OCD Action

Truddles
Member

Hi everybody,

MERRY CHRISTMAS

But if you are feeling alone, or afraid, or are finding it hard cope, please come onto the forum and share your thoughts with us.

Perhaps we could all spare a thought for those that might need support during what can be an extremely stressful time of year even for those that don't have OCD. Perhaps we could all spare five minutes a day to look at the forum to see if anyone needs support. It could be your Christmas gift to other members on the forum

I will be on the forum on and off all of the Christmas period which this year is four days

Thinking of you all.

Best wishes

Trudy

Sat Dec 18 2010 11:16:14 #
David
Member

Thanks for the thought Trudy. I will spending my first alone this year after 18 months of getting more and more isolated. I have been suffering particularly badly from OCD since last October. I am a worrier and check properties when leaving and sometimes go back andd check some more. The reason for the worsening of my OCD is that I have been looking after two properties my own flat in London and my mother's house 120 miles away. My mother is in a care home at the moment and it our intention to put her property on the market in the new year. My sister lives abroad and comes to the UK regularly. The recent cold weather has made things worse as I need to rationally check things like central heating set on low -but then check and check again. My OCD seems to be changing to GAD as today I am worrying if there will be a flood from the flats above mine, if there will be a power failure, if pieces of equipment stop working, if a get a message from the man who checks up on my Mum's property etc. The essence of the problem is that I have got myself stupidly quite isolated in the past 18 months - for a variety of reasons including office politics in an organisation where I was chair and devoting so much time to arranging for my Mum's care and my OCD that my own social network was neglected.

Sat Dec 18 2010 16:38:41 #
Truddles
Member

Hi David,

Welcome to the forum

Unfortunately it's all too easy to neglect your own social network when caring for your parents. I was my mothers primary carer and in that time I was looking after her and having to keep an eye on my property over 70 miles away. It's not easy and can exacerbate the OCD. I did the same as you whilst I was at my mother's constantly worrying that the CH would fail and the pipes burst.

It's so easy to become isolated but not so easy to get back into the swing of things.

Last year was my first ever Christmas totally alone. To be honest I don't think that I'd have coped without the forum. At least this year I know that the forum is there to keep me company.

Hopefully 2011 will be kinder to us all

Sat Dec 18 2010 17:44:51 #
rich2
Member

Hi Trudy

I really appreciate the sentiments of your message. I'm having a very hard time right now. I'm got a really bad cold and it just seems to have knocked me for six and the OCD is getting so bad again. I can't stop crying and I just feel horrible. I keep thinking about things that happened ages ago and being overwhelmed with guilt. Also, I'm really worried that when I see my mother at Christmas I'm going to be overwhelmed with anger about stuff she said and did years ago and that I'll lose control and become violent. It's really horrible, just so upsetting. I seem to have lost the ability to fight off the OCD since I got ill. I was doing really well the last couple of months too. I'm just hoping things improve a little before we go down t my parents. Any support is very welcome!

Rich

Mon Dec 20 2010 9:12:29 #
Joel
Key Master

Thank you Trudy
Just to let you all know the office will be open during the week of 27th December and we will be able to take helpline calls (0845 390 6232) and respond to messages on the helpline answer machine. This is thanks to a great bunch of helpline volunteers who recognise that Christmas can be a difficult time for some people.
Joel

Mon Dec 20 2010 9:57:05 #
Truddles
Member

Hi Rich

Sorry to hear that you're having such a rough time. Having a bad cold can be enough to knock anyone for six and you know what OCD is like - as soon as we're feeling low it jumps in and tries to take over. A really bad cold can sap your energy making it even more difficult to control the OCD. Miserable as it is the cold wont last for ever and then you'll have the energy to start fighting back. Try not to be so hard on yourself. Use the forum for support especially whilst you're feeling so low.
I hope that you feel better soon
Trudy

Mon Dec 20 2010 21:58:28 #
rich2
Member

Hi Trudy

Thanks so much for the supportive words. It's good to know that it's a known thing that having a bad cold can make OCD worse again. I feel like I let it back in after weeks of managing to minimise it. I'll know better next time. I've feeling a bit better about Christmas now. I saw my therapist yesterday and we talk through the feeling that had come up about my mother. The thing is, I know I won't really feel angry when I see here. I might feel sad, but that's a different thing. And I'm not at all a violent person. The thing is, I've always said that no mater what my mum said and did when I was in my teens, she's made up for it since by being a brilliant and supportive mum in recent years. I'm going to try and focus on that.

