting children around them, or afraid of molesting their own child if they have children (I currently don’t), or having thoughts or images of incest or bestiality.  These are disturbing thoughts for anyone to have, but for an OCD sufferer like me, the difference is that I’ve attached meaning to these thoughts and think that they reflect who I am as a person.  What I’ve learned however is my thoughts do not dictate my actions or values as a human being. Deep down I know I’d never hurt a child or anyone for that matter. Nor have I ever acted out on any of those thoughts.  It’s no different than me having the fleeting thought of “oh what if I hit someone with my car” or “what if I drastically turn my wheel into on -coming traffic?”   We’ve all had thoughts like this, but most people who don’t’ have OCD, let the thought pass and move on.  As someone with OCD, the thoughts repeat and I ruminate and feel shame and guilt for the thoughts.  I’m writing about this today because I want to de-mystify the beliefs that people have about OCD and what it consists of.   I know I’m focusing on taboo thoughts that most of us don’t want to admit thinking about but it’s no different than being afraid of germs and washing your hands. The only difference is that the rituals are all in one’s mind.  It’s not outwardly noticeable the struggle going on within.  Am I a bad person, am I a monster, am I really capable of doing something so horrible?  These are all questions I struggle with.  It’s almost harder to explain to people that I have a rarer type of OCD because the media gives people a specific view of what OCD is.  For more information on “Pure O” OCD and Sexual obsessions, you can go to the International OCD foundation website.   There you will find information on other types of OCD such as Harm OCD, Religious themed OCD (known as scrupulosity), Germ OCD etc etc.

 

What I’m basically trying to say is, this PURE O OCD with sexual obsessions is more common than most people think. It’s because of the shame and embarrassment that it doesn’t get more attention because people don’t want to be judged.  That’s the number 1 reason why I hadn’t come out to my family and closest friends about these obsessions.  I didn’t want to be thought of as crazy or for people to mistake me as someone as dangerous. So I kept my struggles to myself until 2 years ago.  I trusted a therapist and talked to her about my disturbing thoughts. She had another client with similar obsessions and ended up getting me to get diagnosed with OCD.

What I want other’s out there to know is-  if someone comes to you with something like this, listen and don’t pass judgement. It’s a real condition and help the person seek treatment from a qualified professional.  They are coming to you because they are at their wits end trying to keep the horror they feel inside a secret.  I also want people to know that there is hope. Through therapy I am learning how to be accepting of these thoughts as just that- thoughts. That they do NOT define me as a person. They are just my OCD talking.  And when I allow them to pass through, and don’t attach special meaning, they slowly disappear.  I’m putting this on my blog in hopes that someone else see’s it that’s struggling with similar thoughts, and then realizes they aren’t alone.  The isolation is the worst part about this type of OCD. You feel like you can’t tell anyone- but the truth is, you can.  If I can do it, so can you. It’s not an easy road, but it’s possible.

So from here I’ll be confronting my thoughts head on, and over time they will get less and less bothersome.  Eventually I will have it under control and know how to handle those thoughts as they come up.  It will NOT control my life.  I will be that social person I once was, and won’t be afraid to be around others in fears that I’ll have an intrusive thought.  I want to get back to the person I once was: not afraid to be social and tackle the world.