OCD Action

Unregistered

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

I hope that everyone had a good, great, or excellent day today, and that it wasn't a total disaster for anyone.

If it was a bad day for anyone, then I hope next year is a better year for you.

I'd just like to say "Merry Christmas" to all the regulars, all the new members, and anyone who hasn't been on here for a while, but wanted to check in at Christmas.

So, off the top of my head:

Merry Christmas, Tess!

Merry Christmas, Truddles!

Merry Christmas, BT!

Merry Christmas, Slogsweep!

Merry Christmas ACB33!

Merry Christmas, Gemma!

Merry Christmas, Bonnie!

Merry Christmas, BT!

Merry Christmas, Mike!

Merry Chistmas, Coco!

Merry Christmas, Chloe!

Merry Christmas, Aishah!

Merry Christmas, th1980!

Merry Christmas, Sugar!

Merry Christmas, Moderators!

Merry Christmas, OCD Action!

Merry Christmas, too many other people to mention!

And merry Christmas to me!

You're all heroes, and you all deserve to have a brilliant year in 2012.

May the Force be with you!!!

Sun Dec 25 2011 21:40:29 #
wannabefree
Member

:-) I'll just sneak in here and say MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
wannabe!!

Sun Dec 25 2011 22:05:19 #
Unregistered

Merry Xmas, Wannabe!

I just realized -- gasp, horror! -- that I didn't put your name on my list above. But rest assured that my Merry Christmases were aimed at you too!

Boxing Day is still part of Christmas, so if anyone else wants to jump on to this thread and wish anyone a Merry Christmas, then please feel free.

Merry Christmas, Wannabe!

Mon Dec 26 2011 9:48:15 #
wannabefree
Member

No problem Londoner! No offence taken! :-)
wannabe

Mon Dec 26 2011 12:27:07 #
Unregistered

Thanks Wannabe,

Well done for all your achievements in 2011. I think you're doing really well.

It's great that you're using the Achievements section to talk about your personal victories. Other people will be inspired by your story, so keep posting your Achievements.

Well done, Wannabe -- and keep doing what you're doing in 2012!

Mon Dec 26 2011 14:27:11 #
wannabefree
Member

Hi Londoner, thank you for your kind words... Thanks is due to you for all thework you do finding us links to useful pages, That is a really good thing to be able to do... Lets all keepdoing what w're doing in 2012! I'm still finding it a struggle, but getting there... Survived the Christmas break by the skin of my teeth... Tired now, it has been hard work over Christmas, but glad of a day off tomorrrow, in that we have no visitors or visits planned...
I also intend to take it real easy over new year too... No resolutions, so none get failed... How's your Christmas been, Londoner?
Wannabe

Mon Dec 26 2011 17:48:33 #
Unregistered

Hi Wannabe,

my Xmas was good, thanks. Nothing special. No disasters. No great excitement. Just another Xmas. Turkey, roast potatoes, and family. Xmas crackers. Missed the Queen's speech -- again. (Always mean to watch the whole thing. It must be on the internet these days. Note to self: look for video of Queen's speech on the web!)

I had many Christmases that felt dreadful, during my adult life. On the surface, I was usually cheerful. But underneath, I was usually a tormented soul at Christmas, endlessly ruminating on my thoughts, and the meaning of my thoughts, and whether or not I would ever act on any of those thoughts...

This Christmas, I still had some intrusive thoughts. (Like every human being does.) But they were much less frequent than in the past, and I felt no distress when I had those thoughts. But I've done the hard work in my course of CBT, and ERP, (and the Fluoxetine is probably also helping!), and this Christmas I felt the benefit.

I didn't drink any alcohol (that used to be a crutch for me, at several despairing Christmases), and nothing very exciting happened at Xmas. It wasn't exciting. It wasn't bad. Just a slightly boring Christmas, without the usual depression and despair that I was used to in the past.

I suffer from migraines and sinus pains (and have done all my life), so I've had a headache for about 36 hours, but it's not the worst headache I've ever had. Worse things happen at sea!

I read a post somewhere (I think it was on this forum) recently by a soldier in Afghanistan. Imagine having OCD and being a soldier posted to Afghanistan! That was a reminder, if I needed one (I didn't!), that while it's easy to become focused on our own problems (and I've been very guilty of that during my lifetime), it's also easy to see people in situations a thousand times more scary, if we take the time to look around us.

