OCD on DofE

[Guest LissyR]

So a while ago (about 9 months) I did my practice expedition for DofE and the OCD made it tricky but it was relatively okay. Next weekend I'm due to do my qualifying expedition and I'm really nervous: my OCD is so much worse than it was in all aspects. I tap almost constantly now so its going to be hard to hide, especially for 2 days constantly and I'm really really worried that my feet are going to get dirty and I won't be able to wash them properly. Any advice? Thanks

[Guest LauraMac]

Bring alcohol gel with you and wet wipes, it may be hard but see this as an ocd challange. Try not to worry about other people noticing your tapping, your ocd is probably worse because you're worried about the trip.

All the best with your expedition! Laura

[Guest jerseygirl123]

hey lizzy

im due to do my qualifier expedition in October and get how you feel. my ocd isnt hygiene based so it was easier for me in some ways, on the preactise i kept checking the tent was zipped and had to zip it up over again, it was a struggle to keep my compulsions minimal, but what i found is that i didn't want to make my ocd obviose to the people in my group so i did it less, even though i felt awful for a while it really helped.

if your worried about people seeing you try substituting by doing something small that only you can notice if you feel like you have to do it to feel comfortable.

and hopefully you'll being so preoccupied and having fun that you forget about ocd for a bit, i know i did

good luck on your expedition x

[Guest Georgina]

Hi Lissy!

How are you at the moment?

It's great that you're doing DofE - I know loads of people who find it really fun! I signed up for it last year as well and did one of the practice expeditions...then dropped out! It wasn't for me but most people enjoy it so it's definitely worth a shot!

As for OCD, just treat it like one giant exposure! I have a lot of the same compulsions as you and found it really tough but it was bearable. For my feet, I packed lots of extra socks so I could keep them clean (I was still pretty anxious about it but it helped a bit). The tapping was tricky; the thing that helped me was trying not to get frustrated with it because I find that makes it much worse and just give it as little attention as possible.

Really hope it goes well for you!

Georgina

[Guest LissyR]

Thanks for all of these!!

The second day went great....we got really badly lost on the first day and ended up in a barbed wire enclosure at 10pm, so naturally my head went into overdrive and I full on panicked. On the plus side: I had to tell my friends why, and that made the second day so much easier!