Thanks again
Rich

Tue Dec 21 2010 20:47:03 #
Gigolo
Member

Trudy, as usual despite everything you are going through, you manage to touch the soul of everybody on this forum and make them all realise that they're not alone this christmas. I will indeed try to post more over Christmas.

Thu Dec 23 2010 17:19:30 #
Wombat140
Member

At the Aspie Village forum (an Asperger's Syndrome forum I happen to belong to), they had this pretend party on Bonfire Night. Just a long thread on the forum, with people posting to say what they were doing at the "party". If I remember rightly, it started with a few people describing the setting, baking imaginary potatoes, and so on, went on to singing silly songs, making up all kinds of fancy fireworks, and ended at about midnight (all forums have their late birds).

Aspie Village does have an unfair advantage due to a long-running game they have, whereby there is an actual (fictional) Aspie Village and everyone has their own character - there's a vet, a pub landlord, a mad scientist and a small colony of hippies, among others. Still, I wonder if we could have a Christmas party on this forum for anyone who wants a bit of fun over Christmas?

Might not be able to be there myself, but we'll see. Shame Jess/Diane isn't here, it'd be right up her street. Actually, there's no reason why we shouldn't keep it going till Twelfth Night, if anyone's still interested!

Mods, can you let us know what you think? If OK, and anyone's interested, I'll start things off.

Merry Christmas!
Wombat140

Thu Dec 23 2010 18:22:58 #
Unregistered

I like a bit of an RPG myself. We could assign ourselves characters with cool names and back-stories. It's nice to pretend to be someone else for a while.

Thu Dec 23 2010 18:36:28 #
Soxon
Key Master

Hi Wombat,

I'll speak to Caps and we'll get back to you about the party

MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all

Soxon
Moderator

Thu Dec 23 2010 19:07:05 #
Soxon
Key Master

I’m pleased to say that Caps has given the go ahead for the party, a chance for everyone to have fun and let their hair down
The usual forum rules apply (if you’re not familiar with them go to the site guide at the top of the page to access them.) So over to you Wombat to kick off the proceedings on a new thread

HAVE FUN EVERYONE

Thu Dec 23 2010 20:43:33 #
Nimrod
Key Master

I think this is a great idea, thank you so much for suggesting it. It will be a good bit of fun and a release from the day to day stuff. So let's let our hair down and enjoy ourselves and explore the ingenuity and talents of our members and have some fun. OK, so basic forum rules still apply but I am sure that will not get in the way of some enjoyment and we will excuse a few "slips of the tonge (or should that be keyboard)". I will be on the forum as much as I can (and I promise not to spoil the fun) over the Christmas period and so will most of the trustees of OCD Action so this is the place to be for Christmas day and Boxing day.

Don't forget the office will be open during the week of 27th December and we will be able to take helpline calls (0845 390 6232) and respond to messages on the helpline answer machine. This is thanks to a great bunch of helpline volunteers who recognise that Christmas can be a difficult time for some people. And of course the forum is 24/7.

In the knowledge that our thoughts and prayers are with you, wishing you all a Happy Christmas,

Caps

Thu Dec 23 2010 20:50:25 #
Truddles
Member

Did someone say party?

Count me in

Thu Dec 23 2010 21:35:36 #
Tess
Member

Brilliant idea, I would go so far as to say inspired, looking forward to it.

Fri Dec 24 2010 10:55:21 #
jen67
Member

Thanks, it's good to know that support is available, but I just wish I was better at accessing it!
I am not the sufferer of OCD, but the parent/carer, and feeling mighty isolated tbh.

Fri Dec 24 2010 11:28:48 #
Wombat140
Member

Stinks, don't it. Not quite sure what it is you can't access (was this really the thread you had in mind?), but I hope it soon gets sorted out for you.

On previous subject - sorry I didn't check this before, but will be posting in the "coffee break" section shortly...

Fri Dec 24 2010 21:25:07 #
jen67
Member

Thanks Wombat140.
Will start a new thread about something that I would like to ask sufferers of ocd, to maybe help me understand my sons ocd more.

Tue Dec 28 2010 0:24:53 #