So, all in all, I'd say that a slightly boring Xmas with a headache isn't a bad situation to be in at all!

Tue Dec 27 2011 10:50:53 #
Jerama
Member

I posted from Afganistan "the Stan" on here recently. It can be a bit of a pain having to live in very close proximity to others and having to put up with their ways - and none of them understand OCD - I doubt if any of them even know what OCD stands for, and if they did it would just be a case of pulling yourself together. Still, its no worse than being shot at (only twice yesterday) and having to dodge IEDs. But its far better than the situation out here for the locals. They have nothing, no NHS, no social servicesand noone they can turn to. They are very surpresed by an evil dictatorship that masquerades as a religion - and if you think that is bad then try it from a womans position. Women here are slaves to be exploited, even sold off in a so called marriage deal and they have to do everything the man wants including being a punch bag and sexual slave often to be passed around the husbands brothers. Then she is accused of adultery because she has been raped and then she is punished severely with a long jail sentence and a flogging. Makes OCD look like nothing.

Sorry for the rant, but that is what it is like out here - difficult for the lads, but that`s what they choose but hell for the locals.

J

Tue Dec 27 2011 13:45:58 #
slogsweep
Member

Thanks Londoner, hope you had a lovely couple of days over Christmas

Tue Dec 27 2011 13:50:40 #
wannabefree
Member

Hi guys... Crikey, we come from extreme situations don't we? You stay safe Jerama, I accept it is a job you choose, but stay safe... I used to work in healthcare, and that had its' own run of violent situations... Nothing like what you deal with on a daily basis... I'm very much in awe of you guys in war situations... I couldn't do it... I guess we are here to do something good in the world, and mine is writing, I think... Till we're needed in heaven I guess... Christmas not too bad for me, very quiet... Didn't expect a lot of it to start with, so wouldn't end up dissapointed, and I wasn't... Here's hoping for a happy new year...
wannabe

Tue Dec 27 2011 20:01:57 #
Unregistered

Hi Jerama,

Merry Xmas!

Wow, it's hard to imagine going into a war zone while fighting OCD. You should write a book about your life! Have you talked much about yourself on this forum before? I'd love to hear a little bit of your story.

If you're comfortable to do it, maybe you could tell us all a little bit about your life? (Deleting all sensitive military information, of course!)

Are you still suffering from OCD? If you're comfortable talking about it, what sort of OCD are you faced with?

I'm asking because OCD sufferers often become overwhelmed by what Dr Jonathan Grayson refers to as "low probability risks". (i.e. becoming totally obsessed with things that are extremely unlikely to be dangerous, or extremely unlikely to ever happen.) But that's the total opposite of life in a combat zone. Out there, there must be what Dr Grayson would call "high probability risks" all around, all the time.

I can't imagine what it's like for an OCD sufferer to face such a high level of "actual" danger on a daily basis.

I'd love to hear about any of your experiences out there, Jerama -- and I'm sure everyone else would, too.

Stay safe out there. I hope that you have a boring, danger-free Xmas week out there!!!

Wed Dec 28 2011 18:51:24 #
Wombat140
Member

I've got tics more than OCD at the moment, that's why I've not been on much. But in spite of that I've had a pretty good time and eaten a lot.
Merry Christmas Everyone! Jerama, I hope you have a nice dull Christmas!

Wed Dec 28 2011 20:21:36 #
wannabefree
Member

How's it going with you, Wombat?
Wannabe

Wed Dec 28 2011 20:43:31 #
Wombat140
Member

Well... It's OK, only tiring. But I'm twitching so badly that I can't go out by myself, because I look so bizarre. So I'm more or less in abeyance at the moment, and getting fed up waiting for my life to start again. Still. Mustn't grumble!

Wed Dec 28 2011 21:28:48 #
wannabefree
Member

Hang in there Wombat, maybe things will be better soon?
Wannabe

Wed Dec 28 2011 22:00:11 #
Wombat140
Member

Jolly well hope so. It comes and goes, and it's about due to go again. HINT HINT.

Sat Dec 31 2011 21:39:38 #
wannabefree
Member

That is good, I hope... Are you on medication for it, or is it a side effect from yur meds?
Wannabe

Sat Dec 31 2011 21:59:12 #