Good Morning from Northern Ireland. I saw this on Twitter last night and shamelessly pilfered it. Apologies to all concerned but this is OCD in a nutshell. OCD is voracious, forever hungry and on the prowl for its next meal. It will suck you dry, bleed you out. It is cruel, merciless and without pity. It revels in our misery, it’s ability to turn our days, worlds and lives upside down at the flick of a switch, the press of a button. It knows us inside out and back to front. It will rip you apart.
The compulsions are overwhelming and even now, writing about the topic, I can feel a ripple of unease stirring in my stomach. I’ve scratched the surface, poked the bear, dangled my leg in the lion’s cage. Remain too long and it will drag me in, maul and ravage my body and soul. So this will be fleeting visit, a mere toe dipped in the cesspit of the obsessive thought and corresponding compulsive act. Another paragraph, maybe two, but that is all.
Why do you do it then, some might ask? Why place yourself in the danger zone, pop your head above the parapet? You blog about OCD, tweet about OCD, you’ve even written a flipping book where the main character has OCD. Aren’t you tempting fate, heading for a fall? And sometimes I agree with those voices. But then I remember, when I was at my lowest I craved knowing I was not on my own. That there were others out there who shared my pain, who understood.
So I’ll shout it from the rooftops, even though the drop below is terrifying. I’ll keep coming back for more, no matter how battered and bloodied I am from the last encounter. I’m not a survivor but I’m surviving. I need to tell my story now just like I needed someone to tell me theirs all those years ago. It is a responsibility I will not shirk and I encourage you all to do the same. Expose your scars in order to exorcise the demons that still lurk in the shadows.
Black Thoughts 
I struggle with anxiety and depression. Those are my scars. With help it can get better.
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Keep fighting 🙂
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Bravo. The shadows give these demons power; exposing them takes that power back. When I write about something personal that can leave me vulnerable, I am always amazed at how many readers respond with similar struggles. That is how we can gain the strength to overcome these demons.
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I agree. We are not alone 😊
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Thanks so much for your vulnerability. Really appreciated. It’s not at all comfortable or intuitive to expose our scars, but when we do it’s the first step to healing. Easier said than done, all the same! My scars are in a different place. I need to work on being brave enough to expose them. God bless you for the encouragement!
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Thank you. Keep fighting 🙂
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It is both brave and necessary to expose our scars. Thank you for this post, Stephen.
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I love your honest and bravery. Keep shouting. The healing is not just your own. Bless you and your journey. You are not alone.
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Thank you Denny 🙂
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Your last line says it all. It is the silence that can slowly kill…Thank you for bringing to light the demons that lurk in the shadows…
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You’re welcome 😊
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The more we reveal, the more deeply we can heal. Thanks for sharing
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That’s right. You’re welcome 😊
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On most days I struggled with anxiety and impostor syndrome. The Corona virus and prolonged confinement at home has made things worse. I can relate.
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Be a light in the darkness, so others may thrive where we fall. In due course (if it hasn’t happened already) others will be a light in our darkness too.
Thank you for sharing. I have struggled with depression for over a decade. It has been a slow process of building my mental health toolbox, finding what works and what doesn’t. Offering these tools to others is one of the best ways we can encourage each other to keep chipping away at the walls or own demons keep trying to put around us.
Keep in inspiring positive change my friend.
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Thank you Hamish. Keep fighting 🙂
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