I want to talk about OCD. For the record, I am 26, white, female, from the South, with great healthcare, and with confirmed diagnoses of OCD, general anxiety disorder, PTSD, clinical depression, and EDNOS. It’s A Lot and I have a lot on my mind during the pandemic!

For better or for worse, there was this 2000-2010s explosion of media focusing on OCD.

Off the top of my head:
-Movies: The Aviator
-TV: Monk, CSI: Las Vegas, True Life
-Celebrities with OCD: Howie Mandel, Lena Dunham, Trump

These representations of OCD were all identical.

And I think that many people who consume this media and take it as gospel completely misunderstand OCD.

Like all psychiatric disorders, symptoms have a whole spectrum of feelings and manifestations!

Lots of people with OCD, especially those of us with anxiety, EDs, or ADHD, are not represented by the following stereotypes:
-Organized
-Scheduled minute by minute
-Tidy
-Clean
-Germaphobic
-Ruled by rituals
-Socially incapable
-Scared of human touch/saliva/whatever

In fact, because our OCD cripples our brains (which controls the chemicals that control our moods and energy levels) with terrifying or irritating intrusive thoughts, paranoias, dissociation, and other symptoms, we are often the opposites!

Some people with OCD and comorbid diagnoses are:
-Messy
-Forgetful
-Without a schedule
-Hypersexual
-Hypersocial
-Chaotic
-Overly emotional
-Too damn overstimulated to take showers or brush their teeth or brush their hair

Me at my worst:
-Messy
-Chaotic
-Forgetful
-Overeating/undereating
-Hypersexual/hyposexual
-Hypersocial/hyposocial

Me at my best:
-Organized *in my way* that may look messy
-Keeping a planner/calendar
-Eating appropriately
-Able to have sex/human interaction like a neurotypical

And I just want to say that this pandemic and new normal of working from home and sheltering in place is HELL for people with OCD and/or anxiety disorders and/or eating disorders!

I am having to figure out EVERY PART OF MY LIFE because I’ve had a fairly regular schedule for six months. And everything feels out of control!

If you’re experiencing something similar, you’re not alone, and you’re okay, and it’s okay to work extra hours! Or take a sick day!

And if you are quarantined with someone who is experiencing hell, please be patient with them!

Everything feels like it’s on fire right now for neurotypicals. You are experiencing our EVERYDAY MINDSET IN NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

So yes, we feel a bit like toasted ashes right now.

Anyway! Be kind! To yourself and to others!

Also, tips I have found useful:
-Buy a BIG grandma pill case, fill it up appropriately, and put it by wherever you take your breakfast or wherever you go to sleep. (Depending on your meds.) You will always see it and remember it!

-Keep aid for physical symptoms at your workplace. I develop eczema when triggered, so I keep my cream (GladSkin, highly recommend) and Klonopin in my desk drawer.
-Buy a weighted blanket.
-Buy a water flosser so you don’t make your gums bleed from excessive/lacking dental care.

-If you need or want a ritual for comfort, I’ve really enjoyed trying different hair masks, skincare, and foot masks in the AM and PM. They are on clearance everywhere:

Sephora
ULTA
Walgreen’s
CVS
Target
Amazon
Nordstrom Rack
SokoGlam
Everywhere

-If you forget to eat or have no appetite, Premier protein shakes taste really good and serve as decent meal replacements.
-I also keep nuts and protein granola at my desk because they’re easy to munch on so I don’t undereat.

-If you’re lactose intolerant, Muscle Milk protein shakes are very good, AND they have a coffee line that is AMAZING if you rely on caffeine!

I think that’s it for now but I will tweet more if I discover more!