Y'all- I am so sorry for the delay; I have been having such a hard time logging into my accounts, even my Instagram account @Ocdtothenthdegree. Speaking of Instagram, do you follow my account? It's public so it's easily accessible. I'm hoping that having that account will allow me to help more people by being accessible to more people (as Instagram is easier than reading a blog), as well to be able to connect through an additional forum. Years ago, I wrote a post on the topic of "lost time" in regards to OCD, and it remains one of my most popular posts. The topic of "lost time" has been ..read more

   One thing about having had OCD-and gone through treatment-is that so far, I have never failed to have a shortage of ways in which it affected my life. I am never left wondering how to make something relatable when I write about OCD or trying to remember something I struggled with throughout this span of time. The well is never dry!    In the US, we have just had Thanksgiving and Christmas is approaching in about a month, which is the prime time “holiday season.” People begin (or continue) commenting on how busy they are and schedules change for students and travel sc ..read more

Hi All,      I've had a couple questions come in via email asking me if I've stopped writing or updating the blog...the answer to that is a hard NO! I do blog less frequently now because I am through with treatment and am considered over OCD, and as you can see, that is on the opposite spectrum from which I started. I am actively trying to figure out ways that I can best assist my readers in any way in which my experience or insight will allow, but I'm not certain how to do that at this moment, short of actually treating OCD or writing a book or three (kidding, but only sort of ..read more

Hi All,   When I started this blog (which feels like forever ago--4 years), I had NO idea that it would gain the amount of traffic it is getting now, as well as so many people with me in spirit reading my words as I was trying to find my way out of rock bottom with OCD and into the unknown--and I was CERTAIN this life without OCD did not exist. It was sort of like jumping off a cliff and hoping I'd land somewhere okay because I simply didn't have any other option and I'd reached the deadest of the dead ends which is saying something coming from a girl adept at getting herself out of impo ..read more

  Suffering is a topic that is really uncomfortable to discuss. The word itself is so extreme, meaning "the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship." None of this is said in pity, or deprecation of self, but rather in openness and honesty in the spirit of the truth.    My belief is that pain exists outside of suffering--that suffering is the most extreme extension of pain that you can feel. If you ask someone who is in physical pain, I think I would reply, "I am in pain,", usually not, "I am suffering." Even in my most physically painful circumstances, which include an ..read more

It's been a while, hasn't it? Wow! In full disclosure, I am not sure what brought me back to the blog tonight. Truthfully, I am little hesitant to write about the brutal and soul-bearing honesty that has been a foundation of this blog, detailing the most gut-wrenching battle I've been through, while I'm also hesitant to look backwards at some of my old posts because who wants to step back into their own pain? I'm also aware things aren't quite as anonymous as I'd like anymore, but the risk is worth the reward for me. I've now stepped into a personal new role of OCD Advocacy instead of active ..read more

  I opened up an old textbook the other day that has made a home for itself in my bookshelf in my childhood bedroom for the past five years. Recently, I brought it back to North Carolina with me because I thought it might serve helpful to others.    This book was one of the two banes of my existence in college: the academics demanded perfection and so did my brain....and the pages unexpectedly fell open onto a page that I had long forgotten, and the evidence of that time period displayed itself before me.          My handwriting is above each note, ea ..read more

   This afternoon over a couple chai tea lattes, I found myself in the most precarious situation (and I am grimacing now as I type this because of how bizzare this was). I randomly decided to meet a colleague downtown at my favorite coffee place for a quick catch up break. We were having a normal conversation. She asked how my family was doing, specifically my sister, which prompted into a segue about her telling me how HER sister, who has a daughter my age, has severe, contamination OCD. That she takes multiple showers a day. That she can't be in a relationship. That she can't sleep ..read more

Hi Everyone and Happy New Year 2016!   I can't believe it is already 2016...does time seem to speed up every year to you all, or is it just me?      I wanted to write a quick post on an experience that was unexpected for me over New Year's Day. If you've been reading for a while, during my worst years with OCD, my life had an almost unbelievable list of limitations....anything from not being able to see my friends and family, to not eating fruits and fish, to not eating in restaurants, to not being able to get my hair cut, to not being able to do machine-washing laundry, t ..read more

   Hi All!       I'm out traveling on Christmas vacation and it has been a much, much needed break from the super fast forward pace of the month of December. Today, the only things I did were take my sister's puppy for a couple walks, get my nails done, sleep and cuddle with the puppy, and watch parts of the Harry Potter marathon (I will forever love HP--favorite books of my lifetime!) It's one of those rare times when I don't have an agenda in my head about where I need to be next, when I'm trying to eat in my car on the way to something, and when I can't remem ..read more