Dakagraphics-David

I can try... It'll be interesting to listen to! I did some strange stuff! Terry 123

We've found stuff we didn't know we had, and found stuff we haven't seen for years!!!!

Babble for 11 July Hi everyone... How are you coping with the heat? In the UK it is getting unbearable! Well! We are a bit further on with moving everything. Chemicals in the old garage... Most items have labels on... I don't have any old weedkillers or anything nasty like that. Many years ago, as part of my rehabilitation from mental breakdown the first time, I worked in a hospital as a gardener. A lovely cottage hospital with lovely grounds, and very old sheds... Very old sheds... Stuff that was banned many years ago, like Paraquat and DDT... We weren't allowed to touch it as it was industrial scale, lots of it. We had to have it removed by a specialist contractor... This was the early 1990's. They turned up in jeans tee shirt and plimsoles!!! No protective clothing whatsoever! I never found if he survived! We had gallons of the stuff! Concentrates of industrial weedkillers too! Thankfully none of this stuff was allowed for domestic use, so no, we won't even find traces of it today, even in the workplace. The bloke had a trailer behind his car! I don't think he even washed his hands! Needless to say, the hospital was beautiful, with stripes on the lawns etc. A real nice place to work... Me 1 OCD 0! I use a small battery lawn mower now. The technology has improved rechargeable batteries immensly. Do you do the lawn? The smell of new mown grass is real nice, and people pick up dog mess now. Do you have a dog or cat? They don't worry do they? And what they use their tongues for is interesting. But, as they live with you, you have already built up your own immunity anyway. You are protected! Just as you are to your natural home environment. Tell OCD to back off for an hour! Just one hour. Whatever it is... Just one hour. One of the things I do as a grandparent, is to take part in some of the things that happen at our grandchildren's school. It is known as a 'colour run'. It involves running around the sports field running track, whilst teachers throw dry water colour paint dust at us. We come home covered in paint dust in luminous colours! We walk through the streets after, going home for a nice shower. The locals love it! And so do I. We assume that it is safe, cos they would have had multiple meetings around health and safety. It just washes off... Do we breathe it in? Well, perhaps a bit, but not much. It is thrown at our lower body, not the face. Great fun! It should set off my OCD, but, as everyone else is doing it, then why shouldn't I? Fab bright colours! So... As regards our OCD... Is everyone else doing it? Are they looking worried? Should we be? Why? We check the door just once... We know we have... And yet, the urge to check just once gets so we need to check again 'Just once to make sure'. That urge continues to grow, until we draw the metaphorical line in the sand and stop... Something we seem to get a lot of at home is flies... I open the window to let one out ten more fly in! Are they dangerous? Well, I really don't know. We are going to get one of those things they have in shops... A big one... We all well know that flies also land on unmentionables, as well as everything in the home. I worry a bit, but having said that, maybe I already have resistance? And therefore so do you? It's easier than trying to fill every room in the house with vapour. We don't need to be breathing the vapour and getting a sore throat in the bargain. We breathe stuff all of the time, since the day we were born. Now I was born in the 1950's, long before health and safety rules came into being. Just out of interest... Does anyone know of a deterrent for wasps? Myself and my siblings would have been dusted with baby powder... A certain greedy solicitor is now trying to link it with asbestos... And yet, we are all here to tell the tale. The lead in the paint didn't kill me... Nor did the weird fly sprays we had then... We didn't have body scanners... We barely knew about mouth to mouth resuscitation. Birds pecked the tops of milk bottles, and Fish and chips was served on old newspapers that were donated to the fish shop by members of the public... We never thought about it!!! And we are still here to tel the tale. So... The next time your CBT therapist suggests something gross, just do it anyway... You will both survive! What shall we do for a challenge/task this week? Let's shake hands with someone... Literally, Shake hands with someone. Don't wonder what is on their hands, or indeed yours... Just shake hands with just one person ready for next week. I guess that, once you have done it the once, you will feel the urge to do it again... Tryt it! You just might like it... I did! And I'm still here to tell the tale... How did you get on with the library? Before Covid the books were just books... Now they are wrapped in plastic jackets... Totally ruining the feel of the book. It is nicer than reading a page on a computer screen, isn't it? Let's carry on with the smile grabbing. I've just moved to a new area where there are lot's of dog walkers... No shortage of smile grabbing opportunities there! Finally, I've plumbed in a washing machine! I hope it works... Well I've got the pipes on tight. I think.... Yes, they should be okay... It is all new pipework on the drain... Are my hands okay? I really don't know... I think so... I risked it... I'm not the only one with grubby hands... I have to sit this one out... We desperately need a washing machine... Okay... I will if you will... Don't forget to shake hands with someone this week! Until next week then... 18/07/2025 at about 19.00hrs UK time. Terry 123

