RE: What Is Occupational Therapy Anyway?
My main suggestion is to stay 'occupied' with activities that you enjoy but don't overdo any one thing. For myself when I am 'down in the dumps' which still happens to me and some days I just feel crappy; I'll give myself a break and just relax or do whatever I want -- but if it gets out of control where I getting to a point where it's difficult to function, one thing that really helps me is doing something that needs to be done and then rewarding myself with what I really feel like doing, whether it be a nap, watching a movie, a treat or whatever. Alternating this usually snaps me out of it. OCD is something I have always dealt with also and I think it's part of the ptsd of which the good news is it gets better in time; but it takes just that -- time. I do find that stress triggers ocd and it can be a vicious circle. Trying to be logical about it and think the worst thing that can happen is usually insignificant or not as bad as you're feeling subconsciously. It's a 'control' issue and sometimes we have to admit to ourselves that we cannot control everything. A little faith helps, I find -- spiritually. Spiritual practices has helped me a lot -- meditation, tarot, kabbalah, etc. Kabbalah is a big one for me too. What helps is different for everyone. I was feeling really bad several months ago and getting depressed and doing guided meditations from 'youtube' based on some of my problems helped me a lot. One thing that was beneficial is the mantra "You are enough!" In other words that we need to love and accept ourselves. Positive thinking is very crucial and yes, ptsd can catch us offguard. All I can say is that mine has gotten better, but it is from childhood trauma and other situational things (complex ptsd) and now that I'm in complete control of my own life, and time has passed -- I'm better. The last bad episode happened about 10 years ago, so I think that's a good record. Yes, it can be cyclic, and I found that was the case for me. It even is now, but less intense. I try to stay conscious of what's going on within me and flow with it a little, like I stated above. Each person has to find their own path really when it comes down to it.
That is all very interesting, can I ask how the OCD effects you? for me it is mainly contamination based and it really has a terrible impact on my day to day life, really need to find a way to overcome it somehow.
Hi George. It affected me differently and evolved since I was a teen, although I suspect the causes were rooted way before that. Symptoms began with an eating disorder I had all through my teens, between 13 to 18. It had a lot to do with controling my food intake and exercise. You can look up 'eating disorders' as I had all the symptoms and ocd is a common development and part of it. When my mom got sick I was 20 and although I had worked through my eating disorder to some degree, my ocd continued to manifest through concerns of contamination being that my mom was in the hospital for long periods and when she was home, I was always afraid of her getting sick. It involved a lot of hand-washing that became compulsive. It also manifested as a fear of something bad happening, like a fire or other catastrophe. I remember while I was at work, I would go home to check on her or to make sure nothing was left on like an iron. It's far too much to go into a lot of detail here, but now it seems to have settle down a bit since I don't have all of the same stressors in my life. It was triggered a little when my granddaughter was born, more through the concern of contamination and protecting her. I still have to check things multiple times before I go to bed or go out, but it's far better than it used to be as I try to be logical about it, think it through and have some faith in myself and the Divine. I was thinking just yesterday that a 'checklist' might help. Printing out copies of all the things one checks before going out and check it off each time. It's worth a try ... My daughter has it too so there is probably a genetic component but I'm sure part of it is environmental factors as well. She also has the same thyroid issue, though not as bad as mine, and fibromyalgia.