Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
I would like to invite the community, both regulars and lurkers, to record any small or large victories that they care to share on this thread.
I think every one of us has a win every day: something that we couldn't do yesterday, or last week, or last month, or last year. And if you are genuinely unlucky enough not to have a win today, then I hope that we can make a list below that you can take some strength from, and know that it will be you getting a win tomorrow.
I know that lots of us keep diaries of our little victories, but how often do we look at them? Or share them? Looking back at my diary I can see that the first thing I recorded as a win was that I managed to send an email without asking my wife to check it first, but I haven't looked at the other entries or read through it in a long time. And I should.
I hate my OCD, I hate what it did to my children and my wife. I hate what it did to my colleagues who had to pick up my workload last year. I hate what it did to my family and friends. I hate what it can still do to me if I let my guard down.
I hate your OCD. I hate what it is doing to you right now. I hate the fact that it is turning your compassion and concern for yourself and others into a self inflicted nightmare of self doubt and anxiety.
Perhaps most of all I hate the OCD in the poor people who don't know that it is OCD. I hate the way that it is twisting their thoughts. I hate the loneliness and fear that they are feeling. I hate the fact that they don't know what is happening to them. I hate that they are unaware that there are others out there who understand and can help.
I don’t pretend to know how you can recover; I wish I did. I don't have any magic solutions to the problems we all face. But I do know that I got through it and am now able to function, to relax, and enjoy my life, with OCD just on the fringes, but under control. And (for me) celebrating the wins was important and still is.
I don't for a second think that this is a solution. I know that it is not as simple as that. I know that it is tough to look at the positives. I know that this would be, at best, a tiny gesture of defiance in the face of the monster. But if that is so, then let's make that gesture. Maybe posting a win here will help one person one tiny little bit. Small differences count. I know that the journey to recovery may be miles long, but a mile is composed of feet and inches and every step forward counts, no matter how small.
I've had OCD since the 1970s. And in 2009 it took over my life and tried to destroy it. I managed to recover and push it back to the fringes of my life, but it is still there and I need to keep an eye on it every day.
I'm worried that some people will consider this trivial or inappropriate or simplistic, but we post our difficult times with OCD here, so why not post our victories over it as well?
So I'm kicking this off with something small. Something trivial. But it was something I couldn't (or didn't) do yesterday. Or last week. Or the month before. Or the year before. In fact, a year ago I couldn't have done it because I wouldn't have been able to go out of my front door, or go to work, or leave the house.
Thank you for reading this and I hope you will feel that you can join in.
Love
David
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Today, when I left the house, I turned round and checked the front door just once, before turning and going to work.
well done David 
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