fTo be honest, I didn't relapse as such, but as each group of sessions was only twelve, we just didn't cover as much stuff as we should have. It was a years wait for each... I got the gist of stuff, but it was a long wait to try and do stuff. Also, with my therapist we didn't do a lot of the tasks together. I read a lot around the subject in between sessions. This was all about fifteen years ago. I had sessions recorded onto CD. I found a couple of the discs, but they don't work anymore. I have remembered a lot of it, so continue to do ERP tasks on my own.... Terry 123

To be fair, if children were included, it would be on the conscience of the person in the photo... Terry 123

As far as the looking goes... Isn't that exactly what they want you to do? Celebs don't care how they get publicity, just as as long as they get it... The Sun and Mirror newspapers printed such stuff on page three to boost sales... Terry 123

In risk assessment meetings, people actually need to picture worst case scenarios' in order to put stuff in place to prevent them actually happening for real. Every public place has a risk assessment folder, every place where people are. Thankfully, most never happen, but then... It has been planned for. Terry 123

OCD fools us into thinking we are alone... But it is a liar... A barefaced liar. We can defy it, in order to win our happiness back. We havew an absolute right to be happy. No one has any right to take that away... We have to fight for our happiness... Drive the negative thoughts away. We can do it! Terry 123

I don't know... But hopefully there is a force for good around us, hopefully stronger than the evil stuff that goes on... Terry 123 I don't know... But hopefully there is a force for good around us, hopefully stronger than the evil stuff that goes on... Terry 123

I will try and look that one up... Terry 123

When we are tired or overloaded, our resistance to everything wavers. This may just be a passing phase. Be persistent, shout back at the urges. It can be done, but it is worth it to get our lives back. Don't let it win, shout back at it. Give it a name if you like, but shout back at it... Terry 123

Thank you! By sharing with each other on the forums we gain from each others unique experience. It keeps us going! Terry 123

Only you know your limitations. The therapist can only suggest... With some exposures they can sometimes do the task alongside you, to give you moral support... Terry 123

I'm amazed when looking back just how bad my OCD actually was I'm amazed when looking back just how bad my OCD actually was. I still struggle a lot, but years ago it was very extreme. I wouldn't use a public toilet. Supermarkets were a nightmare, and I would get trapped in rooms at my therapy centre cos I couldn't touch door handles. It was bizarre, but the OCD is... We are getting through with a smile!

Is this a true version of reality? Can it be backed up with evidence? Terry 123

I used to think that even my hands were poisonous! When covid was on I would go in a supermarket shopping, and actually have antibacterial gel on my hands. To be honest, I stopped just as everyone else started! As a care worker I dreaded being responsible for giving someone else even a mild headache. I could be sued for the slightest thing. I'm safely retired now... Thankfully! Terry 123

But you and I aren't Gods... We don't have those sort of powers... We have built in ststems that, even if you were say holding a gun, something inside you would stop you at the very last minute... If you were driving a car at speed towards a wall, our automatic survival instinct would kick in, over ride everything and we'd apply the brakes... Honestly my friend... You wouldn't follow it through. Terry 123

