Adam’s Thoughts: OCD Recovery, Mental Health, and Living Life Abroad.
Living with severe OCD has shaped much of my life. This blog is a collection of personal experiences, lessons learned, and reflections on recovery.
Why OCD Relief Never Lasts
OCD often promises relief if you perform one more ritual, check one more time, or get the right thought. But that relief rarely lasts. In this article, I explain why compulsions keep OCD alive and how ERP helped me understand the difference between short-term relief and real freedom. Read article.
OCD Triggers: Why Something So Small Can Ruin an Entire Day
OCD triggers are not about being offended or upset. For me, a single word, song, phrase, or object could create panic and make an entire day feel ruined. In this article, I share how triggers affected my life, why avoidance made them stronger, and how ERP therapy helped me reclaim freedom. Read article.
The OCD Trigger Exposure List
Certain words, songs, and phrases once had the power to ruin my entire day. In this article, I share how a simple ERP exercise called a trigger exposure list helped me face those fears, reduce compulsions, and reclaim freedom from OCD. Read article.
Wait, I Thought OCD Was Supposed to Keep Me Safe?
For years, OCD convinced me that my rituals were keeping me safe. Then a back injury occurred while I was performing one of those rituals. That experience forced me to question one of OCD’s biggest lies: that compulsions somehow protect us from harm. Read article.
What Would Life Be Like Without OCD?
What would life have looked like without OCD? It is a question many people with obsessive-compulsive disorder ask themselves. In this personal reflection, I explore the opportunities OCD may have taken away, the freedom it limits, and why ERP therapy offers a path toward reclaiming the life we want to live. Read article.
My First 3.5 Months on Prozac for OCD
After 3.5 months on Prozac and augmentation with both Risperidone and Abilify, I share what has improved, what side effects I experienced, and why I still believe it is too early to judge the final outcome of treatment. Read article.
How OCD Affects Relationships
OCD does not only affect the person living with it. It can also affect spouses, parents, children, friends, and romantic relationships. In this personal article, I share how severe OCD caused misunderstandings, avoidance, regret, and distance from people I loved, while also explaining why recovery remains my responsibility. Read article.
What Does a Severe OCD Morning Actually Look Like?
Most people think a severe OCD morning means anxiety. For me, it can mean spending an hour putting on a shirt, driving back and forth across property lines, and feeling like the entire day is ruined before breakfast. In this personal article, I share what severe OCD mornings looked like during the worst periods of my life and how ERP therapy and medication helped me fight back. Read article.