When we become parents we are about as well equipped to fly a space shuttle. Most haven't clue... We just do the best we can with what we have. Some so-called 'experts' don't have children of their own!!! We blunder through, hoping for the best and, guess what, Our kids turn out fantastic! They do... The things we most dreaded quite simply didn't happen. Hindsight is a terrible thing, cos we dwell on the negative... What could have happened. sort of thing. We learnt as we went along. No parent is perfect... Celebrities tend to have childcare and boarding school and don't personally look after their kids at all. Let's be proud that through it all we got through, and our kids still love us... Terry 123

Time to just let it all go... Thoughts go through our minds constantly, sometimes slightly willingly, sometimes not. They just do. They are just thoughts, until we act on them. Acting on them gives them substance and power. Deal with one issue, fine for five minutes until click! Another compulsion takes its place, something from even further back in time... I got back to my childhood... Thought long forgotten came back in full colour... I stop right now... I stop right now. Let the thoughts exist, let them be there until they die away on their own Given time, They actually do you know! Terry 123

It takes a lot to trust a therapist anyway... But, whatever you do is your decision and right to follow your heart. They are there to advise, but they don't know you as well as you od. There were things my contamination ocd therapist suggested, that I would never do. You are the client, you can do as much or as little as you like. My therapist could have had me licking the underside of my shoes!!! No way!!! It must be okay if it hasn't killed him, but I'll take that on trust, I don't have to do it!!! You can take the same approach. They cannot demand of you something they wouldn't do themselves... Terry 123

I'm doing something similar... Moving house, emptying the garage. Is any of that stuff 'clean'. I aim to keep all bottles and cans upright in boxes, then throw the stuff in the non recyclables skip. They told me to do it that way last time... I don't know what it all is, it is all labelled, but ordinary domestic stuff. I just don't want to get any of it spilt in the car... It might spoil the seat fabric... Nothing else... The intact stuff will either go in a skip or on a shelf, but only if I ever have a use for it. My new home is fully carpeted so no chemicals of any kind are needed. We have a charity shop collecting furniture so I'll watch and see how they do stuff, they do it everyday after all... There cannot be enought to do any harm... Dispose of it yourself if no one else will. Once it has gone, it's gone and that is the end of it... Terry 123

Mmmm... I've thrown a lot of stuff into the recycling centre... Let them deal with it. It is therapeutic giving stuff away... I no longer have a place for it in my home... My new place is a little smaller, so an ideal opportunity to get rid of stuff. We do have the use of a garage. So all the stuff that is worth keeping is going in there. I like going to the recycling centre. I didn't used to, I would see stuff thrown away that was better than the stuff I had at home!!! I'll be done shortly, then we go away on holiday to see grandchildren... Always good that. A nice change... A chance to put stuff behind us... All ready for new plans ahead. I wired up the washing machine today... It just needs extension hoses now. I'll sort those in a couple of days... All is going reasonably well... Terry 123

Hello friends... It's Independance day! It isn't for me! I've got OCD! I'm surrounded by stuff I didn't know I had. Some won't have been unboxed since the last move 2 years ago! I have to tell myself to let go now! I'm so good at saying it to other people, but for myself, Well! I find myself in tears just thinking about it... We've moved house... Used a removal company... Fantastic. Expensive, but fantastic I was almost sick with worry in the morning of the main move... Would it all go in the van? Will it go into the next house? It was frantic... Just let go... I told myself frantically, still no go... The truck arrived... They loaded it all on to the van, explaining that they'd done a delivery to a house around the corner from us! Same design of house to get it all in.... If they think they can get it in, they can... And they did... They actually made it look easy! I realised that I'd been caught out. Terry gets frantic too you know! I'm sitting here now... I've just been on the telephone to my internet provider... Why is it all jargon? Why is it so complicated? My previous provider was being hacked several times a week... So I changed. The chap at the other end was really helpful, so I thanked him, making us both feel good. It really helps to say thankyou. I now have 20 days to empty my previous address... I have a charity shop collection booked for the kast of the furniture that we didn't want anymore. We then paint and clean, to finally hand the keys in before going on holiday for a break. Housemoving is so stressful isn't it? I have to verbally tell myself that I should be letting go. It sounds esy, but of course it isn't Saying it to someone else is all very well, but for myself, well... It is a small local authority development, so none of us can get our washing machines underthe worktops!!! It is actually a desighn fault. Not something I've done... For a change!!! I'm only just coping with this... Moving home is supposed to be stressful, but... I guess we are all a bit susceptible at times, and that's when OCD strikes... I've noticed that I'm actually washed my hands more than normal... Overchecking just a bit... Back to the old ways for a short time... Just as a gentle reminder I guess... I have to plod on somehow... I am the eldest survivor of my family now...What shall we talk about today? Let's backtrack a little... WE've done a heck of a lot over these last few weeks... One of of those is; What about asking for help... How do we do that? Start at the supermarket till. Buy something anything, then ask for a receipt, just the receipt, and look the operator in the eyes with a smile. Go in the library, ask for a particular book... Say 'thank you' on the way out. We are doing small steps... But we are actually asking for help. And it feels nice. Post office... Buy a book of stamps, pay for it with card say, and smile... The lady in our post office never smiles... One day I took a letter ready for posting to the post office. On the way it got damp and the writing smudged. I got to the window and asked for an envelope... 'We don't sell envelopes...' came the reply. So... No point asking for a stamp cos I'd got nothing to stick it on!!! Asking people is difficult, as is being grateful to others for things they just do for us anyway. I lways feel indebted to others if they give me anything at all. I don't know if it is down to them or me. Having said that, I visited a fab restaurant this week. I said 'Thank you' to every member of staff I smile-grabbed. They like it. It makes the job worthwhile. Some don't expect it but get it anyway. They smile, I smile, All good. I'll do it more... Another massive deal for me is when I politely turn down help without feeling I'm being ungrateful yto them. They can take offence even though they would be massively be putting themselves out by helping me. I've got enough help already... I'm gonna be overwhelmed with offers. How do I let them off? I'm coming out as the bad guy here! I appreciate the offer, but I just don't need it right now... Of course I'm grateful. More than mere words can say... I didn't grow up getting lots of help... Down to pure habit, I need to do a lot for myself... It's about feeling good about myself. I hate coming over as ungrateful, it feeds on the anxiety that drives my OCD.. I then start washing too much and overchecking. It drives me nuts! So... Back to the smile grabbing and saying thank you to as many people as possible. It is good to achieve... Never underestimate what each of us goes through on a daily basis. This OCD is hell sometimes. I've been writing this over the course of the week, whilst at the same time, emptying and packing boxes with all sorts of stuff. Some of it we haven't seen for years! I'm tired... It is important not to try and do too much... We must get enough sleep. If you have trouble sleeping, your GP can help... Something I do is have music on at night, just quiet, in the background, cheerful stuff, uplifting, not sombre and sad. Have you tried positive affirmations? There are a few videos on youtube to lift the spirit. We are good people, simply because we care... It is that sense of caring that leads us into the OCD trap... Of course, we cannot stop caring, but we need to be mor caring of ourselves... Look after no1, so that no1 can then in turn look after others... You and I are that no1. Okay... That's it for this week... A shorter babble because of being so busy with the housemove. Don't forget to say 'Thankyou' to at least one person every day! Chat again on 11th July Friday, at 19.00 hrs UK time. Terry 123

One author I found helpful is an american doctor David Burns... His 'Feelingt good handbook is really good. It is available on ebay, as it is quite an old book... I dig out my copy occasionally for a refresh. It is very easy reading... Terry 123

It has been hectic this last week or so... Now I have the internet back on, I hope to have this weeks babble ready for tomorrow night... Terry 123